I’ve been itching to repaint the master bathroom. We painted it Benjamin Moore’s Tapestry Beige before we moved in. Don’t get me wrong. I love Tapestry Beige. It’s in our living room, kitchen and hallway. But in our naturally dark {boo} bedroom and bathroom it looks dingy. It’s not that noticeable on the blog because I’m able to lighten the pictures. In fact, you might not even be able to tell that I repainted.

I wanted there to be less of a contrast between the walls, trim and ceiling so I repainted the walls to match the trim and ceiling – Benjamin Moore’s White Dove color matched in Behr paint. I’ve never painted an entire room – walls, ceiling, trim, doors – one color before but I like it in our teeny master bath. With many of the small details painted the same color, the room feels less busy. I don’t know if I would like this effect in a different, larger room but in a really small bathroom it works.

The wall color helps camouflage the small cabinet {also painted White Dove} that we added last winter to house HH’s electric razor and toothbrush.

This picture better shows how the walls, cabinet and door sort of all fade together into a warm white abyss.

Because our bathroom is prone to splatters and drips {currently we’re sharing the bathroom with our three kids}, I chose a satin finish for easy cleaning.

With the master bathroom repainted, next on my list is the master bedroom. It will happen this week. I have no choice. My older kids’ last day of school is Friday and I’m banking on getting nothing done once they’re home for the summer. Our bedroom is naturally dark {it’s the room that gets the least amount of natural light in our house} so I’m going to play up that effect and go for something cozy. I’m tweaking my original plans just a bit. Here’s a peek.

More progress to come!

For those of you keeping track, the bathroom makes four rooms {the bedroom will be the fifth and last!} I’ve repainted since moving in not even a year ago. I shouldn’t be allowed to pick paint colors when I’m pregnant.

Click here to see who won last week’s Teal & Lime giveaway!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

And they all live happily ever after. The end.

Okay, there’s more to it than that.

So, by now you know that I’ve partnered with Target to bring you the best of Threshold. {If not, you can catch up here and here.} This month I was asked to feature Threshold goodies in my bathroom. I’ve been wanting to add something to the wall above the toilet. {On a side note, do guys care what they look at when they pee?} I browsed the Threshold aisles and immediately zoned in on a trio of sea urchins.

I have a peculiar fascination with anything urchin-esque. I can remember going to my grandma’s house when I was maybe 5 and she had a children’s book {couldn’t tell you the title or story line} that included a picture of a child stepping on a sea urchin in the ocean. I read the book every time I was at my grandma’s and I was so infatuated with that bothersome urchin. That’s how it all started.

Now, thirty years later, there are three sea urchins hanging above my toilet. I am not normal. Off the shelf, the urchins were a little too dark for my liking so I spray painted them gold - the same spray paint I used on our garden stool. If I may, let me correct myself: Now, thirty years later, there are three gold sea urchins hanging above my toilet. Still, not normal.

I brought in a few gold accessories on the sink top so the urchins wouldn’t be all “Damn it! I knew the one time I made an effort to dress up for a dinner party everyone else would be wearing jeans and loafers. I’m overdressed and under-appreciated. Never again.” I bet you didn’t know sea urchins were so temperamental, did you?

The soap dispenser and tumbler have an antique brass finish. My bathroom is quite the melting pot for metal finishes.

Shop the look: brass soap pump / brass tumbler / rattan wastebasket / metal urchin

I apologize for the artificial light in these pictures. It’s just that HH and I spontaneously decided to landscape our front yard. By ourselves. With three kids. {That’s contradictory, isn’t it?} As in digging, trenching, planting, shoveling, watering, wheelbarrowing, sweating, raking and seeding our crack house into submission. In the midst of our spontaneity {which totally isn’t like us}, I forgot to take pictures of the bathroom before the sun went down.

I am tired. I love Target. Sea urchins are fascinating.

