Tween Girls Glam Bathroom

by Malena Lott

My 11 year old is a girly-girl, which meant when it came time to re-do her very dated bathroom in our 1981 house, I knew she wouldn’t mind if I took it over-the-top glam. As with all the posts on new hue and our home renovation, cost is always a huge consideration, so I’m giving you the best deals I found and tips to save.

1. Granite countertops – if you buy from a builder’s warehouse you won’t pay more (or much more) than you would buying a lesser quality material at a big box store. So Ms. A got granite, which came with an undermount sink. Kept existing side backsplashes, but painted them black to match the cabinetry, also painted black. New chrome knobs installed. Cost: $200

2. Chrome faucet – chrome is glam. $45 from Home Depot

with black and silver stripes

3. For dramatic effect, I painted silver and black stripes all the way up behind her sink to the ceiling. Taped off with blue tape. Then to add even more sparkle, I swiped silver glitter over the black.

4. New rug. An easy way to bring in more pattern is with a rug. This zebra-print one came from Walmart for just $12.

5. New towel bar set. The 5-piece set was on clearance at Home Depot for $22. Got the same set for my teen boys’ bathroom (which is the next post). It won’t go up until the bathroom is painted.

You don't have to use a "bathroom rug" in front of the sink

6. Removed the bathroom closet and hung pink curtains instead. (You can see the curtains reflected in the mirror.) The door was in the way and, even worse, it was wired so the light came on when you opened it so I had my dad rewire it so she had a lightswitch and the curtains make it convenient for her to get in and out. The curtains came from her former bedroom, so no cost. Curtain rod, same thing.

 

finally, add some artwork

Next step is to paint the rest of the bathroom a slightly darker pink that the one that’s up now. It’s so light that you can see the wallpaper underneath it, so that may await me this weekend if I gather the mojo. After the paint is dry, I’ll hang this final touch: zebra-print artwork with high heel she’s many years away from wearing.

If I had the extra budget, I’d give her a crystal chandelier (or some type of chandelier) above her sink. Maybe someday.

Retro Glam Dining Room Elements

I recently hosted a reception for my sister and new brother-in-law, which prompted a shopping spree to furnish my dining room for the gathering. You’ll remember my open-concept early ’80s house began with this dining room space:

Dining room BEFORE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Replaced: That fan with light kit for the glam chandelier gifted to us from a relative.

Added: Paint (straw beige), “farm” WPA bridge table built by my dad

Existing furniture & decor: vintage bar cart, spray-painted to cover brass, simple black entry table for corner, mod bookcase turned on its side (Target), two zebra dining room chairs, barn stars (although it added to the rustic feel, I painted them silver to provide sparkle and unity)

Purchased: six retro Drexel dining room chairs from Craigslist (US army bought them in 1965 and 1968, respectively, according to the stamp on the bottom of the chairs. The woman I bought them from brought them back from their Army quarters in Germany. LOVE these. Will paint and re-cover soon. Thinking something BRIGHT for a pop of color. Already enough brown and black in the room.

Vintage Drexel dining room chairs from the 1960s BEFORE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decor purchased: Originally, I shopped for a retro lamp, but couldn’t find one that was tall enough or cool enough for the end of the bookshelf, so I decided to go glam instead, with this crystal drum shade and sleek lamp from Hobby Lobby. (50% off). The shiny silver apple (existing) balances the bookend, colorwise, but I’d love some painted branches in a clear vase at the end. The mirror was gifted and adds more glam with its metallic gold. I wiped on metallic silver to make it two-tone.

Bookcase becomes server when needed and magazine stand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bookcase becomes a pretty server with vintage barware (and my gorgeous sis in the reflection.)

Peek at the silver stars and original "family tree" art with blue metallic paint on main wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A cool clock seemed fitting next to the Cappiello advertising print and above the bar cart. Again, I tried to find a retro clock, but they were pricey and many of them were wind up. I love this mod-inspired mirrored one, which is great next to the “sunburst” in the print.

Glam + mod mirror. White switchplate is now chrome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To re-cap, if you’re looking for a blended style like “retro glam,” here are elements to look for:

-metallics (silver/gold) and mirrors

-clear items such as crystal, glass and clear plastic

-retro and vintage elements to give the “old Hollywood” or mid-cent mod look. Think clean lines and shop retro stores or craigslist for finds.

I still have the chairs and the corner of the room to finish. Will post more pics when it’s complete. Good luck on your remodeling!

