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Pollen has begun to coat every outdoor surface in Atlanta. No joke, yesterday morning on my ride to work, I saw someone’s rear window with yellow streaks like they tried (in vain) to use the car’s wiper to clean off the dust. My allergies haven’t kicked in yet, but I suspect my eyes and nose are just bombarded for the moment and will have an Indiana Jones boulder-style sensory overload any day.
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Despite the typical seasonal setback, warm weather is arriving early, and I am thrilled to have the extra hours of daylight. Instead of dealing with an overactive dog all evening long, I can exhaust her at the park with other pooches (which only stays open until dark) and spend my evenings working on things around the house.
The extra daylight is also helpful as temporary motivation. Even though the daylight is longer, I still feel rushed to get home and get something done before it’s too dark. I know the sense of urgency won’t last as I adjust to having longer hours of sunshine after work, so I’m doing my best to knock things out before I’m tempted to relax.
Speaking of, I’m making enough progress in the guest bath that it’s finally time to figure out a paint color. Question of the moment is whether I go for bold and fun, or make my guests feel luxuriously relaxed? I’m tempted to go back to my two design schemes when I was first choosing my bath vanity and do the second plan (tweaking of course for the vanity I ultimately chose).
(By the way, the Classic plan is what I’m going with in the primary.) But now that I’m going lighter on the floor, things will look too bland if I leave the walls pale. And the starburst curtain is primary bath only, so I’ll have to find a new one for the guest bath design scheme. I suppose it’s about that time to fill the design plan in with the materials that I know will be in the bathroom and consider a few new options.
Since most of the items in this mood board are already owned, all I’m trying to decide on will be paint, art, a shower curtain, and storage.
1. Curtain: First off, I love, love, love this curtain from West Elm. I think chevron stripes are only okay – nothing spectacular, and a bit overdone – which is why I really enjoy seeing a new twist like this. It’s almost like someone took a large graphite pencil and scribbled the stripes on.
2. Paint: Continuing with the graphic feel, a paint color that is muted (but moody) would be perfect. A gray with a hint of purple would keep things from looking too masculine, and the light colors of the shower, vanity top, and tile will keep the room from turning into a cave.
3. Art: I bought a wrought iron bike from Hobby Lobby ages ago without a clue as to where I’d put it. For a long while, I thought the hallway or guest bedroom would be its home, but after seeing this bike outline in a Google search, I know now that it’s meant for the guest bath above the toilet. Instead of being a print, I’ll spray paint it white and mount it on the wall for some 3D art.
4. Storage: The vanity will have storage, but that won’t be enough for a product junkie like me. straw baskets will also put a natural element into the mix.
When I was finished putting the mood board together, I realized that even with purpley walls, it’s not a very feminine design. But I still love it. It’s more of a departure from the sun yellow I am usually drawn to, but it’s still very me. Plus, it will cost next to nothing to complete the finishing touches (just paint, the curtain, and the frame to surround the bike art) and with the serious study-o next door, I think the two rooms will flow nicely together. Since this is the guest bath, I’m going to limit decorative items in favor of keeping things uncluttered and clean. That way, guests can feel free to put their own items where they need to.
How about you? Ever design something for your home that seemed to be a total departure from the rest of your rooms?
I have that same (or very close to it) light fixture in the A photo. Only I hung it the other way with the light aiming up. A 3 light fixture was overkill in a tiny powder room but with a dimmer it works fine.
My big problem is finishing the kitchen. I had someone do the floors (porcelain tile) and it all looks good. Just need to paint and figure out the cabinets. I tried painting them white but so far they don't look good, especially not with the granite countertops, tile backsplash and the floor.
I might ponder hiring someone to reface them. Would prefer not to spend that kind of money but it might be worth it to maintain the look of the kitchen (i.e., Having everything else look nice but the cabinets yuck would be a turn off in a sale).
Structurally they are solid and now that I have new countertops I can't replace them w/o possibly damaging the new countertop.
Right now I'm having one of those Oh $%#$% moments. I'll see what a cabinet person tells me in a week or so.
@Rich I put the same light fixture in all three bathrooms, including the powder room. I actually love all the bright light (the rooms seem much too dark without them.
As for the kitchen, I was planning on trying out Benjamin Moore's Advance paint. Supposed to be great stuff. Have you thought about doing a different white? Decorator's White (also BM) is supposed to be the standard, which is what I plan on trying too. I'll share the results but it won't be until long after you've made your decision I imagine. Good luck!