Twice Remembered

The bathroom redesign plans are in order and we are ready to get started! Here is what we've picked up so far, minus the cabinet paint, but we don't really need that now.

We still have to run by and pick up our tub here locally because we didn't find one in Chattanooga. Jeff is going to pick it up either tomorrow or Friday. I had my heart set on a whirlpool tub but we couldn't find anything we liked that would fit in our space. There were a couple that would fit but the basin was so small that you had to bend your knees to sit in it. I don't know about you, butI want to stretch out when I bathe. Also, I was slightly worried about it being the main tub used frequently by the girls. They like their bubble baths, plus I'm going to bet that at least one of them occasionally pees in the tub. I did some reading online about some of the health hazards of whirlpool tubs as far as hygiene goes, and it convinced me that it wouldn't be a good idea for the girls. Oh, and the fact that we couldn't find one that was big enough, lol. So we're going to put off getting one until we start on our master bedroom and bath upstairs. But the tub we're getting is very room and deep with lunbar support and armrests. I'm really happy with it.

I had no idea what our bathroom design plan was before we did our shopping in Chattanooga. Basically, the plan started developing after we chose the floor tile. Originally I was going to go with a really pretty color called Toasted Wheat. The tile was the kind you click into place without having to worry about mortor. But we decided to check out was available in Chattanooga first just to see if there was anything we liked better at a more affordable cost. I wanted a tile that was interesting with a good color and texture, yet timeless and relatively neutral. I knew that I was going for a very natural, earthy feel. I found some beautiful porcelain tile that has a warm terracotta look and I knew that this was what I wanted. From the tile, I could build my whole color scheme and the rest of the plans for the bathroom.

We bought the lighting and sink and tub faucets in the oil rubbed finish. If you are ever in the market for faucets, go to your local Home Depot or Lowes, find what you like, and then buy it new in the box from Ebay. That's what we did and we saved over a hundred dollars.

Jeff really wasn't planning on redoing our countertops again (we just redid them a year or so ago) but the style doesn't really fit the earthy look I'm going for, plus we forgot to add extra support underneath the counter to support the weight of tile and it swooped slighly on one end. I'm the only one that really notices, lol, but it really bothers me knowing that it could be better. The counter top tiles we bought are 2 X 2 squares of slate in varying colors. No two pieces are exactly alike, and I really like that.

The tub surround will be the same as the floor tile with the countertop tile border along the top. We'll also be including the countertop tile in our floor design to tie everything together.

For paint, I bought colors that really complement the color of the floor. I love green so ended up buying a shade that is a few shades darker than my kitchen. This color will go in the main bath area where the tub, toilet and vanity are. The cabinet color is an orangy reddish color that just about matches the floor, and the entryway into the bathroom which is somewhat divided of from the rest of the room will be a bluish-greenish color. This is a color in my rug that I once thought about painting the office, but Jeff isn't really won over. So I thought I could at least use it in a very small area. I also picked up some lime wash for the walls, but he isn't so sure about that either, lol, so who knows if we'll use it or not. Eese really likes a very similar color and I agree, it's very soothing and spa-like, and that is what I'm going for in the bathroom. This little area has shelving on both walls, but I'm thinking about just using one wall for shelving and the other wall as a little sitting niche for drying off the kids as they come out of the tub or to lay out dry clothes or to set a tray of bath type items. Behind the seat would be a good place for a tall vertical mirror. I'm thinking of adding some long, off white gauze or light-weight linen where the little niche joins the bath area, from ceiling to the floor. They would stay open, just pulled to both sides. This would give some softness to the bathroom to help balance out the all the tile.

When we were in Chattanooga, we also bought the crown moulding...just $7 for 16 feet pieces! It's over double that at home improvement stores.

I guess that's about it. On Saturday, the contractors get started on replacing the roof. Yay! We have a lot of work ahead of us but it will be fun and well worth it.