Thursday, July 9, 2009

No need to spend (RE-THINK)




This is an example of how to transform a room without spending money, but only looking around in your home and exercising some imagination.
I will put the finished project's pictures first and if you have the patience to read the whole post you'll find the "Before" at the bottom.
A bathroom with old but still good looking and functional fixtures and nice tiles on the floor needed to be freshen up and styled with the minimum amount of money.
Walls were repainted in a pale gray, to harmonize with the colour of the floor tiles, the ceiling was repaired, an antique "vanity" was moved from a corridor to the bathroom and instantly created a more appealing look.
Plates were found in the dining room and inexpensive prints were put on the wall.

Dec. 08 Jan. 09 copy 865

All I needed at this point was an accent colour and orange was the right combination with gray and it was also the colour of the ceiling lamp base so I gathered all the orange accessories I could find around the house.
When I do a project I always start with a colour scheme and a basic idea, then I work in a specific area of the room, trying to make it appealing, when that corner is completed I move to another area and so on. I found it easier to work this way instead of dispersing things around. One focal point must be created first and then vignettes all around the room, considering also the function of the different areas in a room, being for sitting, reading, putting on make-up, entertaining and so on.
In this case being a bathroom it needed to be attractive but mostly functional and the vanity serves as a container for soaps, linens, brushes and all the toiletries but it also allows a surface to be used as a decorative focal point. The top being Carrara marble is also a good choice for a bathroom.

Dec. 08 Jan. 09 863

In the old days on top of this furniture there was a basin and a jar for water, when houses did not have water pipes and people were forced to go or to send their maid to a well to collect water for the day, then the decision needed to be made: should we use more water for a bath or should we use water for cooking?
We take water for granted today but it was not so a few decades ago even in our civilized (?!) part of the world and we should all still make an effort in preserving it and teaching the new generation the absolute importance of water on the planet.

Dec. 08 Jan. 09 864

The fabric for the new curtain was a few dollars sample already cut, luckily at a perfect size for this window, all it needed was a fast top and bottom hem. Some of the shells collected in years were added on the ledge to create a nice vignette.
A nicer bathroom created in less than two hours, with a few dollars and lots of imagination.
And here is the ..."Before" and "After"...quite a change I would say.

0001 Dec. 08 Jan. 09 copy 865

Stay tuned for the winner of my Giveaway Alessi "Mediterraneo" red bowl!!!

3 comments:

DesignTies said...

This really is a lovely transformation! The cabinet is beautiful, but I think the nicest change was the curtains... the window looks so much better!
Victoria

Maria Killam said...

Wow that is stunning. I simply adore the drape with the shells, how creative and styled is that?

Beautiful Albarosa! I love to see your work!

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