"Private" Bath Essentials | by a Salt Lake City Designer

So, it's half way through the bathroom poll on this page, and I'm somewhat surprised that of the options available, they are all pretty well equal. This means that most of us want a big shower, separate from the tub, great finishes and double sinks! OK, that's pretty basic, but there are endless ways to achieve these few little essentials.

In my last house I had three bathrooms, all with their different styles and functions (so to speak). I mean, they all had showers, tubs, toilets, sinks and fairly nice finishes, but one was reserved for "day" guests, one for "overnight" guests and the other was for the master (Perry).  The very best part of having three bathrooms is the ability to keep your "private" bathroom essentials private!

So the conversation started on my facebook page (Regeneration Interiors) this week about how to do that if you only have one bathroom. It just so happens that Perry and I had discussed that same thing this past weekend. We love our bathroom, it's quite functional for us, but it is the only one and so when guests ("day" or "overnight") are here, our stuff is just out there for all to see!

My shower before.

We have stuff sitting on the counter, because who has a bathroom with enough closed storage space? and who wants to have to put every single thing away and pull it back out every single day? We also have a glass surround in our shower, so all the bottles, tubes and bars of soap are there in the open as well.

Not only does the glass surround make it impossible to hide your essentials, it is hard to keep clean! The tile in the shower is a pain to scrub, but possibly the worst part of all is the glass!

I never dreamed that this blog would turn in to a "how to clean your house" informative, but here's what I've found! I have a squeegee in my shower and after each shower we use it to clear all of the glass, this doesn't stop every spot, but it sure cuts down on them. I'm not going to promote any particular product here, but let's just say that the best thing I've found was once promoted by Billy Mays (God rest his soul!).

Those of you who know me personally and know my craziness will not be surprised that I have to buy hand soap  that matches my bathroom colors because.... well, because they have to match! I don't care what the scent of the soap or the brand, if the color is right, it works for me. What might surprise you though is that I also bought mouthwash, shampoo, razors and body wash that is the color of the bathroom. Why?, do you ask. Because it has to match! Now, I'm not saying that you have to change all of your products to match your bathroom, but it is one way to get a neater look with little effort.

(a little side note: when I worked at Thomasville Furniture, I actually ordered M&Ms to match the upholstery that we were showing at market! I mean, you can't have the candy clashing with the upholstery!)

OK, back to the bathroom...

Dental Organizer!

So, I set out to find the perfect solution to the bottles and tubes that were in my bathroom. What I found is that your imagination is the limit of what you can find and prices range from $9.99 to well over $20.00/container. We've all seen soap dispensers in every style, color and theme. There are little jars and cups and toothbrush holders to go with every design! and I bought a good selection! (it's research, people!)

So, I don't like my toothbrushes out on the counter, because I couldn't find ones that matched the bathroom and it's unsanitary!  The toilet in my bathroom is next to the sink, ewwww!  I did find this "dental organizer" when I was out shopping today but resisted buying it, but it is a good solution to keep them handy and sanitary.

Silver finishes create cohesive look.

What I do have on my counter is cotton rounds, cotton swabs, tissues and mouthwash. I put the mouthwash in a decanter that has a glass turned upside down as the top, this way you always have the glass to use as well. I bought a soap dispenser, even though my soap matched, I didn't like the label showing. I found glass jars with silver lids for the cotton rounds and swabs and even found a matching one with a candle!  I found the tray that allowed me to utilize the back of the toilet without worrying about the jars falling off.

My shower after!

I found soap/lotion dispensers for the shower as well. It took some time to find plastic ones and I was afraid of glass in the shower. I actually found these in the kitchen section and found that the kitchen ones were nearly half the price of the ones in the bath section.

Well, I hope this has given you some ideas about how to have your private essentials out for all to see, but make them look as neat as possible. The key to keeping any area with lots of items seem less cluttered is to have the same colors and finishes. Our eyes then relate them to each other thus the illusion on less clutter!

Re-purposing| by a Salt Lake City Designer

Yesterday I posted a story about a client whose house I'd worked on and shared some tips on things we'd done. Today I'd like to share another client's tale. 

Ms. Margaret writes: (the following is an excerpt from her letter)

Dear Ginny,

I cannot began to tell you how pleased we are with the wonderful job you did in designing and decorating our old historical home in Newton. I was just at my wits end as to what to do and where to began. I knew the house would be my dream home if it were decorated properly. It was so much fun working with you and seeing my home come together so beautifully.

Buffet from England

The amazing way you turned the old side board, that was the gift brought to me from England, into an island for my kitchen and how you found the used round table and chairs at almost no cost and turned the old chest of drawers into a buffet for the dinning room. 

You have exquisite taste and talent and you made our home the very best it could be with items I already had just rearranged and just a very few additions that were chosen and arranged with your expertise. You are indeed passionate about your work as a designer and decorator . You may use me as a reference if ever needed. Several of my friends and guest that viewed my home were sad to learn that you had moved away and would not be available for their decorating needs.

We want to thank you for all your hard work and for making the old house into my dream home.

