Guest Blog Before & After

Please welcome Michele Ginnerty from My Notting Hill!  Michele has been so warm andwelcoming to me as a local DC blogger & I can't thank her enough.  She sent me this post months ago and I had to push it to the end of the guest blogger series because I had formatting issues and she's waited so patiently for me to post...

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A huge thank you to Lauren for asking me to participate in the Guest Blogger Before & After series. I couldn't help but think after she uploaded my post w/these very scary pepto bismol pictures of my master bath that she might have second thoughts about having asked me. (I can't even believe I'm letting people see this!) And, here's what's even scarier - we lived with this bathroom for 10 years (!) although the crazy peeling paint problem happened within the last 6 months.

 

These pictures were taken in the midst of sanding and scraping, just before all the fixtures were removed. The previous owners had leveled the "vanity" with pennies.

 
The room is 4' w x 5' d with a shower off to the right side. The overhang to the shower trapped in steam and made the 30" square shower feel even smaller. For a number of years, we seriously considered having the bathroom gutted and completely redone. These 1950's ceramic wall and floor tiles are set right into mud and typically take close to two full days to bring down to the studs. My husband has already done so much to the house that asking him to do this wasn't an option and contractor quotes for the demolition alone ranged from $1,500 - $4,000. Plus, I really like the look of the old black bullnose tiles. In fact, if the pink tiles had been white I wouldn't have even considered demolition.

 
Since I had a successful experience painting the trim tiles in our hall bath from ugly seafoam green to gray, I decided to paint the pink tiles white. I used two thin coats of Sherwin Williams Prep-Rite Interior/Exterior Bonding Primer and two coats of Benjamin Moore Decorator's White. I know there are specially formulated paints for ceramic but I didn't want to be exposed to the fumes. Plus, these tiles won't regularly come into contact with water.

 
For years I had kept my eye out for a narrow vanity. This year Ikea came out with the Lillangen, which offers both concealed storage and creative two-sided open storage. This model is 24"w x 16"d x 36" h. I bought the beech version because I find the wood finish is easier to paint than the white melamine option.

 
The cabinet is painted Farrow & Ball's Pavillion Gray and the walls and ceiling are Benjamin Moore's Bunny Gray. The floors are 1 x 1 Bianco Carrara honed marble surrounded by a border of 3 x 6 honed subway Bianco Carrara.

 
I don't have it pictured here but we had a Panasonic Whisper ceiling exhaust fan installed. We were so happy with the Toto Aquia Dual Flush we put into our hall bath that we used it again here.

 
The Ikea sink only had one opening and I wanted to avoid a single lever faucet so I chose Porcher's Reprise faucet in chrome. The handles are labeled hot and cold and they have a nice feel to them. Off to the left is a Bombay Saphire gin bottle converted into a soap dispenser. You might notice the faucet is off center by about a 1/2 inch. I forgot to take into consideration the cold water valve when measuring!

 
I have to admit when we first installed the sink, I wasn't sure I liked it. However, it's extremely functional and there's no longer complaints on my end about water puddles left on the sink counter. So in the end, I really like this style for our narrow bathroom.

 
Here it is with the tray - which is how we really use it. It provides a convenient place for toothpaste and to set down things, etc.

 
What's Still Left to Do: A bit of pink still remains! In the spring I will hire the same company that reglazed our hall tub and have them do the shower tiles in white but keep the black tiles so it will be consistent with the rest of the bathroom. I'm waiting till warmer weather because I want to be able to have all the windows open, with fans blowing out all the fumes created when reglazing is done.

The window needs to be treated and I'm planning to have white vinyl plantation shutters installed. Here they are in our hall bath. The gray trim tiles were seafoam green before being painted gray.
 
Since the walls are looking a bit plain, I'm planning to stencil them for interest and am inspired by this bathroom by Phoebe Howard. Still haven't found the right stencil yet.

Southern Accents, July - August 2008, designer Phoebe Howard, photography by Roger Davies

Breakdown of Cost:

Lillangen cabinet and sink: $229
Mosaic and subway tiles: $740
Installation of floor, labor cost: $800
Porcher faucet: $270
Toto Aquia dual flush - $392 from Cowan Supply in Atlanta
Paint: $100
Ceiling exhaust fan and installation: $400

Total cost so far: $2,931.

Estimate for shutter ($250) and reglazing of shower stall ($400):
$2,931 + $650 = $3,581

Hope this post was helpful for anyone considering another option besides demolition of an outdated bath and that you've recovered from those pepto-pink before photos!

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Michele-  you've done such an awesome job so far!!  The floors are incredible and I love the Ikea sink.  You can't even tell the tiles used to be pink and it's so great that you worked and can't wait to see the stencil!!!

Guest Blogger Before & After: La Dolce Vita

Today for out Guest Blogger Series, please welcome super-stylish Paloma of the beautiful blog La Dolce Vita!

