And the winner is...

It turns out I decorate like I renovate.  One piece at a time.  When I was doing my bathrooms, I went to multiple stores for each type of item before choosing my very favorite one.  I looked at quite a few different tiles, faucets, and slabs of marble before the winners took their place on the podium.

The chair for my reading nook now sits cozily in the corner of my bedroom.  I looked around at several until I found just the right one.  Not too big, not to small, and a color that was just right for the rest of the furniture in the room.  Now all I need to do to make it the ideal little corner in which to read is to find the right lighting, and perfect side table.  I may be the world’s most leisurely interior designer, but I always enjoy the result.  And that’s the best prize of all.

‘Tis the season

I live in a festive neighborhood.  These people go all out.  Not over-the-top, in-your-face Griswold all out, but in a pleasant way.  A cheery way.  A way that brings a  smile to your face as you drive those last few minutes home, even though you’ve been sitting in traffic for too long.

So, with all this Christmasy joy these people are bringing to my evenings, it would only be right for me to reciprocate, and put up some twinkling lights of my own.  Alas, it is not to be.  And not because the magic of the season doesn’t live in my heart, because it absolutely does.  Just not in my actions.

This year, despite the boxes of Christmas finery tucked neatly away in my garage, I traded in Christmas lights for chrome.  Gave up putting out Santa, in favor of putting up a new shower.  The time usually spent decorating the tree got transitioned to choosing marble and faucets and tile.  Next year, though, I’ll be sure to keep renovations to the pre-December months, and devote myself to decorating my house.  So it too will bring a smile to the faces of my neighbors.  Instead of just to mine.

Full speed ahead

I’m oh-so-close to the finish line.  The master bath is almost completely done, with just a few small finishing touches left.  But the shower doors that didn’t exist last week are now in, and the super shiny chrome towel bars are a great replacement for the dining room chair I was using as a stand in.  It truly is the space I envisioned.

The smaller bathroom is coming along quickly.  The vanity is in, and it is a huge improvement on the 1989 cabinet it replaced.  The light switch has been moved to another wall, which impresses me tremendously that you can just change up the location of such a thing.  (The fact that I’m impressed is a perfect piece of evidence for why I would never try to tackle electrical work…)  Now, just waiting for the piece of marble I picked out over the weekend to be cut and installed.

Then it will be time to gather all the accessories!  All the nailed down stuff looks great, but decorating will be the final touch.  I’ll get rid of the hodge-podge of towel and bathmat colors that worked for the old bathrooms, and go with something entirely new.  Any votes for the new colors?

Doing my part to boost the economic recovery

Over the last week, I’ve been doing some serious shopping.  Some credit card melting, major mile earning shopping.  I have picked up a slab of marble (who knew a short time ago that I would ever be the owner of such a thing?!?), light fixtures, a sink, medicine cabinets, tile, custom vanities, a TV stand/entertainment center, and last but not least, a dining room rug.  Yep, you guessed it, the bathroom renovation is getting ever-closer, and the decorating continues.

Now, I’ve been picking out these pieces one at a time, without carrying around samples of each, like I was instructed by oh-so-many people.  But I have a vision of this beautiful, modern-but-not-too-modern bathroom, and I truly believe it’s all going to come together in a fabulous way.  Because I like each piece.  Individually, each one is great.  Ergo, they will be great together.  At least, that’s what I’m keeping my fingers crossed for…

A divine design of my very own

I love the input of dedicated designers, and creative contractors, and have greatly appreciated my conversations with them. They have great ideas, and certainly years and years of experience. So, though I may not be the next house featured on HGTV’s Divine Design (yep, one of the many shows I watch far too frequently), I am determined to have a divine design of my very own. Beautiful cabinets to replace the low-budget ones installed in the late ‘80s. Gorgeous countertops (marble, granite, ??) instead of plain old tile and whatever the heck that material is in the bathroom. Adios, fluorescent lighting. Sayonara, blah floors. I’m going glam!

I have the vision in mind of just what these bathrooms and kitchen will look like. No matter that I didn’t go to design school, and certainly am sans a contractor’s license. I’ve searched through Home Depot, Lowe’s, big stone yards, and small cabinetry stores. Though I haven’t found my dream pieces yet, I’ll know them when I see them. While I may not need a deisgner to pick them out for me, I will definitely need professional help in installing them. And then all that will be left is to find a landscaper who can plant a money tree to pay for it all. So if you know of such a landscaper, they’re hired! Maybe I’ll find one at the home show I’m going to this weekend…