***UPDATE: Daytime urchin pictures because I felt guilty.***

This post brought to you by Threshold, a Target collection. The Threshold collection focuses on specialized design techniques including hand-painted accents and artisanal touches to make each piece unique yet affordable. What differentiates Target’s new Threshold collection is its unprecedented style coupled with its high quality and affordability. Thank you Tar-jay!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Happy Friday! I hope your day has been less eventful than mine. Last night after the kids were tucked in bed, I was enjoying a hot shower for the first time in I’m-too-embarrassed-to-tell-you-how-many days when the shower decided to stop draining. I hollered {that’s what we say back where I come from} for HH to bring me the plunger then proceeded to plunge the heck out of the drain. To no avail. My long awaited shower was ruined.

After further investigation, we discovered that the toilet, too, wasn’t draining properly and water was coming up around the base of the toilet and through the toilet drain in the unfinished kid/guest bathroom.

Did I mention it was 11:30 p.m. and we were under a winter weather advisory due to an ice storm? HH texted our plumber and he called us back this morning. {Only after a fretful night of sleep on my part. I’ve mentioned this before: my #1 house-related fear is anything involving water leaking, dripping, trickling, seeping, rushing, pouring, flooding into our house.} Plumbing isn’t our thing so we’re happy to have found a reliable plumber to handle all our plumbing needs. Eek. That doesn’t sound quite right now that I’m reading back.

Turns out there was a blockage in between the two bathrooms which was remedied this afternoon. How does a family of five go to the bathroom with no toilet for 12 hours, you ask? One word: bucket. And we were home all together due to the weather. Good times.

We’re not sure what the exact cause was. Old pipes? Possibly. The new cushy toilet paper I bought last week due to HH’s incessant whining about the cheap stuff I usually buy? Maybe. Either way, we’ve decided to have the pipes inspected via camera BEFORE we finish the kid/guest bathroom. That way, if there is a problem with the pipes then our plumber can fix it without busting up a bunch of tile. If there’s no problem, then it’s worth the peace of mind and I’ll rest easy. And I’ll be sticking with the dollar store toilet paper from here on out. So goes living in an older home.

Not only did I feel like jumping ship in regards to our temporary bathroom-less situation, I’m also blog-hopping today. Click on over to Pepper Design Blog to check out my interview with Morgan.

Thanks Morgan!

Congrats to Jenn who was a fan of the TV show Cheers {one of my dad’s personal favorites} back in the ’80′s. Jenn is this week’s winner of the EcoColor giveaway! And to those of you who were only babies/eggs in your mama’s uterus in the ’80′s…you make me feel verrrrrrrrry old.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Remember the photo shoot? Well, today I finally get to share the fruits of our labor with you.

HH and I partnered with The Tile Shop over a year and a half ago during the renovation of our Underdog. After many, many, MANY months of hard work {and very little sleep}, we are so excited to be a part of The Tile Shop’s blogger spotlight and ad campaign. As of today, you can read about the details of our tiling adventures over on The Tile Shop’s site here. The online spotlight includes many never-seen-before photos of our kitchen, mudroom/laundry nook/dining room and bathroom as well as commentary and DIY tips contributed by moi.

If you happen to live in one of The Tile Shop’s major markets you may just find full page ads featuring our house popping up in your local glossies. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek! As far as I know, the ads should run in the following prints over the next few months: Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, Chicago Magazine & Chicago Home and Garden, Kansas City Home and Gardens, Charlotte Home & Garden, Cincinnati Magazine, Indianapolis Monthly, Madison Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, Nashville Lifestyles, Philadelphia Magazine, Pittsburgh Magazine, Long Island Pulse, St. Louis Magazine, Buffalo Magazine, Washingtonian Magazine and Atlanta Magazine.

Fun fact: The Tile Shop will be featuring several other bloggers via their blogger spotlight and ad campaign so keep your eyes peeled. I am the guinea pig!

