Thursday, November 19, 2009

Exciting news from Blogland and Sindy's Master Bathroom Redesign

We received a couple of emails from fellow bloggers this week and we wanted to share their exciting news here on TheLettered Cottage.net!

The first email came from our friend Kimba at A Soft Place To Land about her new e-book, "A Very Kimba Christmas".



For just $8.99 you'll find five of the most detailed Christmas-themed tutorials Kimba's ever done!

I just finished reading it, and let me just say, you will definitely be blown away by all the information she's included and the awesome photography that shows each and every step of all five projects. The book is 72 pages long and there are 180 photos total. Talk about bang for your buck!

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The second exciting email came from Roeshel of The DIY Show Off.

After reading about the True Value DIY Drama Contest on our blog, she decided to enter the contest by submitting a video of her unfinished master bathroom. Roeshel wasn't thrilled about showing the room in its current state, but the space has lots of unfinished, challenging projects that have left her and her hubby stumped.
Well, all her worries about uploading her video have now subsided because the folks at True Value have selected her as one of their top ten finalists!
How insanely awesome!

If you'd like to check out Roeshel's "DIY drama", and vote for her to win the $5000 True Value shopping spree and the assistance of a True Value professional to help them finish their master bathroom, click on the badge below and cast as many votes as you'd like between now and December 4th!



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Speaking of master bathrooms, here are some highlights from a recent Photo Consultation I worked on for a client named Sindy.
She hired me to help give her budget friendly ideas on how to beautify her small master bathroom. She wanted the palette to coordinate with the blues, browns, whites and woods we used in her master bedroom consultation.
Among other things, I suggested adding some wide, white painted trim around the small windows to give them more of a presence, and to help them feel more intentional, and less like an afterthought.
Vinyl, peel-and-stick wood planks over the existing linoleum would help ground the space and would also inject some old world charm without breaking the bank.
A tiny chandelier, swagged over to the center of the room would add a touch of whimsy...something every little bathroom should have!
A pretty new wall color, completely dictated by (but a few shades lighter than) the blue in the shower curtain would really bring the room to life, and would make all the freshly white-painted baseboards and wide window trim snap, crackle and pop.
Replacing the existing hardware, fixtures, hinges and shower curtain rod with oil-rubbed bronze finished ones would add even more casual elegance. Changes like these can be done over time if you can't afford to do them all at once. Just take it one fixture or hinge at a time! I like to look on eBay for my hardware/fixtures. You can really find some great deals there.
I suggested finding a local seamstress to add the first letter of their last name to the shower curtain. Little touches like these can really make a room feel special!

Even though in some homes the master bath is a small room, (maybe the smallest in the house) think about how much time you actually spend in there. It's not like the guest bedroom you never go into. It's not like the basement you forget is even there sometimes. The master bathroom is probably the first place you visit each and EVERY day, and last place you visit before you crawl into bed each and EVERY night. Not to mention, a great deal of personal time is spent in the master bathroom. Sometimes you're in there for an hour or two at a time- depending on how long you like your shower or bath, and how much time it takes to "tame your mane" and "paint your face". :-)
Those seem like pretty good reasons to make sure that even the tiniest of rooms is nothing short of spectacular, right?

Hover your cursor back and forth over the photo below to see Sindy's "before" photo change to the inspiration drawing I created for her...





Here are some of the items I suggested Sindy use as inspiration when pulling together her room...

Maison De Ville Collection Mini Chandelier:



Matine Toile Shower Curtain:



PB Classic Stripe Towel:



Recessed Medicine Cabinet:




Peel-and-Stick Vinyl Floor Planks:



Chocolate Ticking Woven Cotton Rug:



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And in case you're wondering about the bathroom at our house, Kevin's got the left "basketcase" finished, and he's all set to go back to work on the farm table. I cannot wait to have a sink hooked back up again. Not that we ever use it, but it just feels so weird not to have it there! We're still shooting for November 30th as our finish date for the vanity side of the bathroom. We may have to pull a couple of all-nighters, but we'd love to be done before we leave to drive to Virginia Beach on December 4th.

Have a fantastic Thursday! We've got a fabulous guest blogger stopping by tomorrow, and you're going to LOVE her list of Top Ten Budget-Friendly Decorating Ideas!

Layla

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26 comments:

Anonymous said...

You never disappoint with your designs! This will be a beautiful transformation. I've been voting for Roeshel too - hope she wins!
pk @ Room Remix

Honorablyfallen said...

aw,yay VAbeach that's my home town! the bathroom redo is fabulous-Sarahlynn

Jacci said...

Love the shower curtain! I have a question, though. We have shower doors just like this, and I've been considering a curtain, but is the shower stall bottom really enough to keep water from escaping? Sam has been concerned about the possible water issue with removing the shower doors.

Have you actually done this before or had clients who have done it? Can anyone give feedback on how well the shower curtain works w/o a bathtub?

Love the way it looks! Great work :)

Jacci
http://homeforthebetter.blogspot.com

Kimba said...

Awwww. Thanks for mentioning my ebook, Layla! It was fun to write and the response has been good so far.

I'm voting for Roeshel too! I'd love to see her win.

Kimba

Roeshel said...

Thank you so much for sharing my DIY Drama with your readers!

