A year ago we finished this powder room, and today is its ‘mini reveal’. I have no idea why it took me so long to shoot it – probably the fact that there was zero sense of urgency to do so, and everything else was more of a priority… But the people need to see the powder room. And today is that day.
First – what did it look like before?
It was squeezed inside the laundry/utility room that could only be accessed through there. The house is 100 years old so it had some quirks, and I think it was meant more for the help than for the public. Previous owners put in a shower, probably because there was only one upstairs at the time.
To create a proper laundry room and give access to the powder we moved it forward, got rid of the shower, and stole from the closet that used to be in (what is now) the playroom.
The entry was totally closed off and dark, but now the whole first floor is so open and family friendly.
The footprint is definitely small, so we needed to add some charm, and as we all know a powder room is a great place to have a little fun, design-wise.
So I put up some paneling and planned on wallpapering above it.
Now as you might remember we were rushing to get into the house and we had some deadlines so to pass code we plugged in this Ikea cabinet and faucet. That space was small and couldn’t really handle a big vanity. We originally wanted a pedestal but due to a miscommunication it was plumbed for a cabinet, so the pedestal wouldn’t really work (even with Ginny and Mel ON IT it’s easy to make some mistakes if you are rushing, which we really were).
The vanity was fine, but not special and certainly the faucet wasn’t the style that we wanted.
So I asked you what we should do and gave you three options:
The overwhelming response was #2 – convert the music cabinet to a vanity. GREAT. That was what I wanted, even though it was going to cost far more than just working with the ikea cabinet. So we cut down the legs, hollowed it out and put it in there.
I’m sad to say that not only did it not work, but that somehow I have NO photos to prove it. Essentially it was too small to fit a sink and a faucet. And a vanity without a sink and faucet is pretty darn silly. If we hadn’t already wallpapered I could have done a wall mount faucet and a vessel, but I did and didn’t want to break open the wall. It just wasn’t big enough to put an undermount and a faucet, or a vessel and a faucet. Whoops.
I ended up spending a few hundred dollars in labor (ripping out first cabinet, repairing the wall behind it, cutting legs off and hollowing out that cabinet) and probably about 5 of Mel’s hours (if not more) trying to find the perfect sink/faucet combo that would fit.
So we went with option #3 – which I think cost $1100 to make, not including the faucet and sink. We ended up using the Ikea sink top – HA because it was the simplest, cheapest option. There might be more to this story that I’m not remembering…
All of that could have been avoided if I had thought about doing a wall mount faucet in the first place. I’m honestly such a better designer this year than last…
So without further ado, here is the new bathroom, including our custom vanity.
I think it’s pretty darn cute… Although I do have a lot of mini regrets – things I would do differently but nothing I care enough about to spend the time/effort/money to change.
First off, yes I wish that light fixture was lower or longer. I could of course change the fixture and find one that works in here (something more architectural would certainly not make it feel so high) but it doesn’t bother me enough. We can’t move it because of the wallpaper (well, we could but then I’d have to hire an electrician and a wallpaper installer to move something 3″ and that seems crazy).
I could also find a longer mirror or customize one that took up more vertical space, but again – I love that one I bought for $60 at the antique mall and this bathroom needed a little bit of vintage and wood to warm it up. That mirror is hilarious because it’s so old and warped that you can hardly put on lipstick, but I love it.
Now what I don’t remember is why I chose that faucet. But I feel like there was a reason! I don’t mind it, but why did we put the handles so close? It must be because of the plumbing underneath… I think we looked, and looked, and could’t find a black (not oil rubbed bronze) faucet in our style that we liked that wasn’t $800, so we went with this one. Again, I totally don’t mind it but yes, it could be better.
I like the chair rail and beadboard, but I do wish I had chosen something a little bit more modern. Just a simple squared off blocked moulding could cap it off nicely. But I also think this is totally timeless and looks original.
I LOVE that wallpaper so much. I’m not sure you can tell in these photos but one of the reasons I LOVE farrow and ball wallpaper is that it’s painted, not printed. So those little white dots on the trees look like someone painted them with a brush.
