Are you ready for my first full room reveal?
Yikes, am I?
I was reading a favorite blog the other day in which the author was discussing the pressure she felt to complete projects around the house since beginning her blog. She wondered if this pressure was healthy...if she should let it bother her...if perhaps the pressure was encroaching on her enjoyment of blogging.
Interestingly, I am beginning to relate, albeit on a much smaller scale, to her feelings. I am still very new to blogging, yet I happen to enjoy the heightened sense of --shall we say----accountability each post brings. I'm not fully convinced the pressure comes from other readers. Perhaps it comes from within. The power of the written word to inspire change, to discipline, or to invoke accountability is very real whether it be in a journal, a letter, or a blog.
Writing in and of itself has always been a great reflective process for me. Where have I been?....Where am I now?....Where do I wish to go? Writing helps me sort through my emotions, questions my motivations, ponder my sense of self.
I often think we don't reflect enough.
So in my ponderings, I must refocus and show you pictures of where I've been on my little powder room journey :-)
I am SO happy to announce that this little powder room, in all its half-pint of glory, is the first 100% finished room in my house. After my last paint experiment in this room, which I detailed in this post, it was in need of a little re-do.
First let me show you a few pictures:
As I mentioned in a previous post, the beadboard wainscoting was already installed in this room, which made it very easy to update. (As one of my favorite designers Suzanne Kasler says, if the architecture is done well, the decorating is easy.)
The paint color I used in this room is Farrow and Ball's Cooking Apple Green. No, we do not have a Farrow and Ball store in Alaska, but I have seen so many designers use this line of paint in magazines and I find I'm often drawn to the tones in the Farrow and Ball line. I ordered a brochure online which has actual color samples of their paint colors; I simply take the brochure to my friend Jesse at Sherwin Williams and he color-matches for me :-)
I love how soothing this Cooking Apple Green is.
The wall collage ended up so differently than it started. I truly scrounged up several things I already had and kept playing until I found something that worked. The silver frame is one of those pieces that looks good no matter where it's displayed. I'm learning more and more about how to find pieces like this...it makes decorating SO much easier.
The print of the French settees was downloaded free from
The Graphics Fairy (a blog listed on my Blogs I Follow page) framed in a wooden frame I spray painted with, what else, Krylon's Caramel Latte :-)
Also from The Graphics Fairy, I printed an amazingly scripted French letter, then had the inspiration to wrap it around a very white, very plain candle. To keep things from looking too sweet, I secured the letter wrap with jute twine (love this stuff...I use it for everything from gift wrap tags to
book bundles :-)
On a whim, I plucked a sprig of pink flowers from the nearby vase, tucked it into the twine, and voila:
The candle sconce was one of a pair I've had for some time. Originally bronze, I spraypainted it white and distressed the edges with a bit of sandpaper. I absolutely love using things I already have and making them new and different.
The corner cabinet was needed as a way to hold spare rolls of toilet paper. Since this is a guest bathroom, I wanted to make sure the spare rolls were easily accessible so no one was left in an awkward state. The cabinet was originally a nightstand in my son's room. I removed the door from the front of the cabinet, filled the holes, primed and repainted it white, and found the perfect sized basket to hold toilet paper at Michael's for 50% off. (I added four of those felt sticky pads to the bottom of the basket so it can slide in and out easily without scratching the paint.)
While at Michael's looking for the basket, I turned into an aisle where all the French/Cottage decor was on clearance! It couldn't have been a more ideal time to pick up a lovely white vase for the flowers, a pretty French perfume bottle, an apothecary jar (I've always wanted one of these :-) and some pretty shell-like rocks as fillers. I don't think I spent over $12 for all of these accessories together:
The mirror above the sink used to be dark brown, but thanks again to a little white paint and a patch of sandpaper, I distressed it a little, and now it's a perfect fit in here:
So, remember, this was what our powder room looked like before:
And then after my Razzle Dazzle paint treatment which Mr. Wonderful politely asked me to change:
Now here it is today, in a color and a style that will hopefully keep us happy for quite some time.
I find myself detouring to this bathroom regularly just so I can enjoy being in a room that looks pretty and is completely finished.
Do you do that, too, in your house? Keep walking by a picture, or a freshly painted wall, or a newly made bed just so you can feel a little tingle of happiness?
Hmmmmmm.....maybe that's just me :-)
Jaimee Labels: Powder Room