Can we talk for a brief minute about companies recognizing the voice and importance of bloggers? And I’m not talking about my voice. So many wonderful, deserving bloggers out there are collaborating with amazing companies and brands in  win-win partnerships. A few of my favorites: Holly Becker of decor8 + West Elm. Trina McNeilly of Lalalovely + Land of Nod. John & Sherry Petersik of Young House Love + Shades of Light. And don’t even get me started on the things that Joss & Main and One Kings Lane are doing. Fabulousness all over the internet. Fabulous. Ness. It’s a very exciting time to be a blogger.

From a consumer standpoint, I find these partnerships inspiring as well. I prefer seeing real homes - as opposed to lifeless sets or over-the-top mansions - in advertisements and catalogs. I think it shows how brands and products can be implemented realistically and effectively. More companies should take notice of this latest trend in marketing!

And just so you know, it wasn’t easy capturing a decent shot of my family in our kitchen. I find it mind-boggling that we got one pic in which everyone is looking at the camera with their eyes open, hands down and tongues in their mouths.

Um, Everett can be a bit of a ham in front of the camera.

images: Megan Hoy for The Tile Shop

I posted this image of HH on instagram a few days ago with the caption “scratching an itch.” The image and caption caused some confusion/hilarious comments. HH is not literally scratching an itch. The gutted kid/guest bathroom is giving us quite the tick though. And we’re ready to do something about it.

Last week we took the first steps towards making this space a functional bathroom.

HH poured concrete to fill in around the future tub’s plumbing which we had a professional plumber update back when we were in the midst of a full-on reno.

HH also removed and rehung the backerboard under the window because the drywallers did a shoddy job.

Once that was all finished and the new concrete around the plumbing had cured, HH prepped the floor for leveler primer + self-leveling underlayment. We used Henry’s brand from Home Depot. The underlayment is cement-based and helps to smooth and flatten surfaces before flooring installation. In our case, we’ll be laying a tile floor in the bathroom and the job is 200% easier when the floor is nice and level.

To prep, HH cleaned the floor of all debris then fashioned cardboard “dams” around the toilet drain and floor vent. He caulked around the toilet dam and secured the floor vent dam with masking tape along the inside.

He built another dam at the bathroom’s doorway. Hint: If you’re going to be using self-leveling underlayment, it’s important to block off any parts of the room that you don’t want to be affected by the concrete. Then the primer went on. {Sorry, no pictures of this step. It’s likely that I was tending to a blown out diaper.} The primer improves the underlayment’s bond and prevents pinholes/air bubbles in the finished surface.

With the primer dry, we tag teamed the  mixing of the underlayment. Hint: the dry powder is fine so wear a mask to prevent inhalation. It’s not difficult – you just add water and mix with a drill gadget – but the leveler sets up very quickly. You only have 10 minutes after mixing to pour and work with the leveler. We guessed we would need 2 bags of underlayment. So HH mixed one bag in the garage and took it inside to pour while I began mixing the second batch. Then I brought my bucket of mixed underlayment in {muscles!} just as HH was finishing up with the first bag.

Here’s the first batch going in. HH poured the mixture in small sections and used a hand trowel to gently move the leveler into tight spaces.

He also used a section of 2″x4″ to work the larger areas.

We set a timer for 10 minutes to keep track of how much time we had left before the cement started to set.

With ~four and a half minutes left, we poured the second bucket. At this point, HH was working from the hallway.

After 10 minutes and 2 batches of underlayment, we had a floor covered in wet cement. A few hours later, the floor looked like this…

It’s only cement but it already looks 10x’s better. Seriously. I sat in the hallway watching it dry and dreamt of a finished bathroom. It’s going to be great! I just know it. {See my plans for the bathroom here.}

But we’re not completely ready for tile just yet. The area around the tub plumbing didn’t level up the way we had predicted. Turns out self-leveling underlayment is great for smoothing out minor discrepancies but not major ones. Looks like mixing and pouring more concrete is in our future to get that corner as level as possible.

