modern thrifter
I love beautiful things and thoughtful design. I also live in one of the most expensive cities in the country, and our family lives off a single income so that I can be at home with our kids. Patience and persistence have been the key to finding stylish things on a tight budget.
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7 posts tagged bathroom
![[ JEWELRY HANGER ]
Most of the time I try to avoid buying things without a specific purpose in mind. It’s been a habit that has helped me avoid cluttering my home and wasting my money. But every once in a while, I come across an item at a thrift store or an estate sale that I just can’t pass up, even though I have no idea how I’ll use it. Back in January I picked up this Japanese woodcut panel at an estate sale. It was only $1, and I fell in love with the pattern. So far, I’ve used it a few times to clip up photos and mementos for social events like baby showers, but mostly it has sat in a closet getting bumped and banged.
Yesterday, it occurred to me that it would function really well as a jewelry hanger. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before, because I’m always dropping earrings off of the crowded hooks that I was using. I grabbed a few nails and hung it up behind the bathroom door. I could probably do a better installation job, but I really just wanted to get it up quickly, before I lost the motivation, and give it a test run. I’m also considering giving it a nice shiny coat of paint to spruce it up a little. For now, though, I think I’m satisfied—$1 well spent!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljvsrr4WTg1qc7v1bo1_500.jpg)
[ JEWELRY HANGER ]
Most of the time I try to avoid buying things without a specific purpose in mind. It’s been a habit that has helped me avoid cluttering my home and wasting my money. But every once in a while, I come across an item at a thrift store or an estate sale that I just can’t pass up, even though I have no idea how I’ll use it. Back in January I picked up this Japanese woodcut panel at an estate sale. It was only $1, and I fell in love with the pattern. So far, I’ve used it a few times to clip up photos and mementos for social events like baby showers, but mostly it has sat in a closet getting bumped and banged.
Yesterday, it occurred to me that it would function really well as a jewelry hanger. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before, because I’m always dropping earrings off of the crowded hooks that I was using. I grabbed a few nails and hung it up behind the bathroom door. I could probably do a better installation job, but I really just wanted to get it up quickly, before I lost the motivation, and give it a test run. I’m also considering giving it a nice shiny coat of paint to spruce it up a little. For now, though, I think I’m satisfied—$1 well spent!
![[ MODERN BASEMENT REMODEL ]
Last Thursday I had the pleasure of visiting a friend whom I rarely get to see, even though we live in the same city. It’s been a a few years since I’ve been to her house, and in the time that’s passed, she and her husband have been hard at work remodeling a portion of the basement that was previously occupied by renters.
The space is small, but completely functional for what they needed—a place for the family to lounge and guests to stay. There is also a small office for their music and freelance design.
From the glass tile countertop, to the window above the bathroom door, there are so many things to love about this remodel, but my favorite feature is the gorgeous cork flooring. I especially love how it turned out on the stairs.
Now that they’ve finished the basement, they are ready to tackle the main floor. The house is a modest, mid-century ranch home, with generous amounts of windows and a tongue and groove ceiling, but the previous owners of the house covered many of the charming mid-century features with craftsman touches. Now it’s time to start peeling back the layers to let this place really shine. I hope to check in with them again soon to see how the process is coming along.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljeo0mSrM51qc7v1bo1_500.jpg)
[ MODERN BASEMENT REMODEL ]
Last Thursday I had the pleasure of visiting a friend whom I rarely get to see, even though we live in the same city. It’s been a a few years since I’ve been to her house, and in the time that’s passed, she and her husband have been hard at work remodeling a portion of the basement that was previously occupied by renters.
The space is small, but completely functional for what they needed—a place for the family to lounge and guests to stay. There is also a small office for their music and freelance design.
From the glass tile countertop, to the window above the bathroom door, there are so many things to love about this remodel, but my favorite feature is the gorgeous cork flooring. I especially love how it turned out on the stairs.
Now that they’ve finished the basement, they are ready to tackle the main floor. The house is a modest, mid-century ranch home, with generous amounts of windows and a tongue and groove ceiling, but the previous owners of the house covered many of the charming mid-century features with craftsman touches. Now it’s time to start peeling back the layers to let this place really shine. I hope to check in with them again soon to see how the process is coming along.
![[ RECENT FINDS ]
Sadly, my weekly thrift store outings have been quite sporadic as of late. I have picked up a few small things in the last month, though. The first was this unmarked canoe-shaped bowl that I bought for $5 at the same estate sale where I found Tula’s embroidered artwork. It’s bigger than it looks in the photo, measuring almost 17” from end to end. I’ve been keeping it on the dining table and lining up a few oranges or apples in it.
I also found this teak tray at the flea market, that is marked “RAINBOW Products Sweden” on the bottom. I have found a few other vintage Rainbow teak products, but I can’t find any details about the company. The tray was also $5, and in excellent condition, just in need of a little oil.
It’s a great size for holding bathroom things, though its beauty makes me want to take a hammer to the tile that we’re currently stuck with. Thank you previous owners for thinking diamond patterned tile would be a good idea in our house.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lizx093m3i1qc7v1bo1_500.jpg)
[ RECENT FINDS ]
Sadly, my weekly thrift store outings have been quite sporadic as of late. I have picked up a few small things in the last month, though. The first was this unmarked canoe-shaped bowl that I bought for $5 at the same estate sale where I found Tula’s embroidered artwork. It’s bigger than it looks in the photo, measuring almost 17” from end to end. I’ve been keeping it on the dining table and lining up a few oranges or apples in it.
