Paintings by Kirra Jamison

via Design Files.

European showers

We are trying to find a way to squeeze in a (really) small bathroom off of our master bedroom.  To do so, my sister suggested that we consider a European, no-stall shower.

If properly designed, these can be a great use of space.  If not, they can be a total pain - who likes wet toilet paper?!  Maybe a small glass wall would help.

Of course all of these bathrooms are bigger than ours would be, but they offer some ideas.

From Remodelista

From Remodelista

From Remodelista

From Remodelista

from: apartment therapy

from: Better Living Through Design

from: Remodelista

from: House to Home

from: Apartment Therapy via ELLE Decor

from:  Desire to Inspire

Hmmm... how can I make this work?

Hardwood floors and a corner sink! Black and white! 

I was browsing through Remodelista's bathroom gallery when I stumbled upon this post of the bathrooms at the Ace hotel.  I love it all: the black and white, the old meets new, everything.  I also really appreciate Remodelista's tips for stealing the look at (usually) modest prices.

White subway tile floors! An old coke crate as a foot stool! What's not to love?!

I wonder how complicated it would be to actually fashion your own shower curtain out of canvas.

Scandinavian kitchens

I'm still thinking about kitchens.  We really love the look of the Scandinavian kitchen with open shelves in lieu of upper cabinets but is that really functional?  Will we be kicking ourselves in two years when we don't have enough space for storage?   Is there a way to approximate that look and keep a few upper cabinets? Deep thoughts.

(from made-nyc.com)

(from made-nyc.com)

(Jenna Lyons' former kitchen, from, like every design blog or magazine on the internet.)

(from remodelista)

(from remodelista)
(from remodelista)

Budget Kitchens

We need a new kitchen.  Big time.  Here is what ours currently looks like:

The kitchen is the most important room in the house for us. It's also the most expensive to redo.  We need to find a way to make it a) functional, b) pretty, and c) cheap.  We are thinking that doing it almost entirely white or black and white might be the way forward: you can find nice, affordable shaker cabinets at Ikea, we probably won't get sick of the look too quickly, and we can add color with art and accessories. 

Here are some ideas.