the case of the navy door

Last week, I uploaded this blog post.

The next day I received an email asking why I have one door that is a different colour than the rest [see below].  Was it like that when I got the apartment?  Did I run out of paint? Did I do it on purpose?

The answer: I did it on purpose.  It's the bathroom door.  At the end of my hallway I have a total of 5 doors in a very tight space. 

When I give people directions to the bathroom it's easier just to say "It's the navy door" rather than "The end of the hall" or "The last door on your right".  This way, they don't end up out in the hallway, in the bedroom or in one of the two closets that have become one of "those closets" that is piled high with junk.

Case closed.

his & hers

Tubs.  What a fabulous and totally extravagant idea.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend of extravagant laziness.  From House & Home and Apartment Therapy.

wednesday inspiration | a few good bathrooms

Wanted to share with you today some great inspiration for your bathroom.  The bathroom is one room where I usually try to design something a little bit outside of the box, something a bit more interesting than standard fixture placement and tiling.  Here are three great baths from RedOnline.

This first one is one of the best examples of a combined wet room and bath.  The open shower - in behind in the tub - is sleekly crafted and this is the first time I've seen the tiled pan to define the wet space and tub area instead of a plain sloped floor.  The integrated floor pot lights are a nice touch and the sheers and wood/cane chair ensure the room isn't too cold.

This bath, although chock-full of rustic pieces, is still very modern.  The key to this is the monochromatic palette of beige and grey with wood.  It also helps that the lines or all the pieces are so clean and simple.

This is a bath of statement pieces - the GORGEOUS wireframe chandelier [reminds me of the AutoCAD renderings I work with everyday!] the enormous urn and oversized baskets.

ann sacks tile

My favourite trend of 2011 - the return of ethnic and decorative tile.  And Ann Sacks does it best.

books, pages & a bunch of mirrors

I'm always looking for clever ways to display my collections, especially books.  Since I don't have proper bookshelves they usually are stacked in piles on the floor, under the coffee table and into the deep drawers of the bedroom credenza.    Here are a few great ideas I came across. [All images from RedOnline]

I've been seeing this a lot lately.  For those of us who don't like seeing all the coloured spines, you can stack books with their pages showing instead of the spines.  Not the easiest way to find a book, but it looks great.

Magazine racking - these built in ones look clean and neat and this works just as well for books, hardcovers and even picture frames.

I've always loved this idea of stuffing an unused fireplace with books.

Although these are just pages on display, I've seen the same technique used with favourite books and novels.  Simply hang books from binder clips on pins.

And this had nothing to do with books, but I loved the fun and whimsy of displaying a collection of hand mirrors in your bathroom.