Part 1 of 2: My favorite Bathrooms

I've always been meaning to do a Bathroom Post, but somehow never got around to it.

So when my friend Maxine contacted me about her bathroom, I knew now was a good time.

One of the reasons I've never really posted about Bathrooms is that I currently only have 1.5 bathrooms in my house and they are uninspiring and super tiny. I'm talking 70's mirrored sliding shower doors and all. I have major ideas but no square footage. Our plan in 2011 is to add a shower to the basement bathroom, and tear down the sliding doors, but I digress.

For Part 1 of this post I thought I would show some of my favorite bathrooms. You can get tons of ideas for storage, color and design from any of these spaces:

Not only do I love the aqua / white color scheme, I love the use of back door storage for everything from a transferable shower caddy and towels to jewelry and tissues.

If you don't have a ton of closed door storage, have no fear. Look how cute this looks with a simple floating shelf above the mirror (complete with glass apothecary jars), a simple unfinished rack that you can hang towels and tools on, and lastly an industrial open shelf with cool tin boxes.

Love the rustic ledge above the bath!

I love the natural towel racks and step stools as well as the open shelves. Also, for all you renters out there...are you looking for a high-impact, low-commitment design idea--I love the idea of simple and modern decals.

You can never go wrong with black walls and a romantic chandelier...oh and the vintage black/white tile and crown molding doesn't hurt either...love!

If you want to keep everything neutral, make the room pop with a graphic rug:

I love the way the aqua bedroom walls lead into the lemon yellow of the bathroom. Also, I love the idea of painting our bathroom door black--this might only work when the bathroom doesn't lead directly to a hallway...hmmm I wonder if Ryan would let me paint all of our doors black? :)

If all else fails, choose a graphic curtain--this will make any space special.

If you want to hang wallpaper anywhere, your bathroom is the best place to do it. I absolutely love bathrooms with bold wallpapers--the bolder the better. You don't have to worry about the space feeling too crowded. Bathrooms are meant to be cozy.

TIP: If you don't have a ton to spend, or need something less permanent, find your favorite wallpaper and then order a couple samples. You can frame these samples and hang in your bathroom for that great pattern you love!

Maybe you paint the ceiling black?

Or hang a white distressed mirror above the claw-foot tub and a glass chandelier over the vanity

Multiple sinks? Hang multiple lighting fixtures!

Love all-white bathrooms...

If you have an older tub, why not glaze the bottom half with a fabulous color like this Nantucket Red! I also love the DIY project of wallpapering your linen doors with a complimenting pattern.

Gwyneth's Bathroom...need I say more?

If you are like me and originally had a light wood vanity, don't be afraid to paint/stain it. I painted mine black and added vintage crystal knobs! (This is not my vanity below--but I love the rich stain!)

Who says you can't hang regular shelves in bathrooms? Yes you will have to dust them, but if you have a huge wall without windows and need something interesting, I think this is an awesome idea! Love love love the vintage tile!!!

Couldn't resist...how fun is this? This would be perfect for the outdoor grizzly man stuck on the 26th floor of a high-rise...

Look out for Part 2: Maxine's Bathroom Inspiration Board, including where to find some great bathroom storage and design pieces later this week.

Ikea Kitchen Cabinets--I've got my eye on you!

Happy Monday Everyone!

I had a completely fabulous and much needed Thanksgiving break! I spent time with both my family and Ryan's family, and ate so much food!!!

But I am very excited to get back to my blog :) This week look out for a mega post on bathrooms (something I promised last week) as well as nursery inspiration boards (not for me :)

But until then...let me share some amazing photos of Ikea Kitchens.

I had my family over my house on Wednesday for a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner. It was so much fun to have everyone in our house cooking, laughing, reading, etc. But I did realize that Ryan and I still live very "college-ey" sometimes. For instance, we don't have things that you just expect in grown up houses...like mixing bowls...and ice, instead we have 1 million wine glasses :) So my goal for December is to start organizing my kitchen.  Storing 500,000 of my wine glasses back in the attic, and introducing my cabinets to essentials such as measuring cups.

In my quest for grown-up existence, I can't help but notice that eventually I will need new cabinets! Although my kitchen has increased in attractiveness ten-fold since we moved in (think poop-brown laminate cabinets with brass hardware and a gold & wood ceiling fan) we always knew painting white paint over laminate cabinets was a quick not-forever fix. Not only are the cabinets chipping, but the hinges are old and need to be re-screwed more often than I would like. Of course none of this is visible to the occasional guest, but it keeps me up at night!

