I love the now ubiquitous mirrored side tables and dressers, but always felt like they were a bit too ornate for my style in our house (plus my husband has some sort of vendetta against them). So when I stumbled across the mirrored cube side table, I felt like I’d found my mirrored furniture soulmate – these tables are super sleek without any knobs or drawers but offer that luxe, glam mirrored look. I can’t wait to order a pair for our guest bedroom (yes, we’re working on that room again – an update is upcoming). In the guest bedroom, our side tables don’t need to offer any real storage and just need to be a place for some fresh flowers, inspiring books, a ring dish and a carafe of water. We’re going to be installing sconces, so we don’t need real estate on top of the tables for lamps (huzzah!).

But look how chic these cubed tables are:

Source: The Decorista

Source: Wendy Labrum Interiors

And I’ve even found a pretty great looking one on Amazon for a totally reasonable price.

So I accidentally took a month-long break from this blog, whoops! Surprisingly, it’s not because we didn’t get lots accomplished (we did), but mainly because nothing feels quite done yet, since we have lots of light fixtures on order that have yet to arrive and have a few finishing touches remaining on our other projects.

For our wedding, we made the last minute decision to pick up two Instax Mini cameras and encourage guests to snap themselves (or other guests). At some point in the evening, I got my hands on one of the cameras and selfies with most of our guests ensued. Instead of stowing the photos away in a guest book, I liberated the photos. One evening I did a quick art DIY and framed them so we can be reminded of our wedding daily and have a conversation piece for guests when they come over.

What you’ll need:

• Assortment of polaroid mini photos
• IKEA Ribba Frame
• White poster board
• Double-sided tape
• Cardboard

Step 1:

Lay out your photos in a grid on a table and visualize how they’re going to layout in the frame.

Step 2:

Cut the poster board to size, so it covers the entire inside of the frame.

Step 3:

Cut cardboard down into roughly 1×1 squares.

Step 4:

Mount your polaroids to the cardboard squares with double-sided tape and then mount the cardboard to the poster board so all your photos are elevated. I wanted to accentuate each polaroid by floating them on the cardboard to get them closer to the glass in the frame.

Step 5:

Close up your frame and hang on your wall. Voila, you have sentimental but cool art!

In an effort to travel lighter, on our most recent trip to Miami, I left my DSLR at home and just brought one of the polaroid cameras. It made documenting the trip more fun and interactive for my family (there’s nothing like huddling around together waiting to see how a photo came out). I’m planning on mounting them in a smaller IKEA Ribba frame using this technique with the photos we took, so we always have a reminder of the vacation.

It was a busy weekend spent working on the main floor bathroom makeover (learn more here and here). First, we finished touching up the paint, then we installed the freshly painted vanity with new lucite and brass hardware. Next up was swapping out the old faucet for my new brass Craigslist find. This is where we hit the biggest roadblock, our old faucet had rusted at the base and wasn’t budging. After a Home Depot run to stock up on huge wrenches, we finally freed the countertop from the faucet. Installing the new faucet was a breeze. And she’s so pretty. Following the faucet (and one minor leak situation), we installed our Restoration Hardware pivot mirror (ain’t she a beaut?). We also swapped in new outlets and switches, because there’s nothing like new, crisp white outlets on your walls.

This is a peek at how the room looked Sunday morning. I’m loving the black and white contrast so much. That pretty Anthropologie candle smells like firewood. Aka cozy winter nights. Yes.

That afternoon we installed a vintage lion’s head towel ring (excuse the poorly folded monogram towel). As you can see, we’re still missing light fixtures. I made an audible today and reverted to a different Schoolhouse Electric sconce. The third one. The current plan is this sconce with this shade in gloss black. It’s on a 6-week  delivery delay, so we’re going to have to slow our pace on completing this room.

And slightly pulled back so you can see the lucite and brass pulls.

And a close up on that lion’s head. We really can’t help including some form of a brass animal in every room we complete. Seriously.

Just to touch on the sconces again, the reason I’ve changed by mind again is that with the slightly protruding mirror, it was feeling like the Schoolhouse Electric fixed Satellite sconce would be too cramped against the mirror, so a swing arm sconce gives me the flexibility to have some breathing room, while introducing some more height into the vanity area. Not to mention that the light will be a bit better if directed closer to you when you’re at the sink. And a little example of why I changed my mind to a swing arm sconce (that drama!):

Source

And what’s left on the docket to call this room done:

• Swapping in a vintage doorknob (the doorknob arrived but we had no idea we needed to get rosettes / door plates, so those are now on order #diylessons)
• Installing a new brass toilet lever (our old one was once white but is no longer white), the new one is on order
• Ordering a vintage Persian or Turkish rug to break up the graphic black and white floors – I currently have our Lulu and Georgia Mirabelle rug in there but it isn’t saturated enough to compete with the high-contrast graphic tiles
• Ordering and installing a sconce, as well as an overhead light fixture
• Selecting artwork for the wall above the toilet – I’m torn between a bold black and white fashion-forward photograph (see below) or a floor to ceiling wraparound gallery wall. I’m lazy though, so the former will likely win.
• Build or buy a brass shower curtain rod – any suggestions here would be greatly appreciated
• Ordering a chic toilet paper holder (if such a thing exists, I will find it. PS it’s probably this one, which looks awesome on high gloss black and is budget-friendly)
• Order fabric for a Roman shade and construct the shade (our first Roman shade has taken us a month to complete, so… yeah. Tutorial coming soon, once we’ve figured out a less tedious method).

