Salvage Finds..........

Is it me or is it getting harder and harder to find salvage items?  In Houston, there used to be several architectural salvage places that were full of detail pieces, windows, doors and all sorts of goodies.  Now, there's really only one and it makes me wonder, "have we demolished everything that has architectural value"? It seems that the abundance of inventory that used to be is no longer, thus making these items even more special (at least to me anyways).  This past weekend, we went to one of our favorite places, Adkins Architectural Antiques.  I love to come here and look at all of the doors and ornamental iron. The detail on the old storefronts and doors is fantastic and the scale is so grand.  Truly works of art.  We have purchased many doors from here in the past and today we were looking for a new door for our Master Bathroom. I was looking for a door that had some glass so we could let in some natural light.  After looking through the section that had the dimensions we need, we came up empty. That is, until I was looking around at all of the big pieces and came across a pair of old french doors. It was love at first sight and the dimensions are perfect.  We need to do a little tweaking for the height but that's not unusual.  We purchased these along with some knobs for my vanity.  I'm so excited to see these put up. If you live in the Houston area and you haven't been to Adkins, you must go.  If you don't live in Houston, you can visit them online although the selection is limited.   

 

Master Bathroom doors.

 

I loved these metal olive baskets.  

 

Just one of the many beautiful doors at Adkins. 

Getting Pretty......

I love dressing tables and vanities.  There's something ritualistic and sexy about them.  I remember when I was in high school, I had a wicker table and mirror from Pier1 that I used as my vanity and I loved having my own space to get pretty for the day.  In all of the places I've lived in since then, my space to get pretty was determined by the amount of counter space in the bathroom.  To be honest, I kind of missed having a dressing table.  Then, I came across this......

 

It's not the most elaborate vanity out there but it is small in scale and functional which is what I was looking for.  Not only does it have two pre-wired lamps built in, but it also came with a mirror (not pictured but it attaches to the back) and a lot of drawers for all of my goodies.  It didn't come with a stool but I'm pretty sure I have one in the attic that will work.  Problem is, I have to go into the attic to find it. It's still really hot here so I'm not too excited to go up there and start digging around at the moment.  I'm working on this now and will show you the after.  I'm excited to have a vanity again and this time it's going to be small but chic.  I can't wait to show this to you when it's done.

 

On a side note,  I ordered a plain white roman shade for Gabriella's window and it looks great.  I might add some trim for color but that will be decided after the bench fabric and pillows are all in place.  I ordered a great vintage chevron fabric off of ebay but Gabriella didn't like it (definitely keeping for another project) so we started over.  She's decided that she likes the radomness of mixed fabrics instead.  It's actually going to be more bohemian and I'm liking this direction a lot.  I've got an old anthropologie quilt that I've deconstructed and I'm hoping this will work out because the patterns are perfect. Stay tuned......

 

This is the vintage chevron fabric that I got originally for the bench. Since Gabriella doesn't like it, I'm keeping it in my stash for a future project.  This would look great on dining room chairs! 

Project Update....

There has been a lot of progress made with the Bookcase/Bench combo in my daughter Gabriella's room.  My HH will be hopefully finishing up the trim and casings this week and then on to primer and paint.  I'm currently looking at fabric swatches for the pull down shade for her window and for the bench cushion but haven't decided on anything yet. Here's some pictures on where we are right now.

 

 

 

I've been tossing a few different ideas around for fabrics and I'm liking the play on patterns against the white. What do you think about it?  Here are some inspiration pics to get you thinking.....

 

 

 

 

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

 Photo 4

Random

As I'm wrapping up my week getting ready to enjoy a long weekend, I wanted to leave you with some photos that I've saved that really don't have a fitting category other than "Random".  These are images that are moving to me in some way and just all around beautiful. Wishing you all have an opportunity to relax this weekend and spend some time with good people. 

 

 

Photo credits from top:  Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3 and Photo 4

Master Bathroom Revival

I'm ashamed to say it but every since we've moved into our house (6+ years ago) our Master Bathroom has never fully worked.  The small shower in here has a leak somewhere and when the floor gets wet (duh) you get a lovely smell that resembles sewer but is actually mold (or so I'm told by the plumber that came out).  This all occurred about 2 weeks after we bought the house (Hmmmmmm). That and the fact that there is no bath tub in here made this bathroom a must for a remodel.  I found an old pedestal tub on Craigslist and it has done a lovely job of holding basketballs and bouncy balls outside but alas, it's time to bring it in and move forward. I've been looking at tile and options for bathroom fixtures and I've decided to keep it classic and simple.  Since the layout of the bathroom is not changing, we're going to keep the vanity (for now) and change the counter top.  I will be painting the vanity a dark color and hopefully that will make me like it enough to keep it.  The counter top material is undecided until I paint the vanity but I 'm leaning towards carerra marble.  The floor tile is probably going to be a classic octagon pattern which feels vintage and classic with the tub.  Fixtures are still being worked on but I did buy this great industrial light from Etsy that I am thinking of putting in the water closet.  I love the large scale of this industrial light.  I want to add some industrial elements and think this might be a good fit.  I'll let you know when it gets here.  If it doesn't work in the bathroom, then I have another place where this will go.  I'll keep you posted.  Meanwhile, here are some of the things in my inspiration folder for this bathroom.

 

This is the industrial light I bought from Etsy.

 

 

 

 

Inspiration via Pinterest

What's the one "must have" item on your list for a dream bathroom?

Update 9-28-12-  I am happy to report that we have finished remodeling the Master Bathroom mentioned in this post.  Although the outcome is very different than the ideas I am swirling around in this post, you can see the influences from my inspiration pictures in the finished bathroom.  To be honest, the Master Bathroom is an important room and when we really got down to what we wanted, it was necessary to start over.  That is exactly what we did and the outcome is just what we wanted.  I love that plans change and things are found that change the course for the better.  I am a believer in making things great with what you find and what's available. To see the finished bathroom, click here.

