Bathroom dreams

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I have mentioned before that we live in an apartment in a house that was built in 1954. Lots of the original décor is still there, but the bathroom was, to our big disappointment, completely remodeled. The previous owners were very proud of it, but we found it absolutely horrid. The lovely tiled bathtub had been removed, a shower had been installed and the sink was made of stainless steel and wood. If you didn’t know it, steel gets grungy much quicker than enamel and wood in a bathroom. Well, no matter how much you dry it as soon as water gets on it, which it does if you only wash your hands, will start to rot. And the tiles on the walls where slightly structured which made them harder to keep clean as well. So remodeling the bathroom was always pretty high on our list, but not quite as soon as now.

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However, the whole house has undergone a complete makeover of the plumbing system and with that a new bathroom, no matter what. As the original bathroom is gone and some of the features of a 50’s bathroom is now out of reach due to regulation, like having tiles halfway up on the walls and then just a paintjob, we decided to go back two decades and go for an Art Deco inspired (not reproduced) bathroom in black and white.

I really wanted a checkered floor but the budget didn’t stretch to that, so now the floors are in black tiles and the walls in white.



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 More annoying regulations meant removing the window sill and installing a completely unnecessary radiator at the most inconvenient place possible. The bathroom is small as it is, and now it is even harder to furnish. I am not very pleased with the company who did it- they could have asked if we wanted that radiator somewhere else and they almost put in a floor in the wrong colour, prison grey, instead. By luck J was at home and could stop them! With black and white in mind we started to look for suitable furniture and to our surprise we actually found what we wanted at IKEA!

The series is called Hemnes and we have already bought the cabinet and plan to buy these two as well.

We also really want a black bathtub but as I said, the bathroom is small, so we haven’t yet decided what kind of tub it will be. We really like the design of this one, even if that harks back even more in time. Oh well, I said inspired, didn’t I?

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The last items on the shopping list are new black and white towels and then I will be able to show you our new bathroom.

Guest blogging at Rose Water

Earlier this summer I was asked by the lady who runs the blog Rose Water if I wanted to guest blog in a feature called “Exceptional Vintage Ladies”. I have known her for years on LiveJournal and I was very happy to say yes. It is the first time I have guest blogged and it was great fun writing the post. So I urge you to pop over there and get a little glimpse into my home. Make Rose Water happy and leave a little comment. Go back and read about the exceptional lady for July, Eva Dress!

Planning a 1940's bedroom

A little over a year ago we found our dream apartment. Five rooms, if you say it in Swedish, a three bedroom apartment if you say in English. Built in 1954, it has two floors- the upper floor is one giant living room with a window in the ceiling, bay windows and a fireplace. Unfortunately it’s only the living room that has all its original features intact, though throughout we still have the original radiators and windowsill in green marble. Needless to say, perhaps, we plan to change things that are far too modern for our taste. Luckily, when it comes to the bedrooms and dining room, it’s just a matter of new wallpapers and a few odds and ends when it comes to details. You have already, I’m sure, guessed that we are going to turn back the dial a decade or so, and do our bedroom in a 1940’s style.