28 April 2013

When one door closes, you get a new window

Last October, after thinking about if for a few years, I finally had my bathroom remodeled. K asked me about it tonight and I realized that I shared pics over on FB, but never posted anything about the process here. So...here we are. Better late than never!

First of all, it was a giant process to just to find a contractor who wasn't trying to finance a new boat or their kid's college education with my bathroom remodel alone. Ugh. Seriously, I had one contractor who gave me a quote that was five times higher than what I actually paid the contractor I ended up choosing. It was ridiculous.

So anyway, the process went so smoothly once I found my contractor and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to. My contractor was great to work with. I think it really helped that I had been thinking about this remodel for years. I already knew exactly what I wanted the finished bathroom to be, so going into it, there weren't a bunch of things I had to make decisions about.

Not going to lie, it was a little dicey to be without a bathroom - this is the only bathroom at Casa Starr Fish. Let's just say I got by with a little help from friends and family. Traveling a few days to New Orleans for work also helped. In all, the demolition of the old and the construction of the new took less than two weeks.

Are you ready to see how it all came together? Who doesn't love before and after images? First, let's look at how yucky the original space was:

Old gross tile in the shower. And yes, behind that mini shower curtain, that's a window in the shower. A regular, wood frame, double-hung window In.The.Shower.

Not for long!!! Along with the wall tile, that window was the first thing to go! 

This is the exact kind of window I had envisioned in all  my bathroom remodel dreams. The contractor just made a larger, wider space for the new window and filled in the leftover space from the old window. I don't have images, but they even did a fantastic job matching the siding outside. It doesn't even look like the old window was ever there.

TaDa! This is how cute the new bathroom looks! I had the lighting updated. Also replaced the old tile floor with new tile. And replaced the old crusty sink with a new sink and sink cabinet.

 Here's a peek behind the curtain at the new window and shower tile. The window and tile make me so happy! It's perfect!

Here's a close up of the sink and sink cabinet and you can also see the floor tile. The sink and cabinet are from IKEA. Originally, I wanted to put a pedestal sink in, but when I was sourcing materials, I realized even the smallest pedestal sink would not fit properly. It would have overwhelmed the space. So this is what I came up with and it's quite perfect. 

So there you go! That's the story of my bathroom remodel. If you have any questions, drop me a line or leave it in the comments.

26 April 2013

Valtari


Sigur Rós: Valtari on Nowness.com

When I first came across this video months ago, I watched/listened repeatedly. The song is really working for me today. Can't. Stop. Listening.

And the dancers? They make me want to go back in time and take dance classes. Or take them now. Unbelievable!

Oh, and a warning if you're at work...shirts come off at the end of the video, so it's slightly NSFW, but in a really artful way.

16 April 2013

Don't you worry...

Struggling tonight with lots of heavy feelings about Boston, about the state of our world. What it all means. What I'm supposed to do. I was sitting in a quiet house feeling all those heavy feelings and I realized these lyrics were going through my head:

"Don't you worry, don't you worry, child.
See heaven's got a plan for you.
Don't you worry, don't you worry, now"

As kooky or hokey as it might sound...I believe it. I'm having a really hard time waiting...but I have to believe it's all for a reason.

I hope you are well tonight, knowing there's a plan for each and every one of us.