One Room Challenge: We may live in a fixer-upper, but we are NOT Chip and Joanna

Bubbles, celebratory sips, and spa-like surroundings are far from my reality at the Week 4 mark of the Calling it Home “One Room Challenge.” True, my 3rd floor master bath design plan does not even include a soaking tub this glorious (that will be in the renovation of our current 2nd floor bath someday) and even if it did, my enjoyment of the space would not resemble the type of pampering that is pictured above, although one can dream, right?

The illustration featured in the photo is the front of a small metal container that I used to store bath items, like loofahs and such, back when my husband and I built a new bath in our last home (we moved to our current fixer-upper in 2003). Back then it was SO much easier to accomplish our projects!

Remembering our master bath project from around 1996

We built a brand new full size bath (with a large soaking tub) after completely raising the roof of our New England Cape-style home, along with building two brand new bedrooms on either side. We did all of this while I was pregnant with our first (who is graduating high school this year). And there was no Pinterest or Houzz to help out either. HGTV was barely a network and there were not a lot of programs to follow (plus no DVR!) All we had were shelter magazines to go by or design/build books for research (remember those?) If we were looking for a new trend or idea, we had to wait a month for a new magazine to come out. Can you imagine?

Granted my husband is a contractor, and his friends are contractors. They all worked together to get our remodel done, and they had the real experience and knowledge to do so. And truth be told we had a lot more energy back then. And perhaps a bit more motivation? But even so ... how does so much time go by for us today, with all that we know between the two of us, yet with so little at-home progress to show?

A local Habitat for Humanity build that my husband
John and I participated in together back in 2012 –

he helped out with power tools, my job was marketing.

Well for starters, I do not like to do the physical work. I have met lots of women who enjoy tiling or building walls or getting drills or wet-saws as gifts. I totally admire and respect them, but unfortunately I am not one of them. I barely enjoy painting anymore (hence my unfinished home office). I am more of an idea person. But since my husband is a builder, we cannot hire another builder, just like I would never hire someone to do what I can do. Currently he is too busy to finish my project. So our master bath sits unfinished.

Sink, faucet and glass counter top installed by my husband – on time –
for the Old York Annual Decorator Show House, summer 2013

My husband has helped me out with many of my time sensitive design projects over the years. And when it comes down to it, he always delivers. But what started out as a time-to-get-this-done-for-us type of project – that seemed quite possible four weeks ago – is now looking to be not very probable with current obligations. Of course I am super disappointed, but really, it is just a bathroom. Finishing renovations is not an emergency situation. I have lived this long without it, what is another month or so? I will have to just shift design gears.

My still challenging One Room Challenge, fall 2015

Fortunately, I did have a back up plan from the beginning. My home office that I did not complete for the fall “One Room Challenge” will just have to move up on my priority list. My only concern is that last weekend while clearing branches and brush in our rustic backyard to make room for a new garden, I got a touch of poison something, so I am not feeling 100%. I suppose I can still do some shopping and styling, but there is still some heavy lifting and clearing of clutter – and painting – to accomplish, which really does not appeal to me feeling the way I do. But I will move forward, gingerly, but towards my goal of sharing some type of “after” photos for all of you ORC visitors! Please come back next week to see how it goes.

Now if only I could enlist some help ...

A photo op with Kevin O’Connor from This Old House

North Shore Design Show Preview Party, May 2012

Or perhaps ...

Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV Fixer Upper
photo credit: Larsen + Talbert via HGTV

Check out the progress shared by the ORC sponsored bloggers here and the many guest participants here. More ORC design trends reported by House Beautiful here. 

Bath “Before + After” and a Trip to Paris!

AFTER: a new modern bath with clean lines

BEFORE: original fixtures and a vintage feel

Awhile back I promised to share one of my recent home renovation projects. Finally the time has come! As most of us know or have experienced first-hand, bathrooms are often the last room of a house to be renovated. They are expensive, even the small ones, and usually a new homeowner can deal with what is there while investing in updating the more public living spaces. That is how our story goes anyway.