It’s just special paper. And while yes, I did reach out and got it gifted for this, I also shopped around to make sure that this was the paper that I wanted (we don’t just take things for free over here – stay tuned for the post coming up about that because I know a lot of you have questions). Above the toilet is a collage by Danielle Krysa (The Jealous Curator).
On to the toilet and floor. That toilet is the same we have in the rest of the house, by Kohler and it’s just lovely and classic. The penny tile was purchased at Floor and Decor and I suppose I do regret not using a darker grout. The first few months of dirt really kill you, but then it evens out and it just turns beige. But 2018 Emily is much smarter than 2016 Emily and I’m making a TON of better, smarter, more functional choices in both the Portland Fixer and the Mountain House. White grout on a ground level powder room floor, in a house with 2 kids, and a lot of indoor/outdoor flow? Not my best decision.
Other small regrets – why didn’t I have my wallpaper installer paper the AC vent and the outlet? That’s silly. Or why didn’t I have the outlet horizontal underneath the beadboard? Because I didn’t plan for it in time. Again, better decisions are being made nowadays, BUT I tell you my regrets so you can avoid them.
To recap what you should be mindful of while renovating, here are my tips (as it pertains to this powder room):
- You cannot choose the location of lighting until you know the fixture you are using. The shape and direction of the lights dictates how high it should go. But you often have to choose the lighting plan far before you’ve chosen the fixture or have it on site. So the lesson – tell your electrician to leave 6-10″ of wiring for flexibility. Moving a J-box with enough wiring isn’t a big deal, but if there isn’t then you have to open up walls or ceilings, etc.
- Before you paper – TRIPLE CHECK lighting and plumbing choices.
- If you can choose a wall mount faucet in a powder room – do it. Don’t redo your plumbing but if you are renovating completely anyway, plumb for wall so that you can have more space on your tiny vanity + wall mounts look more custom, which feels more special.
- Medium or dark grout on floors. Now, I don’t actually love dark grout on penny tile, but it could have been gray and probably be fine. OR a powder room is a good opportunity to carry the wood flooring through it. We didn’t need to do tile, but it’s cute.
- When planning paneling like this you have to consider the location of your outlets. We are dealing with this on the Portland house now. I envisioned higher paneling or tile in a couple of the bathrooms, but it either needs to be under or over the outlets and the outlets have already been wired. We are adjusting some things, but something to consider.
I think the only thing that I will take the time/effort/money to change is to switch out the outlet plate to something special – brass or black (Rejuvenation has awesome ones), and the next time my wallpaper installer is in my house doing something else (maybe a playroom mural?) I’ll have him paper that AC vent. OR maybe I’ll find a pretty brass one. If you come in my house and see all my heating and AC vents on the floor please don’t judge. I HAVE to switch them out as we have the super basic brown plastic ones right now, but it’s just not on my priority list (strangely some of them are custom sized which is adding to the drag time).
As far as where we are in the house – here you go.
More to come on that (and if you are wondering if I regret that black barn door, the answer is yes. WHY DIDN’T I POCKET THAT THING???)
When renovating – chant this sentence before framing begins – should this be a pocket door, should this be a pocket door, should this be a pocket door?
I feel like I enjoy writing about my mistakes/regrets more than I do actually telling you what I love about it. So in case you missed what I’m happy with in this little powder, here goes:
- I love that wallpaper. I love the neutral version of it even more. It’s gorgeous and makes me so happy.
- I love the sconce – it’s modern with a little classic detail and the brass warms it up, while the black works well with the mirror and the faucet.
- Love the mirror.
- Toilet is great.
- Custom vanity is awesome. Forgot to mention the grids – big fan over here, and we hung some cute Schumacher fabric leftover from another job behind it.
It’s cute you guys. I love the pop of color through our now fairly neutral first floor, and it just feels happy and appropriate to the architecture.