Too Cool for Back to School.......

Our family has been in back to school mode for the past couple of weeks and we've come across some pretty cool things that I thought I would share with you. If your not shopping for Back to School, perhaps you can pick up a new lunch container or a colorful lunch bag for work?  Or maybe you want to perk up your desk with a colorful journal or some educational pencils.   Here's some of the cool stuff we found.

This Dakine Prom backpack is so colorful but not over the top.  The pattern is awesome and reminds me of neon tribal. The inside is really colorful as well and is padded for a laptop.  There are plenty of pockets including a side zip pocket for the water bottle. It's affordable, durable and stylish.  Backpack, check. Love it too?  Get it here from Sierra Trading Post.

 

Up next.... the lunch box.  I laugh when I see this because my girls have used this lunchbox since the first day of kindergarten.  They will be starting 6th grade next week. The philosophy behind this is simple.  There is simply WAYYYYYY to much trash being produced with school lunches. Not only do I detest plastic and plastic baggies, it's insane to see the amount of trash generated from school lunches.  These stainless lunch containers go into the dishwasher and are almost indestructable. This has by far been the best thing we've ever used for lunches when they don't need to be insulated.  These containers also come in other sizes and can be purchased at Pearl River.

Or, how about one of these fair trade colorful lunch bags made by One Mango Tree and can be purchased at World of Good.

 

How about those days when you just want to buy your lunch or go to the snack bar?   I love this sassy zippered money pouch from Pearl River.

 

Know It All Pencil Set.  Comes with it's own muslin pouch.  Perfect for student and teacher alike!  Get them at Reform School Rules.

 

 

Don't forget to pick out some fun and colorful journals. This journal  has a kitschy pattern that is bright and cheery.  This one is from Pearl River. 

 

How about some chic wallpaper for your locker?  These are locker sized sheets that have super strong magnets so they're super easy to put up and take down. 

 

What locker wouldn't be complete without the chandelier?  This chandelier runs on 3AAA batteries, is motion sensored and will hang effortlessly from your locker ceiling with super strong magnets.  Get this and the locker wallpaper plus many other accessories at Locker Lookz

Gone are the days when you got some new clothes, a new pair of shoes and the original and classic Pee-Chee folder.  What better way to express yourself and display your doodling skills than on a Pee-Chee folder? I digress....

 



Some new additions....

With school starting right around the corner, things have been very busy at our house these past few weeks.  Where does the time go?  Well, for me I've have acquired some awesome things over the past few weeks.  You know how when your looking for something you can never find it?  Then, totally random there it is!  I've come to embrace this phenomenon because the search for it makes finally finding it so great.  First item, a dining table that I have been looking for FOREVER.  Of course, I see tables that I like that are a bezillion dollars so that doesn't count.  But this one was a steal and it fits perfect in our dining room.  I even have an extra leaf for extra guests.  It's not perfect but neither am I and I take things just as I find them if possible.  If something is really trashed, then I make it pretty again but generally the flaws are what gives the item it's character.  Second, two awesome metal industrial desk chairs.  I did paint one of them black because it was a gross peachy tan color that I couldn't live with.  The other chair is rusty and perfect as is.  I re-upholstered these with a baroque like velvet and reversed the pattern on one to make it different.  The velvet with the metal is such a great contrast.  Third, a wonderful old adjustable dress form.  This is a table top version (I believe) that is old and worn and beautiful as is.  Finally, a vintage industrial desk lamp that adds that perfect industrial touch.  Where did all of these items go?  Oddly enough, my laundry room.  My laundry room is a decent size and I have a stack able washer and dryer to save even more space.  Since I got a new dining room table, my old one fits perfect in the laundry room.  Before, there was a long counter (sorry, no before pics) that was narrow and odd shaped.  The dining room table gives a lot more work space and looks way better.  I'm so glad this fit because it's a great table and I didn't want to get rid of it.  Here's some pictures of the changes.

 

   Dining Room Table

 

 

This is the buffet is in the Dining Room

 

The framed art is vintage architectural detail drawings of various decorative moldings.  This room is really dark so this fall /winter (when it's not a 200+ degrees) we are adding some recessed lights to balance the light in here. I am also going to add another chandelier like this one (I have three) over the table. I'll share pictures after it's done.

 

 

Here's the first chair that I re-upholstered in my laundry room.  The old dining room table is behind it

 

Here's the other one with the pattern reversed.  This was the chair I painted because it was yucky peachy tan. 

Every room needs fresh flowers. 

 



Found this in a thrift store and got such a sense of nostalgia, I had to buy it. 

 

 

Love the dress form.

 

 

 Just a few more item in here.  The old gas heater brick holds my scissors and pen perfectly.

 

 

Thanks to my HH, I also have a gift wrapping station that holds my paper, ribbons and tape. 

 

Here's the new lamp on the end of the desk. I'm still in the process of repairing the wall where the counter top was removed but I wanted to show you what I've been up to lately.

 

What do you think? Do you have a dual purpose laundry room? What do you like best about yours?

I also want to let you know about a new venture I've started..... I've started my own business offering interior design and styling services.  My company name is Guest House Interiors and I am offering design and styling services to vacation rental owners and property managers.  I am excited about this venture because it enables me to do what I love.... Interior Design using an eclectic mix of vintage, modern and new furnishings.  It will also provide some fabulous vacation rentals for all of us to enjoy. I will still keep this blog because this is a personal blog about me and my style and what inspires me (and hopefully you will find inspiration here too).  Feel free to check out my website Guest House Interiors and my Guest House Interiors Blog.