{After: Our Guest Bathroom}

I was so excited when Lauren invited me to share a before and after on her wonderful blog, though I must admit, I was a bit intimidated. After all, Lauren is the queen of fabulous DIY projects! I don’t know how she manages to do it all, but she does so beautifully and with grace and kindness.

My before and after is of my guest bathroom which after a few very simple steps, was transformed from drab and predictable to something my husband and I absolutely love!

{Before: The Guest Bathroom circa 2007}

The guest bathroom featured a plain, white shower curtain, the requisite blue and brown combination that everyone was doing, and the original walnut cabinets. Looking at this makes me cringe now. The paint color (Benjamin Moore’s Plymouth Rock) is about all that remains.

I had spotted this shower curtain at Target, which reminded me of Kate Spade’s which was featured in Domino a few years ago. I sort of built my vision around it and got to work. I love the look of the curtain with the framed fan coral and monogrammed towels.

{Kate Spade’s Shower Curtains}

{The $30 Target Version}

I have always been partial to the look of white linens, so I ordered these towels from Pottery Barn and had them monogrammed. While I love the look of white towels, they are not always practical, so the linen closet is filled with graphite-colored Cynthia Rowley towels for guests to use when they visit. You’ll notice the hand towels are also graphite. I thought it was a nice, coordinating color.

We completed this project right before Christmas. In September 2009, we traveled to London and in the summer of 2008, I traveled to Spain. I took some of my favorite shots from both trips, framed them, and hung them in the bathroom to add some interest. I chose to print the pictures in color. I thought that having black and white photos would just be too much in a predominantly black and white room.

On the Vanity: A Potted Orchid, Handmade Mexican Pewter Towel Ring, Archipelago Botanicals Diffuser, and a little Japanese bowl from Anthropologie.

The greatest impact came from painting the cabinets gloss black. We couldn’t spend the money for a new countertop and sink, so a little can of paint gave us a lot of bang for our buck! It created contrast between the cabinets and the counter which just wasn’t there with the original walnut cabinetry. If you look at the first two images in this post, you’ll notice the difference is huge!

We contemplated getting a new mirror for a while and a few weeks ago, I suggested that we buy some plain wood trim from Home Depot and paint it gloss black to match the cabinetry. Again, I think this choice made a tremendous impact and really completed the project. Not bad for a project that cost about $15.

I’d say the overall transformation of our guest bathroom cost about $300 and we are very pleased with the difference it has made. Thanks again for featuring my before and after, Lauren!

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Paloma- What a huge difference the simple changes made- it's fresh, up-to-date & graphic & very "you!"  I love the huge monograms on the towels and the black touches throughout.  Painting the vanity really made the space feel so much bigger & prettier.  (And all for only $300?!!  awesome.) Thank you so much for sharing your guest bath transformation with us!!!
 
xoxo,
lauren

Guest Blog Before & After: Janell from Isabella & Max Rooms

Please welcome super-stylish designer Janell Beals from Isabella & Max Rooms!
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I feel very honored to be writing this guest post for Lauren and her delightfully beautiful blog today. Whenever I see a new post by Lauren I happily open it, anticipating that I will be inspired.

Today I'm going to recap three of my recent projects, all using chalkboard paint. It seems I have been bitten by the chalkboard craze! It's hard not to be. This paint offers up so many possibilities and it is just such a fun project that keeps on giving after you've stored away the paint and cleaned the brushes.



Project #1: Chalkboard/Art Wall. Here an entire wall became a chalkboard and the backdrop for an art wall in my husband's home office. I had considered several ideas on how to treat the wall behind the photos and images, finally deciding upon chalkboard paint when I realized whatever I did needed to be cheap...











Project #2: Chalkboard Lamps. Yes, I know, this doesn't initially sound like a good idea. But look at the result! I had a pair of lamps that needed a little pick me up as I started working on Max's bedroom. It was a quick project with a fun outcome. And what is best? Max loves them.








Project #3: Chalkboard Stripe. Here a wide chalkboard stripe was painted around the perimeter of Max's bedroom. (I swear, I've run out of the paint and I'm not going back to the store for more anytime soon!) Before starting the redesign of Max's room I had a "client interview" with him. It was amazing how much inspiration and direction I got from his answers. Among his requests for the room was the color black, to bring in a chalkboard and to get rid of the plain walls. It quickly dawned on me that I could easily address all three of these requirements with one item...chalkboard paint. Everyone in the family has gotten in on the writing and drawing, suddenly Max's room is the most popular spot in the house!















So tell me, where would you use some chalkboard paint in your house?

Thank you Lauren for inviting me to write this guest post.

