Some Bathroom Decisions

Well, the decisions were made ... and as much as I'd like to tell you they were tireless, hours upon hours spent arguing over the perfect tile to match the house, the perfect color to work with the light, the perfect theme to fit our lifestyle and still remaining functional ... that wouldn't be the truth. Not the whole truth anyway.

Tonight we picked the tile. Or I should say, I picked the tile, and Scott complied. A daltile product made up of hexagonal and diamond shaped glazed ceramic tiles on a convenient 12x12 sheet. What could be any easier?


The idea here is to mix these tiles to come up with a banded pattern, framing the walls of the room to mimic this inspiration room I found at bungalowinsanity.com:

I'm in love with what they did in their bathroom remodel, so I hope to be able to mimic their hard work with a little bit of ease thanks to the smart people at daltile. And no, they haven't sponsored the project ... but if you're listening daltile, that'd be mighty appreciated!

Next we move onto the shower surround, which Scott chose today all by himself:

A delicate curve in all the right places, a crown molding like finish to the top and the bottom, I think it'll be nice to look at while in the shower, and easy to live with while covered up with a curtain! Of course, you can't pick a new shower or tub without also picking a new toilet, can you?

Great lines on this toilet pedestal and tank make for an easy fit with the detail of the shower surround, and though a toilet isn't a necessary replacement item when fixing up a bathroom, it's a relatively cheap addition - and one you should be proud of. Read: bye bye my Yugo of a toilet!

And talk about ease! The fine people at Kohler also have a sink in the same style as the toilet. Yes, I know - I'm going overboard ... but you have to understand, these are necessary, err almost necessary implements, AND I figure if I'm going to start something, I might as well finish it. So in lieu of the custom vessel sinks I once wanted ... we opted for this classic and clean lined sink, which we'll sink into an antique chest.

Here comes the dilemma.

I am a fan of the lines in Antique French Empire Furniture, like this chest (above). Scott, however likes the lines of the Early American Empire pieces (below).

I suppose the winner here will not be the one who provides the best argument, but the one who brings home the first antique! And, when I do ... I mean, when the winner does, we'll sink the Kohler sink in the top to look something like this:

What a great inspiration pick huh? I think that's the same sink I picked!

Now obviously, I can't think of renovating any space without also thinking about decorating it. I have to confess, there hasn't been much time to put a good sampling together, but this one will evolve over time I'm sure.

Ralph Lauren's Riesling will be a great fit for the wall above the molding. It's a soft yellow shade that has a taupe undertone, keeping it from being day glow or school bus looking in the wrong light. The color of the molding under this RL color is currently a beautiful creamy eggshell. I'd like to keep it, but fear that the need for white paint against the RL will best suit both the tile and the new color palette.

As for accessories:

Vintage over sized Botanical Prints, (mostly of Orchids - Scott's favorite), Sea sponges and body butters, burlap - in an interesting installation (no, it's not the shower curtain!), a beautiful wire urn for a touch of whimsy, and some blue and white Asian pottery for grins.

So there you have it - my budget bathroom redo. What do you think?