Mod Wet Bar

A house just wouldn’t feel like a home for me without a wet bar. I know, I know. They don’t even call them that anymore. Typically, the newer homes put them in a hallway, out of sight and call them a “wine closet” or some other shi-shi name. Back in my favorite design era, mid-century, they put them in plain sight.

Though my house is later than MCM, I was thrilled to discover this wasn’t just an ugly closet, but a fully functional wet bar. I debated for several weeks what to do with it. Leave it as is? Paint it? Tile it? New sink it? A remodel was definitely not in the budget, though, so whatever I did with it, it had to be on the cheap. I had to get creative.  Thought I’m not crazy about the brown sink, I’m happy the bar faucet is chrome. And glass shelves? Perfect as is.

Electric, sink & shelves, as is.

I decided to see what it would look like once my vintage and colored barware was in place before doing anything drastic.

Sure enough, by adding some of my favorite photos and art and the cocktail glasses, the wood paneling didn’t bother me. Thanks to my  Mad Men illustration in the back, it tied in the countertop color. So far, zero dollars spent.

The organized bar.

Vintage '60s cocktail glasses and shot glasses.

Glasses organized by type and color.

Mad Men sets the tone.

Borrowed "crystal" knobs for the glam look.

For consistency, I painted the outside the same black paint I’d used on the doors throughout the house. Then I took these cool crystal knobs from the master bathroom to add a glam element.

I decided to remove the top doors, fill in the holes, paint over them and have the bar “open.” I’ve turned on the light so you can see the inside. It’s a great anchor for the space and very convenient for parties. I kept our “beer-ritas” there for my husband’s 40th b-day party and it was nice to have a separate space for the drinks and food. You can see I’ve paired down what’s on the counter. You definitely don’t want it cluttered if you don’t have doors, so I’ve simplified it.

While the dining room isn’t done, you can see how the space is slowly being transformed. Hopefully I’ll have a finished dining room post for you by summer’s end. Needs: dining room chairs, mid-century or open bookcase and sitting area behind the sectional.

Next week, in honor of my e-novella, Life’s a Beach, I’ll be talking vision boards and how my design book ended up manifesting in this house in more ways than I thought!

Total cost of wet bar remodel: $0.

Powder Bath Beauty

How could I not take a “before” picture of the horrid hunter green counter and sink and floral wallpaper that had been painted yellow (but not enough coats to cover the wallpaper?) in the powder bath? *sigh* Nonethess, trust me, it was atrocious. Our new, downsized home still has an impressive 3 1/2 bathrooms, which is only impressive in that you don’t have to walk as far to pee and will only really be toutable once ALL FOUR restrooms are remodeled. Yes, folks, the tween’s bathroom, the teen’s bathroom and the master bathroom are all as ugly as the powder bath was. Hey, at least they were consistent.

The powder bath had to be first on the list because a) it’s now in plain sight since we knocked that spooky wall down and b) it’s the toilet our company is going to use, as well as get the most use by us when we are downstairs. If you’re thinking about remodeling your bathroom, keep the following items in mind. I don’t know about you, but it’s impossible for me to only change one or two things. I’m a big fan of “out with the old” in repurposing and restyling, which is to say, if I could’ve salvaged that fugly green counter, I would have, but..no…just, no.

1. Countertop ($225) + sink (included w/granite) + faucet ($45)

God love hardware chains but they really bite you in the a** when it comes to granite. They don’t want to sell you a small piece of granite. So I trekked across town to Builder’s Supply where they sell you granite with white undermount sinks for a good price. You can choose the cheaper (plainer) granite or medium or fancy pants granite. I chose a cheaper one but the universe is still paying me back for all the sh** I went through with the ten-day gas leak and the $500 water bill from a sprinkler system leak. The universe coyly made the cheap one out of stock so the manager lets me upgrade FOR FREE. Yeah, I saved fifty bucks, not five hundred, but every penny counts in a remodel! I love this granite, St. Cecelia, which has a bit of maroon in it, which is why I chose a red rug to bring some more color to the room.

The faucet is chrome, the black vases keep tealights and their dots are echoed back in the cute soap dispenser I found at TJ Maxx ($8.) Towel rack (hung too low!) was $12 at Home Depot.

