{bathroom inspiration}

i shared with you a photo of my bathroom recently, but did you see it before the renovations? oh my... bathroom before. this was after we moved everything out of it that grandma had inside. not very modern! there was also a built-in closet that we removed to allow for more space since we plan to put a compact waschmaschine to the left of the sink. man, check out that scary toilet complete with tank right near the ceiling. yikes! circa what, 1910? bathroom immediately following renovations... now it is time to decorate and create a relaxing retreat... i would have selected different materials, but i told the landlord white everything and this is what resulted. wish they had used white grout, i dislike the gray so much but we don't own it, it looks better than before, so i can't complain. i did hear that home depot has a grout colorant though in case i wanted to spend days changing it to white. hmmm. how motivated am i?

bathroom mood board, after photos will follow in a few months.

notes:

palette/materials: soft lilac, plum, shades of green, gray, white, black. metal accent: hammered silver. wood: teak, bamboo accessories: a few candles, an orchid, and beauty products on the shelf below the mirror. definitely want to add warmth through some natural wood elements. mirror: i'm replacing this one with a larger one (width and height) that is a bit more ornate with a hammered silver frame or something carved... in silver, maybe in white. walls: the untiled portion of the walls along the top i plan to paint in a deep plum, or light gray, i need to be 'in' the actual space to decide. the gray may only serve to enhance the lovely grout so perhaps i should head more into the light purple tones. had thought wallpaper it but for now i'm holding off. lighting: give the bathroom a pretty chandelier-like pendant, unsure as to how i see this right now... or a lantern with punched out holes or something exotic looking. i thought of a simple paper lantern but i need to get to germany, go shopping, and see what catches my eye. floors: want a long runner on the floor and a natural wood stool with towels stacked on top. storage: a sleek cabinet between the toilet and the bathtub would look nice but may block the natural light from the window but since the opposite wall may not fit one being that a rather large floor-to-almost-ceiling radiator is there. but it's white and a great space for hanging towels (i do love a hot towel in the winter!). i may opt to add some built-in storage beneath the sink instead for the hair dryer, cleaning supplies, misc. beauty products, toilet paper rolls, etc. that sounds like a better plan over vertical storage. something along these lines...

via: villeroy & boch. on wheels with a cushion for seating so i can roll it out to polish my twinkle toes. ;)

not red! but something like this beneath the sink perhaps. streamlined, white, no frills. also from villeroy & boch but i can get something less expensive from IKEA i'm sure. or hire someone to just build it for me. this is a leap out of my comfort zone, i would not gravitate towards this palette naturally. but after much recent self examination i realized that my hatred for all things purple is a bit harsh and unfounded. i decided to embrace lilac and plum. it's relaxing and spa-like. it clears my head and that is really what i want this vacation home to be about. a space that isn't so overloaded with what i am familiar with that i don't feel like i'm in europe. visiting this little city retreat should serve to inspire and refresh both my husband and i. using colors that allow for this is key. i'm going for it, lilac in the bathroom! a vacation home is the perfect opportunity for this sort of thing i think, experimenting. viva la chance!