GUEST BATH PROGRESS

Happy Monday! Seems like y'all all enjoyed the football themed post on Friday and I'm really looking forward to this weekend's! I'm still trying to decide on a team, but I'm having so much fun working on that series! In other news, it's high time for a Wrightwood update and today I'm looking at the guest bathroom. At the moment working on the house feels a lot like being on a treadmill, we're putting forth a whole lot of effort and it feels like we're really not getting anywhere. There is just so much sanding - we made the decision long ago to keep as much of the original woodwork in the house as possible (hence the forthcoming, extensive breakdown of how we refinished the original floors all by ourselves!) and that means sanding 80+ years of paint off, repairing any damaged spots, priming, and repainting. So fresh and so clean clean. On an unrelated note we're all having minor respiratory issues....ah, the importance of wearing face masks. Anywho...if you recall from the post about the upstairs the place the guest bathroom now occupies was originally the upstairs half of the duplex's kitchen. We broke up that square footage into a little toilet stall for the upstairs master bath, a chase (architect-speak for a vertical tunnel from the attic to the downstairs) for the newly installed air conditioning, and a generous guest bath that will serve the two bedrooms upstairs.

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For this bathroom I want something warm and inviting, while my tendency towards all white everything hasn't been lessened one bit. Having started with the grime and dirt encrusted house we purchased and living in the house with it's constant layers of sawdust and paint chips all I want in the world is white clean spaces. With that being said I settled on a warm grey for the walls in this bathroom and the vanity is a dresser we found for $150 at a local resale shop. Other than structural changes so the dresser can hold a stone top and sink, we will be leaving the dresser as-is. The finish of the wood and the grey walls give the room a vintage warmth that contrasts nicely with all the crisp white tile. Speaking of tile the inside of the shower/tub is all white subway tile (affordable and good-looking) and the floor is a 2" white hex tile. Two inch hex tiles are a little bolder and more modern than the teensy 1" hex tile you typically see (that, and since we're tiling ourselves and the 2" tile comes in 1-foot by 2-foot sheets it will make the install go that much faster). This bathroom is filled with light, having two big windows facing east along one wall - and even better, no one can see in through them because the house is so much taller than the neighbors! The feel is equal parts light and bright with a warm, aged, vintage feel so we don't get too far away from the historical spirit of the house. I think this might be shaping up to be my favorite room! We're on schedule to tile within the next could weeks, and we still need to order lights and a mirror. The shower is installed and tiled and I've been taking advantage of the fact that I no longer have to go to the yoga studio to take a shower.

While I wish i could say we're going with brass fixtures in here like in the kitchen, truth be told it's easier (and cheaper) to find chrome. Luckily chrome is of the period and looks really pretty on white tile too. Lately I've been falling in love with some black details  and I'm a total nut for mixing metals - I really like how it's all coming together!

1 | A CLASSIC SHOWER CURTAIN

I finally made the switch from my crazy, oversized teal and brown floral shower curtain to this white waffle weave shower curtain just before I moved out of my apartment and it makes me feel like I'm in a gorgeous hotel every time I look at it. The best part is that it just looks expensive. The guest bathroom with be it's home for now.

2 | VANITY LIGHTING

I'm in love with this articulated light fixture from School House Electric and I've been really digging black as a finish lately too. In a perfect world we would have flanked the vanity mirror with sconces, but this one slipped through the cracks and we only have a single fixture above the mirror - not the end of the world by any means. There is plenty of light in this bathroom and I'm sure a single overhead light is going to be just fine. 

3 | GREAT BODY WASH

This body wash from Grown Alchemist looks good in your shower and feels great on your body. Yeah these aren't exactly a permanent finish in this bathroom, details can make a space. I dream of the day that everything in my house is packaged beautifully and coordinates with each room. Until then, I will continue to hide my piles of product in baskets and drawers.

4 | VANITY MIRROR

I have been in love with this mirror forever. With this bathroom having so much less countertop space I think the little shelf on this mirror could be a big help. I have found a similar, more modern rendition here.