If you are into this powder room, here you go:
1. Wallpaper | 2. Sconce | 3. Beadboard Paint Color | 4. Wooden Soap Dish | 5. Black Faucet | 6. Vanity (custom built) | 7. Bud Vase (similar) | 8. Vanity Knob (similar) | 9. Towel Ring | 10. Towel | 11. Bath Mat | 12. Penny Tile | 13. Toilet Paper Holder | 14. Match Striker (similar) | 15. Bud Vase (similar) | 16. Candle | 17. Marble Tray
*Photos by Ryan Liebe for EHD (and no, we don’t keep that bath mat in there because it would get FILTHY, but it was cute for the shot… Ideally it would be a little vintage Persian rug).
Thoughts? Questions? Comments?
For more reveals from Emily’s Los Feliz Home: Jack and Jill Bathroom | Living Room Update | Charlie’s Big Boy Room | Master Bedroom | Master Bathroom | Living Room | Kitchen & Dining Room | Elliot’s Nursery | Backyard | Closets | Laundry Room | Elliot’s Nursery Update | Family Room Update | Kitchen | Updated Living Room
are you going to show us the little apartment space on the lower floor? so curious to see how you’re using it.
I should … it flooded last year due to the insane rains and the quote to make sure that it NEVER floods again was 30 – 50k (they have to dig out the entire basement, waterproof, create drainage and re-pour – could be less but they didn’t know until they get started) so right now the cement floor is painted but i’m so hesitant to put something down because the water actually came up through cracks when we put in a support beam to support the island. But its never rained that much so part of me is like … it should be fine, right? So boring. Anyway, so its perfectly functional and fine, but the paint is chipping around the baseboard due to last years leak and the bathroom also has a variety of ‘can’t totally renovate’ issues (we have to have access through the floor to a sump pump so I can’t put down new flooring or if I do I have to create a panel that is easy to access). That’s all the say ‘YES’. That space is never going to be beautiful but it could certainly be cute. We were waiting to see if it flooded… Read more »
we had a crazy basement flood during insane rains right after we bought our house in 2011. We decided had 3 contractors look at it and give us insane quotes to fix it. We just left it alone and didn’t put anything valuable down there bc we didn’t have the money. flash forward a few years and 2 more floods and I was willing to pay anything to have it fixed. Enter our 4th contractor, who opened up the wall a bit further than others had, found a crack in the foundation and fixed it…for $500.
i def wouldn’t rely on the ‘it doesn’t usually rain that much!’ program…if you’re going to be in the house a while, i think it’s worth the piece of mind to really fix it. but keep talking to contractors until you’re really really sure they know what they’re doing (we ended up with a basement waterproofing specialist…not sure if those exist in LA!)
Kelly, that’s nuts!! I’m so glad it ended up being a cheap fix for you guys. That so rarely happens when it comes to house stuff. Ha! What a great story, and lesson.
I think the powder room turned out darling!! I love that it’s a sweet little hit of color that still works with the neutrality of the first floor. The wallpaper is delicious, the mirror is AMAZING, and the grid on the vanity totally makes it. It kind of breaks up the white on the bottom half of the room. I’d personally go with a brass outlet cover and vent rather than wallpapering them–it seems like it would feel a little more vintage-y and appropriate for the age of the house. But that’s because I like me some hardware. It’s usually my favorite detail in a room, a chance to bring in something a little special, especially in such a small space.
I love it! Thanks for the links!
Hi Emily,
I notice that you have a mix of metals here – some brass, some oil rubbed, and silver on the toilet flush. Mixed metals is something I’m curious to try, but nervous about getting right. Are there guidelines here for single rooms and/or a whole house? Would love some tips if you have the time! Thanks!
I love the tile floor (even with the grout!) and the wallpaper and the mirror. Do you worry that you make decisions too fast (to get everything done or to produce content)? I’m not sure–sometimes I agonize for six months over whatever decorating choice and still think I goof–but maybe trying to produce a picture-ready house in one fell swoop just leads to snap decisions that might have been avoided if you had taken your time? Maybe “slow decorating” could be a thing like “slow food”?