2. Texture ($30), paint ($20), high-tech toilet ($200)

I’m going to be frank: The texture in a can stuff is crap. I used several cans and its claim that it covers the wallpaper is a joke. You can still see the wallpaper lines. Someday I will probably do a thicker knock down texture, but I kept thinking it would thicken up and I was too impatient to start over. Two of the cans were even gifts from a friend who hadn’t used them up. I do love the light gray paint. Isn’t Titanic over the toilet just divine? Hey, don’t drown, guests! The toilet has the contemporary look that I wanted and the two button flush is especially fun. Left for #1 and right for #2. Of course we’d have to go potty a helluva lot of times to make up for the water we wasted with our sprinkler leak. (Sorry, Earth.)

3. Paint existing cabinetry ($10) + chrome drawer pulls ($14) + rug ($6)

The cabinetry was the same dull brown throughout the house and since the door was already the acrylic black, I decided to carry the look into the bathroom by painting it the same color. It’s glossy, it’s sophisticated, it looks ah-mazing with chrome! I had existing paint but if I’d bought it, I wouldn’t have even needed a quart. (Tip: take your drawers out in the garage and put them on a canvas sheet and paint them there so you can get all sides well and let them dry without any bother.) The pulls were a Home Depot find and the cheapest of the chrome ones they had to offer, and still had the straight line look I wanted. Score. The rug was a TJ Maxx find. The circles in the design visually connect it to the other circles I’m using in the room. Raw luck, actually.

4. Light switch plate ($2), chrome toilet paper holder ($12) and wall decor (existing)

Star, scentsy, chrome frame, painted mirror.

Don’t forget to switch out the switch plate, toilet paper holder and add something to the walls. I used leftover metal stars on the walls as art would’ve taken the eye away from the Titanic poster. Also, remember how they drowned at night, under the stars? Yeah, I’m morbid like that, but what attention to detail! This red one picks up the color in the rug and the granite. The mirror used to be brass and I spray-painted it silver with spray paint I already had, so no extra cost there.

The scentsy is a new design and I got a spa scent, which is perfect for the toiley, you know?

The birds are those stickies you see friggin’ everywhere now. I couldn’t resist popping a few up on the wall. This also shows you the “pimple” texture technique. Yep, you heard it hear first, folks! Thanks for reading. Next post: wet bar makeover. A mod martini mama’s favorite hang-out.

This birdie tweets wishes you farewell as you exit.

Tales of the Farm Table

Do you ever get OCD when it comes to design? Okay, I get it about everything, but when I had in my head that I wanted a farm table for the new house (last year when our house was on the market), it was a design worm that refused to let go.

So began my journey to find a table that wasn’t made by a factory somewhere and mass-marketed. I wanted a one-of-a-kind, long table that harkened thoughts of picnics during harvest and Sunday meals of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and (two bites) of green beans. Not my memories, but oh, so, Americana, you know?

Unfortunately, I’m not the only one nostalgic for farm tables. Seems they are “it” now. Which means they are fairly expensive at antique stores (between $695 and $1,295 beginning at 6 feet), but you can still buy one for around the same price as its mass-market counterpart. But thanks to my overextended remodel budget, I could no longer buy an 8 ft table.

This is where it helps that your dad has something in common with Jesus. And by that, I mean, he was a carpenter. He took on my pipe dream, and was nice about it when I said, “but I know you can make it look old with new wood, but I want old wood that you make look awesome.“

Easier said than done. I wanted barn wood. I wanted to repurpose. I wanted old nails. Then we would shine it up and I’d pop my 1950s chandelier above it and add some mod chairs for the rustic/mod/glam look I was attempting.

My dad asked around and found someone who had some 18 foot bridge wood. Even cooler, it was from the FDR WPA projects from the ’30s. The bridge was in Oklahoma and long since torn down. I got the wood for about $80, but it was a wreck. Tar deeply embedded. It would need a lot of planing and sanding. The rest of the wood, materials some gas and delivery charges and I got my table for around $350. Not too shabby.

We’ve already had dinner for ten and every night my fam of five sits around it. I like that the kids aren’t too close (no bumping elbows and knocking knees) yet because of the narrow width (33 inches), it feels intimate.

Step 1: cutting it down to size (8 ft x 33 in, 3 in deep)

Step 2: My dad planes the wood. No more gunk.

Shows before and after. Now time to sand!

Step 3: Sand, Step 4: Stain top Step 4: Support, legs and bolts!

Final steps: staining legs, lots of poly-u, delivery! Eat up!

