Chez Larsson

Phoebe's Bathroom Before & After

Remember this post? My friend Carol needed help with her daughter Phoebe's bathroom. It was dingy and needed an update. I was excited to help and now check out these awesome before and afters! Read below what Carol and husband Lyle did to the mustard (or dare I say baby poo) cave. I'm amazed that the final result is so close to my mood board!

Before

After

 

We used a contractor for the tile and the painting and to build the drawer fronts. The drawer fronts are made of MDF board. Very Benita-ish! We found the drawer pulls at Home Depot.

 

I love Ikea, but the nearest one to Boise is in Salt Lake City Utah. So I tried to find some items closer to home. I wish we had an Ikea here or at least closer. I am waiting for our next Ikea run to get the tub mat. It will be perfect! The mirror is a Kohler mirror. We went with that because it is also a medicine cabinet.

 

The towels are from Ikea. They are a set we already had and luckily I already had some of the metal boxes. I love that you incorporated them.They look great.

 

Before 

After

The paint came from:

 

Walls: Kelly Moore paint Interior Latex Enamel. Color: Inner Peace.

 

Trim: Behr Premium plus (from Home Depot) Interior/Exterior Hi-Gloss. Color: Ultra Pure White.

 

Interior of green cabinet: Ace Paint (from Ace Hardware stores). Color: Summerland (A32-6).

* a note about this color. It looked almost neon in the can but because it was going on the insides of the cabinet, which is all in shadow, it turned out to be exactly the right color.

 

The contractor and I worked on the color and my first choice for the walls was all wrong. It was kind of "institutional green". Yuck! This is why I went repeatedly to 3 differnt stores for paints.

 

 

Before

 

After

 

My favorite is the shower curtain fabric you chose. I LOVE that fabric. I never thought I could sew a shower curtain. Luckily I did ok. I think. I saw several internet instuctions for shower curtians. ehow.com has a nice one. I needed 6 yards of fabric for the shower curtain and I got a grommet tool and grommets at Joann's.

 

Here's a link for dandelion decal on the window.

 

 

Before

After

 

We used a Moen shower head and tub set. The tub is a Kohler tub. These items plus the toilet were purchased through our plumbers.
 

Bathroom tile came from Home Depot. The brand is Dal tile. I just went to the Home Depot site to include a link to the tile but (of course) could not find it! We used white 3' by 6' subway tile for the shower area and a 12' by 12' white floor tile. We first went to the Dal tile showroom and priced the tle and then saw it at Home depot. The exact same tile. The price for all the tile was roughly $400.00 less at Home Depot, plus the Dal Tile showroom requires you to have contractors license to place orders. We thought that was odd and here's what we think... Dal tile probably has a contract with Home Depot. Home Depot has the market for the little guy- like me- and Dal tile has the market for repeat businesses like builders and contractors. Even though I did not find the exact tile on the Home Depot site, I know they carry it.

The floor heating material is this and we love it! Its super thin and easy to install. It comes with a video that has instructions for installing. We ordered it through Dal tile, through our contractor. The cost was around $250.00. Home Depot has another product that is very similar.

 

There you go! Isn't it awsome?! Phoebe, move over, I'm moving in!

 

Also, a huge thank you Carol for the generous giftcard at Amazon! I had a hard time choosing but I'm super happy! Thank you sweetie!

   

Polka Dots

First I'd like to thank you so much for all the congratulations after yesterday's post. THANK YOU! I have the BEST readers!

 

This year I have a little polka dot theme going on for Christmas. Made some new pillows and got the napkins at Michael's. That's glögg BTW.

The dots are on the little mushrooms in our advent candle holder too.

 

Part of the inspiration came from last  year's gift wrap. Will probably do something along those lines this year too. Haven't wrapped much yet, but I'm hoping to get to it this weekend.

Oh, about the pillows. I have a tutorial on how to sew an envelope pillow case. Is that something you're interested in or is that too obvious and too simple?

Candy String Lights

Here's a super quick and simple holiday decoration I created for Aby's holiday workshop.

 

I love string lights and have them up as soon as it gets darker outside which basically means they're up from September through March. To jazz up the one in my livingroom for the holidays I just tied on red wrapped candy between the lights.

Hey presto and Yum!

Our Thing for Tartan

As I told you last week we've had this thing for tartan.

