5 Ways to a Luxurious Bath

This week's "5 Ways" post is brought to you by DecorPlanet.com. If you've been following me for more than a week, you have probably figured out that I have put a lot of thought into bathrooms as of late.  With Millie the fliphouse's bathrooms finally coming together, I thought it would be the perfect time to share some of my thoughts on successful and luxurious bathrooms that don't have to break the bank.

1.  Splurge on the sparkle.  And by sparkle, I mean fixtures.  Spend the money on what draws attention.  What could be a generic sink can be instantly transformed with the proper faucet.  Whenever I use a vintage or thrifted sink, replacing the fixtures is imperative to making it look high end.  Joanna Gaines executed this perfectly on an episode of Fixer Upper with this upcycled dresser/simple vessel sink combo.  With a generic faucet, it would be just a nice space and you'd instantly forget it.  With those faucets, it's a stunner.

Similar to what I'm planning in the flip's new master bath, you can recreate this look with your own thrifted dresser, simple vessel sink  and a wall mount faucet such as this Rohl Acqui Bridge Faucet, both from DecorPlanet.com.

2.  Tile- think outside of the box.  With most of my projects, I admittedly try and save a bit of money where I can.  Often times, that money savings opportunity comes with tile.  Thinking outside of the box with tile doesn't mean you have to think outside of the box store.  All you need to do is look at tiles a little bit differently.  This bathroom from Apartment Therapy shows that varying the shape of generic white tiles shows the power of tile.

3. Enjoy the little luxuries.  If you don't have it in the budget for a whole bathroom reno, how about adding a towel warmer?  Who doesn't love getting wrapped in a warm towel on a cool day?  A little touch of luxe can go a long way to making the entire room feel more high end (plus you'll be all warm and cozy: win-win!)

4.  Maximize your storage.  Nothing makes a bathroom feel less luxurious than piles of towels, toiletries, and grooming tools.  Even in a tight bathroom, it's possible to find a place for everything with some creative organization.  If you aren't blessed with tons of built-in storage space, furniture and other vessels can really do the trick.

image via BHG

I'm swooning over this Fresca Oxford Antique White Linen Cabinet from DecorPlanet.  Cross my heart and kiss my elbow, I'd be saying this even without this partnership.  With it's slim footprint and classic door style, it can fit into almost any space and be exponentially useful.  Zazz it up easily with some Anthro knobs.  I can just see 2 of these flanking a beautiful vessel sink and it would be pretty epic.  Tons of storage in a small space.

5.  Accessorize.  Did you not expect me to go there?  It's always the last layer that makes a room, and it's no different in a bathroom.  In addition to a fun mirror and patterned or textured towels, think about what else might be useful and beautiful.  A vessel to stash your everyday items within reach, a stylish makeup mirror to make sure you're ready for your closeup (or selfies), and what about a basket with a few rolled towels for easy access for guests.

mirror: DecorPlanet/ box: Target/ soap dispenser: DecorPlanet/ basket: IKEA/ towels: Target/ makeup mirror: DecorPlanet

Thanks, DecorPlanet.com for collaborating on this post!

Strong Like Bull

This week may be a light week for blogging- my computer's on the fritz again, so my apologies ahead of time. We now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Tubs!  Wait, didn't I already blog about this?  Yes, but now I got one of the 2 tubs that I need and I just KNOW you want to hear all about it!  Or something like that.  In reality, I was searching high or low for someone to tell me how hard or easy it was to move a cast iron claw foot tub and couldn't find anything helpful, so I'm hoping to provide that service to someone else.  I'm only thinking of you.

Have I mentioned before that I love Craigslist?  Only once or twice, I'm sure.  I remember the primitive days when my dad would list things in the Bargain News.  My how far we've come.  I was able to procure an antique cast iron tub in rather good condition for $20.  Yes, $20!  (ended up costing a little bit more, but I'll explain)

The deal was the I could buy this tub from amongst the rubble for $20 IF....

