I think one of the biggest hang ups many of us face when decorating is the fear of making a mistake. Home imporvement projects are not always cheap and when you are installing or replacing something there are many things you need to consider. However, from personal experience I have come to realize that we often settle for something we may not like as much as something else all in the name of resale, or what the latest decor trend is, or what the "experts" tell you should or shouldn't do, and often what our mother says we should or shouldn't do (don't get me wrong, mother's have great advice, but sometimes they may not quite get your style).
Why do we do that? Why don't we just get what we like the most and be ok with it? I think it stems back to our days of schooling and thinking that if we don't pick the right thing, we fail. Guess what? Is there really a "right thing" in decorating? I don't think so. The "right thing" is different for everyone. Obviously there are rules of color and decor which will help, but they don't always apply and can be tweaked to individuals and individual styles. That's what makes decor so amazing.
Many things in this house were in an incomplete state when we bought it and that was more by my design then the choice of the seller. We opted to have him not complete them so that we could finish them the way we wanted. The kids bathroom is a good example of this.
Sorry this photo is blurry.
But it's a good look at the whole bathroom.
Here is one of the shower,
which is where the work really needs to be done.
Since the bathroom is currently in a condition which makes is unusable, it is a top priority before we move in. I was planning on using the existing flooring and finding something I liked to match it for going in the shower, but the truth is, I really don't like the floor tile. It has too much orange. I feel badly since the seller worked really hard on it and actually did a great job but it's going to get ripped out.
Also, it's not a huge space so the cost is relatively low to replace it. If it had been in a larger space, I would have made it work somehow.
So off to the Tile Shop I went a few weeks ago to start looking for exactly what I wanted. There are so many choices, that it can get overwhelming. Since it is the kid's bathroom, I knew I wanted something whimsical but still classy, childlike but still mature. It's a fine balance to get all that.
I decided on the surround tile for the shower pretty quickly. I had found a smaller similar tile at Lowe's, which I may still use once I see how the larger tile looks. It's a white porcelain with a wave in it. It gives movement to what would be just a plain white tile and has a water feel to it. For an accent boarder I decided on a glass circle tile in greens, blues, and grays. It reminds me of bubbles and fun but it doesn't look too kidish. When in came time to pick the floor I went back and forth and finally decided to really go out on a limb and chose a smooth stone/pebble floor. Because nothing else really says whimsy and fun like a stone/pebble floor. Here they are all together:
MANY people (namely my mother and husband) have raised concern about the floor being comfortable to walk on and easy to clean. I can say it is comfortable to walk on. I took my shoes and socks off right there in the store to check. As for cleaning, I guess we will see. I'm not too worried about it.
The important thing is that when I look at all of them together they just make my heart happy. And let me tell you friends, I have learned from experience that if a decor choice makes my heart happy, I'm going to like the final result. I can't wait to see it all together in my space. It will be a small space of extra happiness in a house full of happiness. It really can't get much better.
