Ranch Reno: Master Bath Update

 

The master bathroom at the ranchburger has been updated several times. More recently, it received wallpaper, sconces and mirrors from Restoration Hardware, new hardware, and new vanities from Lowe's with quartz counters. Sadly, the mirrors were taken by the previous owner.

Continue Reading »

Be My Guest: Ranch Renovation Update

Through the decades, the ranchburger's guest bath has been updated several times,with a freestanding vanity, dark brown tile floor, a fresh coat of paint, three Curry and Company sconces, and two stunning mirrors.I loved this space the first time I saw it.

Continue Reading »

Master Bath Update: Black or Cream Counters

 If you've renovated a home, then you may keep score on certain rooms. Some spaces are
hard to decorate--the minuses might outweigh the plus signs. When that score dips into negative
numbers, it might be a signal to take another path.

Our master bath is one of those rooms. It began well enough. My goal was a quasi-Renovation Hardware style.

 

 

 I painted the walls, bought sconces and mirrors, and hired painters to work on the vanities.

 

 

Nice paint job. Wrong color.

So we've decided to order cabinets. Mike has measured, and two vanities will fit, though

we'll have to do some fancy footwork, as one vanity has a double sink. This will involve

moving the mirrors. The good news is, we have an extra.

 

I have a sample of the weathered gray finish, and it works with the mirrors and sconces.

However, Dr. Will has instructed me to find a chandelier. I'm looking for one that has a rusty
finish. I think this is a Savoy House fixture. It's blingy, but ... suffice it to say that I'm still looking.
The orb chandelier that's shown in the RH images is a bit pricey for me and not blingy enough for Will.

 

 

 

Most of the vanities are available in natural wood, grayish wood, black, etc.

They come with and without counter tops.

We could order black vanities, but then I'd have to paint the mirrors and faux paint the sconces.
RH shows a black vanity with the metal sconces. A pretty look, to be sure, but it's not the look for me.

So I'm sticking with the weathered gray, reclaimed wood.

I just need to decide about the counters.

 

This is the original inspiration photo. The vanity is cream marble.

 In the above photo, I don't see any black accents. So the neutral colors work, and the overall imagery is sustained.

Our bathroom floor has black tile inserts.

So, I must decide if I want RH cream marble counter tops or if I want to order the base cabinets and select my own granite/marble. In that case, I would get black granite.

Here's the Italian marble (different, more rustic vanity):

 

And black granite.

Another look at the inspiration picture.

 

 

Which would you choose?

 

A. Order the vanities and cream marble counters from RH.

B. Order the vanities and find your own black granite counters.

 

Thanks for following me along on this adventure.

If You Were the Designer....

 





Dr. Will and I have a question for you: If you were the designer, what would you do to this powder room?

 

First, a little backstory.

 

As many of you know, my goal is to send Dr. Will over the moon with the renovation project,

but I seem to be going in the wrong direction.

 

Case in point: The powder room.

 

I knew that Will wanted something traditional and formal. But I went right ahead, thinking that I could sway him with an updated farmhouse look. After the mirror was installed, it was clear that the light fixture needed to be moved or (possibly) changed.

 

However, Dr. Will was disappointed with the mirror and console.

 

He'd expected something blingy. Not Amish.

 

"The powder room doesn't go with the other stuff," he said.

 

 

 

"It's too plain," he said.

 

 

 

I tried to distract him with the beauty of the faucets.

 

"Raising the light fixture will help," I added.

"No, it won't," Will said.

 

I opened a Horchow catalog and pointed to a mirror that I thought he'd like.

"Is this what you had in mind?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said.

 



Okay. I can totally do this. Down with the Amish and up with Marie Antoinette.

The mirror has been ordered. The cute, round mirror will be used elsewhere.

However, I'd really love to keep the console. Even if I have to paint it. 



 

 

 

Will and I would love to know what you would do with this powder room.

 

Would you please complete this sentence:

"If I were decorating this powder room, I would ________________."

 

Renovation Diary

 

Design decisions are never easy.

However, I didn't hesitate when I ordered the mirror (pictured above) or the console (also pictured above) for the powder room.

The lighting decisions have been harder.

 

The mirror is round, the sink is square (and white), and the plumbing fixtures are nickel (and vintage).

 

Ideally, I need a light fixture that's both round and rectangular--and the style, whatever that is, should be consistent.

 



 I've almost decided to go with a Hudson Valley fixture. The finish is nickel, the shape forms a nice rectangle, and the glass shades are white and round. What do you think?



Then again, I might try something soft yet angular.

Love the glass balls!

 

 

Aside from lighting, I'm still grappling with Color Angst. As some of you may know, the powder room was painted SW Intellectual  Gray. In person, it's too dark. And it doesn't photograph well.

When Bandwidth held up the mirror,

it almost blended into the wall.

 

 

 

I checked my SW fan deck and picked one shade lighter, Amazing Gray. A skimpy sample was put up (over the freshly painted wall...sigh).   



 







 

You can see how my camera flattered Intellectual Gray and washed out Amazing. It's not this way in person! In this tiny, windowless room, Intellectual is too dark. And Amazing is pale, pale gray.

 

Here, the tricky camera shows yet another shade, a silvery gray.





A third shot warped the color.

Now, Intellectual Gray looks gold.



I looked for more grays in my fan decks, but heaven knows how they'll look in this small, dark space. And my husband has requested that I stop buying sample pots.
 

Design decisions are maddening, aren't they?

The wrong choice can be expensive, chipping away at the budget.

So I hopped over to Houzz

and found several examples of Amazing Gray.

Here's one.



Contemporary Dining Room design by Dallas Media And Blogs Sarah Greenman





It's exactly what I want.

But will it work in my powder room? 

I'm taking a wild leap of faith.

I'm repainting the powder room with pale, washed-out Amazing Gray.

Fingers crossed!

 

Social Bookmarking