When do we expect the bathroom to be finished? I dunno. 2014? Hehe. I laugh but it’s totally feasible. We’re just working on it whenever we have a chunk of time to devote to one step of the bigger project. HH has a lot of traveling to do for work over the next three months. We only have a few free weekends coming up but every little project we tackle gets us that much closer to not sharing a bathroom with the little people in our house. I’m stoked.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Peeps from The Tile Shop were at our house earlier this week.

That’s Brian on the left and Megan on the right. Oh, and that’s me in the middle. Brian and Megan work in marketing for The Tile Shop. In the midst of our demolition in 2011, Megan contacted me about collaborating with The Tile Shop. At the time, I had never heard of The Tile Shop. But after checking out a local store {which happens to be only five minutes from our house} and discovering their huge inventory {I’m talking TONS of different materials and aesthetics} and excellent customer service {not only do they suggest tile that fits your needs & desired look but they have DIY tutorials and workshops going on most weekends}, HH and I were more than thrilled to jump on board.

A year and a half later, we still have nothing but good things to say about The Tile Shop. More than once, we called our local store right in the middle of a project to ask how-to questions. We were given on-the-spot advice without any hemming or hawing or “I don’t know. Let me get someone else.” We’ve been around the home improvement store block ifyaknowwhatimean a few times over the last 11 years as homeowners and avid DIYers. Nothing is more frustrating than going into one of those businesses and the most the employees know is what aisle what product is in – if that. Sure, they might be able to point you towards the floor tile and grout but beyond that they’re pretty much useless. Now, I’m not saying that’s been our experience every time but A LOT, yes. Our experience with The Tile Shop was nothing like that. And it can’t be chalked up to brown-nosing either. 95% of the time we called anonymously {meaning they had no idea ‘the blogger’ – that’s what they call me – was on the other end of the line} and had our answer in less than five minutes. Done-zo. So, yeah, we like The Tile Shop. And I wasn’t paid to say that.

Anyway, now that most of the tiling projects are complete and the rooms around them are taking shape, Megan asked if we’d be up for a photo shoot to feature the tile in vivo. It sounded like fun plus we liked the idea of a fire being lit under our youknowwhats to get a few rooms in order. We said yes. For the past six weeks, we’ve been stuffing in as many projects as possible to get a few rooms shoot-worthy. It was a ton of work but it was so fulfilling to see it all come together.

I have to be honest. I did have a minor meltdown right before the shoot. Other than my own photos for the blog, I’ve never been part of a real photo shoot. As the day of the photo shoot neared, I got more and more overwhelmed. I didn’t like not knowing exactly what to expect. I was embarrassed about our unfinished projects – like the exterior, messy garage, non-working front door, gutted bathroom, etc. They weren’t going to be a part of the shoot so it didn’t really matter but I started second-guessing our decision to go through with the shoot. I’m sad to say that I took out my frustrations on HH which was totally awful of me. He was helping out so much – with the kids, the neverending list of projects, meals, cleaning, everything. I was mean to him and I regret it. There you have it. Proof that I’m far, far, far from perfect. I’m not proud of the way I treated him and told him so. We’ve since made up ;) but I owe him big time. HH, you’re the best.

Luckily, by the time the actual shoot rolled around I was over my not-so-perfect hump and things played out smoothly from there on out. Megan and Brian were in town for two days and they were so wonderful to work with! They were very easygoing and not at all stuffy or pushy as I had feared they might be. The first day we made a list of accessories {mostly fresh flowers and greenery} that we needed to style the rooms. Then we spent a few hours shopping around for said accessories. It was during this first day that I mentioned something about a gallery wall {hello, New Year’s resolution!} in the mudroom. {Btw, Megan asked me what we officially call this room. I told her it depends on what we’re using it for at the time. Sometimes it’s a mudroom, sometimes a dining room, sometimes a laundry room. Sometimes we just call it the everything room!} Megan thought it was a good idea and encouraged me to give it a go. So we picked up some frames for the gallery wall too. That night HH and I stayed up late working on the wall. More deets in a forthcoming post but here’s a sneak peek…

Then I was up waaaaaay before dawn cleaning, styling and accessorizing the other spaces.

