Old House Parts

I just got back from my $1 hunting madness up in Maine. I have to share my new favorite source before I go out to dinner—Old House Parts in Kennebunk, Maine. A great architectural salvage resource that stocks old doors, knobs, mantels, windows, sinks, and much more. All the of the pieces in the store are incredibly organized which makes it super easy to sort through. Seriously, it will blow you away how neat this place is! Spanning two floors full to the brim with stock you won't need to go anywhere else. The staff is super knowledgable and friendly. One of the best resources I have ever discovered! Check out the website: oldhouseparts.com. Above and below are pictures I couldn't resist taking.

Old House Parts
1 Trackside Drive
Kennebunk, Maine
207.985.1999

J.Crew Collection Store: Striped Bathroom

Last week I attended a party to celebrate domino's November cover girl at J.Crew's new Collection Store. To get the inside scoop on the celebrities and some shots of the store check out: habituallychic.blogspot.com. For a look inside the store's awesome striped bathroom you can stick with me. I have to admit my sister was the first to spot the bathroom. I don't know what that really says about her...but honestly it was one our favorite parts of the new store.

The bathroom was pretty small but the vertical black and white stripes really enlarged the space. The walls were covered with animated line drawing by Hugo Guinness (available at John Derian). We were enamored with the brass faucets and pipes on the sink and toilet. Does that seem strange? The brass really made the utilitarian objects feel sophisticated. The topping on the cake was the dressy flushmount light above.

What makes the bathroom so great is that it doesn't feel like a bathroom. The room is decorated and warm. Incorporating elements that don't normally belong in a bathroom—aka small curated art gallery—really change the space and make it inviting. Seriously, I ban white bathrooms covered with subway tiles. Well at least in the guest bathrooms...

J.Crew Collection Store
1035 Madison Avenue at 79th Street
New York, NY
212-249-3869

Rita Konig: Decorator's Bathroom

Click on image for larger view

I've kind fallen for this bathroom from domino's Rita Konig. At first I thought it was a bit too decorated. It didn't feel at all like a bathroom. I've changed my mind. I have looked at so many stark subway tiled bathrooms that this bathroom feels vibrant and refreshing. I don't know if I would use it as my everyday bath but a guest bath would be nice. The look feels old, regal, and lived in. Be wise not to fill the room with too much crap which could make the space cluttered and granny.

Wallpaper: "La Promenade' about $75/roll, Twigs Fabrics & Wallpaper (800) 824-4204
Mirror: "Wellington" $219.95 signaturehardware.com
Lighting: Visual Comfort "Boston" wall lamps, $273 each, circalighting.com

Renovation Update: First Floor Bathroom

Total gut of the bathroom. It looks pretty in the dark?

A few updates on the progress of the house renovation. It seems everyday we find a new problem or should I say, "project". These images are from the first floor bathroom. We had to complete gut the bathroom because of water damage coming from three different places. The first problem was the giant root in the pipes that caused the water in toilet to back up. The floor all around the toilet was rot. The second was the tub was not properly sealed and the wall containing the faucets was completely rotted. The third was the roof was badly leaking and had leaked all the way down to the first floor. The bathroom was wet and gross. We had no choice but to pull out everything to the studs and start again.

Greg is now busy shoring up the house in the basement. It seems all that rot could have contributed to some major sagging floors. He is busy installing Lolly columns in the basement to try to aleavate this problem. Once that is done we can work on putting up new walls, floors, and tile the floor. We are thinking about switching the position of the tub and toilet. As of now the tub sits right next to a large window. The large window has some privacy issues and large amounts of water tends to build up on the sill every time someone takes a shower. If we flip flop the tub to to the other side of the room we'll kill two problems. We just need to figure out if it is possible to do. Check out some photos of the progress above and below.

Pre-complete demolition

Tub from bathroom with old bee's nest attached.

All the junk that came out of the bathroom.

Old newspaper from 1969 found below the floorboards in the bathroom.

Greg fixing the roof above the bathrooms.

Bathroom Tile Inspiration

Penny Round Tiles in celadon from Ann Sacks, apartmenttherapy.com.

One of first projects on the new house is re-doing one of three bathrooms. I've been pulling together a little bathroom inspiration to maybe get an idea of what kind of tile we might want to use. We definitely want something classic in white or carrera marble. The house is 250 years old so we don't want to get to modern. I love hexs, penny rounds, basketweave, and subway tiles. But which one to choose? The bathroom is on the first floor and maybe a potential rental apartment. So I don't want to go to fancy. Check out some of my ideas above and below.

Small hexs, apartmenttherapy.com.

Larger hex tiles with subway, apartmenttherapy.com.

Subway tiles with hex floor, dominomag.com.

Cork penny rounds, dominomag.com.

Carrera marble basketweave, merchantcircle.com.

Kara Weaves: Striped Bath Towels

I just found these awesome stripe towels from Kara Weaves via Design Sponge. Love! This is the perfect thing for my store. Colorful, beachy, and casual. I just ordered three different colors to check them out. A total great deal for $13 for the white and stripe and $15 for the full color. Check out more here: karaweaves.com.

Waterworks

The closing is thankfully going smoothly. Looks like we will have the house by July 11. I am so excited. I can't wait to get started on all my fun projects.

I headed over to Waterworks showroom in Greenwich today to help me get a little bathroom inspiration. Waterworks is great store to check out if your going for a traditional looking bathroom. I totally fell for these open washstands and the 2" hexagon shape tiles. The hexagon shape is so classic but the larger shape tile in an unexpected twist. I think I might pair it with a subway tile on the walls or covering the inside of bathroom stall. I can't remember the name of the tile shown in the hex shape but I told is was pretty pricy. They suggested using carrera marble which is a cooler looking stone and a more reasonable price point. Check out more: waterworks.com.

Waterfall: Bathroom Vanities

Over the past few days we have compiled a list of projects that are first priority before moving into our potential new house. Walls have holes, stairs are caving in, chimneys leak, and lots of other little not so fun things. I know we need to get these things done first but I just want to get to the decorating part.

This afternoon I was dreaming of luxurious bathrooms and came across these vanities by Waterfall. These beauties are not only glam but their green too! The Canadian based company uses FSC-certified and formaldehyde-free wood and the lowest VOC paint possible. I love their sleek lines and timeless shape. Prices start at about $1,400. Check out more: waterfallbath.com.