When Martin and I met on New Years Even in 1986 his then anglophile style and my love for anything checked merged and we had quite a few years of tartan mania.

Martin's tartan thing acually even partly stems from his great great great grandmother who met and had a fling with a Lord of the Isles who was salmon fishing in Norway. Hot stuff, huh?

Here's (part of) our tartan run down in pictures.

 

Dishes and pillows.

 

Throw.

Shirt.

More pillows and photo album.

Another shirt. More on this one in a later post.

Baby Björn carrier.

Matching bouncer.

Another pillow.

 

With tartan being one of those things that comes around at regular intervals I'm always happy when it does but Martin loves it always.

How about you? Any pattern that you love and that you keep reaching for when shopping?
 

Reader Projects

A while ago I asked if any of you have projects that you'd like to share here. Here are a couple of the readers who took me up on that.

 

Shannon from Denver, Colorado in the US was inspired by this post and made her own fall wreath. Shannon wrote:

My husband and I live with our two kitties in a little old house built in 1906. Last week we got our first snow, over a foot actually. I had gathered and preserved leaves about 2 weeks prior, so being housebound I really had no excuse not to sit down and just get on with it already! Although it looks MUCH different than yours I love how it came out. We didn't have a hook or nail long enough to hang the foam ring directly from the brick, so a bit of ratty string had to do. Oh well... :-)

Next time I'm going to fully soak the leaves in the glycerine solution instead of just the stems; I did this accidentally with a few and they seemed to be even bendier. I think I'm going to make a wreath every
year using the leaves wherever we live. My husband is joining the Air Force right before Christmas and next summer we may be in another country entirely. 

Such a pretty wreath! It has kind of a Roman Julius Ceasar vibe to it. 

 

Amanda from Seattle, Washington, also in the US has a great solution if you need a neat paint transition between two spaces in your home.

She writes: This picture is of the entry to the stairs from the second floor to third floor of our townhouse.  The problem we had is that the wall past this point is nearly three stories and we couldn't afford to hire scaffolding to paint the entire wall.  Instead we cut off the paint and applied a vinyl wall decal and then filled in the different areas.  The wall decal is also repeated in the kitchen along with retro pattern through out the living room. 

I love this idea! Super creative and super simple!

Thanks gals!

~

Happy weekend! I'm busying myself with Holiday ideas over on Simplify 101 with Aby this weekend.
We are due to get some sun here in Stockholm, can you imagine? We've had about three hours total of sun all of November so it's about time... Oh, almost forgot, check out my new do. I'm a boy and I like it!

 

L'uomo del Corpo Perfecto

 
 
Check this out! Or look away if you are prim.

We've had this original movie poster like for ever and never had a chance to display it properly until I realised that the frame I had up already was the perfect size.

Martin got the poster in the late 70's when he was working part time as a janitor in his old school which had a movie theatre on the premises. This was the era of the then new VCR format and some guys had rented the place to view old movies to determine whether they were good enough to transfer from movie reel. I don't know if this one made it but apparently they didn't think the poster was worth keeping because Martin found it in the trash along with some other original posters.

 

I love the title of the movie and captions!
Listen to this translated from Swedish into English:

Kallt Stål och Heta Brudar = Cold Steel and Hot Chicks

Knivskarpt Raffel!!! = Knife Sharp Excitement!!!

Färg och Scope = Colorscope (!?)

Here's the title in other languages:

Diamanti che scottano  - (undefined)
El Hombre del golpe perfecto - Spain
Hochkarätiger Einsatz - West Germany
Hot Diamonds in Cold Blood - (undefined)
Steve, à toi de crever - France

Hilarious!

Bedroom & Dressingroom ~ Before, in Between and After

Here's the post I was meaning to publish while in China on Friday. I'm concluding the upstairs living portion of the delayed Before, in Between and After Week with the bedroom and small walk-through room that leads into it.

~

 Walk-through dressing-room

1998

The family who lived here before us had two sons. These houses are really tiny to begin with, only about 667 square feet on one level (with same square footage in the basement including garage) so both Wille's room and the walk-through and bedroom were added to in the 50's. The latter rooms became the boy's bedrooms. We are using them as dressingroom/craft area and bedroom.