I actually chose the subtle damask-style wallpaper above to replace a bright orange floral print that was on the walls when we first moved in to our 1904 farmhouse. We were okay with the overall look for awhile, but the fixtures really did not serve us well. The dated corner toilet used far too much water and the wall mount sink was pretty nondescript with an exposed trap and no storage underneath. At least the fixtures were white and we could live comfortably with them for as long as we did (about 10 years).

This first floor bathroom actually started out pretty large, with a washer and dryer at one end opposite a stall shower which unfortunately my young-at-the-time kids would often get stuck in (the folding door was hard to operate). The worst part about the bath by far was that the door opened directly into our tiny kitchen, two feet away from the island. And to add to the inconvenience, we had to walk through the kitchen multiple times a day to transport clothes to do the many loads of laundry a family of six has to manage. It was just not working.

The first change we made was to relocate the laundry to one of the smaller bedrooms upstairs. Best decision ever! Next, we reoriented the door of the reconfigured bath so that it would open up into a new mudroom we created by stealing square footage from our exterior farmers porch. So much better! Below is the new and improved layout.

custom vanity: Benjamin Moore Galveston Gray

matte black faucet, knobs and towel bar from

the Jason Wu Collection for Brizo

Afina Illume LED back lit mirror

Most of our projects take quite awhile to complete since we are doing the majority of the work ourselves on our off hours. My husband is a licensed contractor, so he was able to build out the room and handle all of the plumbing (so nice when we can work together on our projects!) Then we brought in some experts to lay tile and build a custom cabinet, which we had professionally sprayed with a Sherwin Williams version of a Benjamin Moore paint color (note: Sherwin Williams formulas seem to work better for spray applications). One of my favorite colors that I had in the master bedroom of our last house, Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue, was used on the walls. Classic ivory subway tiles suit the no-fuss style of our American Foursquare home, while the backlit mirror with LED lights adds a modern touch. Dated fixtures were replaced with water sense models and smart-touch technology.

Jason Wu for Brizo Hydrati

2-in-1 Showerhead with

handheld shower and

H2O Kinetic Technology 

Toto Connelly 2-piece WaterSense Toilet
{best part: no exposed trap on sides!!!} 

subway and floor tile: Galleria Stone + Tile

wall color: Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue

artwork I am considering:

Weathered by Melanie Severin via Minted

(I love that there is just a touch of pink in this for me!)

simple shower curtain from Target

hammered nickel sink from Native Trails

honed black granite counter on custom cabinet

towels from the Turkish Towel Company

where it all began: Old York 24th Annual

Decorator Show House 2013 (read about it here)

Did I mention that almost all of our fixtures were from one of my design show house projects? When you invest in participating in a show house, the key is to choose pieces that you would like to live with yourself, since often times those pieces end up in your design inventory afterwards. In the Petite Powder Room above, I was able to keep the counter top, sink, faucet and matching accessories. And now I get to enjoy them in my own home! #worththewait

sensor switch and outlet from

the Legrand Adorne Collection

Our whole family loves this new home improvement. We really needed it! And just as we were finishing up, I was offered free switch upgrades from the Adorne Collection from Legrand. The timing was perfect!

Legrand Before + After

Facebook contest

We had originally put in some basic switches that were not the right color (they should have been light almond, but no worries now!) I visited the Legrand website and was able to choose energy efficient sensor light/fan switches and sleek looking outlets that all fit seamlessly in a gloss white plate design. These details make a designer difference! Along with receiving the switches, my before and after photos were entered into a contest they were running. I actually qualified as one of the top ten projects they selected to be voted on to possibly win a grand prize trip for two to visit their Paris headquarters! Crazy, right? Of course, now all my boys wish they had taken French like I asked them to – only one of them listened to me : ) To be honest, I am just happy that our project got noticed! We worked hard on this little bath, and had to endure one bathroom to accommodate six people for years before finishing this up. So believe me I feel blessed already. Even so, a trip to Paris would be amazing (have never been and I did study French for years!) Although I would be equally happy with a family trip for six to Canada at this point, I would still appreciate it if you could take the time to vote on the Legrand facebook page before the contest ends on October 16th (vote under the Best Before & After tab). They are even giving out Adorne Connectivity Prize Packs to 5 lucky voters who choose their favorite transformation. While I wait for the results, this is my second option for wall art ...