Hunted Interior

Last week I shared the before photos of our main floor bathroom makeover and today I’ve got the design plan for you. Work is already well underway and I’m so happy with how things are looking. Breaking it down by category, here we go:

Paint

We ended up going with Sherwin Williams Black Magic for the walls and ceiling. I had originally purchased the paint during a sale at Sherwin Williams with the intention of using it to paint the doors black on our main floor, but gave it a try on the walls of the bathroom and loved it. I was a bit worried about the satin finish (perfect for doors), but it lends some extra dimension to the bathroom walls and definitely isn’t too shiny.

For the trim, we had originally planned on Benjamin Moore Simply White, but after looking at the swatches at our paint store, it looked too creamy for our taste, so we took the plunge with Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White and are so happy with this decision. This is a bright white but with subtle grey undertones, so you really get to see the contrast in our decorative trim. We can’t wait to use it on the trim in the rest of our house.We went with a high-gloss finish, so it really stands out from the dark walls.

After much contemplation, we also decided to paint the vanity high-gloss black. I went back and forth on whether we should paint it black, grey or white and finally landed on black. We picked up Benjamin Moore Advance in High-Gloss Black over the weekend and the paint has been applied and is curing as I write this. It looks so much better than the grimy stock laminate. As a tip, we’ve learned to pick up the best quality paint possible to make your life and the outcome so much easier. We’ve used the BM Advance line before and have generally been really impressed. I was expecting to need to do two coats to get full coverage on the black paint, but honestly, it looks perfect after only one coat.

Hardware & Fixtures

I love warm brass tones (I know, who doesn’t) and I especially love how brass pops off crisp white and black, so I’ve been trying to source as much brass as possible, without going overboard. I’m also very picky about my brass (unlacquered is preferred, I won’t go near anything that looks too brown to be authentc).

A few weeks ago, we picked up this brass pivot mirror at the Restoration Hardware outlet, which was actually the impetus for kicking off this makeover. I’ve also sourced a heavily discounted brass faucet from Harrison Brassworks off Craigslist in a Victorian style to bring in that traditional charm. For the towel ring, we’ve ordered a vintage brass lion’s head off Etsy because you’ve got to keep it interesting!

We’ve also picked up brass shower curtain rings ($6 at Homegoods!) and are working out a plan for the shower curtain rod. We’ve been bouncing back and forth between a lucite DIY and a solid brass rod. This shower isn’t going to be used, so it doesn’t need to be the most functional, but I am worried about bowing with a lucite rod, since we can’t have a center support.

Lighting

Lighting is where I’m getting the most tripped up, right now I’m leaning towards the Schoolhouse Electric Sattelite Sconce 2.25 in unlacquered brass with a high-gloss black shade. Pencil and Paper Co.’s black powder room featured on One Kings Lane has been a huge inspiration as I’ve gotten into the design and I love how the glossy black of the shade pops off the satin black walls.

I’m also gravitating towards a capiz flushmount light that will add some new texture and lightness to the room. Right now, the Pottery Barn flush-mount has been at the top of the list, but I’m also looking at some others that hang lower into the room.

Textiles

We’re also sourcing a vintage Turkish rug (I mean, I love a good vintage rug), where the one in the design plan is currently at the top of the list. For window coverings, I’d love to incorporate Schumacher’s Zimba linen fabric, though it has a two-yard minimum for ordering, so I’m trying to find it remnant or another equally chic and organic looking fabric. I may end up a linen black and white stripe alternatively.

Stay tuned for the next update – we’re re-installing the vanity, counter and new faucet this week, as well as the mirror. I’m going to pull the trigger on a number of the items on the list this week, so we can have the bathroom done in the next two weeks, wish us luck!

Sometimes it’s hard to tell exactly what isn’t working in a space, it’s for those times that I turn to photos. It’s usually as simple as snapping a photo of the vignette or room and analyzing what jumps out at you and what really shines.

When we finished painting our entryway faux bamboo dresser, we were so excited to style it that pulled together a vignette late at night. And while it looked great, it wasn’t 100% there yet. So I snapped a pic and identified the problem areas. It’s so much easier than any other tactic I’ve tried.

Here’s my first quick attempt at styling the space:

The bones are really good, that mirror fills up the wall nicely and bounces light around. The lamp is sculptural and adds height, while the lamp shade adds contrast. But there are some aspects that just aren’t working.

There are a few things that can’t change yet, we’re painting the walls later this month a cooler light grey and I still haven’t found a fabulous sconce to replace the awful one presently on both walls. But, to neutralize those two eyesores, I did some creative editing in Photoshop. So. Much. Better.

And then I made some changes to how this entryway moment is styled that are so much stronger.

And a side by side:

New additions include the Target Threshold brass side table that helps anchor the dresser into the nook space, provides sculptural interest and serves as a functional place for me to leave my bag when I get home. I also swapped the basil plant for another ginger jar (a $6 Goodwill find!), replaced the tray with this great python one from Furbish Studio that had been on our coffee table and brought in these great smoked glass tea lights from CB2. I’m much happier with this little moment. Once the walls are painted and the sconce is replaced, I can call this space done.

Sources:

Mirror | Side Table | Python Tray | Smoked Glass Tealight Holder | All others are vintage