Nautical Victorian Bath II

The devil is in the details now. Nautical Victorian. I am not exactly sure where I came up with the idea, but I liked the idea of a striped shower curtain, and as I said, I didn't want to repaint baseboards which had already been painted dark. I had the idea for how I wanted things to look, but it took a while to get all the elements together. By far and away, the most difficult was...

I wanted a wooden black/brown toilet seat. The one I REALLY wanted I saw at Ikea, but sadly, they stopped making them. It was perfect and inexpensive. I wanted something with an actual wooden texture, but the models at all the hardware stores and home improvement stores were too glossy and cost WAY too much. I found one that I thought would work, but it was a hundred and forty dollars. Who wants to spend that much money on a toilet seat? Not I, finally after HOURS on google I hit kmart.com. They had a cheap version that wasn't perfect (it had crome hardware and the other hardware is brushed nickel), but I liked it well enough and it only cost twenty dollars, so it works.

These gems were nice additions and fit well with the victorian theme. I like the color, and the ornateness. Once again, you'll notice that not all the hardware is matchy, matchy. In modern baths I like clean lines and matching, but in this, I wanted it to look like a bathroom that could have existed when manufacturing was not as wide spread and a bathroom would have had hand crafted details.

I wish you could see the color of this shower curtain, it is truly nice. It is kind of a bright navy. I am currently still searching for some kind of bath mat/rug that matches well enough to use in this room. I haven't found one that fits the style or color I am looking for so I am holding out.

This is the original light fixture. Before it was a gross copper color. Yes, I realize it is a bit art deco but the sconces are pretty and look like they belong in the victorian era. I spray painted this. ME. SPRAY PAINT. Yes, I'm a bit ashamed. And while we are at it, lets discuss the paint on the walls. I did that. Yep. I inhaled fumes for a couple days and --fun discovery-- I am a really decent taper. Also, when we went to get paint, the paint man told us about this mix in scent that he could add to the paint. We bought the Clean Linen (one of my favorite smells) mix-in, and it is awesome. 

This was not my original faucet choice, but happily, I like it better than the original choice. The Beardocrat and I installed this one and it was leaky and awful. Then Alan re-did it by himself and now it is wonderful. I removed the old faucet, if that counts for anything.

These wall plates were actually last minute purchases. After the whole room was finished, the cheapo white wall plates really stood out, and they didn't look great. These plates gave a great finishing touch, and *decorating tip, hold your breath* these are an inexpensive way to add interest, color, or personalization to a room. Clearly, one could go overboard, but I think with the victorian theme they weren't too much. The swirly pattern also compliments the light fixture and some of the accents.

This hand towel rack is the only original hardware I kept leftover from the old bathroom. I liked it, it works, and I didn't have to paint it. We can talk a bit about other leftover pieces. The shower curtain rod, inner shower curtain, and shower curtain rings are things left over from other bathrooms. Brushed Nickel, always my favorite. 

These are two of the three pictures on the wall. I couldn't get a great photo of the compass art, so these examples will suffice. I worried about being too literal with the art, as the shower curtain was very nautical. Happily I felt the whimsical nature of the Sea Meets Sky was nice, and embraced the theme without going into literal land like the hook. Also, the Adirondack shelf pictured in the other post is meant to be more of an art piece as the towels aren't meant to be used. Just for show.  We can talk about the mirror at this point as well (picture on other post). The Beardocrat removed the old mirror, and it was no small effort. That is one of the reasons we decided to paint. 

Overall, this was a fun project. I like the effect. Once again, not perfect, but I feel like this whole designing thing is getting easier. I am making rules, and following them, and the results are pleasant. Maybe I am saying this because I only have one more bathroom to go, and I've already done a majority of the planning on that one, so it requires a few trips to the hardware store and some Beardocrat labor and it will be good to go. After the third bathroom, I will be moving on to the Master Bedroom, and then David's bedroom, which will be David and Adele's bedroom by the end of the summer. I promise no jungle or nautical themes for either.