The Master Bath--Progress at Last!

It's been a year since we moved in to our Pretty Old House. My hubby and I have lived in the renovated downstairs--two bedrooms, one full bath (original size) and a half bath.  Really it isn't too bad if you don't mind the small closets-- there's just the two of us.

But FINALLY we're working on the upstairs.  Yippee!! I'll have my own personal sink again.
Don't get me wrong--I'm okay with one sink in the master, but a pedestal sink and no counter space just won't cut it.

So, here's my inspiration:

This bath from Architectural Digest has it all--first, it's symmetrical. It has a free standing tub with big bright windows, then lavatories on opposite walls, a mosaic tile floor, and a "to die for" chandelier.
But, I kind of  want a closed vanity with storage.

This pict shows my floor inspiration. See how there's a border of large tiles around the walls with the mosaic inside. I want to create a "rug" effect with the mosaic.
Don't you just love the light fixture?

Another killer chandy...

Ideas to glean:  chandy, wall color (yeah boy!) drapes at the window (gotta do something--can't have those squirrels and birds seeing in) mosaic tile with border and free standing tub. Bad idea: pedestal sink in the master. Where do you put your contact solution while you're poking yourself in the eye? I mean really!

Here's some mirror and sconce inspiration. I'd like to have a huge mirror with the sconces mounted on it. But, with the layout of our bath I think it'd be hard to pull off--where do you end the mirror? So, we're going with framed mirrors over our vanities and the sconces to the outside.

Here's another good example. These are the sconces we have. I bought them for a song at the BIG WONDERFUL Restoration Hardware Outlet that has since gone out of business. Darn!
I like the vanity top, too, with the undermount sink. But that's one sad orchid.

Now on to the shower:
This one is pretty close to what we're putting in.
There's a knee wall about 40 inches high. A glass surround will go on top.
I DO NOT want  a cave for a shower.
I saw Psycho one time too many and want to be able to see out.
I love the little built in shelf --gotta copy that. A bench would be wonderful, but I'm not sure we have room.
Another good thing this pict shows is how not to have too much marble in the shower.
It's not a mausoleum for crying out loud. Too much marble is hard on the eyes. This one is pretty hard on the eyes as it is--almost too much pattern.

I think this one has just enough marble. We used this idea in the downstairs bath and have been very satisfied.

To pull it all together the pros make "Idea Boards" so I did, too.

This is what I have so far. I ordered the tub this morning. (After watching the plumbers wrangle a regular 350lb tub up the stairs today, I opted for an acrylic number that weighs in at a mere 130lbs.)

Regrettably, I don't have all the sources for the pictures. I started collecting them before I realized that stuff about giving credit to the source.

Stay tuned for more progress. The plumbers are still here plumbing away--it's getting late, I want to wash my hands but the water's off... uggg.

Later,
Patti

Tiling the Backsplash

Last week I tiled the kitchen backsplash.

Here's a "during" pict.  I forgot to take a "before" I was so wrapped up in getting started.

As  you can see by the time I took this picture I had finished most of the project--note the area behind the range.

We chose plain white subway tile because it's so classic and another element of Christopher Peacock's "scullery kitchen."

If you look online for tiling directions you see lots of nice neat work spaces with tidy people.

Here's how it's really done:

This isn't my first backsplash. 

I learned a few things along the way.

- Rent a wet saw -gotta have a wet saw! I rented this one from Home Depot.  They offer two sizes, I got the small one.

-You don't want to mix the thin set and grout by hand.  Here's how I do it.

Yes, that is an old beater off a hand mixer attached to the cordless drill.  This is a lot like making cake icing.  I guess you could use a hand mixer, but mine died, so... 

-Start in the middle and work to the ends, but lay the tile out first to make sure you aren't cutting tiny slivers on the ends.  The smaller the piece, the harder it is to cut it to size.

It would drive me crazy if the tile wasn't centered on the faucet.  Luckily the pieces on the ends were big enough and I didn't have to "cheat" the first tile over too much.

Note:  this isn't the faucet we want, it's the one we installed to pass the inspection and get the Permit of Occupancy from the city.  I'm working on getting parts for the one we bought to go here--it's much prettier.

-Think through the whole project before you start.  The details matter.

I had to decide where to end the tile on the sides of the hood. I decided to end with a bullnose piece that comes just above the bottom corner.  In some magazine pictures of show houses the tile goes all the way up to the ceiling.  I wasn't feeling that. 

 

Another detail was ending the tile along the side.  I ended with bullnose in line with the front of the cabinet.--see above to the far right.

Among the details I missed were the outlets.