There’s got to be a balance between moving too fast on design decisions VS taking waaaay tooooo long. I’m a member of the Way Too Freakin’ Long Club, I think I’m on my third week of looking at tea kettles (online and in stores). A tea kettle! I don’t even let my husband know how long I process choices like this, he already knows I’m cray-cray about this stuff……
I will say as a non-pro homeowner who puts time into/cares about her home (renovation-wise and decor-wise), I definitely always consider functionality and durability, as well as long-term visual appeal. Man, there is a lot to consider – I’ll never be one to move too fast on such decisions!
Love the comparison of “slow food” to “slow decorating”. One blog that talked about this was Young House Love. They are big proponents of what they call “Phase 1” renovations when you move into a new house – make some inexpensive changes, throw up a new coat of paint, and then LIVE with it for a little while before going all in on the full reno. Not only does it allow you the time to make the right decisions, it also allows you time to save up for the finishes and features you really want rather than skimp and regret it/have to upgrade it later. When they talked about why they took that approach before renovating the kitchen in their current house, it really clicked for me. As a homeowner, there are so many things I want to do and haven’t because I don’t have the money or the time yet, but it’s amazing how much my plans have changed since we moved in as I’ve had time to really think through how I’m using the spaces everyday. Having the money to make changes right away may have actually resulted in some things that I would regret now. Don’t get… Read more »
I love that cat art! Where is it from?
OMG, i forgot to talk about it! It’s by Danielle Krysa of ‘the Jealous Curator’ and its an original cat collage she made for me …. I’ll link it up!
Just love your style! Loving the wallpaper and vanity! Always enjoy your posts and renovations you really are so creative!
The mirror and the wallpaper—yes, yes, yes! I love them! My favorite pieces of your designs are the things that are unique and can’t or won’t be seen everywhere else. You have such a good eye for antiques and quirky finishes—more of that, puh-lease!
This powder room is a gem! The wallpaper, art, and the mirror have such an impact and the room really proves your point that one can have fun / take a risk in the small spaces.
The Farrow and Ball wallpaper is block printed like most wallpaper. The difference that you are noting is that they use their paints to print so the end result is a more highly textured paper with the color sitting on top. They have some fun videos on their site showing the printing processes — at least they are fun to me (I am a printmaker)!
How can you show the cat print above the toilet and not even mention it? It’s hilarious! Where is it from?
And I love the black barn door. Pocket doors can be a pain…we had one for our powder room and one of the wheels (?) would fall off the track when you shut the door.
It is linked up now in the post but is from Danielle Krysa: http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/
Thank you Emily.
The sun’s peaking out this am, and I’m jonzing for a summer fashion (or AnY fashion!) post.
Fingers crossed something ha coming up.
My favorite things in this bathroom are the bead board and the wall paper! My least favorite thing? That cat art is totally crazy pants!! But it also makes me laugh, so maybe it’s actually an awesome thing! At any rate, I love your style and I love your voice. Have a great day!
I agree on all points! I was scrolling through and before I read the description, I laughed because I thought the cat art was going to be a photoshop joke they had mocked up before finalizing the real art. I appreciate that true art can be polarizing (really, really love it or hate it!) as opposed to everyone is neutral on it and therefore it is boring. But goodness. It’s really not for me. haha. But I could forgive a lot of things if that wallpaper were mine. Lovely job, as usual, team EHD!
Emily, don’t worry, the vent and outlet cover are totally fixable. You must have a remnant of that wallpaper left over, and all you have to do is wrap the covers like you would wrap a present, making sure the pattern lines up with what’s on the wall, stick ’em down with wallpaper adhesive, and you’re done. Cut out the openings with an x-acto knife. Easy-peasy. Here’s a step-by-step from SFGate: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cover-electrical-wall-plates-wallpaper-20270.html
The bathroom is beautiful. But I have to ask, did you paint the kitchen cabinets? 🙂
Love this advice! Pinning for our bathroom reno. Love a checklist, especially from someone who does this a lot. I’m so glad you talk about what you would change. The pocket door suggestion is just what I needed to get me excited about this change. Thank you from Wilmington, NC.
