Spring came and went and now summer is almost gone. I just got around to washing the mirrors on the deck! Nope no entertaining this summer not even a lot of deck and garden time. It has taken everything I have just to get the planters watered every day, and boy have they needed it. But the reward has been worth the effort. Now that I am getting the house back in order I feel really good about what we’ve done.
I am loving the powder room. It’s funky and unexpected and plays well to my antique loving soul. Completely furnished with things I already had. Ok I bought a hand towel, a basket for trash, and I have a rug on order we’ll see if it works. So far my batting average on the rug hasn’t been good. After buying 2 locally, I finally gave up and ordered one.
What are my favorites? It’s a room full of favorites. From the salvaged closet doors and barn siding, to the piece of copper behind the sink with the industrial porthole mirror on a rope that I had in the family room.
The stenciled floor was a big job and took this 68 year old body 5 days to complete and seal.
We decided the freezer could stay in the garage which opened up the space to the left of the storage cabinet and new possibilities. Some of the left over barn siding got sanded down and then waxed creating a lovely worn counter top. Iranian block printed linen fabric salvaged from my moms house received new purpose as curtains under the counter top.
Tacking them up with pewter nailheads was quick and easy. I didn’t feel bad about cutting into this antique fabric because it is fragile. There were some holes in it from years of hard use. It felt good to reimagine this fabric into something new.
I love the cubby shelves that happened between the two cabinets on brass brackets with the sanded barn siding and the yellow ware bowls. I have sold the bulk of my yellow ware collection. Listing these three bowls, for some reason they never sold. After the shelves went up I just grabbed a bowl and stuck it up there to see what I thought. Well they didn’t sell for a reason! I love the way the color plays off the blue walls. Then there is the gigantic bowl on the counter. I haven’t quite figured out what to put in it yet. Buying it at an antique show 40 years ago when I still had babies in strollers. I paid $5.00 for that bowl! It is now called the dressing bowl because that’s the only bowl I have that is big enough to toss the thanksgiving dressing in. My girls have told me I can never sell this bowl. It’s a tradition. Hmm who will end up with it? I think it will be Florida! Anyway it was nice to get it out of the pie safe, it took up so much room! Of course having a lamp on the counter just adds so much ambiance too.
We brought in the Denver lowboy. No, it’s actually English but we bought it in Denver. It’s a perfect fit and even though it is a primitive country piece it adds just a bit of elegance.
The antique bedwarmer has FINALLY found a home, because you know every powder room should have a bedwarmer in it. This is another piece of my moms. My grandmother brought it back on an airplane on her lap from Pennsylvania for my mom. The fact that my grandparents didn’t do antiques makes this a special piece of family lore. I could not let it go and it has just been in storage for the last 3 years. I love the way the copper plays off the blue wall.
Yes, I still have to get the lantern electrified properly. Oh, then there is that little tiny crystal chandelier. WHAT!!! You may remember last March I wrote an antiquing post on a day in Fremont. This was the day I found the screen for the hallway. What I also found was this little chandelier that was gross. Covered in at least 50 years of dust, dirt and grime. It was just $35.00. For $35.00 I figured I’de clean it up and sell it. Armed with Windex and a Q Tip it was a job. But once done it was gorgeous. I am absolutely not the crystal chandelier type. Way too much fussy stuff for me. Somehow this little guy wormed it’s way into my heart and I knew it was going to make a big statement in this little powder room.
The perfect edition. Sometimes I just go down there to walk by. Do you ever do that?
So all said and done I am thrilled with the way this room turned out. Yes there were many surprises along the way but, staying flexible brought it thru to something very special. It really is amazing what you can do with 49 s/f. Just because it’s a small space doesn’t mean it can’t be fun with tons of character.
After the husband saying it’s only a powder room in the basement, after saying it’s just a storage closet, and after it is just a hallway from the garage! After all of that the husband came down stairs while I was sewing just to look. There was nothing left to do. All the small details had been addressed.
I said, “What are you looking at?”
“Just looking.”
“Patting yourself on the back?”
He said, “Yup!”
I said, “Good job, Poppy.”
He said, “Good job, Nanna.”
Let me know what you think.
Stay tuned for the hallway reveal.
Thanks for stopping
Shelley
