A quick update: Wanted to be sure anyone who was interested in yesterday's post about ceramic toothbrush and soap holders saw that Jen at Sanctuary Arts at Home was nice enough to post her how-to on getting better use out of these.
Check her out!
And thanks to everyone else who made suggestions, too!
I love older homes. We couldn't find one in the area where we moved last time we moved. As much as I like my current house, I'd dump it in a second for a vintage one.
Older houses usually have way more character than newer ones. But they do pose some problems...like this one my friend Suzanne has.
Here's what she says: "I have a built-in ceramic toothbrush holder, but not one of my toothbrushes fits in the small holes now that toothbrushes have wide, ergonomic designs. I also have virtually no counter space for a cup (which gathers gook anyway) or any other contraption. I was hoping there would be some ingenious person out there who has come out with an adapter for built-in toothbrush holders. "
She says that she winds up leaving the toothbrushes precariously leaning on her contact solution and they fall down. And the soap dish actually doesn't usually hold soap, but toothpaste tubes (four of them, one for each member of the family...) so a solution for that would be great, too.
So the challenge: How can Suzanne store toothbrushes and other needed items without removing the ceramic holders there now or rendering them useless?
Maybe some sort of a shelf that spans the ceramic holders? Or does an adapter already exist? Or are there other ideas out there?
So, here I was going through life preaching the benefits of creating a spa feeling in your bathroom, especially if you have a master bathroom.
Even if it's small, I would say, it's so much more relaxing if you treat it like a sanctuary... especially if you are staging your home for sale, but even just to treat yourself.
But, in reality, my own master bath resembled something out of the movie Poltergeist, where you open the bedroom closet to Satan's lair... only with mold and peeling wallpaper thrown in.
Recently though we pried open the door, beat back the demons and got to work.
Two counters used to form an "L", with another sink where the towel rack is. We closed up the plumbing on that wall and moved the two sinks to one wall to make the place roomier.
But what I really want to point out are the two ottomans. I wanted to incorporate some seating for that spa feeling, and this is really all that would fit. (I took this photo standing in the bathtub, so although it's a good-sized bathroom, you can see it's not gigantic.)
We were skeptical at first. Would the ottomans be in the way? Would we trip on them in the night? Would they feel contrived?
So far, so good. I really like sitting there to blow dry my hair or paint my nails.
I'd give it a go in your bathroom if there's any space at all. Add a chair or a stool, a plant and a few fluffy towels and see if it doesn't transform the room.
Any other suggestions out there for creating a bit of a spa at home?
En route to my kitchen yesterday, I passed by the bathroom, and caught a glimpse of my 5-year-old standing there… doing, well, what boys do standing up in bathrooms. (Why I could see all this when I don’t have X-ray vision is another matter.)
Main problem was my son wasn’t standing over the toilet. He was standing over the trash can. We caught each other’s shocked expressions at the same time. My otherwise bright preschooler was announcing with a mixture of horror and disbelief: “That was a mistake!”
Seems that when you’ve got to go really, really bad and you’re busy thinking of other things…like will Tom and Jerry ever get along?...that you don’t discriminate between short, round containers near a particular spot in the bathroom.
So, add trash can to the shopping list.
My heretofore lovely trash can was a bronze metal container. I chose that to complement the light fixture in the bathroom, which is also bronze.
This all leads me to a decorating tip: When you are picking out accessories for a bathroom or kitchen, stick to the same metal finish throughout. If you’ve got brushed nickel on the faucets, use that finish on the lights, toilet paper holder, light switches, trash can and even the toilet handle (did you know you can replace your toilet handle quiet easily?).
It’s a subtle thing, but the overall effect will be a polished, put-together space. All that aside, I’m going to be looking for something in particular when I pick up my new trash can: I’m going to try to find one that flushes.
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