The Iron Lady by Ava Thomson

via Minted

In the meantime, be sure to come back soon (or follow my Instagram feed) for updates on my entry in the bloggers One Room Challenge link up event. All this week I will be busy clearing the clutter in my office and hopefully finding a home for more design show inventory. The prize for this new challenge? A sense of accomplishment (tackling my junk room space is seriously daunting!) with the end result being a comfortable, visually stress-free room in which to be creative and more productive. Wish me luck!

Yin and Yang post of the week

The Guest Bath designed by Janet Marena of JTM Interiors

for the Junior League of Boston Show House in Newton, MA

Raise your hand if you would like to end this week with a long soak in the tub? Being surrounded by water can soothe nerves and bring comfort unless of course the water isn’t where it is supposed to be. Living on the East Coast I have been following the updates from those affected by Hurricane Sandy. We were lucky this time. We did not lose power (been there before). A tree did not fall on our roof (been there, too). We never ran out of food (and to be honest I didn’t even stock up partly out of denial and partly due to being tired of being in a state of emergency). My entire family was home on Monday – school was closed and work was put off until another day. We tried to ignore the wind outside our window (not easy) that was causing the tall pine trees surrounding our house to sway back and forth. On Tuesday the sun was out and life was back to normal for us.

I am thankful.

At times like these we are reminded that home equals shelter first and foremost. Clean fresh water, a well-lit path to light our way, a place to store the food that nourishes us, and heat to keep our families warm – these are necessities, not luxuries. Being able to stay connected via email, phone, texting, etc. is also becoming something we rely on day in and day out. We feel less alone when we know others understand what we are going through. Knowing that we can quickly reach out to someone – friend or stranger – when we need help is invaluable.

While celebrating luxury, attention to detail, craftsmanship and creative vision is part of a design bloggers daily musings, I am sure we all respect the fact that we are drawn to interior design magazines and home decor eye candy out of sincere appreciation for the human effort that it takes to make our surroundings be not just comfortable and safe, but beyond our expectations. The art of imagination in the form of decoration is entertaining. When it is applied with layers of meaning based on the stories of those who live there, we are inspired by it. 

I invite you to be inspired by the following:

The Junior League of Boston Show House now through November 18th: a three-story estate filled with the imaginative designs of over 35 interior professionals with rooms dedicated to music, gardening, reading, conversation, game playing, and personal sanctuary. All proceeds will support the mission of the Junior League of Boston. Check out my related post on the Designer Bath blog for more about the historically comforting spa-like bath above.

“About Hunger and Resilience” photography exhibit by Michael Nye
 presented through November 4th at Endicott College, Beverly, MA

On the other end of the inspiration spectrum, I encourage you to attend the Michael Nye photography exhibit, “About Hunger and Resilience” on display now at Endicott College. Sponsored in part by Gathering Change, Inc. the charity that my friend Dorothy Goodwin started around the time of the last Presidential election, it presents the audio stories and arresting photos of thirty individuals who have all experienced hunger, homelessness, or lack of resources. Listening to someone share their personal story of hardship in their own voice is a very intimate and moving experience. Many of these storytellers were affected by events outside of their control. States of emergency so to speak. If you are unable to attend this event, learn more about the inspiration behind the exhibit here and see more photos from opening night of the Endicott exhibit here.

And because it is my bread and butter, I invite you to attend a seminar/panel discussion that I have helped to put together for Designer Bath. Called “From Studs to Stunning: Remodeling Tips from the Pros” it is scheduled for Wednesday, November 7th from 6 to 8pm at the Designer Bath showroom in Beverly. Local design and renovation experts will share their tips on how to plan a bath remodel with confidence.

Did I ever tell you about the day I went to help out on the Habitat for Humanity Builders Blitz and just as I was preparing to leave I noticed that my ancient second floor bath was leaking buckets full of water into our first floor powder room? Fortunately the first floor bath was gutted at the time, but it was very unsettling and slightly ironic. Seriously, I had to laugh. What else could I do? I will be taking notes while sitting in the audience on the 7th. I wish I could enter to win the $20,000 Passport to Design Home Makeover Sweepstakes, but I promise I will be sincerely happy for the lucky winner.

Visit bostonmagazine.com/passport for more details.