Thank you for your honesty! I like to know that even the professionals second guess themselves and sadly end up wasting $$ on design details they end up changing!
Sooooo in love with this wallpaper! It’s just perfect! I always love a fabulous statement paper in a powder room. This one livens up the small space beautifully.
I love this post! That powder room just looks so happy! I love your honesty on things you love and things you don’t. It’s refreshing to know that even professionals don’t get it right all the time. And I totally understand rushed decisions. We built our house in 3.5 months and I was rushed to make every decision and made so many mistakes that I think now, “What was I thinking?” But at the time it’s just too hectic and your making major decisions that it’s hard to think all the little details through properly.
It is adorable! Love the wall paper. None of the things you mention bother me. But that silver toilet flush, with the 2 tones of brass and the black already in the fixtures, does! Just my own little pet-peeve. I would love to have a powder room as nice as this one!
Yes! Same! It’s the only thing I noticed! And The wall outlets are white… but everything else is so wonderful!
Love the whole room – especially the wallpaper & light fixture! And the mirror is beautiful, think the wood frame is the perfect touch to warm up the space. I would love to see the playroom/den again, know you’ve never totally satisfied with that space. Can’t wait to see the mountain house take shape!
I love this room! I’m so glad you did the custom vanity (got my vote!). That wallpaper is divine. The only thing bugging me is the shot of the black faucet next to the brass towel ring. I wish the towel ring was black too (but then you’d have to change the TP holder too). It’s beautiful & if I were a guest in your home I would gush about it after using it! ?
Yes, where is the cat print from?!?!
Also, please tell me we’re getting a playroom reveal soon!
I am also curious about the downstairs apartment.
Love it! Only thing I would change which you mentioned is changing the outlet and AC vent. The outlet could be a simple black outlet with brass plate and a brass plate on the vent. Otherwise, you knock it out of the park again. Love your style!
I think this bathroom is adorable, especially loving the wallpaper and mirror, but I have to say I think wallpapering the vent cover seems outdated to me- it just brings back memories of when every room was wallpapered with matching patterned curtains sofas and pillows. I think a beautiful brass one would look SO MUCH NICER.
Also, I am pretty surprised you went with that barn door for this house. I feel like the barn door thing is so trendy, and not in a good way, and really doesn’t match the rest of the house’s character. It’s not like it is horrible by any stretch, but I just see 10 years down the road people house hunting and seeing a barn door going “ugh, thats so 2015 and fixer upper esque”.
Seeing your original floor plans again makes me appreciate what a WONDERFUL job you did redesigning the layout of the first floor! It was so closed off before and not very functional. You opened it up and got rid of the cluttered mess of doors and closets and odd shaped laundry and kitchen spaces. So much better.
I have white mini hex tiles with white grout in my tiny “used constantly” downstairs bathroom. Put the floor down before kids (now teenagers), and realizing how much that bathroom would be used daily. Our grout guy gave us the miracle product that whitens the grout to basically brand new after a few years of “yuck it’s not white anymore”. Zep Commercial Grout Whitener & Brightener. It is amazing, and we used after our house was flooded, and Serv-Pro cleaned that bathroom. I wasn’t happy with the dingy look, and then I applied this one time and it was like a brand new floor. You pour it on, and scrub the area after it sits for a few minutes, then wipe up. File this away for future reference, you will be glad.
You have done such an aiming job with this, what a miraculous space change! That wallpaper is so gorgeous and I never realised that Farrow and Ball wallpaper is painted – that must be why it looks so good. Love the cat print too, powder rooms are definitely a space to have lots of fun! Love this, thanks for sharing, it is so inspiring!
Holly from The Art of Being Holly xo
Darling space! I love reading about your process and your mistakes, it’s such a nice reminder that all of us live in imperfect spaces with little details that aren’t ideal but the overall space still reads as BAM!
It looks great, Emily, especially the wallpaper. I have a question about that: I wallpapered my dining room and have since found some gorgeous sconces that would look beautiful and add some much-needed light in there (the chandelier I got is lovely but not very bright). Is it too late to add the sconces? They would need to be wired, but I’m hesitant to do anything that might mess up the pretty wallpaper.
