Finding towels

 I wasn't sure what color towels to get as trying neutral colors left it feeling that things weren't right. Then I tried this brick red. It was perfect.

We also picked up some new bamboo soap dishes from Ikea and I got a toothbrush holder from Ross that had a bamboo pattern on it with red butterflies.

I also liked this butter color. I think I will buy a set of these to alternate with the red.

Getting around to the rest of the bathroom

 The new roman shade with valence in the bathroom. Now we can have some privacy when using the toilet and still have the blind open!

For the blinds I wanted something with the look of a shoji screen. I chose roman shades that have larger pleats and let the light come through when closed. To provide a little definition I covered the white valences with another fabric. We have a cherry tree right outside the window so for fun I added some inexpensive cherry blossom decals from target.

Here is a pic. with the blind open. The one on the left covers two windows and operates via a pull loop cord on the right. The other two are top down bottom up. 

The tub surround is bamboo.  The surface is river rock and the tub backsplash is a blue glass subway tile (it looks darker in the pictures than it really is).  All materials from Lowes.

 We replaced the counters with granite but kept our old cabinets. The decals came with birds which my husband had fun putting all around. I don't know if I will keep those.

The granite edge is chiseled. The sink is a rectangular one that I got online for about $70.

The faucet is from Home Depot. I love seeing the water come down the channel.

The finished product with the blinds closed. It definitely feels serene.

The finished product

I picked up some glass mosaic tiles at Home Depot for $10 a sqr ft. I surrounded the whole door with just 1.5 sqr ft. I love the effect. And no grout!


Below is a close up. The edges don't look even due to the light I've got shining on it and the difference in how it goes through the different colors. In reality it is perfectly even.

A new shower from concept to finish

We decided to replace our master shower. I got a few quotes including solid slab granite, tile, cultured marble, and concrete. We decided to go with the concrete for price, ease of care (no grout lines) and design flexibility. The product being used is called permacrete and can be used on underwater applications in addition to driveways and showers. The company we chose is called Resurfacing Tech. http://www.resurfacingtech.com/

Basically they could incorporate any design we wanted. We could have chosen to look like traditional tile, marble etc. But we tend to lean toward the creative.... Thankfully Jamie, one of the owners, has an artistic background and was able to bring our vision to reality.

Concept 1 was great. In fact it is so great I will probably do it in the main downstairs bath right next to the living room which has a mountain theme.


Concept 2 fell by the wayside as too dull.


Concept 3, created by my husband, was applauded by all included our installers.



The colors shown above in the sample boards were two finalists. We went with the blue, grey and beige scheme.



After much fiddling with color and design options (how many diamonds, what color should the border be etc...) the following drawing in a paint program was produced.


The installers have been great. They laid down plastic from the front door to the bath and kept everything neat and clean. In addition the quality of work has been excellent. It is nice to see it all go in following the highest standards of workmanship. As in the end, although the outside is pretty it is what is underneath that counts in terms of it's ability to hold up over time.

Step one was to tear out the old tile, shower pan and concrete backer board. My husband installed a new shower valve. They installed the new shower pan. I chose Swanstone Veritek in bone to match my existing tub and sinks.

http://www.faucetdirect.com/swanstone-r-3448-veritek-single-threshold-shower-receptor-with-fit-flo-drain-34-d-x-48-w/p1142251

Although this product is a great price I would recommend going one step up in quality as this shower pan has some flex to it.

I was thrilled to see the pebble finish when it arrived. Both the finish and the color complemented our design concept.

The next step was to apply the concrete to the backer board. They suggested built in shelves. We loved the idea so they were incorporated. Then the design was drawn on the concrete. Tape was installed over the design. See pics below. You can see some of the pencil drawings and the final in tape.






Then the concrete was put over the tape lines and the edges smoothed. After it cured the tape was pulled giving us grout lines and etched sea creatures.

The next step was to color it with concrete stain. First a background basic beige was applied. Then the sea creature lines were colored in blue. Then an overall blue, grey and beige background was applied to make the slabs look like stone. Next the black border was installed. Then the grout lines recolored blue on the sea creatures and around the border stones.

The finished color scheme. The company brought the concrete out from the wall similar to how a solid slab granite would look.


The dolphin turned out very nice.


We especially like the detail in the turtle.


A close up of the turtle.


The shelves in place.


A view of the whole thing. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get well lit pics in this shower. I don't think the pictures are doing it justice. Still need to put the sealant on (makes it shiny), install the shower hardware, caulk the edges and install the shower door.