my new succulent garden

Succulents, Indian sandstone shrine.



Succulents, drift wood.

I just found this cute potted succulent garden at Lowe's. It was sitting in the dark corner of the shelf waiting for me, ready to go. I think these plants are perfect for people with a black thumb; They are resilient, low maintenance plants.There are so many online information about succulents and their care. If you need to know cool names of these fleshy-leaved plants, there is an excellent article on Better Homes and Gardens . Succulents are pecfect plants if you live in small spaces and these are perfect for my space too.

Have a wonderful weekend! xx

bathroom renovation - part 1: vanity

A few months ago -feels like ages- I posted about my bathroom renovation called "bye bye blue tiles". Finally no more 1960's blue tiles... YAY! Husband & wife team DIY renovation is done, well sorta. I still have to decide about the glass bathtub screen. I am so done with shower curtains; They get moldy, rooms appear darker and smaller. I posted earlier about the products that I used for my bathroom here and for decorative accessories here .

Reusing some of the items in the room -the old Chinese mirror, cabinet and the screen- definitely helped the budget. If you notice -in the second picture on the right- the oil rubbed bronze finish already started creeping up in my old bathroom, the bronze shaving mirror and switch plates hinting what I wanted in my future bathroom. I still keep my own handmade Buddha tiles as souvenir, they were covering the empty spots of ugly soap dishes that I removed.

before 

Chinese screen and Turkish hammam bowls and ugly blue tiles...

Say bye bye to the blue tiles. Now you see it...

Now you don't...

I was debating to use a wood sink or a porcelain sink. 

And the decision is... 

after

Yes, I went with this white porcelain vessel sink from Lowe's. It is easy to maintain and looks clean.The Tuscan bronze Ashfield vessel faucet is also from Lowe's.

Here is the Indonesian teak wood sink from HomeGoods. Unfortunately, I did not use this sink that I loved so much, I feel the porcelain matched the decor better. I am sure this sink would be great for a powder room.

Here is my asian/zen/rustic/eclectic bathroom. I painted the walls and the ceiling same white color. It makes the room fresh, larger and unified. Repetition of forms, textures and colors also make a great unifying effect in a small bathroom. I wanted to achive it with adding natural elements such as travertine tiles, wood and accessories throughout the bathroom. Repeating round shapes around the vanity also add a certain softness to the bathroom. I feel using earthy neutral tones create a serene sense of calm. I can stay here forever :)

I mixed two vanity lamps to get this look. The original lampshades were old style bell shaped. I had to buy another vanity lamp for their shades. It cost more but looks much cleaner. I love expandable shaving mirrors. It was hard to find a decent one especially in oil rubbed bronze. I found mine at Van Dyke's Restorers. 

And my lovely fouta hammam towels from ebay.

I changed the flush handle to bronze, bought a toilet seat with bronze hardware from Amazon.com and saved some cash by spray painting the valve and water tube with Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic Paint & Primer in One.

Love white orchids they are so pure and look sophisticated in every decor. Hoping this one last for a while. I found this Chinese wood box at T.J.Maxx. It was blue before I stripped it to give this natural look.

Natural stone accessories from HomeGoods match the stone tiles. They last long and are easy to clean.

And finally hand soaps. Moroccan Argan oil hand wash from HomeGoods. Smells so good. Buddha hand soaps from ebay. They also smell good.

Next week, a look at the bathtub area. Stay tuned...

Have a great weekend, XOXO :)

some products for my bathroom renovation

Here are some products I am going to use for my bathroom renovation;


via homedepot

12X12 International (Turkish) Ivory Travertine tiles for walls. They are heavy tiles, especially 18X18. My husband and I spent long hours at multiple stores to pick out the good tiles one by one. They are cheaper than the specialty stores. I like the quality too. I used smilar ones in my master bathroom and kitchen.


via homedepot

18X18 International (Turkish) Walnut Travertine tiles for the floor.


via homedepot

Travertine wall trim.

Ivory travertine corner shelves from a local tile store.

River rocks from Michaels craft store. I always liked river rocks in bathrooms it gives a spa feeling. I plan to use them along one wall. It provides a natural earthy look and softens the lines.

via lowe's

Pfister Ashfield Tuscan Bronze 1-Handle WaterSense Bathroom Faucet. I used this for my master bathroom, I love the style so much I ended up purchasing the same one.

via vandykes

Expandable Mirror. I just ordered an oil rubbed bronze finish. Love the old look. I splurged on this one. It was on sale but, still a little pricey for a tiny mirror. It was very hard to find this scissors style. IKEA had the crome finish that was cheap looking. I had one in my old bathroom. Restoration Hardware sells them too but, they are too expensive. I hope the quality is as good as it looks.


via ebay   homebuilderwholesale101

Pfister Tuscan Bronze Catalina Single Robe Hook.


via ebay  buildinc

Pfister Tuscan Bronze Catalina Tissue Holder.

I purchased mine a while ago from ebay. I found these sellers have them now.

via lowe's

Kohler Villager White cast iron tub.



via ebay wholesale_plumbing 

Oil Rubbed Bronze Trip-Lever Bathtub Drain Trim Kit.

via lowe's

Kohler Cimarron White High Eficiency WaterSense Elongated toilet.


via lowe's

Venetian Bronze Latch Door Style Tank Lever.

 

via amazon.com 

Toilet Seat, Mayfair 44OR 000 Molded Toilet Seat with Oil-Rubbed Bronze Hinges, Round, White. Love the bronze hinges.


via amazon.com

Checkolite Price Pfister Catalina 3-Light Vanity, Oil Rubbed Bronze.


via lowe's

Portfolio 3-Light Oil Rubbed Bronze Bathroom Vanity Light.

I mixed two vanity lamps. I first purchased the The Checkolite Price Pfister vanity lamps which matched with my all bathroom accesories but, did not like it's bell shaped lamp shades. They looked old. I found Portfolio vanity lamp for their shades to get the look I wanted.

I am thinking about ordering the following product;
 

via ebay  arkshowers

Still thinking on this one... Has anyone used this kind of bathtub screen? I am so done with shower curtains; They get moldy and rooms appear darker and smaller. I found this Bathtub Shower Screen (Tub door, Shower Shield) on ebay. I like the clean look. It is called European frameless shower door. I also started talking to local glass and bathroom specialits. Unfortunately local hardware stores don't sell them even with special orders.

More to follow...