Now, mind you, we still had three kids at the house during the prep and shoot and had to work around naps, feedings, school drop-offs & pick-ups and even gymnastics practice. The logistics of it all had me in a tizzy but it went better than I could have ever imagined. Layne was at school most of the time. Mabrey was Nap Champion the day of the shoot and that made things easier. She LOVES being around people so she was more than happy to have extra faces to smile at when she was awake. Megan had her giggling on her lap. Everett is pretty much the life of any party. Megan and Brian were really good about letting him ‘entertain’ them with his costumes, fake mustaches and constant questions. At one point, Brian may or may not have had on a stormtrooper helmet.

They let him play photographer at the end of the day which he thoroughly enjoyed. He thought it was pretty funny that I took a picture of him taking a picture. We even managed to get a pic of the entire family together. Can’t wait to see that one.

Everything you’ve read about behind the scenes of a photo shoot are true. One part of the house looks magazine-worthy while there’s a disaster just outside the camera’s view. Photo shoots make you do weird things too.

Like bust out your iron for the first time in over a year. I ironed shirts, towels, even my slipcovered sofa. See above. I washed all the windows inside and out in below freezing temps a few days before the shoot. My hands were frostbitten afterwards. I’m lucky I didn’t have to get all 172 Hours and self amputate. Just kidding. That’s not funny.

For surprise’s sake, I won’t divulge exactly which spaces were photographed but you could probably figure it out. Just think about which rooms have tile in them. As for the pictures themselves, I can’t say just yet where they’ll pop up but I will be sharing them with you when they go live so you can check them out. Sorry. I like surprises.

Megan and Brian are still on the road hitting up some of their stores for photos. Megan texted me this picture today…

It’s a display bathroom in one of their other stores and it was inspired by our master bathroom. Notice the penny tile floor, the textured shower tile, the floating vanity, the round wood mirror and the industrial wall sconce.

Fun fact: The Tile Shop names all of their displays. This one is named “The Dana.” Craziness.

Thanks Megan and Brian! I had a blast. Please come back when our other bathroom is finished.

images: 1-5) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking 6) Megan Hoy for The Tile Shop

So…we had a blizzard yesterday. And thunder. And lightning. Weird winter storm. Anyhow, I promised some updates. Here they are.

Current pics of the painted french doors in the kitchen…

We love the drama of the high gloss finish.

Do you see the snow covering the skylights? It’s much darker in the great room without all that natural light. I can’t imagine not having those skylights. So happy we decided to go for them.

The gloss finish still looks wet to me. It should be easy to wipe down. I wanted to show you a close-up so you can see how the gel paint’s claim of ‘no brush strokes’ held up. The finish is smooth enough but not totally perfect.

Onto the mudroom…

The tulip chairs are here. They are a nice modern contrast to the traditional pedestal table that was a family hand-me-down. They are super comfy too. I’m thinking of recovering the seat cushions with something textural {faux fur?} but HH suggested dying the removable covers to have a second set on hand. What a great idea! I’ve never dyed fabric before. Any suggestions or tips?

We added woven blinds and curtains to the window. The curtains were a great price – $20! – but the tabs at the top looked cheap to me. I cut them off and sewed a rod pocket instead. That did shorten the length of the panels a bit but they fall behind the sofa so it doesn’t matter.

You may have noticed that I changed my mind and slipcovered the small sofa in white cotton instead of navy linen like I had originally planned. I actually got halfway through the navy linen slipcover when I realized it wasn’t going to jive. It’s not a total loss though. I’ll be using the navy linen for pillow covers throughout the house. I DIY’d the slipcover. It’s not perfect but it’s done. And it cost me less than $50. I have pics and details for a how-I-did-it post. I wouldn’t call it a tutorial because, like I said, it’s not without flaws.

The mirror and pillow covers on the table are accessories in waiting. As far as the dining part of the mudroom goes, we have a surprise planned for the wall opposite the french doors. We’re really excited about it especially because we didn’t think we’d have time to tackle it before the photo shoot in January but we have been working our tails off to stay on schedule. Hint: The mudroom might be one of the rooms featured in the photo shoot.