Hulk Smash! or Demo Time

In one of the early scenes in Fixer Upper, Macy Baxter knocks down a wall in her mother’s farm kitchen. It’s certainly metaphorical for her journey in finding herself, but as the author I’ve always been intrigued with completely changing a space and making it your own.

Many of you who follow this blog know about my journey to downsize and remodel an older home (built in 1982). The home has a natural rustic retreat feel to it, so we’re doing a rustic modern glam design scheme. The rustic: rock house, rock fireplace, big brown beams on a vaulted ceiling, a farm table my dad built for me, huge deck and trees galore. The modern? Some of the furniture, decor and lighting. Glam? Glossy black, crystal, mirrors and brushed steel and chrome.

In the next few months, I’ll continue to share my real life Fixer Upper Files to hopefully give you some ideas and motivation for creating something you love in your house.

The "before": hall wall closes off from the family room. And that second story? Yikes.

The first thing my father-in-law, a former builder, said when he visited our house in the look-see stage was, “Knock down that wall.” It’s an awkward hallway that does add privacy for the bathroom and office/playroom, but these days it’s all about opening a space up and letting in the light.

You can see in the pic that it took several of those sample sizes of paint to find the right color. I ended up with Valspar Straw Oat, which I took to Kwal and had 10 gallons mixed for 1/3 of the price. Very warm color and complements the rock fireplace and coordinates well with the existing wood. Tip: always try sample sizes first.

Spooky wall, be gone!

I hired contractors to do the demo. The wall involved a lot of electrical, so you have to know what you’re doing. It also means checking for support beams. Fortunately, everything was good to go and we kept one beam for looks more than anything. But, uh-oh. What to do about that tile situation. Contractors started looking for matching tile TO NO AVAIL. I told them about some tile that looks like wood at a builder’s supply so we matched it and it looks great.

Taking out the wall meant adding wood for support and then tile for the "step."

But, first: more demo! My smart and savvy MIL suggested that we take off the drywall on the second story hall and replace it with wrought iron for a cool balcony look. Love! So that’s what we did. I found a design I liked online and called a local iron store if they could get it and they could. For less money. Score.

Three sections with support in between. Love the mod design. #1

Iron up! Space breathes much easier now.

Now that you can see the doors, I knew that had to be the next purchase. All new interior doors for the house (any you could see from the family room, which was six.) I just needed the inexpensive ones ready to hang and paint, but gave them a glossy acrylic black paint for a sophisticated look. I replaced the old brass doorknobs with commercial brushed steel ones in a straight modern design. Mucho better.

I feel a breeze in here.

The final step was finishing painting the walls, staining the new wood and hanging the new lights and artwork. The new wood was placed on the rough side to match the existing beams. Using black as an accent color stemmed from the black granite in the kitchen, first. And then I kept seeing black as a vogue color again with the resurgence of Hollywood glamour 1920s influenced design. Black is also a great trim color, but since we already had the brown trim, I reversed it and did the black doors, black iron balusters and black handrail. Note that a lot of our movie posters have black frames, too.

Length of project: five weeks (because contractors rarely come every day and then only stay a few hours at a time.)

Cost: About a 1/3 more than what was budgeted. (Of course.) But, the contractor way underbid to begin with, so I was okay with that.

Mess level: F5. I still have unused wood in front of the garage and a hunter green sink (future post about the powder bath remodel) but my neighbors have been kind about the noise and our mess. It’s tough to live in dust and walk around and through a tornado zone.

Ability to find what I was looking for: Very good. I looked both online and in local stores and asked friends for advice. (Thanks, friends!) If I liked two items and one was half the price of the other, I tended to buy the cheaper one. Savings add up that way. A big thanks to my friend Ali for painting the hand rail, my sis for helping me hang a door that I had to have my dad re-hang two weeks later and my girlfriends and Twitter and Facebook friends for your advice and support.

I’m not sure that the pictures reflect how much better the feel of the space is, but it definitely achieved what we hoped. I’ll post the full room soon so you can see how one area flows into another. Next up is how in the hell I got my hands on an FDR WPA bridge to build the farm table I’ve dreamed of for years and how my dad and I made it happen.

Do you have any spring home improvement projects lined up? If you have any questions for me or my fixer upper friend Ali, ask us in the comments.

Fixer Upper Files: Lighting

Well, moving day is over, but moving in is another story. The whole weekend is a blur. The only reason I know today is Monday is because my husband went to work and awoke the kids for school.

But I *really* don’t want to talk about moving in, except to say how thankful I am for great friends and family for helping us! So, now on to our first Fixer Upper Files report.

