Thanks to Helen Davies from across the pond in UK for today’s guest post. She is a bathroom designer and writer with ten years experience. She currently works at Better Bathrooms and has written for interiors magazines such as Real Homes, Homebuilding & Renovations and Period Living. She just started her own personal blog and can be found on Twitter.
If you have an en-suite bathroom that needs some work, or you’re thinking of creating an en-suite from a small bedroom or a part of the master bedroom, your first thoughts are likely to be of the potential difficulty of furnishing the space. An en-suite is a small space that’s sometimes oddly shaped, and you may feel that it will be difficult to find fixtures to fit the room.
But you don’t need to have a large en-suite or think about extending the space you do have, if you opt for fitted bathroom furniture. There are some excellent small cloakroom designs and slimline units out there which will make the most of your space – without you needing to make more space.
[click to continue…]
We’ve all been there. You want to make a big change in your home, but now is not the time to be spending. Whatever your situation, you still want to improve your room’s form and function NOW.
Here’s a case study of an ugly master bathroom that needed some interim love.
Dark green-ish walls, tan trim, yellow-ish ceiling, floral border, grimy shower door and dark rose shade made this master bathroom feel like it was from another era. And did you notice there are no knobs on the cabinets? A functional no-no!
The Plan: hit the low-lying fruit with a budget of just $300. Here’s what we did.
[click to continue…]
There are always concessions made when picking your next home. In our case, it was the smaller kids bathroom, which also has to serve as a guest bathroom at times. Not only was it functionally-challenged, it was just darn ugly. There. I said it.
The challenges:
- Small 31” vanity with precious little countertop space and storage.
- The Formica countertop was as ugly as the rusted out sink.
- The only towel bar was hung above where the kids can easily reach.
- The dated (and sort of grimy) shower door on the tub made the space feel even smaller.
- Dated green walls with dark green trim and back-of-door.
The Solution:
[click to continue…]
I have a project in my mind that I’ve not had the opportunity to do just yet. If ever we finish the basement, my vision is to create a faux fireplace focal point and avoid the “box with cheap carpeting” look. But it’s got to be fun and kid-friendly.
My original idea was inspired by this image from Better Homes and Gardens. Rather than using molding, why not “rescue” an old mantle from a junk shop, refinish and paint it and then add chalkboard paint in the middle where the fire should be? You’d have a natural display ledge above for artwork, and you can either draw a fire or whatever inspires you on the chalk section.
[click to continue…]
Is white becoming the new black? I’m seeing it everywhere, and I love it!
White plays great with classic black, and can nudge a traditional room a bit more transitional. Once associated with stark apartment walls, white is taking center stage!
Crisp white cabinets and bead board really makes the beautiful black granite pop. Just a very clean look, accented beautifully with a simple vase of flowers.
[click to continue…]