The laundry nook in the mudroom is taking shape.

I painted over the stencil. Womp-womp. Sorry stencil lovers. I loved the stencil but it didn’t feel right. I guess the lesson here is to not try incorporating something just because it’s given to you. The good news is it was an easy fix. I used paint leftover from Mabrey’s room. It’s Benjamin Moore’s dark pewter. HH saw my repainting as a home improvement mistake. I saw it as a learning experience. We see things differently sometimes. If I end up with a result I love and learn something along the way {i.e., stenciled walls aren’t my thing in this house} then I see it as a success – even if it involves extra work. I’m one step closer to the look I’m going for.

During renovation, HH found some old boards in the attic. He salvaged them and used them to construct a reclaimed wood countertop above the washer and dryer. He used wood biscuits to connect the boards to each other for a seamless look then sanded, conditioned, stained them with Minwax’s special walnut and finished them in a semi-gloss poly. Because our dryer controls are at the back of the unit, HH designed a tiered countertop. That way we still have access to the water shut-off and dryer knobs. I have plans for hiding the shut-off and knobs. To be continued…

I sewed curtains from the same type of panels used on the mudroom window to disguise the washer and dryer. We hung them from curtain wire and clips. There is an eyelet ceiling hook underneath the center of the countertop to support the wire. The curtain isn’t as full as I’d like so I’ll probably add more panels. We still need to paint the cleats and vertical support white to blend in better.

Wondering how I access the washer control panel?

Ta-dah! HH cut an access door and added hinges and latching hardware to give me full access to the washer controls and soap dispenser.

The dryer. Not much else to say about that. The laundry nook isn’t quite done but we’re close.

We moved the location of our bathroom hand towel and switched out the towel ring for this one. Confession: I’ve been removing HH’s electric razor from the sink every time I take pictures of the bathroom. We tweaked the bathroom a little to get HH’s razor off the sink once and for all.

We added a shallow cabinet to the wall left of the vanity. We bought it in a birch finish and primed and painted it white.

It’s deep enough to house HH’s razor and toothbrush {What can I say? The man likes his electric toiletries.} but shallow enough not to crowd the sink and vanity.

HH cut a hole in the side of the cabinet to run cords to a nearby outlet. You don’t notice it unless you’re looking at the cabinet from the shower or toilet. I’m just happy not to have HH’s razor staring at me from the sink all. the. time.

And in the midst of preparing for a photo shoot, this is happening…

…undertaking the boys’ shared bedroom? Why not.

As if the holidays aren’t busy enough. Ha! Oh well. HH and I were talking last night and we agree that it feels great to see our house looking and feeling more and more like home with each project we tackle. You have to start somewhere.

Hope you are enjoying time with friends and family this week!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

One of you spied a minor new addition to our bathroom in this as-is house tour post. Do you see it?

Hint: it’s not the lone toilet paper roll. Or the baby bath seat.

Yep. The towels. You may remember that we were having trouble with our regular ol’ bath towels drying out completely since we’re all sharing the same bathroom and, um Ihatetoadmitit, the same towels. Not ideal, I know. But it’s what we’re doing until we can find a good chunk of time to attack the other {currently gutted} bathroom.

Adding a few more towel hooks to another wall or the door would have been another solution but, since the kids will eventually have their own bathroom, we decided to try something that would work now and in the future when extra towels aren’t necessary.

Luckily, the rise of the peshtemal coincided with our bath towel conundrum. If you haven’t heard of the peshtemal {where have you been?} it’s actually one of those ‘what’s old is new again’ comebacks. Peshtemals have been used for centuries in Anatolian steam baths. They’re made of 100% cotton and known to be highly absorbent, lightweight and fast-drying. These properties make them ideal for bathrooms, traveling, the gym and the beach.

