As with every redo, there are some things I would like to change, if I had the budget and/or the time to do the work myself and buy the necessary elements. Sigh.
My original inspirations for redoing the bath were several rooms I saw at BHG online in black/white/tan and also toile (black/white or black/cream). I was looking for "toile" bathrooms, because of the toile that I wanted to introduce into my bedroom and the guest bedroom.
The traditional way to get the toile look is by wallpaper. But I was hesitant to do that in the small space of my bathroom. Sometimes I'm just too damn conservative! I should have gone with toile wallpaper. But -- see my comments below...
While I'm very happy with the look of my bathroom now, it's still missing something that I wanted, and did not quite get. For instance, check out this inspiration pic:
It's from Just Grand blog - don't have the specific link readily available. It's not a full bath - it's a powder room, but the look, oh that look! That is what I wanted. Unfoartunately, I found this image a couple of years after I set out with my "vision" for the bath redo. LOL! Isn't that always the way it goes.
Dealing with reality, such as a white countertop and existing accessories (no beautifully-carved gold colored picture frames, no antique mirrors, no perfect electric light fixtures on either side of the mirror, no gorgeous faucet, and no toile wallpaper), accumulated over time and NO budget to speak of, well, my results speak for themselves.
Realistically, since I was undertaking the bathroom redo just before I listed the house to sell back in November, 2009 (a long horror story), I decided to stick with plain paint rather than toile wallpaper, which a lot of potential buyers might find too overwhelming and not to their taste. So, I settled for a toile shower curtain which gives me a large swatch of portable toile. Since I did not sell this house, I am pining away for the toile bathroom. Now I'm thinking about redoing the powder room (3/4 bath) downstairs in toile...
Wiring light fixtures on either side of a mirror was beyond my budget; I settled for replacing the boxy original (cheap) light fixture above the mirror with a new, elegant profile. I'm very happy with the new light fixture, which provides plenty of light in this bathroom used daily to put on my make-up and get ready for work in the morning and scrub up in the evening.'
But I really really want to try and duplicate the look of THOSE sconces (photo above) in my own bathroom. So, I've been looking for candle sconces. For months. I found some close - and did not save the link! Arrrgggghhhhh! I thought at the time I did not want to spend that much money on them. But afer shopping around further and not finding anything else like, I decided I wanted them after all. When will I learn, when will I learn?
So - here are some alternative wall candle sconces that I considered -- and also did not buy (can I get a double ARRRGGHHH?):
I found these at e-bay from an Etsy shop. They were sold. Picture these with my black metal candle-shades on either side of the mirror - wouldn't they be splendid? They are, believe it or not, just painted shabby-chic style plastic Syroco-style candle holders from the 1960s. Does anyone know where I can get something similar???
I found these at Ruby Lane and thought they also might work, if treated with some white paint. Picture the thick pillar candles with black shades I have sitting on the vanity countertop in these candle holders, instead, on either side of the mirror.
I have also thought about a different style of shower curtain. Something "Frenchy style" perhaps (like popular prints I've seen recently all over the blogosphere of French script, cancelled postage stamps and period pictures) or in black and cream or black and white damask print? But that's assuming I keep the wall color the same rather than going diva dramatic and papering part or all of the room in black and white or black and cream toile.
Oy! Decisions, decisions. Right now, I'm suffering design paralysis. It's only a week or so ago that I added the "finishing touches", as it were, to the room, so that I was happy enough with it to take photos of the room and post them here. You can see from where I came, to where I am now. It's been a long slow journey for moi. Now I want to go at warp speed :) Not sure I should...
What would you do? That's a rhetorical question, but I would be interested in receiving your comments, please!
Just because I took tons of them, here are some more photos of my bathroom at present:
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| This is a close-up of the print hanging underneath the "cubby" to the linen closet, on the wall opposite the tub/shower enclosure. When I'm in the tub soaking in a candle-lit bath, this is the print I see across the rooom. This pic also gives a pretty good image of the actual wall color -- see -- it's kind of like wet sand or peanut butter (see PRIOR post). |
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| Vanity vignette. |
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| "New" light fixture, installed in October 2009. OHMYGODDESS! Three years ago. Geez, Jan. Talk about being a slow-poke getting a room done! |
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| Wall opposite vanity wall. The entry door is on this wall, to the right. This photo provides another indication of the true wall color vis a vis the cream and white tones in accessories and the creamy shower/tub surround. |
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| Vanity vignette . Okay, I'm not a good photographer. You can see my hands in the mirror holding the camera, LOL! Spots on mirror, too. Not such a good housekeeper. Oy! However, the soap in the hand pump is rich and creamy, smells sweet and a little goes a LONG way! Guests who use this room who aren't familiar with this soap end up in suds... |
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| One last view of the "completed" bath from the door. I think it's pretty - and it's practically arranged, with stuff strategically placed inside drawers that I use every morning and every night. Handy but not much clutter in sight. |
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