I can’t discuss paint yet because I haven’t picked it and want to add more samples to the wall first to show you. (And, where, oh, where is my camera USB cord packed away? Oy.)

So, on to things we can discuss, like lighting, because they are online and I need them to be here to be ready to install when the painters are through.

When choosing lighting, consider a) style b) type and c) how it functions in the room. Some lights are for pretty-pretty while others provide more task lighting. To start off, I’d like to switch out seven light fixtures in the house. Two are removing fans and replacing them with chandeliers. I have a passed-down crystal chandelier that will go above an 8-foot farm table. The other is a funky chandelier OR pendant lighting in the kitchen. Since I’m going for a modern aesthetic and the lights are fairly close to one another, I’d like for them to blend. So the one in the kitchen will be “clear” of some sort.

The next must-replace is the “boob” light above the kitchen sink. Nothing says builder-grade like boob lights.

Rustic modern. Trees=love.

Here are some cool fixtures that caught my eye this morning, in all price ranges. To get all the lights I want, I’m going to have to find great deals, which makes the search harder, but is a reality for most of us!

 

Euro design. Cool and simple.Gorgeous, but $1800.

Lift off! UFO cool.

 

 

 

 

 

Are you looking at new lighting for your home? Where do you like to shop for lights? I’d love to share your sources.

The Fixer Upper Files

The countdown is awwwwn like Donkey Kong. Or, something like that. Don’t mind me, I’m delirious. We’ve had check fraud, home inspections, a new roof installation, repairs, packing, shopping, a snow storm, a funeral, a baby shower, a new product line and dozens of service calls the last couple of weeks. It’s no wonder I cried when something didn’t go my way at a store. The rubber band had officially snapped.

How much can one person take? A lot, I’ve learned.

An example of mod glam. Photo by See Materials.

Which leads me to, hopefully, a more upbeat, stressed-in-a-good-way time where life will imitate art when I become a fixer upper on the home we are moving into on Friday. I’m starting a new video and blog series called, “The Fixer Upper Files,” taking the readers and viewers through the renovation projects. I’m on a tight budget so hopefully you’ll get some ideas of your own to make your space fully alive and functional in 2011.

Stay tuned for a few pics of the move-in next week. I’m sure I’ll have some humor and horror stories to share with you. For now, I’ve been letting go of more “stuff” and shopping for things that we’ll need in the next house. My hope is to pull off a rustic/modern vibe in the next house and well as a couple of modern glam rooms (powder bath, master bedroom.)

My first purchase was silver wallpaper with a white starburst design for the powder bath. I’ll share the before pics, too, because that’s where the real humor comes in. The color scheme will be silver, white, black and a pop of a bright color I haven’t decided on yet (but I’m leaning towards the lime green in the photo above.)

At the baby shower, a woman told me her husband was upset with me about Fixer Upper. The book made the reader want to tile her shower and she knew just how she was going to go about it, but her husband nixed the idea. He was afraid she couldn’t pull it off. I probably didn’t help matters because I told her she could still do it. (Which is the whole point of my novel, is it not?) Sure, you might have a few home improvement disasters along the way, but with some careful planning and prep and the right tools (and maybe some supervision), nearly anything is possible.

What’s on your spring fixer upper list?

OWN Color Analysis

Our first brand color analysis of the year is for Oprah’s new network OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, which debuted on January 1st. I read an interview with Oprah in the December issue of O Magazine, and it’s clear her intention is to have programming that will lift you up and add light in your life instead of bringing you down. How do you do that with color? OWN did a beautiful job of hitting the mark with a colorful, citrus-infused palette. Yellow stands for sunshine (and graphically speaking, look at the rainbow-style illustration next to Oprah), orange is vibrant and energetic, a bright green is invigorating and brings thoughts of grass and good health and purple stands for passion and also mystery and spirituality. The look of OWN screams “happy.”

Stay tuned for more color analysis in future posts – both do’s and don’ts. Contact me if you’d like a color session for your brand. Here’s to the most colorful year yet!

Holiday Photo Spirit

Get holiday home inspiration with ideabooks on Houzz.com.

When I need a quick pick-me-up, a trip to Houzz.com does the trick to make me smile. This holiday Houzz ideabook should get you into the holiday spirit and give you some fun ideas for those after-Christmas sales so you can stock up on favorite decor items for next year!

Enjoy and Happy Holidays! I have some fun changes planned for 2011, so see you next year.