Thanks to everyone for your votes! Some of the sweetest people I know I've met through blogging. The kindness, support, encouragement, generosity and friendships are amazing.

I have to say it's a moment of huge embarrassment but also an exciting chance to make it right. Keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be able to show off a transformation to be proud of if we were to win.

Thanks for the heads up on Kimba's news. I can't wait to check it out. She has a fun DIY blog party. I can just imagine that the ebook is fabulous.

I love the master bathroom design you created for Sindy. It's gorgeous! The colors are so soothing and the accessories are just my style. ;)

Keep up the great work - I look forward to your progress and posts every day!

Thank you again!
Roeshel

Kimba said...

Jacci,

We have a shower without the doors just like Sindy's. We have no problem with water escaping.

We just a regular shower curtain with a liner and it's not a problem at all.

Hope that helps.
Kimba

Tera said...

WOW!! My heart skipped a beat when I saw the before and after of that bathroom!! You did a beautiful job on that consultation!! My hubby said that he hopes that True Value sends you an air compressor and a nail gun...hee hee. He said that he cringed when he saw that Kevin was trying to finish the basketcase without a nail gun. ;)

Jacci, we have a bathroom in our basement with an ugly shower door. I actually hang a shower curtain on a shower curtain rod in front of the shower door to hide it. It works well and it looks great too.

Lettered Cottage said...

Hey Jacci!

I was thinking that Sindy would use the curtain in front of the shower doors.

:-)

Layla

AnNicole@Our Suburban Cottage said...

I am so in love with your design plan. It's absolutely gorgeous AND it's pretty inexpensive to execute. Fab job!

Brittany@Superwoman said...

what software do you use to make these transformations?? I can't seem to figure out how to do it on photoshop or anything.

I absolutely love your ideas for her bathroom! Great job!

Kim said...

I love that master bath design! I also have a super small master bath, so I'm going to take some inspiration from your gorgeous design.

Staci at Craftify It ! said...

Love the ideas you gave her on the master bathroom. And it is funny that you give such great reasons for making the master bath a great place...because it is of course the last room I have given any thought to in my house. I would LOVE to make it a nice retreat...I think I'm going to put some time, elbow grease & yes...maybe even some money into ours now!

I HAVE to get rid of the ugly yellow & green linoleum in there, if nothing else!!1

Molly Anne said...

I am well aware this comment will let it be known to all that I don't get out much...but that's okay.

I've never seen the peel and stick "wood" floors before and I squealed and clapped and nearly scared the life out of the little Bichon Frise I'm dogsitting. I have a painted floor that looked good when it was new...about 10 years ago. This is my new favorite solution!

Your selections for the bathroom are lovely!

Tricia said...

I can't wait to see the afters of that bathroom! The shower curtain and inexpesive floor alone will be huge changes.
Love that you linked up to Roeshel too. I'm rooting for her.

XO*Tricia

Unknown said...

Layla.....
Where would someone find the chandilier, flooring and shower curtain? I love the idea of the floor...I'll do it if I can find them.
Would love to know...thanks! Tami

geri said...

Abra ca dab ra...you did it again.
I wish you and your magic wand could make a visit to my house.

I LOVE the bathroom re-do.
MY husband actually took my glass doors down as soon as me moved in 3yrs ago.They were heavy but they were easy to remove. The only thing we haven't been able to do is to get the round plugs with the srews out. I am afraid they will leave a noticable mark. The shower enclosure is one piece and not tiled. Any ideas would be great with what to paint them with or how to do an abra ca da bra on them. When the shower curtain is closed you can't see them. Yeah!
Layla,I love your signature look you give to all your re-designs. It is so calming and beautiful and you. geri.

Michelle Hughes said...

love, love, love that Dash and Albert rug!! I may have to use one when we redo our bathroom.
Smiles~Michelle

Lettered Cottage said...

Hey Tami!

All the photos of the individual elments are links...just click on them to see where I found them!

:-)
Layla

Sharon@Sharon at Home said...

Love the makeover ... especially all the browns you added to ground the space. The shower curtain with the monogram is fabulous.

Traci@ Beneath My Heart said...

Layla,
I love the design for the bathroom. The chandelier is so charming.
It looks so soothing and warm. Definitely somewhere I would like to get ready every day!
Traci

Anonymous said...

Now that's some good news to spread! I need to get a readin'~

KellyMellyBoBellyBananaFanna said...

pretty shower curtain, layla!

kelly

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

Tell me, does one ever tire of hearing they're a genius? I wouldn't know first-hand, so I have to come to THE ONE who can enlighten me.

You are INCREDIBLE!

Jacci said...

Ahhh... okay, Layla, that makes sense! Thanks :)

And thanks to everyone else who answered up, too. Kimba got me thinking when she said she replaced her doors with a curtain. Hmmm....

Thanks, again!
Jacci

Unknown said...

Thanks Layla! Apparently, my cursor wasn't picking up the link. I'll give it another try! I LOVE that floor...just what my little bathroom needs. :-)
Tami

Anonymous said...

Great job as always Layla...

One ? do you think those peel and stick floor planks will hold up in a bathroom with all the moisture ???

Have a great rest of the week-end...

Kathy :)