...I moved it down 3 flights of stairs

I'm sure you can see my dilemma.  $20!  yay!  3 flights of windy narrow stairs? boo!  A huge part of my dilemma came from trying to figure out how to move something of this sheer weight.  I'd estimate it around 300 lbs.  With Hubby at work and not willing to call in any friend favors to move a tub for my business, I realized I needed to pay someone.  One moving company quoted me $550 with a truck and 3 guys- that's more than I paid to move all the staging furniture!  No me gusta!  Luckily my next quote was much more my speed.  A man with a van.  Literally the name of his company and he came with many 5 star yelp reviews for helping people move Craigslist purchases.  $170 to help me move it from the 3rd floor, transport it, and move it into Millie?  You got it!!!

Let me tell you, yes a cast iron claw foot tub is heavy, BUT it's not nearly as bad as I was afraid of.  It took Mike the Mover, the seller and me to move it down the stairs.  The 3rd person was honestly only for security and logistics (making sure no one has a tub fall on them).    It definitely helped that the feet were already detached and I would highly recommend that to anyone!

One thing that made it easier is that we were moving it from a house that was being completely gutted, so letting the tub surf (guided and controlled of course) down the carpeted stairs wasn't a problem.  If I was moving it from a house that we'd have to worry about scratching stairs or wall, we'd naturally have to be more careful and take a bit more time, but I would imagine that the process wouldn't change much.

Once on flat ground, the tub was pretty easy to maneuver.  I swear!  It may be heavier than a couch, but it's smaller, so the lack of bulk makes it easier to move in my opinion.  Mike the Mover used a hand cart to get it from the stairs to the front door, then it was furniture dollies from there.  It took us only 2 people to lift the tub onto a furniture dolly and roll it as needed to the vehicle and from the vehicle to Millie.  It even wasn't bad lifting it up 4 stairs to get to Millie's porch.  I'm sure Mike the Mover was skeptical when he saw this skinny girl claiming she could move a tub, but I'm strong like bull!  It didn't take nearly as long as I expected to get it from one place to the other.  Now my new tub is hanging out in Millie's sunroom so I can paint the bottom in a well ventilated area.  I keep flip-flopping between white or black.....

I swear, if you can move a couch, you can move a cast iron claw foot tub!!

So there you have it.  The story of how I got a $20 tub on craigslist, paid $170 for help moving it and a priceless story knowing I'm capable of moving a cast iron claw foot tub.  Now I only need one more for the upstairs bathroom.....

Make it Work: Furniture Vanity

Ok, I totally have a one track mind planning out the new master bath for this flip.  In order to monopolize on this and not completely bore you, I figured I'd turn my obsession into a "Make it Work" post. If you missed the first post in my new Make it Work series, it's all about not just showing you a cool vintage or thrifted find, but also showing you how to make it work in a space.

Today's Make it Work moment comes from the idea of repurposing a piece of furniture into a bathroom vanity.  This little guy caught my eye on craigslist this morning.

At an asking price of $95 (including the mirror) it is not a priceless antique.  Chipping veneer and other cosmetic damage make this perfect for repurposing (contrary to popular belief, I usually refrain from painting quality pieces.  This is not).

If done right, a repurposed furniture vanity looks like it was always meant to be that way.  I love almost everything about this bathroom from Better Homes and Gardens and it raises the vanity question- old or new?  In this case, it's probably a vintage-inspired new piece, but why go vintage-inspired when you can go true vintage?

Sadly in my soon to be master bath, there isn't enough room for a double vanity, although if there was, this buffet would make for a dreamy double vanity.

Returning to the little guy I showed you at the top, how would I make it work... so to speak...

One option would be to simply add a vessel sink to the top like so:

(I'd like to credit the original source, but pinterest dead-ends me.  Help if you can!)

In the case of the craigslist piece we're looking at, I'd go for a new marble or stone top with undermount sink.  The fun part here is for a stone piece this small, you have a very good chance of being able to get a steal of a deal on a remnant piece from a countertop installer.

1/ Farrow & Ball Lulworth Blue- this cool gray blue painted vanity on top of my planned wood floors would be heavenly.

2/ Rejuvination's Jordan Valley Sconce is the perfect mix of modern with a nod to craftsman

3/ Hello statement mirror, how are you today? Brooke Mirror via Z Gallerie

4/ Vintage-inspired faucet- Rollins Faucet via Rejuvination

5/ If no budget remnants are available, this Carrara top from Home Depot would do the trick

So what do you think?  Should I pull the trigger for this new master ensuite and repurpose a vintage piece?