I decided to give them a try. I bought two from this etsy shop to start. We liked them so much and they worked so well {i.e., they dry out completely in a short amount of time so no more mildewy-smelling towels!} that I ordered another five during a sale the shop was running a few weeks ago. I bought all different colors and patterns. I like mixing the towels. They add a little fun to our otherwise neutral bathroom. I get way too excited about them.

HH wasn’t sure about them the first time he tried one. I think his exact words were “I feel like I’m drying off with a bed sheet.” But much to his disbelief, the thin little towels do a better job of drying him off than our regular bath towels. They’re like the ShamWow of the bath towel world. They’re that good. Not to mention they look pretty darn amazing too.

As far as washing them goes, I just throw them in a cold wash cycle and dry them in the dryer on low-medium heat. Easy. Once warmer weather rolls around, I’ll probably hang them outside to dry. They just get better and softer with each wash.

The other advantage of the peshmetal is its petite size. They are thinner and smaller than your typical bath towel. The image above shows our seven peshtemals folded and stacked next to a pile of seven of our regular store bought bath towels. This space-saving characteristic is great for our downsized linen closet! All I have to do is donate our old towels. Oh yes, the Great Purge of 2013 is almost here.

Do you own a peshtemal? What’s been your experience with it? I was surprised to learn that peshtemals can also be worn as clothing. {Haven’t tried it yet.} Now isn’t that one multifunctional piece of cotton?!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Currently, we’re living with one functional bathroom – the master bathroom. The other bathroom {the kid/guest bathroom} is completely gutted awaiting renovation. Hang in there lil’ bathroom! We’re coming to the rescue in a few months.

How are we making one bathroom work for our family of five? Easy.

1. We’ve given up on modesty.

2. We’ve perfected the bathroom shuffle.

3. We keep the vanity organized.

Numbers 1 & 2 are difficult to discuss online without being mistaken for an X-rated website. So I’ll skip right to #3.

Our vanity is IKEA’s GODMORGON in high gloss gray. I had wanted a floating vanity and HH wanted something with closed storage. This floating cabinet was the perfect compromise. With a little editing and organizing, we’ve made it functional for the entire family. When we moved in, I condensed our toiletries down to only the absolute necessities. I snapped some pics of the opened drawers and their contents, took a few measurements and made a quick trip to Target to pick up plastic caddies to organize the vanity.

The top drawer is divided into two sections.

The left side is all HH’s. {He doesn’t really use two toothbrushes. One is for cleaning his hair trimmer. We don’t dare put that one in our mouths.}

The right side is what I like to call the community section. Items here are used by more than one person. {Okay, I’m the only one who uses the eye makeup remover in the pink bottle and the Clarasonic Mia.}

The bottom drawer is divided into two sections as well with the left side being a smidge bigger than the right. {The vertical drawer dividers came with the vanity and are adjustable.} This drawer is a few inches deeper than the top drawer so it can house taller items.

The left {i.e., bigger} side is mine. It takes a little work to make me pretty, okay? The caddy I bought for my section was too long to fit all the way down into the drawer but it turned out to be a happy accident. It sits snug in the top half of the drawer, freeing up the bottom of the drawer for a hair dryer that I rarely use. Layne uses it more than I do. I think I’ve used it once since we moved in. In the middle section of the caddy is my hospital bracelet and Mabrey’s anklet from her birth nearly eight months ago. After we were discharged from the hospital, I snipped them off, threw them in with my toiletries and have kept them there ever since. I like seeing them in the morning and remembering her birth. It was a really wonderful experience. FYI – I’ve kept all of my kids’ birth ID anklets. Is that weird?

The right side of the bottom drawer is a catchall. I have backup rolls of toilet paper, sanitizing wipes for quick cleanings {because with two young boys and a bigger boy there are always messes in the bathroom, ifyaknowwhatimean} and chargers for HH’s electric razor and toothbrush. Now that I’m thinking about it, I should probably move the chargers up to HH’s section. Ahhhhhhh! I’m so Type A about these things. Reminds me of elementary school, organizing and reorganizing my school box. Whatever happened to school boxes anyways?