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Thanks so much for sharing these awesome projects with us Janell!!  I love how you did a client interview with Max & have really worked to create a room he loves.  You've used chalkboard paint in such creative ways and I love it!!!   (the frames on the walls/  the lamps/!! so awesome) 

Happy St.Pattie's Day!!!
xoxo,
lauren

Guest Blogger Before & After: Camila From High-Heeled Foot in the Door

Please welcome Camila of High-Heeled Foot in the Door!!! :)
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Hi Pure Style Home readers,

Me and Lauren go back a long time. I think I’m actually the first non-family member to ever comment on her blog! Since then we’ve become great friends  and everyday I wish that she lived closer to me! I of course jumped at the chance to guest blog and be in Lauren’s neighborhood (virtually speaking) for the day.

 

I’m so excited to be here showing you a little before and after that recently took place in my own home. During our many talks me and Lauren came to realize how close we are design wise. We share many of the same beliefs when it comes to decor even though I tend to go more bold & bright in my color picks the basics are the same.

Here is a before picture of the guest room in my home. When we first moved in I had found a paint color I loved and simply painted the walls, added left over furniture from around the house and eventually put some window treatments in place. Ah bad decorator I know!



As other rooms got finished in the house I finally set my eyes on finishing this room.  Because the paint was relatively new I decided to keep that as is. This helped the re-vamp process, because I didn’t need to prep the wall again, prime print.

It now looks like this and is waiting for Lauren to come and stay in it!



It’s a multiple purpose room with a small office area and a trundle bed with pillows  made Roberta Roller Rabbit napkins! The massive bulletin board was another DIY project that was made from supplies from Home Depot.



Like Lauren I believe every room needs a little greenery and in this case I decided to go with some sunny sunflowers.



Storage boxes are piled up top for my office supplies. My individual craft storage cubes got a unified built in look by adding a wood countertop that I stained yellow.




I didn’t want the walls to be too busy.  So I placed some token pieces on the wall in a very organic manner. No measuring here!

One of the crucial elements to the room that helps tie in my introduction of yellow are my DIY striped curtains.



The room encompasses everything I love, is simple and chic and feels very much like me all essentials for good design according to both myself and Lauren .

I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into what happens over at High-Heeled Foot in the Door!

xoxo,
Camila

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What a fun fresh happy modern space!!  I love the color scheme & all of the cheerful touches. (One of my favorite being the turquoise beads on the white gourd lamp-  just perfect!!!)  Camila, than you so much for walking us through this beautiful happy space of yours!!! :)  Hope you all enjoyed!!

xoxo,
lauren

Before & After Guest Blogger: Maria Killam @ Colour Me Happy

I am so thrilled to be guest blogging on Pure Style Home! Thanks Lauren for the opportunity!

My before’s and after’s are from a project that was featured on the cover of BC Home magazine  last September, my readers haven’t even seen the before’s of this loft so I’m excited to show them here!

My client Karen is a young Corporate Lawyer in downtown Vancouver who wanted her place to reflect her current level of success. I am lucky to have clients that mostly hire me because I have a talent for creating atmosphere  which happens only after the lighting and accessories have been installed. Not every designer has the luxury of finishing each space, I consider myself to be very lucky!

Karen hired me to decorate her empty loft (except for the large TV she had been given) I advised her to get rid of it. The one existing colour that we had to work with was the yellow beige broadloom because it was staying. She was renting the space so painting the white walls was not an option (in the end we created a colour block instead)

This was how it looked when all the soft furnishings had just been installed. Everything here was custom made except the 3 Malm dressers from IKEA that were used for extra storage and for the TV. It was also designed to be the focal point of the room. You can see that I repeated the carpet colour in the top panel of the drapery (and it’s in the polka dot ottomans as well).

Here is the space (photographed by me) the day before the photo shoot with everything in place. The branch was raided from a tree in my neighborhood!

I have learned that photographing interiors is all about the flowers and I went to 6 florists before I found one that had the dark purple leaf that is in the arrangement (above).

And here is the final professionally photographed image! Big difference isn’t it?


Here was her bedroom (before).

Since my client was buying everything else new, she decided (for now) to keep the bedroom furniture. The Lumpy TV had to go once again and she immediately bought the duvet cover from Macy’s when she saw it shopping in Seattle!

After

This bookshelf was at the 3rd level of her 3 level apartment (which ended on a rooftop deck, to see all the images from this project, click here:  http://mariakillam.com/yaletown.htm

BEFORE

AFTER

Thanks Lauren for including me as part of the blogging community that will be appearing here weekly! I am honoured!

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Thank you so much to Maria for showing us how to turn an ordinary rental into a magazine-worthy pad!!   Of course your colors are spot-on as always & I can't get over you finding the purple leaves for the arrangement!!  The whole place feels so young & fresh & light & modern.  Beautiful!!

xoxo,
lauren

ps-  Go here to vote for Eddie Ross's Window in THE BIG WINDOW CHALLENGE!!  (You can vote twice/ day!)