Thursday, September 30, 2010

Creating A Beautiful Home~Alexandra Stoddard Bathrooms


It's already Wednesday and what have you done to the house?
Me either...but I would like to inspire a small change in your house--whether a new rug or maybe even a change of curtains. My friend, Alice, regularly changes her comforter for a coverlet or a bedspread. She adds a lamp to match and Voila! a new look to the room. And on that she's more industrious than I am. Changing summer to winter looks can create a nice lift to the room.

But today, I simply want to give you a few ideas for the bathroom. I chose this picture because most of the bathrooms were too luxurious for real people. And Alexandra Stoddard suggests white fixtures. So here is a list of suggestions that she makes in her famous book "Creating A Beautiful Home" for bathrooms. These are Grace Notes:

1) I encourage my clients to select all-white appliances. The deeper the color, the more dirt shows.
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2) If you are tall, raise the height of the sink counter to approximately 34 inches.
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3) Select clear Lucite towel bars with simple brass brackets.
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4) Select a tall brass goosenecked tub and sink faucet on a swivel.
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5) Towels help set the color scheme. In my daughter's blue and white bathroom, the towels are bright blue. The walls are white tiles with hand-painted blue clover leaves. When you limit the colors in the bathroom, the effect is striking.
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6) Twelve-inch white ceramic floor tiles are ideal for almost every bathroom because they're easy to clean, don't discolor, and can be livened up with colorful area rugs.
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7) Don't hide away all your colorful towels in the linen closet. Keep a generous stack of terrycloth towels and washclothes on a low, small white wicker table.
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8) For everyday use, a selection of kitchen towels folded and rolled in a basket on the sink counter is colorful and practical. Unlike most cotton hand towels, they won't require ironing.
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9)A basket with favorite soaps, bath salts, lotions, and powders is nice to have next to the tub. 
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10) If your bathroom needs renovation and you want an old-fashioned 20-inch-deep porcelain tub, housewrecking and salvage businesses carry them. The outside of this tub can be painted any color with regular high-gloss oil paint. If the tub itself requires resurfacing, it can be sprayed with a special epoxy porcelain paint.
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Surely you can find one thing you think is a good idea for your bathroom! If not, maybe a hint of something for the future. I have again included my bathroom jacuzzi tub filled with a sudsy bath and ready for me to jump into. I DO enjoy a good soak. I couldn't resist putting my shells from Florida on the side. And in the basket are washcloths, a foot scrubber for heels, and packets of AHAVA Dead Sea Mineral Mud, which is for aching backs and sore muscles. I also have large jars of epsom salts and baking soda--both for sore muscles and aches. 
It's important to give thought to your house and how your family moves around in it and uses it. Sometimes a small change can make a big difference. The children are usually the happiest about your attention to their bath or their room. They love change and freshness, I think.

So have a good Thursday with your family. Thank God for indoor bathrooms!
Blessings...Mimi

2 comments:

  1. Okay, Now I am all inspired.
    You see these days, my want to can not keep up with my can do. I was diagnosed with Lupus 6 years ago and until lately have done..............well, good enough.However, lately I just can not keep up and my house is suffering. Just cause I can not keep up does not keep my home from needing that extra touch or the bit of change here and there it is so use to. So today, after reading your blog, I am inspired and ready to get started. True enough it may take me three days to finish a project that use to take me one, Whatever, better to take longer than not to do at all.
    Here goes nothing...............

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  2. I just happened to see your response, Anonymous! And I want to encourage you to simply do what you can. Are you familiar with Flylady.com? She will take you through a whole program for your home (cleaning) with baby steps. And the point of living life with a conscious caring is that we aren't perfect and we don't have to be! If you can find a magazine like "Country Living" or "Victoria," the pictures might inspire you further. I'm sure the lupus is a challenge and I pray that you will improve or a cure will be found. Thanks for commenting...I appreciate it so much.

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