5| PAINT COLOR

Of the 3 things actually installed in this bathroom right now, one of them is the paint color. Deciding the color was actually a happy accident, this color (Sherwin Williams Grey Sanctuary) was supposed to be in the kitchen but ended up looking too muddy in there. We had already purchased a gallon, so we tried it in the Guest Bathroom and voila! it's perfect. Colors change so much from room to room and light to light that I knew this would work somewhere!

6 | COUNTERTOP

The vanity countertop, when we get around to it, will be a slab of Carrara with an undermount, oval sink. Again, just like in the kitchen, we're still pricing and finding just the right piece of stone, so this will probably be the last thing installed in here. Please excuse the obvious photoshop work too...the things I do to try to show y'all whats in my head...

7 | SINK FAUCET

This faucet from Moen matches the chrome fixtures in the bathtub. I am totally a convert to this goose-neck faucet in the bathroom. Once upon a time I was under the (very wrong) impression that I would hit my face on it every time I go to splash water on my face. I couldn't have been more wrong! This faucet shape allows for so much more room in the sink area! I might be in love.

8 | VINTAGE DRESSER TURNED VANITY

This is not our dresser. The only photos I could find of the actual piece we purchased were also terrible (and I'm not about to add to the deluge of awful oak dresser photos online, there are plenty enough as is). This finish is close to what we're working with (minus the tiger-striping) though our shape is a little more simple. The hardware is even pretty close - how cute is that keyhole detail?

9 | FLOORING

The flooring! I'm so excited to finally get this stuff installed. We ordered this 2" hex tile in white from Daltile and the order finally came in in mid August. Tiling is no small feat though and it's taken a little while to just get our heads wrapped around how much we have to do, but now that the paint is up on the walls the floor tile can go in! Cross your fingers we get it done soon!

I think this room is really coming together nicely if not slowly. I'll leave you with a few messy little iPhone progress shots of what the space is looking like these days. Hopefully this will be the first room to be 100% completed! (Ok I lied, I am putting another poor quality photo of a dresser into the world...)

Left to right: Shower wall tile mid-install, the soon-to-be-vanity dresser, and the floor tile going in

IT'S (FINALLY) GAMEDAY

I was recently asked "If you could add a thirteenth month to the calendar year, between which two months would you put it?". My immediate response of course was "Septober!". I would absolutely slip another month in right now! I love fall, especially early fall, the anticipation of cooler weather (with enough heat to still justify trips to the lake or the river!) and as many of you know, football season started last weekend. Ya'll, it's my favorite time of the year. I've decided to set myself up with a little challenge. Every Friday, from today until the end of football season, I'm going to put together a room based off of a college football team. The catch is that is has to be a room even a fan of a rival team would love to be in. So none of this:

So what we're really talking about is a nod to your team. An homage if you will, inspired by the teams colors, state, traditions, and if I do my research right, even hopefully some artists and makers from their home state. Obviously I'm going to start with Texas. My sweet sweet Longhorns, it's looking like yet another holding-on-by-the-seat-of-our-pants season, but I love them none the less. Luckily cow skulls have been trending pretty hard as well as textiles with a southwest flair. Austin, Texas inspires thoughts of natural materials, rustic elements, all with a creative and eclectic flair. These are some images I found that I think encompass the kind of room I could hang out in all day and slip into a nostalgic stupor of college days gone by.

Clockwise from Top Left: Image from The Transatlantic, a midcentury take from Blood and Champagne, one of my favorite inspiration images of all time from DesignSponge, and finally this comfy stunner from none other than House Beautiful

So how can you get this feel for yourself? Think about Austin's natural, casual elegance; balancing Southern Hospitality and comfort, traditional elements with a bit of bohemian and not so fussy that you can't just come in from a day at Barton Springs, pop open a Fireman's 4 and lounge on the couch to watch the game. Here is my take on a Longhorn-inspired living room!

Sources: Plant stand from Ferm Living, Harper Couch from Interior Define, Coffee table and carved side table from West Elm, Assorted Pillows from Shop Saint Cloud and Amazon, Art Work by the ever so talented Mary H Case for Biscuit Home, Metallic Cowhide Rug Similar at One Kings Lane , the incredible Humphry Chair from Houston's very own Texas Rover Company, and of course that corner-filler extraordinaire: the ubiquitous fiddle leaf fig

What do you think? Can you see yourself cozying down in here with The Eyes of Texas playing softly in the background, a little Rebecca Creek Whiskey in a glass, maybe a bottle from Becker Vineyards about to be opened, and a view of the hill country out your window? A girl can dream. I don't know if any of my other rooms will be this extensive, I can't claim to have ever lived in Ohio (Hey, Buckeyes!) or that I have any particular love for those Aggies ;), but I would love to put as much heart into each room I do this season! So heres where I need your help, who should be next? Feel free to tell me about that team you love so much, the things that make your college town so amazing, and any can't-miss makers in your state! Whats it going to be y'all? 

LLD REVEALS: THE BIG TOUR

Finally! Here it is y'all: the BIG Studio Tour. I had the honor to work with the lovely ladies of BIG Power Yoga in Houston to help them complete their vision for the second location of their incredible yoga studio. I could not possibly have asked for better clients or more amazing people to collaborate with to bring this dream and vision to life. If y'all will indulge me in a moment of gushy love: BIG Power Yoga is so much more than a yoga studio, it's a community of incredible human beings who have been brought together by a love of getting disgustingly sweaty in close proximity to each other.  What is really moving and humbling is that they then take those lessons of hard-work, compassion, self expression, and perseverance out into the world. I have personally met so many yogis who are going out and changing the very fabric of Houston and redefining what it means to be a Houstonian and a citizen of the earth. I know that may sound a little hippie dippy, but the people who run and attend classes at BIG are the real deal y'all. I feel so lucky to be even a small part of it. AH! Ok! Enough sappy from me! The studio has been alive and kicking for  over three months now and of course I'm just now  getting around to sharing photos of the space so I hope you enjoy!

The first thing you encounter when you walk in is the gorgeous, custom-made front desk (hand crafted by non-other than one of the owners' fiancés! Pure. Talent.) The retail section is up front too, as well as Sandra the fiddle-leaf. Sandra was panic-purchased on opening day and she is magical. Plants, really, are magical. The chair is from Ikea and that fabulous and oh-so-tricky-to-install-but-so-worth-it gold heart is from Urban Walls. 

This is where the magic happens! The Community Studio is one of two large studio spaces, and this one can hold 115 mats!

A MAJOR lesson I learned: take more before photos!!! I was so disappointed looking through and only finding a couple i could use :(

Sources | Couches: Jardine Sectional - West Elm, Pillows: H&M and Urban Outfitters, Rugs and Poufs: Ikea, Lighting: West Elm and Color Cord, Custom Mural by Wiley, Reclaimed Wood Counters: Custom

Heres my favorite part. Thats not true, I don't have a favorite part. That would be like saying "I really love my dog, but I especially love his tail." That makes no sense. What I have noticed though is that if you walk into the studio for the first time and get one of their little mini-tours you will definitely hear something along the lines of "you must see the bathrooms". The women's bathroom is so big BIG could have yoga classes inside it. Its glorious!

Sources | Tile: 1" Hex Matte in Black and White - Daltile , Countertops: Walnut butcher block - Floor Decor, Sinks: White Demi Lav - Kohler, Faucets: Grohe, Sconces: Contour Single Sconce -West Elm

I sure do hope y'all enjoyed this mini-tour. I am so excited to finally have gotten to share it! If you're in the Houston area you should stop by for a class - best yoga in town! Just visit BIG Power Yoga online to check out the class schedule! To see some more inspiration from the project stop by my pinterest page - you can see more sources from the project as well as images that inspired the looks! Namaste y'all!