The Hall Bathroom

Last year we went on a House & Garden tour and I quickly realized I could pinpoint when each bathroom was remodeled, based on the tile they used.  Trends in tile design come and go and what looks great today can look dated in a few years (thanks in large part to social media, which is always touting the latest fad).

For this house, I want to use classic styles that will make it hard to guess when the house was updated.  Sure, we want modern conveniences, but don't want to use the 'it' tile that's so popular this week/month/year.  So for example, we won't use any 12x24" tiles in our house - not because I don't like them, but because they aren't appropriate for an 1898 house.

What does that mean for our tile choices?  Well let's start with the hall bathroom.  Our guess is the bathroom was added to the house in the early 1920's, when the house changed from a cottage to a full time home.  So I wanted to look at styles from that period.  The Standard company (later called American Standard)  introduced the 'Sanitary Bath' - with porcelain, easy to clean fixtures and surfaces.  

I installed a classic marble dog bone basketweave on the floor.  It's a design that's been around for 100+ years and is still a great look for today.
 

The shower walls also got a classic treatment with a timeless subway tile, accented with diagonal 4x4 tiles.

I'm a huge fan of wallpaper and ordered the antique toothbrush wallpaper from the Netherlands that I used in another home several years ago.  I love that paper and can't wait to use it again. 

But the other big change was the sun tunnel.  This bathroom is in the middle of the house with no windows.  And I desperately wanted to get some daylight in there.  So we added a Velux sun tunnel which channels sunlight from the roof to the bathroom.  It's such a great change!  It's so bright, I keep trying to turn off the light as I walk by the room - forgetting that it's natural daylight.  

And last but not least, we want to install marble baseboards in the bathroom.  I've never done this before, but am pretty thrilled with how they look!  I'll seal and grout them tomorrow!

Our painter is hoping to start the 2nd floor this week - I'll post updates soon.  

Pin It

Garden Evolution

As it starts to really feel like fall, it seems like a good time to update the garden plan progress.  As a reminder, this is a 5 year plan, so don't expect that it get completed all at once!!!  I would love to spend many, many hours in the garden everyday, but the main house is our primary focus at the moment (because we really would like to move in one of these days!).  However, I did manage to squeeze in a little time to get the garden plan started.

The border around the stone wall got started last fall with some end-of-season perennial bargains I found.  They sprang to life this year and in general, I'm pretty pleased with how it's coming together.  Lots of spring color was replaced with summer blooms and then a bit of fall color.  (I'd like to add some more spring bulbs this fall, to give us an early pop of color!) 

I spent weeks clearing the grass from the lower garden, to start creating the border on that side of the yard.   The border is taking shape.  The centerpiece is this pink blooming crabapple, which is replaced with bronze/green leaves for the rest of the summer.  I also planted a nine bark that's the development from O'Donals - a local nursery.  They've named it Gorham's Gold and I love the pop of color. 

I've tried to include a lot of native plants in this garden design.  I'm still new to the world of natives, but I love the Wentworth Cherry Viburnum and these Rudbeckia that are super tall behind some daylillies I've planted.  

Another key to the garden - we installed a drip irrigation system for the trees and shrubs.  We first experienced drip irrigation when we lived in Phoenix, where they value every drop of water.  It directs water to where it's needed - next to a plant - and doesn't waste it anywhere else. 

The folks from Thirsty Turf installed it in a day and we can control it from our phones or a control panel in the basement.    We did not irrigate the grass.  As long as we have something green growing (weeds are okay) that is grass-like, we're happy.  If it turns brown in mid-summer, that's fine with us.  We don't want to use all the chemicals that typically go with a manicured lawn.

While we were working on the garden plan, we also discovered that the large oak tree in the yard was blocking our water view through the new windows.  We really didn't want to cut down the tree - it's a great anchor for the entire yard and provides some nice shade on a sunny summer day.  So we had it pruned back so we can still see the water, but retain the tree's canopy.

So if this is year one of the 5 year plan - just wait for next year!  So much more to do!

It's cruise ship season..... I keep trying to catch a good photo!

5 year landscape plan

Pin It