Category: bathrooms

April 6, 2017

The Smallest Room x

We’ve been printing.

Very simply with Sainsbury’s basic sponges bought for 20p a packet, onto lining paper and using left over paint from the kitchen renovations. Cheap as chips.

This is all part of the great downstairs toilet upgrade project, which after 10 years of abuse is sorely needed.

The idea is to paint the woodwork a mid-grey, homemade wallpaper above the dado (why not?!) and dye the grout (more on that in another post) between the metro tiles a charcoal grey.

(A bit like this)

The marbling was part of the experimenting plan for diy wallpaper for the toilet..except the problem was we could only make it in small sizes which gave a patchwork effect. With printing we can make the runs as long as we need. Brucie bonus to control within the chaos.

The inspiration for the print came from the above picture…

And the general sense of informal uniformity from pictures like these.

Embracing the idea that symmetry can just be too damn predictable.

What is working so well is the straight lines versus the diagonal against the curves of fingertips pushing the sponge into the paper. I think I’m in love.

Shame the next few days will be spent doing all the boring bits like filling and sanding.

But watch this space.

Laters, Kate x

March 8, 2017

Home truths x

Green tiles are having a moment.

Laters, Kate x

February 22, 2017

Home Truths x

I suspect there’s a scientific correlation between the life cycle of say, the lower house mouse and renovation works. A year after the kitchen was finished thoughts have turned to the family bathroom and an office pod in the garden. But bathrooms first.

Unlike this pic, our main problem is the floor which is tiled. The tiles haven’t stood the test of time – after 10 years they’re cracked and ragged. It could be that they were badly laid, or it might be that tiles are never great in old houses that move on wooden joists.

So the plan now is to replace the tiles with wood. We’ve got wood in both our laundry room and kitchen, and they’ve been the best floors ever – warm, characterful and flexible. I’m not sure why we didn’t use it as a first choice in the bathroom – I suspect it’s a gremlin in our minds that whispers wood plus water equals problems. Now stop…and think of boats…

This is the inspiration for the floor: Dark, herringbone parquet. Just the right side of decadent.

(All pics Pinterest)

It’s going to be fun…

Laters, Kate x

February 8, 2017

Upfront x

Excess be damned, it’s often the simplest things in life that give the greatest pleasures.

Like using a cast off, or a basic building supply to create an element of magic.

Vertical?

A door?

Or horizontal? Corrugated irons strange, earthly beauty is rock n roll on a shoe string.

Strangely I’m drawn to the black version.

Wonder why…

Laters, Kate x

January 30, 2017

White on..

There are some things that even science still can’t explain..

Past bathroom trends: Curiously overstated, flamboyant, slapstick and in your face.

But maybe it wasn’t so bad…maybe we’ve now gone too much the other way – found the plot but lost the fun?

Because yes, there was holy chaos…but take away the shag pile carpets, soften the saturated colour..and the essence of something special is in there..