Showing posts with label bathroom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bathroom. Show all posts

Monday, July 4, 2011

my diy bathroom curtains

When I last shared photos of our bathroom with you all (just prior to us moving into the ramshackle farmhouse), it looked a little bit like this:


I'm still sad I don't have a full before shot - without the new tiling, new vanity and new toilet. But here is what the bathroom is rocking these days...


...some new grey gingham curtains handmade by me, a new mirrored door cabinet above the sink (from Bunnings care of some Christmas vouchers), crisp white towels, a hand towel ring and the faux-timber lino has been put back in place. Trust me, that stuff looks a thousand times better in photos than in real life, it has a horrid soft sticky vinyl texture and we plan to rip it up (one day) and polish the original boards beneath. I also want to put a gooseneck light above the mirror cabinet but need an electrician to do this as apparently this light isn't 'earthed'. Whatever that means.

But back to the curtains.


Because our new vanity, toilet, towel rail and tiling was all very white and modern I wanted to bring some country charm to the sterile space. I originally planned on making the curtains in a blue toile print but we decided we would like to paint the walls (the not tiled above the picture rail parts) in a dove grey, and somehow repair the original sash window as it is currently painted shut. Enter the grey gingham fabric I found on special at Spotlight, actually a quilting fabric.

There really was no method behind my curtain making madness. I simply measured the window, added about half the width again to accommodate for the fullness when gathered and made two panels, with double hemmed sides and bottom. The top of the curtain panels I made a little casing for the rod to slip in, I used the original piece of dowel that was already there and just spray painted it white. Trusty Mr M then screwed in two curtain tie hooks (also from Spotlight) and I used some random pieces of white grosgrain ribbon as tie backs.


The hardware in the bathroom is now a bit of a mish-mash of silver. The towel rail which was put in just before we moved in was obviously in keeping with the new modern style (read: not our style at all). The toilet roll holder seemed to be a different style again. We wanted another towel rail to go behind the door as well as a little hand towel ring, we got both in a style more befitting of my country chic bathroom I had envisaged (see below right). I wanted to get another towel rail in the same more traditional style we liked to replace the modern one, problem is the traditional towel rail style isn't the same length as the super-sleek modern one (see below left) so we can't just simply replace it due to the holes in the tiles. Dang. It's the little things that annoy me!


But it's also the little things that make the difference, like just putting some of our sweet camellias in a little vase on the vanity. Now when I walk from the kitchen to the bedroom down the hall I catch a glimpse of them. All in the detail.



Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

Thursday, April 8, 2010

{ Feeling Blue }

I have long lamented the blue tiles in our bathroom. I loathe them so much I have not, and will not, even take a photo of them to show you. You can get a general idea from this mood board I did in regards to the cottage bathroom - an ongoing process...as is everything else on my to-do list

But I obviously have to embrace them as we do not own the cottage so stay they will. This means that a blue and white colour scheme is emerging in my mind for the bathroom. I love glass apothecary jars to display bits and bobs, my mum has a great one in her ensuite that is jam packed full of cotton wool. I also love ginger jars, this one in particular.


Enter this beauty I found on etsy. I originally was looking at it to go on our mantle but re-evaluated that after my 'simplicity' revelation (see here). So I let it go. Then it sold. Bummer. AthroPovertie has some other great finds in their shop though, I think I've found a new etsy favourite, their name is quite apt also! It gave me a giggle.


Over at Heather Bullard I spotted some similar lovelies. Wouldn't they look amazing in a bathroom? They look quite big for our small space but amazing none the less. Love Heather Bullard, does anyone know any similar antique shows in Australia? Or Victoria even? Looks like heaven on earth to me. Dangerous heaven that is.

Have a lovely day xx

{ Top image via here, bottom image via here }

Monday, October 5, 2009

{ Weekend Projects }

This weekend the lovely Mr M did some nailing to hang up my favourite clock in the lounge room in it's new position. We also FINALLY put up my vintage Pears tin sign in the bathroom - I bought it in March and it has been propped up on the bathroom vanity ever since! It has now found a new home on the back of the bathroom/laundry door.


