Guest Post: How to Effectively Plan and Design Your Small Bathroom

Posted in Guest Posts by Tanisha

I am so honored to host my very FIRST guest blogger today! Please welcome Sue from My Bathrooms who will be sharing some great tips on small bathroom design! They’ve got tons of great bathroom products so please be sure to check them out! They’re all yours, Sue 🙂

Hello! I am Sue and I blog over My Bathrooms blog. I am very thankful to Tanisha for giving me a chance to post on her amazing blog today! Small space is an issue for almost everyone especially when it comes to making that small space turn into a utility room like; a bathroom! Here are few of my ideas to make the most of the space available and turn it into a fantastic bathroom.

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Your bathroom is important, so when you are planning a new bathroom layout, it is important not to rush into any decisions or skimp on your fittings and materials. Your bathroom is going to be a high-traffic area and this should be taken into account from the moment the mere idea of a bathroom is conceived.

Quality Wins

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Do not ever be tempted to skimp on the quality of your bathroom furniture and fittings. With all the use that your bathroom is subject to, you will benefit from buying the strongest and most durable products that you can afford. Solid, well-made and durable should be your watch-words as cheaper, poor quality products will not last very long. Accept this fact and include it in your budget – even if this means that you have to wait a while longer for your dream bathroom

Keep a Tub

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Unless you know for sure that this is going to be your home until you die and that your tastes will not change over the years, do not just have just a shower installed. IF you may sell the property as some stage, it is wise to remember that buyers want bathtubs in their bathrooms! If you can fit both a shower and tub, do so by all means, but if there is only room for one option: choose a bath! You can always install a power shower over the bath so that you can enjoy the benefits of both options!

Call an Expert

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Unless you are very confident with your plumbing skills, call out a professional to perform the actual installation. You will be glad you did, when your wise action saves you years of needing to call out emergency repairmen and suffering endless damage, annoyance and frustration from never-ending leaks and other problems!

Storage Ideas

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Small bathrooms bring large storage problems. Here the best idea would be to use floating shelves which are really easy to install and does not occupy much space as well. You can install them above your toilet to make the most of the free space available. There is also a lot of space wasted beneath the sink area. You may either install a classic vanity unit with drawers or simply hang a curtain across the sink like a veil to hide your bathroom essentials behind it. The idea here is to utilize the free space for storage as much as possible. So take a good look around your bathroom and make room for your stuff!

All the Tricks of the Trade

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Research and then use every applicable decor trick in the book to make your bathroom appear lighter, brighter and more spacious, from large mirrors, to wider tiles to using a light-colored décor scheme and installing a good lighting system in the room. Choose your bathroom colors carefully and make sure that you use the same careful attention to detail for everything, from expensive bathroom suites to cheap and cheerful accessories.

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It cannot be emphasized enough, how much you need to plan each and every step of the way. Even a small unforeseen circumstance can see your new bathroom taking so much longer to create and costing you more than you can comfortably afford!

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Thanks, Sue, for that amazing advice! Just because your bathroom is small doesn’t mean it can’t be gorgeous! However, it is so important to make sure you use your limited space as efficiently as possible. I couldn’t agree more with the quality tip—you can absolutely get a bigger bang for your buck when working in a smaller room. Thanks so much for sharing!

Are you interested in guest posting? Contact me at info@myknottedlife.com!

17Mar2014

Spring has sprung!!

Posted in DIY Renovation, Family Room, House Tour, Living Room by Tanisha

Spring is here and I couldn’t be happier! I’ve made my first (of many, I’m sure) Homegoods run to deck the place out 🙂 I always luck up at this store…remember my amazing Homegoods find for my dining room? Get ready for pastels, flowers, and pops of fun!

The family room is the center of our home, so I had to give our fireplace mantle a little TLC.

For this Spring, I wanted to bring the outdoors in. I can almost hear the birds chirping!

It’s amazing what switching out a few accessories does for a room. It makes it feel brand new!

New pillows and a few spots of Easter charm warms our living room.

My favorite spring accessory didn’t come from a store…

These little surprises just popped up in my garden 🙂

Happy Spring!