If you have an attic above the room that can be accessed you might be able to have the new wiring run up there and then fed down the wall with just a hole cut for the new light box. Without an attic or if it has a floor above it, either the ceiling, wall, or both would have to be opened. I’m not a contractor but I’ve been renovating my house for a year so I know a little about what can be done.
Have you considered having the grout tinted? We moved into our our ground up new construction home last August and grout color was the one finish I wasn’t entirely happy with in our powder room and master bath. We were able to have it sealed/stained in a different color. I think there may be some maintenance on that over the years but so far so good!
I made the same mistake with my grout in our hall bath, which will be the main bathroom for two little boys (a 2 year old, and one due in July)… I was so naive. I have marble hexagons, which are so magical, but now it just looks messy. I’ve heard that recoloring the grout is possible IF you have porcelain tile… but with the marble being porous I am out of luck.
Thank you! This is exactly the kind of post I love and want more of! It’s so hard to find useful and practical renovation info. I really appreciate the details and helpful hints about the construction and planning aspects of a project. These are the things that pinterest won’t tell you, that a contractor springs on you during or after the job is done, and that you just can’t anticipate if you are inexperienced. Would love for you to include these kind of tidbits during the mountain house project!
It’s really darling Emily. If it were me I would wallpaper that outlet by the sink, so easy to do and there must be scraps of your paper somewhere?!
What neutral version of the wallpaper do you like more?
I really enjoy reading about your “mistakes”. We are in the super early phases of an addition (after renovating most our house a few years back) and although my background is in construction and design each project I tackle has a few “now I know for next time” items.
Lovely bathroom. I know how to cover a light switch plate with wallpaper, but I have never seen an air conditioner vent papered. Do you just paper the outer rim and not paper the vertical slats where the air flows? You might consider painting the vent the background color of the wallpaper for a less noticeable blend. I do clean my vent covers regularly and I wonder how a papered vent cover would hold up.
I love this powder room! It’s adorable! The wallpaper and vanity are charming.
How about a nice quick dark blue paint job of the outlet and vent covers? That way they’d at least blend in a bit better. And you could always have them recovered in wallpaper later. Actually, now that I think about it I believe you can buy a clear switch plate cover that you just slip your wallpaper scrap into.
You always design the prettiest bathrooms! I’m a grown woman, and I would looooove to have your kids’ bathroom! The wallpaper and classic touches make it for me. I’m curious if this type of lighting gives off much/enough light? I’m slow to pull the trigger on lights for that reason. I won’t know until it’s installed, and I don’t have extra funds for changing my mind.
I love your powder room and the wallpaper. I have wallpaper in my powder room that I love also “Treetops” by Jocelyn Warner. I am surprised that your wallpaper installer didn’t ask you if you wanted your covers wallpapered. Mine asked me. And I put slate floors in my powder, never do you see any dirt!!!
I love that I am not the only one that things escaped during the building process. My laundry room is the bane of my existence. My outlets were installed too high because they thought I was having stackables and now I am trying to figure out how I am going to put a counter across my washer and dryer, since hoses are now in the way. Too many decisions that you just can’t catch them all.
Hi Emily,
I love this powder room and I love when you discuss your regrets because it makes me feel better about mine! :). Quick question, what’s your threshold for a redo? How much does something have to bother you before you will spend money to fix/change it? For instance, I just renovated my kitchen and I’m not thrilled with the tile backsplash. It’s ok, but didn’t turn out how I envisioned it. Of course I can live with it but I want to love it. Just wondering if it’s worth the money and effort to change.
Love everything you’re doing! Can’t wait to see more!
Have you used the grout sealer you add into the grout instead of water? Makes a HUGE difference
and keeps the grout clean permanently. It’s a mix in and found at most big box home improvement stores. It has been a life changer for us. No more dirty floors or moldy grout in the shower.
Loved reading about your own particular loves and regrets. Very real and honest. And the powder room looks great! (except I would want a more functional mirror, so I’d try to switch out the backing while keeping the frame).
