Remodeling our Bathroom

So we are starting to make progress on the bathroom renovations. Before I start making the smaller selections like tile, paint, lighting, etc - we need to decide if we are going for a more contemporary or traditional design. Whatever we decide to do in the Bathroom obviously needs to be carried over into the Kitchen.

Our building is over 100 years old, so a more traditional look would work well with the historical nature of the building. However we live in the city and modern design just seems more urban. I think both designs will appeal to future buyers when we go to sell in a few years.

So the main piece that will set the design tone of the room is the bathroom vanity. We've narrowed it down to 2 options. Unfortunately our bathroom is tiny, so we only have enough room for a 42" vanity.

First the contemporary option:


What I like about this vanity is its clean lines. However it really doesn't offer much in the way of storage, which could be a problem considering the amount of cosmetics I have and the general lack of storage in our condo.

The Traditional Option: A traditional cabinet vanity.


These are cherry cabinets in a dark wood stain. The door style is very traditional, however I could use a more contemporary door style to make it more transitional.


This gives a bit of an idea of what the vanity would look like. Clearly this option has a lot more storage, however I'm not sure I like the way just one cabinet door looks in the middle, but I do like all those drawers!

Please tell me which one you think we should pick!

Orchids on the cheap

The other item that is adding fresh life to my condo these days are my fresh orchids. Turns out one of the largest and most renowned orchid growers in the nation is located right here in Chicagoland! What are the odds - considering that our cloudy and drab winters are certainly not ideal for orchids. Hausermann's Orchids is located in Villa Park (just east of Lombard and west of O'hare) and their greenhouse is open to the public. Their orchids are gorgeous, well cared for, inexpensive, and of course will last a lot longer than plants you purchase at the grocery store. I bought two gorgeous flowering plants for about $15 each (and they weren't even in the sale section!)

I've heard it said the best way to care for orchids is to water them using 3 ice cubes once a week. However when I questioned the professionals at Hausermann's they said that will not allow for proper drainage. One should instead wait until the soil or moss is completely dried out, remove the plant from its pot, take it to the sink, thoroughly water, and allow it to properly drain. Repeat once the soil dries up again. Hausermann's also has a wonderful selection of pottery and planting accessories. They also offer delivery to the entire Chicagoland area as well as ship to many places in the midwest. Of course if you have a green thumb (I most certainly do not) you can continue to care for your orchid after its blooms have faded and it will rebloom. This requires lots of sunlight and minimal watering.

Following are some photos of my new orchids.

Decorations!

So I have lots of things to share today, first off though I wanted to post pictures of my recently purchased gourds! I didn't get too creative, but I'm happy with how they look in our condo!

Domino Fans Rejoice!

I just discovered a new mag that will hopefully fill the very deep void left by the cancellation of the interiors magazine Domino. It's strictly an online magazine which of course is sorta a pain for those of us who spend our days in front of a computer, however the first premiere issue is rather splendid and more than 200 pages. I found that if you adjust your zoom it is easier too peruse (to do so select zoom from your view menu and then click on zoom out. Just one zoom out should be enough). One of the editors of this mag was previously with Domino and it shows! Discover more at Lonnymag.com.

Holiday Happiness!

So we are entering into the magical holiday season and of course my favorite part is the decorating. Over the next few weeks and months I'll be posting lots of holiday decorating ideas as well as gift ideas. I always find I enjoy the holidays more if I get my shopping done early so hopefully some of my gift ideas will work for your friends and family. Also keep an eye out for the Paper Possibilities holiday card line which will be posted very soon - not to mention our personalized stationary makes a great holiday gift!

Currently Fall is upon us and I love decorating for fall and prepping for the long winter ahead. Yesterday Andrew and I headed to Chicago Firewood and purchased some oak logs for our fireplace. They also sell birch logs, which although they are more expensive look so contemporary and modern. If I had my way I would stack them all the way up to the ceiling.

Photo courtesy of West Elm

I'm also looking forward to driving out to Chalet in Wilmette and purchasing some gourds and pumpkins. They have a great collection of the most unique gourds. I'm currently obsessed with white pumpkins - they are gorgeously neutral and urban! Create stark centerpieces, or you can even paint the pumpkins for a more traditional look. Or if you are the fabulous Eddie Ross - love him btw - you'll paint your regular old orange pumpkins with white paint (to get them Martha Stewart Perfect)! Once the house is all gussied up I'll be sure to post some pics!

For additional fall decorating ideas check out Better Homes and Gardens website where they feature 16 beautiful and easy ideas.

FOR SALE

So, when ordering my console table we ran into a bit of a snafu. The first table delivered was a bit damaged - the shelf was chipped. I didn't realize this until I fully unpacked the table. The company was great and shipped out a new table right away, however much to my surprise they allowed me to keep the damaged table - apparently it's too much of a hassle to ship it back to them. So I now have a damaged table that I'm looking to sell. The shelf is unusable due to where the chipping occurred, however the table looks great without the shelf. The only noticeable difference is there are small holes where the shelf would have been installed. We paid $350 for the table, so I figure $150 is a fair price for it being damaged. If anyone is interested let me know. It's a great table and it would look beautiful in someone's home!

You can see images of the non damaged console table here.