Remodel the master bath; best thing ever

One of the best things I’ve ever done is remodel the master bath.

Located just steps from the bed, my bathroom was functional; it was adequate. But after living in this house for a dozen years or so, I decided it was time to satisfy my long held desire to install a new jetted bathtub. I agonized over this decision. I knew it would be expensive. And I had no idea if or how it could be done. I pondered this, literally for years.

The main bathroom in the house has a bathtub, but it is far from the luxurious soaking tub of my dreams. Instead, it is a standard metal tub, probably installed when the house was built, somewhere in the mid 80’s. I tried to enjoy a leisurely soak in it, but this tub wasn’t comfortable; there was no place to put a candle or a calming glass of wine. It just wasn’t what I wanted. I was destined to merely take a quick shower.

Hours went into thinking about this, as I tried to look at all the possibilities. I’m sure I annoyed all my friends and family members as I solicited opinions and enlisted their aid as I brainstormed. They were kind though, and let me talk through all my thoughts.

I wondered about the possibility of rearranging the floor plan in the tiny master bathroom. I considered upgrading the tub in the main bathroom. Finally, I decided the best plan was to upgrade the master. It would require removing a portion if not all of a second closet in the bedroom. Between taking out the shower and knocking out the wall of the closet, there should be enough room for a new tub.

That was about a year ago. The project is now completed, but it ended up being a three-stage process. The first phase included just the bathtub and acrylic walls surrounding it. This left a real mess in the rest of the room. Thus, the second phase. I hired someone to handle that portion, which included replacing the sink and fixtures, and new plumbing. I kept the vanity, because it was roomy. I did installed new drawer pulls to make it look like new. The third phase was recently completed—to turn what is left of the bedroom closet into built in shelves.

I love the ability to either start the day with a quick shower or end the day with a comforting soak. There is something pretty special about a nice, hot bath in the middle of the day too. I love the choice of either a hot bubble bath or a massage of aching muscles. Soaking in Epsom salts is therapeutic. And who doesn’t enjoy the decadence of aromatherapy? I consider the bathtub to be a quiet respite that ranks right up there with a walk in the woods or working on a quilt. At this phase in my existence, life is all about enjoying the simple pleasures.

Happiness is a pop of color

The older I get the more I realize how much I like color: especially bright colors, but also softly muted ones, pastels, and all their variations.

I love colors. When I think back, as a kid, I was always enamored with a brand new box of crayons or my favorite, now vintage, Venus Paradise colored pencils. I wonder what ever happened to those. Today, I’m keenly aware that colors really do seem to make me happy. Perhaps they always did.

When I decided to give my drab kitchen a face lift, I thought about all the colors now available.

The first place I looked for inspiration was at the huge variety of colorful Kitchen Aid mixers. I don’t happen to have one, but their color range now is simply amazing. Not only did I look at appliance colors, but I also Googled kitchen remodels and looked on Pinterest. One particular color caught my eye; turquoise. The first time I saw a turquoise kitchen was on the TV Show “Mistresses,” an ABC production a few years ago, starring Alyssa Milano. It was canceled in 2016 after a run of several years. The trendy turquoise kitchen belonged to the show’s character April, played by Rochelle Aytes. It was so striking that I had remembered it. So when I was thinking of colors for my own kitchen that was in the back of my mind.

I decided to add a few turquoise things to accessorize my dull kitchen. It only took a few things to make me realize, I really do love this color. There are lots of different variations to it, which ranges from a little more blue to a little more green. I like them all, no matter the shade. When I look at the color on my new teapot, for example, it is almost like a visionary mouth-watering sensation.

For many years, our Ozarks home was pretty much colorless in my view. In fact, every room in our house was beige. A couple of the rooms had beige patterned wallpaper, but most of the walls had no color; they were that standard slap-a-coat-of-paint-on-the-drywall color. I suppose it was off-white, but might as well have been beige. Floors were carpeted in beige. Even the appliances were “biscuit,” another word for beige.

My penchant for color has been mentioned in previous blog posts, such as this one where I detailed the remodeling of our sun porch. It was the first introduction to turquoise into our house. There are now turquoise touches throughout. We painted over the pale pink that had been on the walls on the porch. Now, the color scheme is turquoise and hot pink. It is rather whimsical with a pink flamingo theme.

I also painted the bedroom a bright, sunshiny yellow. It is like waking up inside a smiley face. What a great way to start the day. This room made me realize I no longer have one favorite color. I love them all. The accent color is turquoise, designed around one of my favorite quilt projects that highlighted the dual color scheme.

Color matters because I  quilt

I credit my love of color today to my being a quilter. I think the selection and use of different fabric has sharpened my appreciation of colors and how they work together. My favorite quilts remain monochromatic, but I’m also enjoying the experimentation of mixing colors together. This appreciation reminds me of the way my camera’s view finder honed my visual perspective. I find color, particularly bright colors, to be uplifting.

I can’t think about the colors of my home without giving some thought to my quilting projects. For me the, “which came first,” question, relates to decorating the room or making the quilt. I suppose that just like the chicken and the egg, the two go hand-in-hand. Each room is decorated with color and at least one quilt.

So since quilts don’t seem to work in the kitchen, I settled for a table runner. I recently completed the one pictured here, which brightens up the room and adds a splash of color where it is needed most.

This project had a dual purpose. It is the first project I have made in a very long time. It marks a return to my beloved hobby.

For more information on making this quilt, check my my quilting blog, for details on this project.