While I love to see your inspired transformations, I adore the honest and candid description of your regrets! Thanks for sharing what you learn along the way!
I agree! When Emily shares her regrets, I feel like it really helps me refine my own eye. I appreciate it so much.
Emily,
I know this is the wrong post to put it on, but I just saw this home with pebble floors in the closet/pantry/mudroom area?? Gorgeous and never gets wet! Check it out…
https://blog.thedpages.com/a-jackson-hole-home/
Elizabeth
Hi Emily and team. I really enjoy reading the blog and have for a really long time. Would you please consider using a phrase other than ‘the help’ to describe domestic workers? I think its use is condescending and should be avoided. Thank you for considering this feedback.
I like the powder room. I think it’s great. The wallpaper makes me smile.
But I have to chime in again about an earlier post and your thinking about pebble flooring. DO NOT DO WHITE GROUT on your pebbles–especially in a wet space. Like that cute penny tile, you will need grey or greige or NOT WHITE. You will have the same regrets, but worse, even if the space is only used by calm adults.
I am the poster who has pebbles and loves them but dries them off with an old (but lovely) towel after every shower.
Totally, beautifully styled Emily!!! This, like the kitchen, so suits your stunning house. I’ve pondered many a time, whether to clarify this issue, but I believe that you’re certainly a strong enough woman “of influence” to take the reality and I so don’t want you to incorrectly ‘influence’ your reader stronghold about architectural styles. In addition to that prelude, I share this with admiration of your tenacity and mean no harm or insult by clarifying something which you may have been misled to believe by your estate agent, when you bought the house. Contrary to the house being called (as I noted, possibly in the first instance, by the real estate agent who didn’t do their due research and called it “Tudor style”) it is more FRENCH ECLECTIC than Tudor Revival and THAT is why the choices you’ve made with your gut or instinct, like the kitchen and powder room, work so, so well. You can search both these architecture styles for your specific neighborhood and you’ll see what I mean and hopefully, why I am ‘standing’ for this clarification. French Eclectic style features such as the big, French doors rather than small Tudor style ones, etc. The absence of… Read more »
Thanks Heidi , you have solved a mystery for me. Being English myself, I couldn’t see why this style of house was christened English Tudor or Tudor Revival !
I can totally see the French Eclectic vibe.
Thanks for replying. 🙂
I think many people don’t have a knowledge about architecture per se, especially those styles of the past. Others simply won’t comment even if they can ‘see’ the error, for fear of revolt.
It really is important that readers aren’t misled by believing this is what Tudor Revival is, because it is not.
It needs to be corrected, so that people who come here to learn about design, also learn about the actual architectural style that is being designed.
I think Tudor style means something very different in the US than it does in the UK or Australia. There is no way I would describe this house as Tudor but I have seen other houses on US blogs similarly described even though they bear no resemblance to my idea of Tudor revival. It is quite European in feel and possibly a bit craftsman – those beams in the living room.
I actually READ your blog posts rather than skim through your beautiful photos because you actually write about regrets and lessons, which is so much more for interesting and refreshing! Thank you for being real! Truly, I didn’t notice any “mistakes” in the powder room. I noticed the white register and thought to myself, “Yes! Emily does it too! I’m justified for having unpainted registers!” =P
Okay. So honest, polite clarification, without criticizm isn’t accepted. My comment was deleted and sadly, I thought you were above that action. 🙁
Eeeaaggghh! It Wasn’t deleted. There must’ve been a weird, time lapse thing. Humble, humble, apologies and utmost, exacerbated regret for not having more patience with the system.
Now I’m curious why you’d want a pocket door over barn door. I’d love a whole post about door choices!
I love hearing about your regrets, too! Thanks for your transparency. This post made me very happy, to hear about your process and relationship to not-needing-it-perfect. Love that wallpaper!! Just beautiful.
Agh these are always my most favorite posts of yours. There will always be regrets and it’s so refreshing to know even pros live with them! I’ve lived through the light grout on penny tile in a powder room and feel your pain.