So one of my many New Year's Resolutions is to save up for new kitchen cabinets. Of course, I will want an all-white kitchen similar to what I have now...and I am seriously digging the real-wood sprayed white cabinets from Ikea. I've seen many designers use these and with the 25-year warranty it is a win-win!

A Super Easy Chalkboard Project

Sorry for the short post today! I'm taking a half day to spend much needed quality time with my grandparent's who are in town from Florida.

But I did want to post about a super easy project I did this weekend.

In my basement, we have our circuit breaker switch box on one of our main walls. Luckily it is hidden behind a cute cupboard door. But it still is quite awkward. Ryan and I have debated...do we try to hang something over it? How do we make it look purposeful?

Well I decided to make it into a Chalkboard. I simply took the door off--primed it with spray paint primer and spray painted two coats of Chalkboard spray paint onto it.

Please don't judge--as you can see we haven't begun hanging anything in our basement...and now we'll probably wait for our new windows to be installed.

I love the way it turned out! Not only does it look really cool and like it's supposed to be there...but we can write fun messages when we have people over, including Happy Thanksgiving...and even take bets on football games :)

I also love the idea of a Chalkboard painted piece in a guest room--so you can welcome your guests! 

It's the easiest project you'll ever tackle!

Productive Weekend = Rug + Tree + Windows + Boots

Happy Monday!

So I had some ambitious plans for this past weekend. And although I wasn't able to check everything off... Ryan and I worked our tail ends off!

I didn't make the $5 wreath yet.
I haven't found dining chairs.
Although I didn't paint my shutters, I researched how to remove my plastic shutters, and purchased the shutter locks needed to refasten.

But I did install my boot rod hanger (1). It is so nice to get my boots off of my office floor and organize them. Although the hangers have soft plastic, I am still a little paranoid about marks so I folded paper towels inside the hangers against my boots. This was so super easy to install--and looks great!

I also finally bought a rug (2) ! As you know I've been looking forever and was focusing on more of a Persian rug as opposed to a graphic print, but I came across the most perfect PotteryBarn rug ever on eBay!

What do you think? Won't it look amazing with my nautical concept?! Although I promise not to go to "Theme" like this :)

Since I'm hosting Thanksgiving on Wednesday, Ryan and I decided to set up our Christmas tree (3) early!

I also finally ordered 6 new basement windows (4) from Home Depot, hopefully to be installed before the tax credit runs out :)

And a chalkboard project (5) I'm going to post more about later this week!

So I'd say in the history of productive weekends, this weekend ranks fairly high!

Jonathan Adler: "Your home should make you happy"

Happy Friday Everyone!

I have some ambitious plans for the weekend--which include hanging my boots on my newly purchased boot rod/hanger set, and making the $5 Wreath I posted last week.

Look out for both of these posts next week, plus a big post on Bathrooms and a tour of my city Falls Church.

I will also be on the hunt for dining chairs and a large area rug...both for my basement, and I would secretly love to paint my shutters, but even I'm not that delusional :)

In the meantime, I thought we could swoon over some photos of Jonathan Adler's designs:


(According to House & Home Magazine) New York designer (you can also find a low-cost line at Target) Jonathan Adler is known for this witty and colorful interiors, whimsical pottery, bright textiles and sleek furniture, Adler's manifesto : "Your home should make you happy." 

Amen!

(All images courtesy of House & Home)

Art Gray

Art Gray

Annie Schlechter

Annie Schlechter

Annie Schlechter

Annie Schlechter

Jason Schmidt

Jason Schmidt

Jason Schmidt

Jason Schmidt

Jason Schmidt

Equestrian Chic

This one's for you Kaela...

Okay...so although I didn't coin the word "Equestrian Chic" I literally can't run away from this style trend lately. And I am all over this look. This Americana meets English Country Side is 100% classic and flattering. With a cream sweater and brown boots you instantly look rich. Plus, this is one "non-trend" that is very trendy at the moment that my husband has always loved..win win!

Here's how Equestrian Chic is everywhere you look...

First, I am obsessed with using equestrian images in room art:

Second, I am on the hunt for whiskey colored leather boots. Loving these...

Third, my girlfriend visited this weekend wearing an insanely fabulous Barbour jacket (see below)...hello Equestrian Chic!

Lastly, Miss Kate Middleton is all over the press for getting engaged...stylish English women scream Equestrian Chic. (PS--I love her. She totally rocked the interview and kept her cool. She must be sighing a huge sigh of relief...if you broke up or got dumped how would you start the conversation with your new man..."so my previous boyfriend is going to be King, but it's super cool that you work at an accounting firm...")

So I thought I'd post images a few fabulous spaces that personify Equestrian Chic...I would love to incorporate this look into a space in my house.