Elisabeth's Bathroom - the Soap Dish, Corner Bench, and Curb

Elisabeth chose a beautiful marble subway tile for the walls in her master shower. We used a coordinating penny tile on the shower and bathroom floors. The penny tile came from Asia and we had to wait three months for it to come in! She decided to use the same penny tile as the inset of the soap dishes we made:



With the few inches we stole from the linen closet, we ended up with enough room for a corner bench. This bench is a prefab stainless steel unit that we installed during the tiling. We covered it with the marble that is on the vanity and also used the marble to cover the top and sides of the shower curb:


The neutral grays, creams, and tans make for an elegant, refined space!

Elisabeth's Bathroom

Elisabeth's tiny master bathroom measured about 6' x 8'. Built in the 1950's, it has a single vanity, toilet, shower, and small linen closet:






The shower is so small, Elisabeth cannot even wash her hair with both arms at the same time without hitting the wall!



Solution: We removed the fur down in the shower and over the vanity; removed the wall that is on the left side of the shower; changed the size of the shower by stealing from the linen closet; built a taller vanity with a centered sink; and changed all the surfaces:








The result: a beautiful updated master bath!

Michele's Surprise Remodel

Rather than put the house back the way it was, Michele took advantage of the mayhem to make a few changes. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the family room is directly behind the living room with a wall separating the two areas. The two rooms are almost the same size. Michele decided to remove the wall:





The budget did not allow for the new support beam to be flush with ceiling, so we covered the drop beam in sheetrock. The area behind the sheetrock leaning on the wall above used to be an entry into the living room. (We kept the existing entry to the family room.)

Here is a picture of the two areas no longer separated by a full wall. And even though we did not add any physical space, both areas seem larger for the visual space:





The windows on the right side of the picture above are in the dining room. But now we are going to make that space the study and the living room will become the dining room. This will allow for easier traffic flow through the spaces. Michele is ecstatic about the changes and cannot wait to have her house back! Tomorrow I will post pictures of the bathroom transformation, and what an amazing transformation it is!

Outdoor Curtain Update

Almost a year ago, I wrote about the outdoor curtains I made using drop cloths. I also wrote about how disappointed I was that they were moldy by month's end - very disappointing! My plan was to launder, then treat them with Scotchguard. The laundering happened, and I found a product online that seemed like it would work, it required that the product be painted on..... Where will I do this and when will I have time? These two questions plagued me for the year!

Then I ran across outdoor fabric for $12 a yard. My Mom sewed them for me as an early Xmas gift, and now I have new outdoor curtains! Like magic!

Michele's Surprise Remodel

One day, Michele's family was living peacefully and the next day, the mold abatement team is at her home tearing up walls, ceilings and floors! Turns out a pipe in the attic had been leaking for quite a while and now there is mold in between the walls, warped wood floors and squishy ceilings. These are pictures I took on my first visit:


On the other side of this paneled family room is the living room. Part of the ceiling and floor is gone and the sheetrock as well, it is not possible to get a picture of this because of the plastic covering the space.

The bathroom is affected as well, along with the master closet that shares the bathroom wall:


The tile wrapped around all the walls, including the area above the vanity and behind the toilet:





This is a 1950's style ranch house, complete with peachy pink tiles and turquoise fixtures. The tiles cannot be replaced, and now the fun begins!

Cathy's Kitchen - Counter & Backsplash

Cathy's family chose a recycled material countertop called Eco that is manufactured by Silestone. It is pricier than other options, but the family wanted to use a recycled product and it met their design goals. The field tile of the backsplash is a cream colored 3"x6" subway. The band is a glass and stone mosaic that brings in the earthy colors Cathy loves.



One of the things we changed in the layout was the shape of the countertops. The picture below shows the old counter shape on the island:


By rounding the corners, we were able to make the space much more functional and Cathy loves it! The new shape:



One of the interesting features in Cathy's Kitchen is the appliance garage:


We added under cabinet lighting to illuminate the space. Perfect for storing and using the blender, mixer, and coffee machine!

Cathy's Kitchen

Cathy's Kitchen is the center of activity with 4 teenage boys and their friends:





The box fluorescent lighting, old Formica counters, and cabinet finish date the space. We will keep the recently re-done floors and the cabinetry, but update with color.


And here is Cathy's Kitchen completed: