room by room :: guest/kids bathroom

While I'm putting the finishing touches on the boys' bedroom, I thought I'd share the design plan for the downstairs guest bath that is primarily used by the kiddos. Keeping that in mind, I wanted the bathroom to be #1 functional and easy to clean, #2 simple and classic and #3 gender neutral. One of our first choices was this vanity and sink combo from Ikea.

Hemnes + Rattviken Sink Cabinet $379 :: Ikea

We spotted these vanities on a "idea gathering" trip early in construction and, individually, picked them out. Then when we were showing each other what we liked...we realized we'd chosen the same ones making these an easy choice. I was inspired by the color scheme and stripe design in this bathroom by Sarah Richardson (one of my favorite designers).

Classic Ensuite :: Sarah 101

In this design, she blended off-the-shelf tiles in white, cream and gray - a combo that I felt was neutral but not too boring and would give me flexibility with wall paint and accessories through the years. Now, to interpret that inspiration for our bath. First I chose the floor tile and grout color (which I also planned to use in the master bath).

American Olean 12X12 White on White Hexagonal Tile $2.57/sf:: Lowe's

Polyblend Sanded Grout in Delorean Gray :: Home Depot

The photo of this grout is quite a bit darker than the actual product when it's dry. I thought the gray was a nice contrast to all of the classic white tile. I had already I painted the walls a very pretty light gray. 

We installed a white tub, deciding on ceramic tile for the shower surround. For this, I wanted a rectangular field (main) tile, but large rectangle tiles are muy expensive! So I searched and searched, configured and reconfigured...I finally settled on this 6X8 tile from Home Depot. In the end, the size turned out just right and the price was awesome!

U.S. Ceramics 6X8 Tile in Bright Snow $2.25 ft :: Home Depot

But of course, I wouldn't be happy with a plain white shower stall. So I broke out my trusty graph paper and designed a stripe pattern that would add some style, but hopefully not be too busy for the space. I found a gray 2X6 trim tile and penny rounds in an almond color.

Daltile Semi Gloss 6X2 Bullnose Ceramice Tile in Ice Gray $0.98/each :: Home Depot

Merola Tile Cosmo Penny Round in Almond (12X12 sheets) $6.97/each :: Home Depot

I decided on two accent stripes that consisted of a 4" band of the almond penny rounds sandwiched between two bands of the gray bullnose. I ordered the accent tiles without getting samples first, but when they arrived, I couldn't have been happier. The gray is almost a perfect match to the wall color and the penny rounds have several shades of cream and almond that give it really nice dimension.

**A little side note of serendipity here: When I was shopping for the gray ceramic tile, I took a chance and ordered the bullnose tiles which were less than a dollar each as opposed to $2.05 for the 1/2X6" flat liner (too thin anyway) or $1.98 for the 2X6" field tile. That was a huge savings! As it turns out, the thickness of the ceramic field & accent tiles is slightly more than the thickness of the penny rounds. So when installed, the curve of the bullnose rounded perfectly to the penny rounds. I'd like to say I planned that all out, but I just got super lucky!

I'm framing the last art prints now and installing a few accents. I'll post shots of the completed room soon!

BTdubbs...Only a week till Christmas Eve!! Heading out now for some last minute shopping, which is honestly, my favorite kind. I love working on a tight deadline! LOL 

Merry Christmas Peeps!

room by room :: boys' bedroom

Before we even broke ground, I started gathering ideas and created a design board for each room. Often, my inspiration is sparked by a fabric that I find (or have in my stash). For the boys' bedroom, I started with an awesome orange slubby linen that I had left over from a previous job, some art and accessories gathered over time and this very cool bed that I found on Pinterest.

The style of this bed was perfect for the "streamlined rustic" look I was trying to achieve. I knew it was a DIY project I could easily tackle and I loved the idea that each boy would have his own reading light.

I had about 3 yards of this slubby linen in a great orange color that I used as the jumping off point for the accent color used throughout the room.

After deciding on the accent color, I pulled the rest of the color scheme together with neutrals that were a variation of the basic khaki and black. I wanted the walls and bed color to have an olive tone and the black to be a softer iron color, kind of charcoal. I chose Benjamin Moore's Camouflage for the walls, Creekside Green for the beds and Raccoon Fur for the chest of drawers & nightstands. Then for painted items in the accent color, I used Orange Blossom.

Both boys love hunting and fishing so I ran with that. Some of the accents I planned to use were a vintage Winchester poster, a group of fish prints in simple frames, a couple of unfinished wooden boat oars that I found at a local marine supply store for $19 each and this "warehouse" style pendant from Home Depot that was a great bargain!

Hampton Bay 1-Light Warehouse Pendant $29.88 :: Home Depot

While I loved the style, the brushed nickel finish didn't quite jive with the rest of the room. So I broke out every DIYer's best friend...spray paint. A quick once-over with steel wool to rough up the surface and a couple of coats of Rust-Oleum's Soft Iron spray paint and it was perfect.

Furniture for the room consisted of the beds (I constructed two queens for this room), a nightstand that just needed a color change, a desk and two Tarva chests from Ikea for just $99 each! These have clean lines, are solid pine and are so versatile (there are tons of hacks all over the web). They were also the perfect size for the space and made it possible for each boy to have his own.

Tarva Chest with 5 Drawers $99 each :: Ikea

 As for bedding, I found these great blankets at Target from their Threshold line in a gray pickstick.

Queen Threshold Organic Blanket in Gray Pickstitch $38.99 each :: Target

I had also previously scored a clearance deal on two striped throws from West Elm. I think I bought them before we even had walls, but a deal is a deal... and they had the exact colors and feel that I wanted for the room. For the window treatments, I've sewn simple roman shades in white cotton duck fabric with the soft iron color as an accent. 

In my next post, I'll show you the completed room and how its all come together...

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first phase :: site prep + framing

After all plans were final and permits were pulled, the site prep began. Add in several tons of dirt plus many hours of skillful grading with the dozer and we were ready to set the poles for the barn portion of the structure. A few days later, the plumbers had done their rough-in; then during the last couple of days in March, the cement slab was poured. Fast forward through several weeks of framing and we have a "dried in" barnhouse!

We were very lucky to have worked with some great subs. Our cement foundation turned out wonderfully. We're planning on staining the concrete floors, so it was important to get the slab just right -- and our concrete man and his crew did an awesome job.

Our framers were meticulous in their portion of the job and, though we did our best to minimize any mid-stream changes, were very patient and accommodating when they did arise.