2007

Initially there was nothing but a weird hanging bit of closet in the dressing area. Apparently they had to take the bottom part of the closet out in able to get a bed in there. We started out with just a wall of two tiers of hanging rods and added shelving under the hanging closet bit (seen further down towards hallway) but after a while we decided the hanging closet thingy needed to go so we could put sliding doors on that whole wall space. First they were orange trellis.

 
2009

And later I wallpapered them with a green Ferm Living paper.

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 Dressing-room toward hallway 

2003

Here you can see the temporary arrangement we did under that hanging cabinet in the top photo. Baskets with underwear at the front and because it's a fairly deep space, piles with clothes at the back. Hamper at the bottom.

2009

..............................................................................

 Dressing room towards bedroom

2003

In our family Martin has the most extensive wardobe. My closet used to be in the corner by the window. Just some MDF shelves on brackets and a rod for hangers underneath. Martins space used to be twice that (the whole length of the sliding doors) because 1) He holds on to stuff 2) He's much more vain than I am :).

 
2008

I'd been wanting a craft area for a long time and since our house is so small small there's not a whole room to dedicate to it so Martin suggested we use my former closet space and build a craft desk there. He even offered to purge is own wardrobe so I could move in on "his" side. Said and done and this was the result.

2009

What can I say? I love my organized nook. Wanna see what goes where? Check this,this and this out.

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Bedroom

 1998

From a more elderly look back on viewing day...

 
2004

...to a younger fresher leggy off look six years later...

 
2008

...and adding the bedskirt and ottoman some years later sort of grounded the room. 

 
2009

After many years of baby blue I gave the window wall the yellow treatment.  Sunny sunny!

~

Ok guys, I have posts lined up with downstairs and exterior photos. Are you fed up with these Before & After posts and want me to wait a while until posting the rest or do you want more right away? Let me know!

Phoebe's Bathroom

 

My vbff, virtual bff, Carol's teenage daughter Phoebe is a lucky girl. Not only has she got her own bathroom, which is almost unheard of over here, but she's getting it overhauled this fall. I can sort of understand Carol's urge to get it done. When on earth was that baby pooh shade on a bathroom suite ever in fashion? Martin took one look at it and said "bachelor camouflage. No scrubbing needed." Eeeewwwh!

 

Carol already changed the sink from a swirly marble laminate to this beautiful white corian. Major envy on my part on this one! Can you see how well it goes with the toilet? AND the soft and cushy mustard of the shag carpet? Yikes! Again, what were they thinking when that was laid that down by previous owners?

Carol already had some great ideas for the bathroom but wanted a second opinion. Here's what she wrote. 

I keep thinking an accent wall (wallpapered) with a color, would look nice in her bath, but then I think that we will need to install a fan so the paper doesn't peel. I need to choose a tub and tile, and flooring. I would love for Phoebe to have shelf or hotel style rack above her toilet. We are trying to decide if we should keep her existing cabinet style or put new cabinet doors on everything. I would love for her to have a built in laundry basket but I am not sure where it should go.

She needs areas for haircare stuff- bands, flat iron, styling products, and for makeup.  I think Phoebe needs something (a caddy, or built in wall cubby ?) for her tub/shower. She usually has bottles by her tub.

Phoebe's favorite color is green. She has simple, clean, modern taste with a more traditional slant than Carol's. Not Girly or frilly. She is not a ruffles type gal.

So here's what I suggest. I agree that an accent wall would be nice but if that's not an option how about painting the walls and getting the pattern in there in the shape of a shower curtain and maybe a wall decal? I'm normally not big on decals but I'm liking the idea of one in this bathroom.

For the floors and behind the new white tub that Carol's having installed (together with a shiny white new loo!) I would go for plain white tiles. They would allow for Phoebe's still emerging taste to evolve and any colors that she may love more later on can easily be added or switched to. I would splurge and add under floor heating... Mmmm.

As far as storage goes I have to say what's already there is not bad at all. There's plenty of potential. I would change the doors and drawer fronts under the sink to plain white and add clean lined hardware. I would remove the tall cabinet doors and hardware completely, remove any shelves in the bottom one, paint the inside in a color and store towels etc at the top and place a laundry basket in the lower portion.

More detail and ideas below.
 