Linked up with Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, Cozy Little House, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

27Aug2013

Dining Room Makeover- Discovering my Inspiration

Posted in Dining Room, DIY Renovation by Tanisha

Believe it or not, having a dining room was on my “must have” house hunting check list. I know, I know, this is the least used room in the house (right next to a formal living room….which was also on my must have list…). But for me, all I could think of was hosting formal dinner parties for friends, Thanksgiving celebrations, or even just a space to use for crafting get togethers with the girls! And above all, I feel so grown up by being able to say I have a “DINING ROOM”! Is it silly–yes. Does the thought of this room make me smile inside– absolutely. So, there you have it.

Because this is one of the first rooms you see when you enter into my foyer, I knew that I wanted to tackle this space immediately. Below are a few photos of what it looked like when we first moved in:

Not terrible. The bones were definitely there:

The floors were in great shape and a nice color
The chair rail and crown molding were already installed
The room got a lot of light due to the bright front window

All this room needed was a little paint and some creativity!

Whenever I start designing a new space, I like to work off of a piece of inspiration. This inspiration can come from a movie I saw, a room I saw on pinterest, or simply a fabulous pillow I found at HomeGoods! What’s great about using a piece of inspiration is that it helps you to streamline your thoughts and focus on what you really want the space to evolve into. You know you want the room to be “pretty”, but what does that really mean?

For my dining room, my inspiration came from makeovers done by fellow bloggers:

Photo coutesey of houseofhydrangeas.com

Photo courtesy of makeupalley.com

I knew I loved the spaces above, but exactly what was I trying to convey in my space and how would I get there?

The easiest way to use inspiration, especially when in the form of a photo, is simply to copy. If you are new to decorating or just love everything in your inspiration space already, then go ahead– go out and try to recreate the room piece by piece. If you can’t find the exact pieces, follow the same furniture lines or curtain patterns and you’re sure to be successful in your design.

However, if you’re like me and you want to put your own spin on an idea and make it truly your own, then follow my 3 Inspiration to Imitation Guidelines:

Hue
Mood
Elements

Let’s look at them each in a bit more detail.

1. Hue– I use the word “hue” instead of “color” on purpose. You don’t always need to copy the exact colors in your inspiration to have the same feel in the room so avoid using specific colors to describe the hugh of the room. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes you’ll want to find that same wall color because it’s sooo right (as you’ll see I did below), but it’s not always necessary.

In my inspiration photos, what really spoke to me about the hue was the fact that the room was light and airy. I knew I wanted to focus on flowing fabrics and cool neutral tones.

2. Mood- When evaluating the mood you want to create, ask yourself “how does my inspiration piece make me feel?” Do you feel vibrant? Do you feel welcomed? Do you feel serious? Do you feel playful? Make sure it’s a feeling you want because chance are if you feel that way, your guests will too!

For me, my inspiration piece feels both elegant and casual. It is well put together but not overly thought out. I don’t feel uninvited to the party as I would in something perhaps a bit more formal. But I also don’t feel that I would want to crash in the room with my sweat pants on!

3. Elements- Once you figure out the mood, you need to identify what elements make you feel that way. If you’re using a pillow, maybe it’s the fabric or the shape. If your inspiration is a place, perhaps it’s the vibe of the city. This is where you can start to get specific.

The mood I felt from the photos was casual elegance. Some of the elegant elements I love are the wainscoting in both photos and the fabric chairs in the second, while the casual elements include the light window treatments instead of heavy drapery and the use of a wooden farmhouse table rather than glass. I also love that neither blogger chose to go with a traditional crystal chandelier.

Now you’re ready to identify what you want to keep from your inspiration, what you want to change, and what you want to add to the space.

In my design, I want to keep the wall color, the white molding, and the fabric chairs. However, I want to change the curtains to something with a more floral print and will not be using a china cabinet. To really make it my own I would love to add a bit of shimmer through my accessories.

Here’s a quick look at how I’m doing so far!

Still have a long way to go (you’ll notice I don’t even have my table yet!) but having a little inspiration goes a long way! Keep in mind the 3 Inspiration to Imitation guidelines and you’ll have the space you’ve always dreamed of!

Here’s to hoping your inspiration finds you!