In sincere appreciation for a job well done,

　

                                                                                    Margaret 

Thanks Ms. Margaret, I had a great time doing your house too!

Margaret's house is about 100 years old and has some "quirkiness" that most old homes have. The bones were great, but the rooms needed some "un-updating". The previous owners had tried to modernize the house, but had really only succeeded in taking away the character of the home. The one room that needed the most help was the kitchen. It was a large room, but they had only put cabinetry on 2 walls and there was just a large open space in the middle of the room. There wasn't a lot of counter top space so we decided it needed an island. 

Margaret had an old sideboard that was brought from England by a family member who had lived there. The piece had gotten wet during a heavy storm that had broken out a window and the veneer on the piece was destroyed, but the structure was still in great shape. Because the storage was ample and the piece was going to be thrown away otherwise, I decided to do a make-over project! (My dad is my handy-man and he does great work and he gives me a great rate... I would recommend him to anyone!)

We added "bead board paneling" to the back, sides and doors. We painted it to match the cabinetry that was in the kitchen. We made the top like a large tray and then set the tile in the "tray". We used unfinished newel posts, turned upside down for the legs.  The best part of this makeover is that the tile top and legs are not actually attached to the sideboard and can be removed and the piece again used as what it was intended to be. The finish was already ruined so the new surface and finish would still be appreciated! 

Saved from the dump!

Unfortunately, I don't have photos of it in place (I'm terrible about not taking "after" pictures) but hopefully you can get the idea from these before-during photos. This is such a simple thing to do and made such a difference in the kitchen. This "make-over" not only gave new life to the kitchen it gave new life to a piece of furniture that was headed for the dump! 

Transitions

Where is life taking you?

We all go through transitions in our lives, some are for good reasons, some aren't, but there are ways to make the most out of these transitions and prepare ourselves for great futures. One of the ways to do that is to create an environment in which we can thrive. Something I like about the work I've done is that I get to help people go through these transitions in their lives and be a part of their path.

I had the pleasure, when I lived in Alabama, to be part of helping folks transition their houses into homes. I'd like to share one their stories and some tips for how we got great results. (I'll be sharing more of these stories in upcoming posts.)

Dr. Chuck writes:

Months after I had moved into my new house following a divorce, I needed some help arranging furniture, getting my artwork out of my closets and the attic and onto the walls, updating my school aged daughter's "baby furniture", adding some plants to the decor, and most importantly, doing all of this on a very tight budget! Ginny stepped in and helped give me direction and the motivation I needed to transform my house into something I could be proud of.

I have always been afraid of and resistant to change, so I feared that having a decorator help me would be a stressful thing for me. With Ginny the process was anything but stressful! Not only did she understand my situation and my fears, she worked around my eccentricities and made me completely comfortable with the process. She intrinsically knew what I needed and where to find quality materials for bargain prices in order to easily stay within my budget. Not only did she make recommendations and suggestions, she did all the shopping for me, grabbed a hammer and the hardware to hang my artwork, and went straight to work. Simply put, Ginny helped me transform my house into a home.

Ginny is a wonderful person with a pleasant and infectious positive "can do" attitude. She is very easy to work with and simply has a knack for doing what she does. She works hard and does excellent work for a very reasonable price. I can fully recommend her to anyone without reservation.

Thanks Chuck! I thoroughly enjoyed working with you! 


One of the main things I remember is Chuck's daughter's room. The furniture was painted white and had colorful knobs, perfect for a baby or even a little girl, but she was ready for a more grown-up space and some place that was going to function throughout her teenage years. The pieces were in great shape, very functional and even the finish was great; we just changed the knobs. We opted for brushed nickel knobs and a matching mirror (much the same thing that I did in my room) and completely changed the feeling of the furnishings. This would also have been great with glass knobs and a mirror-framed mirror for a little more glamour. There are so many options in decorative hardware, I recently found a website that has literally hundreds of different kinds of knobs, pulls and hardware for any style, theme or budget! (I've contacted the company and will post the link as soon as I get the permission to do so.)


One other thing that I remember was that Chuck didn't have an end table in his den, but he had a great little dinette table he wasn't using and the size and scale were great, but the legs were just a bit too long for an end table. We decided to cut the legs off at just the right height to meet the arms of his sofas and it worked great! This is a great way to get a piece you need and use a piece you no longer need. I love the idea of repurposing! It is budget friendly, but it is also ecologically responsible. Before you throw out old and get new look carefully at the items you have and see if you can refinish, recover or repurpose. 


Sometimes the best thing I can do for a client is inspire them. I'm so happy to read that Chuck was able to feel at home and feel proud of his home. Chuck has a beautiful house, it just didn't "feel" like home to him at the time. By using what he had, rearranging his beloved objects and collections, we made the space personal, warm and nurturing (much like Chuck, himself) and we did it on a budget he could be comfortable with. That is my whole purpose, to help others love their spaces! If you are in a transition of any kind be it moving, empty nesting or downsizing, think about how updating your home (even just one little space) can help improve your state of mind!