Back in the bathroom

Hey, I'm finally able to share all the shots by Angus Fergusson (including the spooky before snaps) from that bathroom project I did with Canadian Family mag. It's a pretty sweet makeover and, I hafta say, quite the dramatic change from a bathroom that looked liked something out of the Bates Motel into a bright, glossy and very practical space.

Here are the deets: We re-used the perfectly sized vintage sink (after a very good clean that involved Polident tablets), then changed out all the other fixtures and fittings to pieces from Kohler, including a v. smart WaterSense Escale toilet. We subway tiled from floor to ceiling, and then finished the sloped ceiling in tongue-and-groove, both scored at Home Depot. The floor was penny tiled in marble from Saltillo which, apart from being gorgeous, is nice and safe to walk on with wet feet (and yes, the floor was heated too, with a True Comfort kit from Home Depot). Shelving was added in above the loo, and two marble-lined nooks were added in in the bath area (the surfaces were angled slightly so they drain properly). Finally, the pretty shower curtain was custom made by Tonic Living, and the towels and bath mat were a mix-and-match between Anthropologie and HomeSense. What do you think?

A swift little before and after

While I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off rustling up pieces for my space at IDS10 I realized that I needed a chair. Not just any chair, but one that felt vintage and cool, yet was bathroom appropriate. So, I headed to Mieda Design - the upholstery shop I always use - and talked my friend Dan into swiftly re-doing one of his own chairs for the space. That grubby old orange chair below had been sitting looking sorry for itself on the shelf for oh, nearly 10 years, and Dan had never gotten around to re-doing it. The original foam upholstery had totally died (and was turning to dust), so it was high time for a makeover. I needed vinyl to make the chair feel like a fit for the bathroom space, so we plunked for a Maxwell Fabrics number in a glossy and slightly crinkled antiqued metallic silver. Dan sprayed out the teak base in a basic black (yes, horror-of-horrors, lol, but if you ask me, I think it looks great) and managed to get the chair redone in under a week. Anyways, take a look below at the before and after shots. And the chair? After its stint at IDS10 it's now sitting pretty in Dan's living room.

It's all about that ottoman

That darned Samantha Pynn is at it again, lol. The second season of Pure Design has launched on HGTV in Canada and in the US and, well, as ususal she's making the world way prettier, one interior at a time. Sam's a mate of mine, so I know all about the incredible amount of work she, and her design team (hello Malcolm and Julia!), put into every space. The loft space that was revealed this week has caused quite a stir, and it appears that everyone - me included - is drooling over that delicious striped ottoman. And of course the whole thing is beautifully styled, with a lovely mix of furniture, accessories and art. Yum!

Take a boo below at the before and after snapshots of the space and, for even more Pure Design love, you can become a fan of the show on Facebook here, as well as follow Sam on Twitter here.