Tiny Shower Solution

If you remember, a couple posts back, we mentioned that we were considering a euro splash panel for our upstairs tiny shower. Here is a picture to jog your memory:


Well, that door idea is quite pricey. About $1,000. Oy vey. Even though, aesthetically, it would look very nice, that is a big chunk of change to spend. Especially with a kitchen potentially on the Nemec horizon. Also, the door would only be able to open so much, with the sink in the way... So we decided to explore other options.

I had this idea to do a short swivel shower rod, kind of like the ones you see on kitchen curtains on... So, we decided to try it.

Weekend Project! Here is what we did:

Step 1:
Order swivel flange to attach to wall. This is specifically for a slopped ceiling, but it works for the wall too.



Step 2:
Get standard chrome shower rod from Target. Have husband saw it down 13 times until it is the proper length.



Step 3:
Ask studly husband to drill and attach flange to wall. Get thrown out of the room for making smart @$$ comments while he is drilling.




Step 4:
Hem too-long shower curtains, since shower ceiling is freakishly low.

Step 5:
Hang curtains and test out.


Oo! That rod needs a little WD-40!



Pretty swanky, huh? Not as cool looking as the euro spray panel, but much more cost effective at a whopping $75... and heck, the zebra curtain is pretty fantastic (just don't look at my sewing skillz up close).

We need to add a couple of items to this idea to make it work better. One thing is those little splash guard deals for the tub corner, so that water doesn't splash over. The other is a little suction cup to the interior shower liner, so that when you are in the shower, you can pull the liner toward the angled wall and suction it to the tile. All in all, the idea works pretty well.

We also did some kitchen and miscellaneous house shopping this weekend. Thanks to everyone for all the great kitchen advice that was emailed. We appreciate it! Of course, we are still exploring our options... We went to a local kitchen remodeler this weekend, where we can either buy just the cabinets, or they can be hired to do the entire job. We really liked the owner, and what they have to offer, so we've got an appointment with them for a measure and consultation in a week. Hopefully that will work out.

On another note, we picked up this mirror over the weekend for $10 at a resale shop. I am debating if I should paint it or not... the wood is in pretty nice condition. Adam thinks makes our buffet look like a dresser, so maybe paint would help. Any votes either way? I bought a taupe color paint... cream might look nice too.




Anyway, here is one last thing... a sort of behind-the-blog short if you will, as we were preparing to shoot the shower scene... don't worry, everyone is clothed!



Until next time!
Carole (+ Adam)

PS: We recommend the movie "Once". Watched it on Friday. Lovely story, lovelier music.

Can you visualize it?

Let the remodeling begin! Or, the "pre" remodeling, that is! We have started to research our kitchen remodeling that we are hoping to do this summer. So, far we've visited Lowe's and Home Depot to get ballpark quotes. Anyone have good or bad experiences with either? Anyone have other recommendations of who to check out?

The sketch above was done by Lowe's. It is kind of hard to get excited about, since it is in black and white, but it is better than what Home Depot offered us (zip). One thing the sketch accounts for is that we plan to knock out our soffit (see below) and have the cabinets go all the way to the ceiling, so that we get the most storage space possible.

For those of you that have been to the house, we have currently have:
• one wall with cabinets
• one wall that COULD have cabinets but doesn't
and
• two walls with doors/windows that will not work with cabinets.

Our options are limited... so, the L shaped configuration is what we will be going with.

Here is a little sketch I did of our current kitchen:


And here is a photo, in case you cannot remember how hideous it looks now:


So far, We've just been searching for ideas and starting to think about budget and timeline.

I saved these pictures below for the cabinet style that I am looking for... I really like the simple slab front. If you notice in the second picture, the wood grain changes directions. I like this, but we've not seen this anywhere. I also like the no hardware look, but I don't know if this is a good idea. Some might suggest that we check out Ikea... however, we are looking for an all wood construction (plywood, no particle board) and I am not sure if Ikea offers that...



On other fronts, Adam has been working furiously on the comic room. Here he is, enjoying his space.



He recently purchased all new comic drawer boxes to house his collection. This method is a far better way for his to store his books versus what he had before (boxes with tops). The drawers allow for easy access to all books, no matter what row they are in. We are planning to build a shelf on top of the box, and then perhaps do something artistic with the fronts of the boxes... tbd.


Also, Adam's parents got him a lovely new lamp for his room. We thought we'd post a video for all to enjoy:



Also, Adam got me this nifty poster for my office:


The band is the Submarines and the poster is by Aesthetic Apparatus. I likey! For those of you Nip/Tuck fans out their, the cast lip sync'd one of their songs, Brighter Discontent, in the final episode of Season 3. It was quite snazzy.

Lastly, muchas gracias to Ray and Missy for this lovely little addition. I think it was meant for the Christmas tree, but he is just too cute to only have out once a year. So, he is perched on the shelf in my office.


Until next time...
Carole (& Adam)