The outlets need to sit on top of the tile. At first mine were underneath.  A few tiles had to be redone.

And a little teeny patch had to be made--it'll be hidden by the outlet cover.

-Use a laser level. This is one tool I love, love, love.

Finally my last tip:

-Wear gloves.  Tiling is messy and ruins one's manicure.

Finally, the finished product:

Later,
Patti

Tile

Surburban Housewives have a love/hate relationship with tile.  We know it well--up close and personal--as in on our knees with a scrub brush- personal

 and how many bottles of Tilex will it take to clean this moldy shower- personal.

But we love it.  It looks so nice and it beats the heck out of carpet.

Its time in our renovation to start picking out tile.  The choice selections and the compromising could take a while so we need to start our research.

In Atlanta when you pick out tile there are a few basic places you go.  There are really thousands of places that sell tile, but only a few places people actually buy it.  Or the people I know, that is.

Lowe's, Home Depot, and Floor and Decor

So recently I hit the road and visited these places to see what they have to offer.

I also went to Zumpano and another tile showroom off I85, but I don't remember it's name.

The mission was to find something for the existing hall bath. 

The problem was I didn't have a clear vision of what I was looking for.

I think I want the bathroom to retain some of it's vintage 1940s vibe, but ...

This is how

 the bathroom might have looked when it was new.

Hmmmm...

 In our bathroom the 1940s vanity and toilet are long gone but the original Georgia Tech yellow and black tile survives under a protective coating of plain white 4x4 field tile probably installed in the 1970s.

Thankfully the tub is there and it's white.  We want to reuse it.

This is an idea from a small bathroom from one of my favorite designers, Brooke Giannetti.

It fits the period of the house we're renovation plus its clean and simple.

But, I'd like to save the marble for the master. 

Marble in a secondary bathroom is just a little beyond what I had budgeted. 

This is another idea from "Things that Inspire".

I like the subway tile around the tub and the small mosiac tile on the floor. 

Of course I could be distracted by the awesome chandelier and the marble vanity.

This is pretty typical of what I see in homes like ours.  Do we need to follow the pack and stick to the tried and true? 

Or go for something a little different?

I think I'd like to be a little different, but still stay on the "safe" side.

Like I said before I think the subway tile surrounding the tub and the pedestal sink are nice, but the beaded board might be a little too common. 

Basket weave patterns were popular in the 1940s. And they were done in some pretty wild colors.

This is the original tile from our tiny bathroom.

 

Pink, green and white in a space about 3 feet square.

Makes my head spin. 

The workers finally broke up the bathroom that's being incorporated into our family room and uncovered this tile.  Wow.   The colors are more vivid than this picture shows. 

Tacky is the only word I can think of to describe it, even if it is authentic.

Here's one thing I found that might work on the floor...

It is marble, but if we just put marble on the floor and white subway tile on the walls,
we wouldn't break the bank. (Floor and Decor $14.99 a square foot) Okay, maybe I outline it in white field tile and just put the basket weave in the middle of the room.

It doesn't really need to go behind the toilet, does it?

Like I said earlier, this could take a while.  I came home empty handed but with one good idea.

That's not too bad for me.

Patti

The Morningside Kitchen

Most Pretty Old Houses don't have their original kitchens. 

I think there are several reasons for this.  First, kitchens take a lot of abuse and wood cabinets just don't last.

When The Morningside House was built (1940) they didn't put much effort into making a nice kitchen. It was a very utilitarian place for the cook and the family didn't use it. Think "Driving Miss Daisy." 

Also, the owners redecorated and renovated over the years and the original kitchen was history.

This is how the kitchen looked when we bought it. 

The most recent change the kitchen had had was the Corian Counters, the Kitchenaid Dishwasher, and the sink and faucet. The owner had also had the old linoleum taken up and the hardwood floors redone.

The cabinets were steel Kitchen-Kraft  that were from the 1950s we think.

We uncovered this original name plate.

Since there's an interest in all things Vintage so we thought someone might want the cabinets.

Click here to see some fine examples of vintage kitchen advertisements.  I'm sure Sally, Dick and Jane's mother had one of these.

Steve has ripped out many a kitchen, but this one posed unique challenges.  It was installed with super long nails and lots of them and the upper cabinets were hung on brackets like Ikea cabinets--not nailed or screwed into the wall like regular ones.

The original black and white tile was still there, behind the steel cabinets and two layers of plywood.

Look closely at the bottom of the wall. They laid black subway tile vertically to form the base trim.  I think this would be a nice detail to copy someplace later.

If you know anyone who'd like to have the cabinets, let me know. 

They're just sitting in the garage waiting to be appreciated.

Take care,

Patti