That’s how I stay somewhat sane in the bathroom with one husband, two boys and one baby. Thank goodness Mabrey doesn’t require toiletries yet. Hopefully, we finish the other bathroom before she starts into makeup and hair accessories. Which might be sooner rather than later. That girl’s got a headful of crazy hair!

I’m off to move HH’s chargers! And the answer is yes. Yes, I will sleep better knowing our toiletries are arranged properly.

P.S. – A few readers have asked for pictures of the vanity’s plumbing bits. Here you go. Damn. We in a tight spot. Name that movie.

Plumbing porn. De nada.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

That was the view from the master bedroom to the master bathroom several months ago. Our bed now lives where this photo was taken from. Besides a few renovation changes – completing the bathroom, adding baseboards, installing interior doors – this half of our bedroom looks much the same as it did then. Empty.

There’s actually a decent chunk of floor space between the end of our bed and the door to the bathroom. Which is great for all the bathroom traffic. {We’re still living with only one full bathroom until we tackle the kid/guest bathroom later this winter.} I’ve been looking for something for the wall just to the right of the bathroom doorway for a while. At first, I thought a tall wardrobe like the ones we have in the mudroom would fit the wall well. But we really don’t need extra storage and once I started visualizing a floor-to-ceiling cabinet in the room, I feared it would be too heavy and tall for the room. Everything else in the room has a low profile.

I then began hunting for a low dresser. Preferably midcentury style. But most of the ones I found were too wide for the narrow wall. Until two weeks ago.

This handsome dresser is the newest addition to our home-loving family. I found him via craigslist. An elderly woman was selling him for $225. I offered $175 and he was mine. HH was out of town and the elderly woman selling him was recovering from a double hip replacement so Layne and his muscles helped me load him up and bring him home. {Looks like Layne’s gymnastics training is finally paying off!}

It’s a vintage Willett {you can read more about Willett furniture here} and I have no idea what it’s worth but I was willing to pay $175 for the quality whether it was vintage or not. It’s a sturdy, heavy piece made of solid cherry in good condition.

The brass handles are my favorite detail. I thought about polishing them up but I’m actually liking the natural patina so I think I’ll leave them as is for now.

I cleaned up the wood with Bona – the same wood cleaner I use on my floors. It brought the dresser back to life.

The petite size is perfect for the little corner across from our bed.

It hides the plumbing access to the shower/bath but can be easily moved if necessary. You know me. I’m always leery of water leaks in the house. It’s my recurring nightmare.

I love how the wood tones pick up on the mirror in the bathroom. I’m such a sucker for room-to-room views and this one does not disappoint.

I’ve yet to figure out what the function of the dresser will be since all of our clothes are in the closet. I want to line the drawers but not sure what else will make it into them. When HH works from home and has conference calls, he retreats to our bedroom to avoid screaming kids. He mentioned it would be nice to have somewhere to sit other than the bed. So maybe I’ll add a table lamp to the top and a side chair to the perpendicular wall so the dresser can be used as a makeshift desk. Obviously, the wall could use some artwork or open shelving. Look at me! Ever since we installed open shelves in the kitchen, I want to put them everywhere.

I’m still considering repainting the bedroom and bathroom. The walls don’t look too bad in these pictures but it was late morning on a sunny day when the northeastern room’s light is at its best. I’ve decided to tackle this room from a new angle. I’ve been surprised to learn that many of my favorite designers choose paint colors last when decorating a room. Up until now, wall color has been one of the first things I consider when decorating a room. I think I’ll try finding an area rug, bedding and ceiling light then go from there. I’ll let you know how it goes.

And you know how everyone says to ‘finish’ your bedroom first so you have an inviting space to crawl to at the end of each day? Well. I’ve totally broken that rule. There is crawling involved at the end of each day but not so much ‘inviting.’

Click here to see who won this week’s Cutting Edge Stencils giveaway!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking