A Little Hallway Update with Lowe's

After moving to the lakehouse, Hubby and I tackled a ton of budget-friendly, temporary makeovers to make this house feel bright and modern - and "us" - while we planned and saved for major renovations.  I'm so glad we took the time to do those spit & polish type projects because, other than the main bathroom, all of our major renos (full kitchen, laundry room and powder room gut, new roof and siding, new fireplace and secret door, fish room to laundry room conversion, etc.) had to take a back seat to some major life upheavals.  Although I love the temporary changes we made, I have to admit that I have been feeling a strong urge to pick up a sledgehammer and demo something!  I really want to renovate - probably motivated by motivated in part by the fact that all of our appliances are failing at once - but I have to cool my jets a little bit longer.  I'm so excited that I have had this fish room makeover to work on to satisfy my need for change.

In the meantime, I've been focusing on making small tweaks to our decor.  I've been eyeing the kitchen for a little upgrade and I have been dedicated to finding some missing puzzle pieces to finish the budget-friendly makeovers we did early on.  There are definitely some decor pieces that we have needed to help make our home more functional and help some spaces feel more complete.

Luckily, I have Lowe's Canada to help me out!  They have new home decor themes and one collection - "Modern Nostalgia" - definitely has my name on it, so I brought home a few accessories that are as practical as they are beautiful, in the hopes of putting some finishing touches on previous makeovers - and satiating my urge for change!

I'm sharing the piece with the biggest impact today, but come back to see a few more peeks into the fabulously curated decor finds from Lowe's Canada.

After painting the hallways walls, trim, and doors white, upgrading all of the interior levers and exterior door hardware, we replaced all of the boob lights and even switched out the dated door for one with a more mid-century modern inspired look.  We hung up some art and added the only piece of furniture the small space can afford: a little hand carved stool.  Most recently the floors were painted, along with the kitchen, but there was still a missing puzzle piece: a mirror!  

Whenever I wanted to fuss with my scarf or check my lip gloss before heading out the door, I'd either run back to the bedroom to use the full length mirror in there, or dash through the laundry room to the half bath and use that mirror. 

I had forgotten what a wonderful thing it is to have a mirror by the door!  Plus the hallway can be a little dark at times because even with the wonderful windows, our exterior door is often sheltered from the sun thanks to our carport.  So this Columbia Frame mirror helps bounce a little light around.

It's a beautiful addition to the space, adding warmth to my cool color palette of blues and whites.  It's made from solid reclaimed wood with a hand waxed finish, which adds a lot of gorgeous texture and interest. 

After I ordered it, I was worried it would be too chunky or too rustic, but although the diameter of the frame is very substantial in size (31/5"), it still feels delicate.  Plus I just love how the hand waxed finish plays on the lakeside vibe with its driftwood feel.

In my city, Lowe's Canada took over a lease at one end of our shopping mall and that's where the BEST parking is, so I always park there and slowly loiter my way through Lowe's to enter the mall.  I am so excited that Lowe's stocks beautiful home decor in addition to renovating supplies because I love browsing the aisles but I'm not quite ready to start appliance shopping or picking out tiles yet!

Soon, though, soon...

I was provided product and compensation by Lowe's Canada, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sconce Mirror Sconce Mirror Sconce

Many of you have been with me since I was working on my PhD.  After all that schooling, you would think I might be a sparkling conversationalist, right?  Nope.  For the last weeks (okay, months), anyone who talks to me gets about ten minutes to blather on about whatever non-bathroom topic they favor before I pounce on them with a dizzying array of questions.  Do you think I should go with chrome or brushed nickel?  Should I buy this sconce or this sconce?  Sconce mirror sconce mirror sconce, or sconce mirror sconce sconce mirror sconce?  Or no sconce?  Who did your tile work?  Is this too tall for a stone backsplash?  What half of this quartzite slab do you like better?  Do you know anything about towel warmers?

Don't tell my friends and family that you got to hear about tweed, my office, agate coasters, and even a funny Szuka story to break up the bathroom monotony - I haven't been so kind to them.  There has been no reprieve.

The bathroom reno is coming along, slowly but surely.  You'd think most of the decision-making would be done by now, but I have this sinking suspicion it will never end.  I recently splurged on something fabulous and made a pretty big adjustment to the plan.  Originally I wanted sconce, round mirror, sconce, round mirror, sconce.  An extended version of the two bathrooms, below.  Cute, right?

Sarah Richardson

My Domaine

I picked out the Purist Sconce by Kohler, so the finish would match the faucets perfectly (matchy-match-match).  But when I measured everything out, there wasn't room for that arrangement unless the mirrors were very skinny rectangles, or we ditched one sconce and then mounted the remaining two very high, like in this bathroom (although I think they still have more room to play with than us).  We didn't have room for any gaps between the tower and the first sink, like in this bathroom, because we wanted to maximize the storage in the walnut cabinetry I picked out.

I jettisoned the sconce idea and decided to go with lights above the round mirrors, but then I saw Kristin's bathroom makeover.  She used the purist sconces and they look as good as I thought they would.  I know that many people have grown weary of sponsored posts on blogs, but sometimes I like when brands partner with bloggers to review products.  I appreciate the chance to get a better look at items I'm considering purchasing, especially because many stock photos of products don't have a context, or are heavily edited, so it's difficult to get a good feel for how something will look when it's installed/used.  Seeing Kristin's photos definitely sold me.

Bliss @ Home

Bliss @ Home

Those SCONCES!  So good.  And there's a nightlight in the bums.

I decided that I had to make them work.  I didn't relish the idea of super skinny mirrors though and, truthfully, once we start dismantling the bathroom, I realized that I really didn't want to part with my large sheet mirror at all.  I've grown accustomed to how much light it bounces around, which is nice in our bathroom which, although it has a window - luxury! - isn't terribly bright.  Without that big mirror, it felt a lot smaller and darker.  So I decided to go with something a little nutty.  We're going to keep a large frameless sheet mirror (we'll get a new one cut to fit the space) and mount the sconces directly on the mirror, like so:

My Paradissi

HomeAdore

HGTV

How to Decorate

I know that many folks don't love large, unframed mirrors; they are often dismissed as "builder's basic," but I happen to like the look - as long as it's a LARGE mirror.  I think it suits the modern, mid-century mod space I'm crafting.  But, more to the point, I want to push the sconces as far to the edges of the mirror as possible (with the third in the middle) so they don't obstruct our view of our lovely mugs in the mirror.  Plus, I don't want to pull attention from the gorgeous grain of the walnut, the busy quartzite counters, or the aqua sinks (yay!).  The vanity area will pack a punch, so a simple mirror situation - as opposed to a frame in yet another material - won't compete for attention.

If you're a little dubious about my frameless mirror choice, I promise - it can look really good.  In fact, many of the inspiration photos I've been sharing throughout the bathroom planning process boast this look.  I'm excited but also a tad nervous.  We're got a lot of the wiring changes done, but we still need to move the wiring for the new sconces, which means some very, very, careful measuring.

Oscar V

Desire to Inspire

Design Milk

HGTV

Habitually Chic

Desire to Inspire

Kerf

I'll share reno progress photos soon, but right now it's just bare studs and wiring, so it's hardly riveting.  Although I did get an exciting delivery yesterday (aqua sinks, be still my heart)!

Read more »

How to Stencil a Mirror - A Feminist DIY Craftivism Project

I recently made a cute and poignant feminist DIY project that I'm so thrilled so share with you!  As you know, I'm pursuing a PhD in Feminist and Gender studies and I've been struggling for a way to combine my academic pursuits and my passion for making things.  This craftivist project combines my two loves perfectly - and there's even some mint and a yard sale find involved!

I just love how my stenciled mirror turned out!  Thanks to the help of a custom stencil, I stenciled an important feminist message on a mirror, as a daily reminder of the social construction of what is beautiful.   I need this reminder in my life.

Here's how I made this stenciled mirror:

First I painted a cute, ornate frame that I found yard saling last summer.  Using a small paintbrush, I primed it first, then applied three coats of a pale, pale turquoise (the same paint I used for the framed bakelite brooches).  Spray paint would make this task a little easier, but I started tackling this project when it was still too cold to paint outside.

Unfortunately, my attempts to simply tape off the frame were ultimately unsuccessful because you could see the underside of the frame reflected in the glass.  Oops.  So, I quickly took it apart, painted the back and inner edge of the frame, then put it back together.

Word to the wise: take a mirror apart before painting!

 
Now for the fun part!  I was inspired by this feminist warning I saw on Pinterest:

via Pinterest

I ordered a custom stencil from Stencils Online with these same words.  Stencils Online create amazing custom stencils and are super DIY savvy.  Once I had sent over my designs, they provided me with proofs, offering me a variety of options and making sure I was 100% happy during the entire process.  Once I was satisfied with the font, size, and layout, I was sent two durable, polyester film (Mylar) custom stencils.

I used a temporary spray adhesive to keep the stencil from slipping once it was positioned in place.  I covered everything but the stencil with newspaper and then I lightly misted the stencil with thin, even coats of white Krylon Primer (leftover from these play kitchen projects).  I figured primer would grip the glass really well - just rolling on latex paint did not work.   

It kind of looks like it has been etched, no?  That could actually be another way to emblazon a mirror with this feminist statement, but spray paint was easy and affordable for me.

It looks more faded in the photos above because I took them at an angle to avoid getting yours truly in the shot.  Do you have any idea how darn hard it is to photograph a mirror? 

Now I have a beautiful "new" mirror, with a feminist twist!  And my penchant for ornate mirrors has officially blossomed into a full-blown obsession!  Remember my DIY magnetic message board, card display and vintage framed bakelite brooches? I need a support group.

If you're thinking of doing a project with custom stencils, alphabet stencils or decorative lettering, I highly recommend Stencils Online because their customer service, pricing and product can't be beat! 

Curious about my second stenciled mirror project?  Click the link to see!

Read more »