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Dreamy Little Bathrooms, Part 2: Chandeliers, Sconces and Pendants – oh my!

Published on October 12, 2010 in Decor. 6 Comments

Pretty please pardon the extra long intermission between powder room posts.  I’ve been in Charleston over the past week for my dear friend Gregger’s Wedding Extravaganza.  Imagine a south-uhn debutante who hunts, fishes, and attacks every day with unbridled zest and enthusiasm.  So naturally, her wedding was a rip-roaring, waterworks-filled great time.  But let’s put down the champagne flute so we can pick up where we left off with the bathroom bonanza.   

For those of you who wanna dabble in something a liiiiiiiiiiittle more adventurous than an all-white bath, but in an uberchic way that does NOT involve any of that trash can matches the shower curtain / matches the rug / matches the toothbrush holder business (wuf), let’s start by dipping your toe in the shallow end and talking about some lovely lighting.   

Modern Pendant Lights via Niche Modern   

Lighting’s ability to completely transform a room NEVER ceases to amaze me.  I first encountered this when I graduated college and traded in those frosted, $7, crusty ‘ol ceiling fixtures (never without dead bugs inside the glass) for big-girl chandeliers.  Wuh-BANG! The second you hang or mount a bomb-diggity light fixture, you turn a hum-drum room into one with effervescence, drama, and ambiance.  And in a bathroom, lighting can be one of the easiest ways to make a BIG impact.  Looky here:   

source unknown

via Coastal Living   

via Habitually Chic   

via Apartment Therapy   

source unknown   

via InStyle Home   

via Room Envy   

Meg Ryan’s bathroom, via Elle Decor.  Wassup, Sally Albright!   

Let’s start with a few gorgeous little nuggets of inspiration.  If you like…   

BEACHY   

(Clockwise, from top left): Floral Drop Chandelier, $2595, at Jayson Home and Garden. Seaward Faux Coral Chandelier, $1195, through Tonic Home…  PS: similar Coral Chandelier at Ballard Designs – it’s not as intricate, but at $299, it’s a fraction of the price. Empire Turquoise Chandelier through Marjorie Skouras, call for pricing. Coconut Bead Lantern, $1075, through Tonic Home.   

TRADITIONAL   

(Clockwise, from top left): Eliza Smoke Chandelier, $2495, at Jayson Home and Garden. Petite Claire Chandelier, $99 on sale, at Ballard Designs. Anjou Chandelier, $995 on sale, at Anthropologie. Clarissa Glass Drop Chandelier, $319 on sale, at Pottery Barn.  NOTE:  MOST OF POTTERY BARN’S CHANDELIERS AND PENDANTS ARE ALL 20% OFF THROUGH OCTOBER 27.   

MOROCCAN (I love this little guy!)   

   Tangier Hanging Lamp (Large – also comes in a smaller size), $595, at Jayson Home and Garden.   

MODERN   

(Clockwise, from top left): Jonathan Adler Meurice, $750, available through George Lowell in Chicago. Edison Chandelier, $319 on sale, at Pottery Barn.  Lotus Chandelier by Roost, call 773.404.0700 for store locations. Exeter Pendant, $103 on sale, at Pottery Barn – available to ship after November 29, 2010.  If you have ants in your pants over this one, you can always DIY it like-ah-zeese!   

ALL-TIME FAVE (as in, I’d trade my first born for it)   

ET2 “Jellyfish” Chandelier, through Kenneth Ludwig Home Furnishings, email covetliving@gmail.com for pricing.   

Now, granted – some of those fixtures are puh-ri-cey.  Different strokes for different folks – maybe they’ re in your price range; maybe they’re not.  So, stay tuned tomorrow, cause we’re gonna kick around some thriftier options that’ll give you a similar *WOW* effect, but without you having to mortgage your left nut to get it.   

À demain!   

6 Comments

Dreamy Little Bathrooms, Part 1: Classic White

Published on September 28, 2010 in Decor. 1 Comment

I’ve been casually flipping through my big-fat-favorite-things-file (more like pile) this week – the one I’ve been compiling for about 187 years – trying to find a little inspiration for our upcoming living room re-do.  Much to my surprise, some of the photos I found myself swooning over the most had nothing to do with sofas and throw pillows, and everything to do with commodes (that’s Nanny code for “toilet”).  So, get ready!  Cause here comes a bonanza of bathroom posts, and we’re leading off with the Big White Bath.

(via)

My M.O. in the bathroom has always been to keep it simple, classic, and neutral.  Check out the picture below – nothing fancy, but it’s divine.  Crisp white paint, simple linen shades, white towels folded in a wicker basket, and monochromatic accessories.  Gurl, you can get all that in one cart load at Wal-Mart!  And look at that sweet little green bud vase…  bah (!)  Snag a tumbler like this or this this, pop a single stem in there, and you’re in business.

Here’s another pretty white palette:  they cranked up the glam with that aflippingmazing little antique brass chair and mosaic tile floor, but kept it down-to-earth with a potted plant and those simple glass containers on the shelf (which, ps, I see all the time at TJ Maxx and Marshalls for about $10 bucks a pop).

(via)

And, behold…  a mélange of the two:  (neutral palette, wicker hamper & a teeny pop of green) + (gold sparkle, the rich warmth of the antique rug & that marvelous little footstool) = perfection.  It looks upscale, but it still feels cozy & inviting.

(via InStyle Home)

Below are a few more dreamy white bathrooms…  cues to take?  Splashes of black make for gorgeous contrast, wicker keeps it warm and fuzzy (warmer and fuzzier = towels rolled neatly in wicker baskets), and plants give it life, home slice.

(via my idol, Jessica Helgerson)

(via Domino)

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(unknown source)

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(via Martha Stewart, I think)

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Classic white bathrooms will forever remain near & dear to my heart….  largely because they remind me of movies like Sleepless in Seattle, to the tune of Louis Armstrong.  They always seem unpretentious and lovely.  Plus, they’re easy to do on a dime, which means they’re good to keep in your playbook.

Now that I’ve laid on the white bathroom’s horn for 10 minutes, let’s switch gears and give you a sneak peek of what’s to come, cause honey, there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

Meaning: the stellar thing about le salle de bain is that it can be an excellent opportunity to get outside the box and dabble in something more daring than you’d normally go for.  A bold paint color, some loud wallpaper, a crazy chandelier – whatever.  The relatively small size of bathrooms affords us that luxury. So, stay tuned this week & next for a series of ballsy bathroom installments, oodles of pictures, shopping links, and easy ways to deconstruct them so that you can achieve the same effect in remodeling the bathroom, minus the gigunzo price tag.

xoxo,

1 Comment