Overtime, I've transformed my plain bathroom into a Paris apartment-style spa. A shell treatment and crocheted lace swag were used to disguise a plain, unframed, stock mirror earlier in the room's transformation. Just a few days ago I put on the finishing touches!
Allow me to share some of the highlights of my Paris-style redux.
One finishing touch was to add a sweet little fringed lamp that my Mom had grown tired of.
In a corner by the mirror, this wee lamp adds Paris-style and serves as a nightlight. The crocheted lace swag hides cord and outlet.
A wallpaper border adds Old World ambiance and a suggestion of dimension. The border colors bring together the bathroom's cream, white, gray, and gold decor also mirroring the bath and floor tile colors.
Before adding the border I gave the tired, off white walls a coat of purchased French gray (Ace paint in the Clark+Kensington color of Silk and Satin N-C27) and refreshed the moldings around the door and floor with a contrast of crisp white paint borrowed from my Mom. I left the ceiling its original off-white.
The first item I added to re-style my bathroom was this chandelier suspended over the deep soaking tub. However the octagonal, frosted glass window was stark and harsh looking. In addition, the light it transmitted from outside was blinding and glaring during the late afternoon. The window needed softening somehow...
After several months of putting the window problem on the back burner of my mind, a solution presented itself.
In my storage closet I found an unused lace valance and a short expansion rod. This cost-free solution softens the look of the window while reducing afternoon glare. A quartz crystal adds a bit of natural interest...and maybe even some healing energy!
The cabinet under the sink was plain, water-stained and, well, ugly.
So I painted the cabinet mimicking the finish on a Walmart-purchased clock (on-line purchase) and added some knobs and stenciling.
The finish on this clock was the inspiration for the cabinet.
A few additional highlights are pictured below...
A pretty vignette adds a feminine, "Evening In Paris" vibe to the counter top.
A woven basket (from Michael's craft store) on the toilet tank is all the storage needed for extra hand and face towels. Note the pattern on the shower curtain in the right of the picture and compare it to the shape of the chandelier hanging over the tub.
I have discovered that when decorating a room, harmony and synthesis may be added if some design features consisting of color, shape, and/or texture have similarities that repeat one another in some manner.
A canvas and wire basket (from Michael's) holds clean towels and a spare bathmat.
A whimsical cup holds bath essentials at the corner of the tub.
My bathroom has no medicine cabinet, shelving, or storage other than the cabinet below the sink. Nor do I want a lot of stuff sitting out on the counter top. An attractive box shaped like a book holds makeup and other small grooming aids.
A relaxing soak is always enhanced by candlelight and a few drops of essential oil to perfume the water. Bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles are nice, too!
For more in-depth how-to's on the mirror and cabinet project and costs involved, see my previous posts...
...and...
...and...
http://heartseasecottage.typepad.com/gails-garden-at-heartsea/2016/11/small-bathroom-redux.html
The essence of the Cottage Lifestyle which is my lifestyle both in philosophy and sensibility consists of four main attributes which I have termed Easy Elegance, Simple Grace, Natural Abundance, and Elective Frugality. I think my Paris Apartment-styled bathroom hits all four of these criteria!
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