Photos by me. Sorry for the colour cast on the bathroom one, it has no external windows so no natural light.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

{ Blue, White...and Red? }



This is a bit of a peak into our bathroom {or what I would like to do to our bathroom...}. The tiles are existing and can't be changed, which used to make me sad but I have learnt to embrace them. I would love a French-inspired bathroom but have decided that the blue tiles and white vanity are going to be my friends. My Le Bain hook I have at the ready to go into my French bathroom one day, do you think it would still work with my blue and white? It is a cream colour...be brutal, tell me if you think I just need to pop it back into storage :(

The vases are by Samantha Robinson {who has been one of my Tuesday's Object of Desire before } She also has smaller porcelain pieces which I would like to use as a toothbrush holder/catch all.
The white round bath mat is from Ikea - keeping with the theme of the round mirror
Blue towel is from Bed Bath and Beyond
Red towel is from Ikea
Soap dispenser is from U.S Target.

Storage is a massive issue in our teeny tiny cottage, but I believe that the bathroom holds the key! It is big enough to hold a bath, and yet doesn't, just a shower with a space beside the toilet. So, a storage cupboard such as the Flaren from Ikea would be great, or just a big ol' pantry style like this one from Fantastic Furniture to act as a linen press.

I have long wanted the two geese photos from Sharon Montrose - and think they are a comical addition to bathroom art. The vintage ladies sign is from etsy seller Sadie Olive and has unfortunately sold. I need to be quicker! The dotty frosted glass is from Frost & Co . We have a window between the laundry and bathroom, but I am yet to determine if frosted film will work on the type of glass we have...

And how about that splash of red? I originally had a fully blown red, white and blue theme happening but have scaled it back to just a splash. Now I'm thinking just a blue and white bathroom would be much more classic, and I seem to be seeing them everywhere now...

What do you think of my bathroom musings? Do you have a similar vision for your bathroom? Your bedroom? Your laundry? Have you seen Viv's laundry makeover progress over at Ish and Chi ? Oh. My. Goodness. Awesome + Acheivable = Emma-likey!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

{ Round 'Em Up }


My daydreamings of a re-invented bathroom, albeit a rental bathroom, continues...
Top of my list is a new mirror {or mirrors?} My current obsession is 'all round', inspired by the blogging goddess herself Nicole of Making It Lovely and her bathroom spruce up. The Ikea Grundtal mirror is probably my best option for only $79 - but like I've said before I would quite like to have two mirrors. Two little portholes sitting on my wall.

Friday, August 7, 2009

{ Too hot? Too cold? }

I've been looking at artwork to possibly go in the bathroom for after it is painted white (at the moment is a terrible powder blue) I thought it would be a lot easier than it has been finding non-tacky, cool artwork for a bathroom! There are the cliched usuals that can go up (seashells, beach scenes, perfume bottle imagery) but I don't like anything too beachy and I don't want the bathroom to be too feminine - after all it's just as much Mr M's bathroom as it is mine!

What do we think of these prints from etsy seller bethberg? I'd like to put them in frames like the white box ones from Corban and Blair or the {standard} Ikea Ribba frame - although I have had trouble in the past with the quality of the Ribba, I think I would spend the extra money to invest in a frame that isn't going to fall apart!

Silver or white??? The walls are going to be white and I always thought the white frames would look good...but now that I look at the prints, which are a bit gritty, I kind of like the industrial look of the silver, especially in my bathroom where the towel rails are silver...

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

{ Holy Moly }


Holy moly's right...can you BELIEVE this awesome dressing room/bathroom? Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the ground. I love library ladders, but never in my wildest imagination would I have thought to put one in the bathroom - this is beyond clever. Love the heritage tiles too.

From my new favourite haunt Canadian House and Home via Lake Jane and the always inspiring design*sponge .

Friday, July 24, 2009

{ Bathroom Beauty }


This bathroom is pretty much my dream bathroom, it is from the beautiful home of Tracey Leigh. Her whole house is amazingly gorgeous, have a look at it on the inspiring blog decor8 as well as Tracey's blog for her interior design company Homeleigh Vintage. I love artwork in a bathroom, and don't even get me started on my obsession with claw foot baths.

I am having a bit of a bathroom obsession in general at the moment actually. As I am trying to re-invent our little cottage, I am going to try and go room by room, but as we don't own it there is a fine line between spending too much money on somewhere we won't be forever, and making it feel our own. I've got my eye on our little bathroom and ways I can spruce it up. We don't have a bath, just a shower and big vanity with ugly blue tiles I can't change. Any tips on renter decorations for bathrooms would be much appreciated!


I would love to have double sinks but obviously not a reality at the moment - but what about double mirrors? I like the idea of me having a feminine mirror and Matt having his own, but not sure if this will work with the vanity only having one sink. Would that look funny? Or asymetrically okay? The double mirror inspiration above is from blogger extraordinaire Anna Spiro's beautiful bathroom.

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