Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Kitchen Sink Swap-Out

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Today we've caught wind (no pun intended, it's really windy here today) of a nice simple kitchen makeover. Okay, so maybe it's not a total kitchen makeover, but swapping out the kitchen sink and faucet makes a big difference!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Before & After: Bathroom Facelift

final bathroom shot by amy_b.

amy b over at Flickr has a great example (in photo form) of the whole process involved in remodeling your bathroom.

She takes a kind of drab bathroom and adds mosaic tiles to the shower and a beautiful updated vanity. She does this all while essentially keeping the same color palette, with just a few changes we could spot.

The floor tile brings a darker, yet warmer feel to the bathroom.

And lastly, but probably most importantly, she adds so much room and dimension to the space by knocking down a wall on the right. What originated as a rectangle of a bathroom, now has extra space for cabinets for towels and other storage.

Here's what the bathroom originally looked like...

UGLY:  Bathroom BEFORE by amy_b.

Awesome job.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

DIY: Homemade Bubble Bath!

Today we've got a fun little post from Apartment Therapy for all you people out there with kids or those who find (aka make) the time to soak in a bubble bath from time to time.

If you don't want to go out and splurge on good ol' Mr. Bubble or just like the thought of experimenting with your own suds, we've got the recipe below. Let us know what you think, and if you've got any other ideas to throw in the tub, be sure to leave a comment!
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What You Need

Materials:
4 cups of Water
4 oz Castille Soap (like Dr. Bronner's which you can buy scented or unscented and it's totally green and can be used for cleaning around the house and your body)
3 oz of either Glycerin* or Coconut Oil (both lather well and are skin softeners)
Essential Oil (like Lavender or Eucalyptus)
Container for your concoction (non glass is best for near the bath)
Bath Tub


*Glycerin is any pure soap, normally a transparent bar, made without synthetic detergents. You can buy it online or sometimes at the drugstore.

Instructions

1. Mix water with castille and glycerin or coconut oil.

2. Add 4-5 drops of your choice of essential oil.

3. Mix well.

4. Pour your bubble bath into the container. It should keep for quite a while.

5. Fill bathtub with water and pour in a couple of ounces of bubble bath.

6. Take a deep breath and soak.

Monday, March 22, 2010

10 Fun Posters for your Kitchen

Under $50: 10 Great Posters for Your Kitchen: "
Fun little post today. Need some art for your kitchen? Apartment Therapy compiled a few samples of kitchen inspired posters from crafters at Etsy. I personally like the sausage and egg one. Click through to see them all!

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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Before & After: A Blissful Bathroom Re-Do

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This is a really great, simple, and not too over the top bathroom remodel that the folks at Apartment Therapy posted last week.
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It's a beautiful example of the transformation you can make to your bathroom with a refinishing of the walls and a nice tile floor. Not to mention those fantastic framed mirrors. Besides that, very little else has changed! Same cabinets, lights, and countertops. Very easy remod.

Before & After: A Blissful Bathroom Re-Do | Apartment Therapy San Francisco

Friday, March 12, 2010

Let ‘er Rip: Cool New Home Wallpaper for DIY Room Decor

Let ‘er Rip: Cool New Home Wallpaper for DIY Room Decor: "[ Filed under Furnishings or in the Decorative category ]


This is do-it-yourself decor at its best: wallpapers that provide a framework to let children get creative and adults customize their interior design. More like peal-away borders than traditional wallpaper per say, this idea lets home owners blend the best of stylish professional design with unique, personal and artistic decorative touches. So easy a kid could do it (and does in the photos at the bottom of this page).



Tired of watching the paint peal (metaphorically or otherwise)? This is a bit like wallpapering in reverse. Sound complex? The concept is simple: add the peal-away paper elements to a selected wall surface, decorate with paint on the in-between spaces and pull back the sticky tape-like material to reveal the final design.



Made in modular sheets by a team of designers at ZNAK, the preset patterns are easy to line up accurately with wall and floor borders as well as with one another, ensuring a consistent application across the board (or walls as it were). Removing it is the final step of the process, and much easier than pealing off old wallpaper or paint of course.



As neat as the more geometric and planned two-color examples are, how to install and use these printed pattern sets is a matter of individual choice. Do it yourself and it can be whatever you envision – or, if you are not the artist type, let kids take over the process and you may end up with something fairly abstract though equally (if not more) compelling, as illustrated by the child-drawn piece above.

Australian Inspired Bathrooms Roundup

Australian Inspired Bathrooms Roundup: "

Recently we put our bathroom renovation on hold to concentrate on upgrading our kitchen and now that that's as good as complete we thought it was high time we got back into the bathroom groove. To help get us inspired all over again we've rounded up some of our favorite Australian bathrooms - see them below the jump.

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

10 Small Kitchens from Marie Claire Maison

I feel like we were a little tile heavy on our posts yesterday, and while we still have a slew of posts for all you tile-philes in store, nothing beats a nice kitchen. The photos below come from Apartment Therapy and feature something you don't always see in those lavish cabinetry brochures: small yet stylish kitchens. They're efficient, they're cozy, and they're just as functional as those big McMansion kitchens. Enjoy!




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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Great Kitchen Before and After

The upgrade to this kitchen is fantastic. It's so dark originally! But after a nice upholstering to the cabinets and hardware, as well as a great tiled backsplash, it becomes a bright and welcoming space. From Design*Sponge.


Design*Sponge � Blog Archive � before & after: lexie’s kitchen victoria’s bench