An update on the bathrooms!

Yesterday, an e-mail from someone looking for the perfect bathroom vanity reminded me that in a previous blog entry (see my entry from Feb 25, 2010), I promised to provide before and after photos of our bathroom projects. So, here they are!

The half bath we added has no ‘before’ photos because this was a brand new bathroom located where we once had a sort of butler’s pantry that was largely going unused. Although I am still missing the storage I had in the pantry’s cabinets, we couldn’t be happier with the new powder room! Because our house was built in 1888, it’s a bit quirky and doesn’t have rooms laid out the way most of us have come to expect. Plumbing wasn’t part of the original house, and when it was added, only one bathroom was put on the main floor. That would be okay, except that in our case, it was accessible ‘Jack and Jill’ style from both the kitchen and our master bedroom. This meant that everything from my husband’s shaving supplies to my nightie hanging on the back of the bedroom door was on full display for every guest who used the bathroom. Keeping the bathroom tidy and making sure the hamper wasn’t overflowing with dirty laundry was an ever-present challenge. In the photos below, you can see some of the choices we made for this bathroom. The bead board walls, pedestal sink, and black and white mosaic floor tiles are exactly what might have been installed in 1934 when plumbing was added to the house. To keep the room from looking too sterile, I chose a vibrant green color for the walls (Benjamin Moore’s “Georgian Green”, #HC-115 from their historic colors palette.) The mirror, from Pottery Barn, was a bit of a splurge at $279 but I love the way the brackets hold it off the wall so that it clears the cap molding on the bead board. Brushed nickel fixtures complete the look – clean, timeless, and cheerful.

The master bathroom underwent an enormous transformation. The ‘before’ pictures are so horrible, it’s hard to imagine that in 1974 when it was last remodeled, it was stylish and tasteful. Here are some photos of where we started….

Behind this ratty looking curtain, was this….

Here’s a close-up of the tile and shower floor…

They almost defy words! One last ‘before': photo shows our old vanity with its brown-swirled cultured marble top:

Wow! All that wood – it so…. 70’s!

For our new bath, we wanted to keep a shower stall, add a separate tub, and confine the construction to the existing footprint of the bathroom. In order to do that, we opted to forgo double sinks, so that there’d be room for the tub. As you might imagine, this was against the advice of every contractor with whom we spoke. However, my husband and I have been happily married for 22 years and we have never had double sinks, nor have we ever felt the need for them. I, on the other hand, have been desperate for a tub! There’s nothing I love more on a chilly night than a good soak in the tub; after seven years without one, I was finished with waiting. Our selections included white carrara marble for the vanity top, white and green carrara marble mosaic for the floor, simple white ceramic tiles, a seamless shower door, and brushed nickel fixtures.

Our new vanity base was purchased from Lowes. Its break-front design and furniture feet help it look a little less like modern cabinetry. The mirror is the one element that remains incomplete. A white decorative frame around the mirror is in the works to make it a standout.

The shower is spacious and pretty!

A matching pair of antique etched glass windows hung above the tub help bring a sense of nostalgia to the room.

I just LOVE the white tile! It’s so clean and timeless, and the decorative tiles keep the whole bathroom from appearing boring or dull.

One last word…. Lots of my customers have purchased pieces from me with the intent of having them retrofitted as bathroom vanities. One local blogger, author of Spoon and Chair, wrote about her master bathroom make-over earlier this month, using one of my pieces. To read about her project, check out her June 5, 2010 entry at http://spoonandchair.com/

Mirror, mirror, on the wall....

One of the things I love to use when decorating is mirrors – though certainly not because I’m so enamored with my own reflection that I like to see it every where I turn. Mirrors have the wonderful ability to reflect and bounce light around a room. They make a room look larger, feel more spacious, and funnel natural light into dark corners. I have them all over my house, multiples in a single room, and always in hallways and on landings. Yet, I never feel like they’re overdone. Just as you don’t pause to take in the view as you pass each and every window in your home, you won’t find yourself stopping to look every time you pass a mirror. Rather, the mirrors become almost window-like in their ability to provide a sense of ‘other space’ - where you could go, if only you could pass through the glass, much like climbing through a window.

Most people expect to see mirrors in certain places – over a dresser or above a fireplace mantle. Mirrors in the dining room reflect candlelight, whether it’s the warm glow of candles on the table, or the electric glow from the candles in a chandelier. And of course, a mirror hung beside your front door provides a chance to quickly check yourself before greeting visitors who come knocking! But I like to use mirrors in other, less typical, places as well. Mirrors in a hallway or basement bounce and magnify light when existing light is insufficient. A mirror backing an arrangement of flowers amplifies the drama by expanding your floral vignette to twice its depth. A small mirror placed against the inside back of a shelf can bring light into the depth and add sparkle to the items displayed there. China cabinets often have mirrored back panels; so do knick-knack shelves. You can accomplish this same thing with a small mirror leaning against the wall on a shelf of treasures.

I sell lots of vintage mirrors, and work hard to keep an ever-changing selection available. Often, the mirror itself is no longer perfect, having developed streaks or marks in the silvering behind the glass as a result of age. These marks don’t bother me – or most of my clients - as they are part of the patina of an older piece. Besides, when it comes to really looking in a mirror, most of us use the brightly lit mirrors in our bathrooms for make-up and skin care. But for those who can’t live with these marks, it’s a simple matter to replace the old mirror with a new one. Occasionally, I need to replace a mirror and when I do, I always use A-1 Glass on Rt. 28 in Manassas. Their prices are excellent and you can’t beat the service! [A word of caution is called for here: antique mirrors are never a standard size, and are frequently slightly out of square, so it’s best to give the whole frame to the mirror company, not just the measurements.]

Perfect glass or not though, the real star of an antique or vintage mirror is the frame. Most of the mirrors I carry are mahogany and many have wonderful pierced cutwork adorning their crests.

Others have inlay and still others have other types of embellishments like those seen here.

My painted mirrors have multiple levels of molding that remind me of the ornate layers of icing found on a wedding cake.

Most modern mirrors are rectangular and though their frames may be gilded or silvered, they never seem to have quite the character of a vintage mirror. If you’re looking for a way to update a room that doesn’t take a lot of money and can provide instant satisfaction, try adding a new mirror – or two!