 
   

1. The color scheme I've gone for incorporates Phoebes fave, green. I added aqua and plenty of white for a fresh, clean look. The aqua would go on the walls and the green on the inside of the tall cabinet where the doors where removed.
2. I like the idea of glossy cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Ikea has some which if they don't fit could be copied and they also carry these sleek handles.
3. You can't go wrong with white fluffy towels for a clean look.
4. Hotel towel rack above toilet. Check!
5. Since there will be some reconstruction of the wall behind the tub anyway, I would go for a built in niche for bottles instead of a free hanging thing. This custom built one is really nice but so are these ready to install ones.
6. Bathroom lighting is really tricky I think. I do really like this fixture and this and this. This one's really nice too...
7. I like the idea of breaking up the squareness of the sink and vanity with something round like this mirror. Another option would be this one which we have in our own bathroom. I once had one of these too which was great.
8. It's kind of difficult to find nice shower curtains but they are so easy to sew so with this in mind the options are endless. Just add grommets to the top  of a lenght of fabric and line it with a white or clear synthetic liner. I like this fabric in here. Here, here and here are other nice options.
9. The white looooooooo!
10. Carol and I are both packing strap storage fans and I found this laundry basket which would look really neat inside of the bottom of the tall cabinet (lined in green, remember?).
11. Shag carpet removed, white tile with under floor heating installed and all you need now is a little bath mat which can be tossed into the laundry machine when needed.
12. For the hair accessories, make up and other supplies I'd add these dividers to the drawers. I'd keep the flat irons and the styling products in one of the drawers or in basket in the smaller cabinet below the sink.
13. These would look nice on the sink. And be practical too.
14. I like this wall decal in green for the window wall. Imagine it next to the window and with some of the blown away seeds...
15. ... on the window itself. Instead of the existing shutters, which I'd remove completely, I'd add frosted film to the glass for privacy. After that's been installed the flyaway seeds are added on top. Here and here and here are some other nice decals. Ferm have some cool ones too, like the ligh buld one's above.
16. These are some of my favorite containers. I would add some next to the towels in the tall cabinet for extra knick-knack storage.

There you have it. I'm a bit worried that this look will be too subdued for Carol as her tastes are much more eclectic than mine but hopefully Phoebe will like?! Do you have any great bathroom ideas or links you want to share? We are all ears (and eyes)!

Art Wall Update

 

This week end I added to our existing little art wall. I couldn't look at all this all the time but I have it in a great spot. It's behind my back at dinner and around the corner when I'm in my arm chair. I just get little doses of it as I pass. Perfect.

One addition is the teeeeeeny little cat pillow. It's only about an inch tall (2.5 cm). Can you imaginge someone sewed and stuffed that little thing? I have no idea where we got it but I just had to display it. It sits next to Wille's Smelly Cat, under the butterflies I got from Lindzi and above a Lab Partners print. 

 

Another addition is a mini Mini which is now parked inside a little square deep frame. I also added the Wren and Chickadee photo which I had stashed away for a while. The other art is by Matte Stephens and Abbey Hendrickson. Oh, and I found the green bird print in a flea market. Why the Statue? She's covering up a hole I made in the wrong place. Thank you Liberty!
 

  

Thrifted Part 2

 

Ok, ladies and gentlemen (?), I had fun reading your "step away from the apple, lady!" comments and you'll be well pleased to see that the apple remains intact. I did not take a single bite. Actually I do love it as it is and when I do get tired of it I will pass it on to someone else who loves the wood no matter what. I will find thee a nice home Ms Apple. After I'm done with you. Promise.

 So on to the wall candle holders. They are now white and hang on either side of the dining area window. We haven't had tall candles for a while because of Miss Mini and Master Bonus so the fact that these keep the candles out of the way of them is great. Oh, before I get comments on tails wagging at candle height I just want to point out that we are super careful to snuff all candles when we leave the area and make sure Mini and Bonus don't jump up where the candles are. Three sets of eyes are keeping close watch!

Although I did contemplate painting the candlesticks in a bright color I again went for white. I know, I'm such a bore. I added another couple which were earlier thrift shop finds and now all six are on the mantelpiece. Again one of the few areas our feline friends stay off.

Did you notice today is Friday?! Yay! After this weekend I plan to add a page to the blog with before and afters of our house. Inside and out. It's as much for myself as for you guys. I know you love before and afters and so do I. I have all these photos and I'll try to compile them room by room and then pat myself and Martin on the back for all the changes we've made since we moved in eleven years ago. I think there will actually be some in-betweens too as things have evolved over the years. Stay tuned, hopefully it's ready by next week.