The Vintage Modern Bathroom: number 2

When I first started thinking about this bathroom...the second one, 

and the one that is the most visible and will get the most use... 

I thought about going with a big statement sink.

This sink from Kohler is actually a utility sink from the Harborview collection.

Going through all of my old files,

 I came across this wonderful soft bathroom 

and thought maybe this would work

  simple and subtle

 And then I remembered this bath room done by designer Ginger Barber

I love this bathroom!

I definitely want some vintage

A basin sink of some sort

Some really cool and simple lighting

Maybe some jadeite green 

and an interesting tile layout on the floor

 Then I found this old farm table

Great old paint and wonderful patina...the perfect place to start

So here is how the bath room components will work together

&

here is what is left of the original bathroom

Don't you just love the before pictures?

My back porch looks like a land fill...

Hey where's my dumpster?

Ok now we're talking

Gotta love a turquoise dumpster right?

Hi-de-ho

off to the dump we go

wish me luck

`kelley~

The New/Old Bath: why color matters

I have to admit to being somewhat of a sucker for the color of Jadeite. It must have something to do with Martha Stewart.  I collected it for a while in the 90's but found I enjoyed the color more when I use it as an accent color in fabric and knobs etc. as opposed to having too much.

This is a nice little bathroom with a large shower and wonderful vintage inspired toilet and pedestal sick from Waterworks.  The fixtures are brushed nickel from Rohl.  I like the simplicity of the mirror but it was really lacking in some pumped up vintage color to compliment all of the nice black and white tile work.

Enter Rejuvenation catalog.

One of my all time favorites for vintage inspired lighting & in the last few years they have begun reproducing bath and kitchen fixtures to compliment the period lighting.  The Jadeite green is so fun in this little bathroom.

Along with a pair of sconces, I purchased a toilet paper holder, small towel hook (which doubles as a flower vase holder) and the tooth brush goodie.  I like ice cream buckets for trash cans!

The floor tile is a small 1/2 inch mosaic of tumbled marble and the walls and shower are just simple 4x4 porcelain nicely arranged

I added the fun vintage post cards, all found on ebay, of various locations around Newport Beach.  We had them framed with little photo edges and a really narrow black frame

Here is a close up of one of the post cards:  It says  "Yachting, Balboa, California"

Bath hook as vase holder, Nantucket inspired!

I used the simple Jadeite glass pulls on the cabinet doors and more Nantucket inspired baskets for extra towels

The detail in the shower is really simple but using the 1/2 inch tiles as a detail is a great idea and very inexpensive.

Here is a close up of the sconces (not the best photo) but they are porcelain and very 50's.  I found the great green "No Vacancy" sign and thought it would be fun over the mirror.  I am such a sign junky it's not even funny anymore.  Some one please help me!!!

Take a look again at the before picture and I think you will agree that in the New/Old bathroom color really matters

Have a wonderful weekend and try not to get too crazy out there!

smiles : )

kelley

Why I Collect Stuff: the honest truth

This post started out as more of a question to myself as to whether or not I should start collecting vintage toy trucks...yes!!!!! can't believe it myself but it is true. So I had a moment of soul searching and thought, why do I keep collecting things?

When I started blogging a mere two months ago, I put in my profile that I enjoyed collections, with my collections being "a tangible record of where I have been and who I am now". I since removed those words as they seemed like an added distraction to my profile but in retrospect nothing could be closer to the truth.

I became a serious seeker of "interesting stuff" around 1990. My oldest son had been diagnosed with a terminal form of Lymphoma and I quit my job to spend what small amount of time he had left to be with him. In a mere year my life was a daily dose of anxiety and hospitals. My beautiful son lost his battle with cancer on July 3rd 1991 and it feels like yesterday.

After his death my days were very empty; really quite suddenly. I found myself without much to do and needed some sort of creative outlet. My prior employment with a major retailer as a buyer and clothing designer left me with a wonderful sense of color, a love of fabric and I suppose the need to "buy" if you will.

I took my then 5 year old, youngest son (now 23) with me on about a two year continual trip to the Goodwill, Salvation Army and just about every antique mall and flea market within a 60 mile radius of our home. With our income now cut in half, I had to be a cleaver negotiator. Suffice it to say; this is why I am a collector. Collecting saved me in a sense, it cut short my loss a small bit and I found some weird sort of solice in the daily hunt, hoping to nab a deal that I knew was a windfall.

Collections regrets? not really. A few coulda, woulda, shoulda's maybe. But no regrets. I have since parted with almost every item I collected during those rough years and have started new collections as my taste has changed and my income has grown. I do have a very fond memory, however of a beautiful yellow pond yacht that was $275 and I just couldn't swing it...damn!
ROSEVILLE POTTERY lousy picture but I still collect it and love the colors and textures
INDUSTIAL SEATING AND STORAGE I have at least a dozen of these lab/drafting chairs made by Toledo and use them for everything
ICE CREAM BUCKETS Lamps, storage, garden, general cuteness and always great color
FIRKINS I have collected these for about 15 years, great color and interest in the sizes and shapes
JADEITE & YELLOW WARE I don't collect either any more but found gobs of these in the early 90's for really low prices. I sold my last really great yellow ware bowl on ebay about a month ago
DEPRESSION GLASS I guess you could say this is where it all started, I picked up cups and saucers, reamers and s&p shakers for pennys. We actually used the stuff at parties and dinners, alot got broken but I loved the hunt!
VINTAGE TOY TRUCKS yet to be determined?

This yellow truck is listed on Ebay for $2800....why? Should I start collecting toy trucks....maybe not.

I hope you liked this post, I enjoyed writing it.

best~*~ kelley