Our bathroom reno: from glum to glam!

Here's a little peek at our master bathroom renovation, which took approximately six months, from beginning to end.  And that was WITH a professional contractor doing the labor (our first professional job).  It took about three months to find a suitable contractor within our budget and who would allow us to select our own materials.  Like pretty much everyone considering a master bath reno these days, we wanted our room to feel light, airy, and like a spa (as much as possible).  We wanted to maximize the space, open up our very closed and moldy water closet, and bring in a lot of light, which is tough for our south-facing home.

Other than increasing the value of our home, the main motivation for doing this project now was the beige blah-ness that plagued us in the morning and at night, every.single.day.  The walls were beige, the tile was beige, the cabinets were beige, and even the mosaic tile (resembling a certain body part) the previous owners used to "enhance" the tub and shower were beige-ish.  Despite attempted "upgrades" with Home Depot builder-grade mirrors and fixtures, the previous owners failed big-time in selling this bathroom as anything but 1989-wants-their-jacuzzi-tub-back.

Oh, the horrors!

The builders (in 1989) even left the shims between the countertop and the cabinets.  The lights were so bright, we always unscrewed at least two lightbulbs.  There was no other lighting in the space other than the Asian-inspired sconces.

The giNORmous jacuzzi tub with choice mosaic tile slapped on the side.  As you can see, we used the tub to store cleaning supplies, Kleenex, and our trashcan.

Our disgusting, moldy water closet shower with about 2 square feet of space.  Notice the toilet paper resting on the side -- classy.

Beige, beige, beige.

What a treat!  The shower eyes/boobs are watching!

The linen closet wasn't big enough for...linens.  And the doors always hit each other.  Who came up with this brilliant idea?

This is definitely not to-code.  About 2 feet between the shower and toilet.

After shots of our new beautiful, blissful, bathroom (queue the angels singing in heaven):

I've always wanted a claw foot tub! This one is acrylic, so we didn't have to add supports.  The tub and hardware are from Signature Hardware.  The paint is "Sea Salt" from Sherwin Williams -- a serene greenish bluish grey.  We used beveled subway tile from Lowes.

We opened up the wall between the bathroom and the water closet.  I don't even know what to say about this other than, I am a new woman.  The basic 3x6 beveled tile from Lowes was accented with Victorian chair rail in the middle, mosaic subway tile, and chair rail to cap it off.  Super affordable options that the fancy tile stores charge an arm and a leg for.

My favorite model (with his favorite model school bus) showing off the IKEA Fabrikor "linen closet" that holds our presentable bathroom items, such as toilet paper, bath salts, and soaps.  The toilet was rotated 90 degrees so that it's to-code and allows the shower door to open a full 90 degrees.  The flooring is a retro black and white basket weave from Tile Shop that cost about $5/foot on sale.

One of my favorite things is the sink hardware from Kingston Brass, which we ordered from Amazon. It looks vintage, and it's heavy polished nickel.

I just love this picture.  My little blondie ham trying to be funny.

A view from the toilet area.  We had no overhead lighting before.  Now we have ample ceiling light as well as ambient light from the sconces. I don't have to remove the bulbs in the morning!  My makeup is probably going to look SO much better!

I put the shower niche inside the partition wall, so you can't see any shampoos, soaps, or other shower clutter from the rest of the room!

The vanity is from Restoration Hardware, which we got on clearance.  It included the Carrera marble countertop.  Bonus: they delivered it and carried it up the stairs.  Mirrors are Kensington pivot from Pottery Barn, which were also 20% off.

What do you think? Is it an improvement? 

the nomadic summer

it's been another weird summer. we started out in May with an anniversary trip, and I thought, ok, let's not get on another airplane for at least a year. six flights and countless sodium-enriched meals later, it's good to be home.  my favorite sightseeing stop so far was Jerash, Jordan. although it was just a 45-minute trip from Amman, the dicey driving and our volunteer 'guide' (who had questionable ethics) made it feel more like an adventure.  Jerash is an old Roman city that basically crumbled sometime in the 700s after a major earthquake and a Persian invasion.  it's quite hard to believe so much of it is still intact -- Corinthian columns, Hadrian's arch, a colonnade, a coliseum, a hippodrome, a city-wide sewer system, fountains, churches, etc.!  here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip. highly recommend for a stop in Jordan. needless to say, after a hot day in the sun, i got a legitimate lemon & mint to stay hydrated. it is my personal mission to bring this tasty middle eastern beverage to the States!

the main gate to Jerash

part of the Roman road and some excavated cobblestones

old-school bleachers in the hippodrome, to watch the chariot races

a teeny window

more of the 'cardo maximus' or long road through town. bumpy ride.

the meat-cutting area in the market. i took this picture, because you can see where the butcher sharpened his knives.

a view toward the coliseum

not sure what this is, but i liked the shot!

a fountain/bath area. marble statues used to stand in the recessed areas.

modern-day Jerash juxtaposed against the ruins

summertime at the beach

these beach prints from photographers Massimo Vitali and Richard Misrach make me forget the 100-degree DC heat and long for the refreshing waters of coastal Italy...

i'm on the hunt for something similar to hang in our living room, and the odds of me catching a helicopter ride in Italy sometime soon are pretty slim to none.  so if any of you happen to find a similar print in your flea market searches, keep me in mind!  

Massimo Vitali

another incredible Massimo from Elle Decor... how incredible is this dining room? wish i could steal that print, right off the wall.  

Richard Misrach's "On the Beach" series... love how something so simple can be so powerful.

DIY campaign style 2012...

it's the most important campaign and election year in this country's history. 

but really, who cares.

i'm more interested in what my dresser is wearing.  that is, my campaign-style dresser.  i have loved these dressers for a long time and almost fell over when our friends, the Alberts, decided to give us their worn and weary campaign dresser that was doubling as a TV stand.  they were moving to a small apartment in new york, and we were moving into an empty house in the burbs. 

so it sat for a few months in our garage while we were painting the dining room, the dining room, the dining room and again with the office, the office, the office.  my poor wrists needed a break from high-gloss paint.

then, i saw a price tag on a Kate Spade bag and fell in love...with the color of the tag.  it was such a rich Kermit green color, Miss Piggy would swoon.

then, i saw this on Pinterest from some unknown but fabulous magazine and was completely inspired to move ahead with my green.  honestly, it was meant to be:

and lo and behold, someone else had my green campaign dresser idea, down to the turquoise accents! (sometimes, i just hate pinterest for proving none of my ideas are original.)

and here's a beautiful, real campaign dresser that really needs no paint at all.  the real deals were made to travel with British naval officers like suitcases back in the day.

and a cutie bedside table painted in high-gloss white.

and another great bedside version in my runner-up color of dark grey.

so here's my original, "before" picture.  i forgot to take one before all the drawers were out with their hardware removed, oops. it's hard to tell, but the dresser had a dated vaneer finish.  very 1975. andy is much more excited about that honda lawnmower in the background.  vroom.

but after four coats of paint and a hot saturday morning, i'm very excited about my green campaign dresser, which is now hanging out in the guest room instead of the garage.  and it was only $14.98, thanks to the Alberts and a quart of Behr paint!  (the tag matched Basil Green from Benajamin Moore, which I had replicated at Home Depot. it's really not as flourescent green as it looks in the pics, thanks to my iphone camera!)

say hello to kermie!

somewhere between the moon and new york city...

actually, somewhere between Cincinnati and Dulles Airport...is our patio dining table.  I took four hours off of work so i could wait for the freight company to deliver it, but alas, they can't find piece 4 of 4.  the freight company says, 'we only have 3 pieces.' me: 'where is the 4th piece?' them: 'we have 3 pieces.' and so on, and so on with three other offices of the freight company.  if you have ever shopped for patio furniture, you know it's way more painful than, say, buying a house or a new car.  back in the olden days, one could skip over to Ace Hardware or Walmart and toss some fancy plastic chairs in the pickup and voila, patio problem solved. i don't know if the world recession has something to do with keeping things in stock, but the entire DC area has NO patio furniture in stock. anything you find must be ordered, and if you're lucky, it shows up about a month later.  talk about your modern day, snotty suburban problems. war in Syria? explosions in Nigeria? forgetaboutit, my patio table is missing.


the good news is, if you're looking for cute, durable, and affordable (most way less than $2,000 for a 7-piece set) patio furniture, i have done most of the work for you. i won't reveal our final pick until the table magically appears (and i really hope it does before the fam visits next week!), but maybe i'll save you the agony and despair of looking among thousands of websites and warehouse stores. 


follow me on Pinterest! most of my patio pictures can be found here: {lemon and mint} outdoor spaces


although limited in selection, Ballard Designs has some great patio dining options, and you can usually find a 15% coupon somewhere online.

'Ceylon' - the cheapest 7-piece solid-wood option I found.  The set is white-washed, but it also comes in solid teak, which is supposed to last for years and years.

'Galante': the only Chippendale version of patio furniture. anywhere. period. talk about fancy pants.

'Giodano': classic in every French sense of the word. oh wait, that's classique.

Sears has some surprisingly European patio sets:

'Crimora': the only cane backing around.  the table has a natural stone top in four heavy slabs. i hear horror stories about glass and tile-top patio tables breaking during shipment, but this one gets rave reviews.

'San Rafael': bonus points for having a two-person bench as a seating option

Hayneedle also has some great options:

'Bella': wicker resin, nothing rots and everyone's happy.

'Madison': modern but with a classy twist. looks like Crate & Barrel stuff but way cheaper.

'Mingle': reminds me of Southern screened porches, so deserved a mention.

Amazon, Lowe's, Target, and Home Depot have some other good options, but most of their choices did not fit my criteria.  I was trying to avoid:

1) tempered glass tables. based on angry reviews and online comments, these tables break about 85% of the time during shipment or during child use.  Tile-top tables are in the same category. Lots of falling apart, especially tables in the Martha Stewart line (surprisingly).

2) cheap wood. Acacia and other soft woods that aren't treated properly tend to have splinters, peel and crack, and often warp in the first few months of life oustide. no thanks. plus, i'm sort of over restaining/resealing wood furniture every year or even twice a year. for teak, maybe, but i got enough stuff inside that needs refinishing!

3) unsealed plastic or non-coated aluminum that gets really hot in the sun or warps over time. 

And finally, avoid pricey stores that tend to mark up their prices by 2-5 times the point of ridiculous.  Great Gatherings, Frontgate, Offenbacher's, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and Crate and Barrel to name a few.  love those stores, but wait until their end-of-season clearance! if you find something at one of those places, send me a picture and i guarantee i can find you something similar for waaaay less.

Happy dining under the stars!

london {shades} calling...

as luck would have it, my amazingly talented mother-in-law Stephanie totally gets how to make a london shade.  and as luck would have it, my weird husband picked out grey raw silk fabric for drapes back in his bachelor days and never used it.  wham bam, our dining room is the new recipient of semi-free london shades made out of awesome grey silk.


dining room before (oh the horrors):

dining room after: