The Continuing Saga of a Ranch-style Remodel: Part 3
In the beginning...
There was a gal who met a gal who needed window treatments for two rooms in her Land Park home. But that's not where the story ends...
Project 3: The Powder Room
Mrs. W was absolutely thrilled with the changes in her home to that point. The family room was finally complete and comfortable for the whole family. The living room and entry way were brighter and more inviting. The dining room had become more cohesive. It was time to move onto the next problem area.
The half-bath was just not working for the family. For one thing, it was small. Compounding the size problem, the walls were decorated with a thick tile, cutting even further into the space. Then there was the sink area. The client loved the idea of a furniture style cabinet, so she had a chest of drawers retrofitted to hold a clamshell style sink. Unfortunately, it bowed out, taking up more space. Finally, the toilet was just fighting with everything. It was a Victorian commode with a pull chord and raised tank. It was interesting, but just didn't work in the room.
Between the shiny brass and oversized elements, the room wasn't working for anyone. What we did have going for the room was the solatube bringing in lots of natural light.
The Goals
The main goal was to make the room look larger, preferably without removing a wall. Because it was the restroom used primarily by guests, Mrs. W. wanted it to be a bit more formal and glitzy than other areas of the home. She also requested to keep chair rail high tile on the walls to make the area easy to clean.
The Process
The first thing that I did was ditch the blue and white tiles on the walls and floors. Bows look lovely in your hair or on gift baskets, not on tiles in your powder room. Instead, I chose a slightly textured, metallic gold wall paper. It brought warmth and reflected the light without taking up space. I talked the client out of more wall tile and instead, we did a high baseboard of cream tile around the room and an offset patterned travertine for the floor.
The next thing to go was the cabinet. It was a wonderful idea, but just too big for the space. While at a flea market, I managed to find a beautiful black and gold bombe chest that was just the right size. All it needed were some feet, which I purchased and had painted to match. It was the furniture style the client wanted but in the correct proportions.
The sink was something quite special. I had seen it in a catalogue of Thompson Traders and immediately knew it was perfect for the room. In fact, it became the focal point my of inspiration. A flower shaped, hand-crafted, gold-coated, copper sink. We placed in on the bombe chest and fell in love! It was perfect! A wall mounted, oil-rubbed bronze faucet continued to help push the spacing in the right direction. Then, to add a bit more flair, we hung a framed mirror and a pair of crystal wall sconces.
Finally, we changed out the toilet for a more appropriate style and worked on the art for the room. My initial idea had been a set of wall panels that would make it look like the room continued into a forest, but those didn't quite fit the way I'd imagined. Instead they were moved to the family room (working perfectly there) and a wrought iron flower sculpture was chosen. It was actually something I'd had in stock for a while, and fit the style and colors of the room like it had been commissioned.
Then it was finished. What had been a cramped, dated room was transformed into an elegant powder room. The gold tones throughout the room reflected all available light, brightening without blinding, and the accessories were glamorous without being overdone or too busy.
What's Next?
By this point, I had grown to expect more projects and I was not disappointed.
Mrs. W. has a daughter who was outgrowing the style in her...
...bedroom and bathroom
And so the job continued... but you'll have to come back for the next entry to hear what happens next.
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