I also found this teak tray at the flea market, that is marked “RAINBOW Products Sweden” on the bottom. I have found a few other vintage Rainbow teak products, but I can’t find any details about the company. The tray was also $5, and in excellent condition, just in need of a little oil.
It’s a great size for holding bathroom things, though its beauty makes me want to take a hammer to the tile that we’re currently stuck with. Thank you previous owners for thinking diamond patterned tile would be a good idea in our house.
![[ SLOW TRANSFORMATION ]
Our downstairs laundry/bathroom is the one room in the house that has never been updated. The picture above is a far cry from what my room actually looks like. Think more wood paneling, drop ceiling, florescent lighting, peel & stick vinyl flooring. It also became the storage spot for several giant rubbermaid bins of children’s clothing.
While I was in Montana two weeks ago, my sweet husband spent a late night in the laundry room, cleaning, organizing, and painting over the wood paneled walls (with leftover paint from our entry). Seeing this slight improvement on our neglected space has given me the motivation to put together a plan for finishing the space.
Enter Google Sketch-Up. I spent the majority of my evening last night tinkering around with this free tool. It was a mixture of fun and frustration, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. Though we don’t plan on spending much money on the project, and some of the purchases will have to wait for quite a while, at least I have an attainable vision now for the room.
Here’s what the current state of the laundry room (I wish I had pictures before it was cleaned and painted):
Now here’s what I’d like to do:
Switch out the faucet to something more modern
Trade out our old washer & dryer for a front load/stacking version
Install some sort of wall shelving—I’m drooling over the Container Store’s Elfa line (pictured in the very top photo)
Rip out the old vinyl floors and replace with hardwood, laminate, or something else (?)
I am also considering making space for a chest freezer that my in-laws have for us.
See, nothing major. Of course, since no house project is uncomplicated, we’ll need to have an electrician move the dryer outlet to a different wall. Also, since we have a list of other house projects that we need to get to, I know that any progress will be slow-going.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh32whz2rg1qc7v1bo1_500.jpg)
[ SLOW TRANSFORMATION ]
Our downstairs laundry/bathroom is the one room in the house that has never been updated. The picture above is a far cry from what my room actually looks like. Think more wood paneling, drop ceiling, florescent lighting, peel & stick vinyl flooring. It also became the storage spot for several giant rubbermaid bins of children’s clothing.
While I was in Montana two weeks ago, my sweet husband spent a late night in the laundry room, cleaning, organizing, and painting over the wood paneled walls (with leftover paint from our entry). Seeing this slight improvement on our neglected space has given me the motivation to put together a plan for finishing the space.
Enter Google Sketch-Up. I spent the majority of my evening last night tinkering around with this free tool. It was a mixture of fun and frustration, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. Though we don’t plan on spending much money on the project, and some of the purchases will have to wait for quite a while, at least I have an attainable vision now for the room.
Here’s what the current state of the laundry room (I wish I had pictures before it was cleaned and painted):
Now here’s what I’d like to do:
- Switch out the faucet to something more modern
- Trade out our old washer & dryer for a front load/stacking version
- Install some sort of wall shelving—I’m drooling over the Container Store’s Elfa line (pictured in the very top photo)
- Rip out the old vinyl floors and replace with hardwood, laminate, or something else (?)
- I am also considering making space for a chest freezer that my in-laws have for us.
See, nothing major. Of course, since no house project is uncomplicated, we’ll need to have an electrician move the dryer outlet to a different wall. Also, since we have a list of other house projects that we need to get to, I know that any progress will be slow-going.
![[ QUICK SHOWER CURTAIN PROJECT ]
I’ve been wanting a new shower curtain for our guest bathroom since we moved in a year ago. I nearly bought one last summer, but I couldn’t find one that I was completely sold on, so I decided to wait. I don’t know why shower curtains have to be so expensive… or ugly. I think I finally found one that I love, but until it goes on sale (like 75% off), I am happy with my newest project.
Last week I bought a queen size duvet cover at Goodwill for $6. It turns out that it is an Ikea textile. It seems like anytime I find a modern patterned piece of fabric at a thrift store, it’s from Ikea. Turning the duvet into a shower curtain was even easier than when I made one into these curtains. It required very little cutting, which was made even easier by a fantastic new pair of sewing scissors that my mom gave me for Christmas, and hemming on three sides. I think I spent about a little over an hour on this project.
P.S. I really need to get a wide angle lens for my camera!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lev71yMorf1qc7v1bo1_r1_500.jpg)
[ QUICK SHOWER CURTAIN PROJECT ]
I’ve been wanting a new shower curtain for our guest bathroom since we moved in a year ago. I nearly bought one last summer, but I couldn’t find one that I was completely sold on, so I decided to wait. I don’t know why shower curtains have to be so expensive… or ugly. I think I finally found one that I love, but until it goes on sale (like 75% off), I am happy with my newest project.
Last week I bought a queen size duvet cover at Goodwill for $6. It turns out that it is an Ikea textile. It seems like anytime I find a modern patterned piece of fabric at a thrift store, it’s from Ikea. Turning the duvet into a shower curtain was even easier than when I made one into these curtains. It required very little cutting, which was made even easier by a fantastic new pair of sewing scissors that my mom gave me for Christmas, and hemming on three sides. I think I spent about a little over an hour on this project.
P.S. I really need to get a wide angle lens for my camera!
![[ SHOWER CURTAIN DECISIONS ]
I’ve been saving some birthday money for a while, trying to decide what to spend it on, and I think it’s finally time to get a new shower curtain. I have had the same boring, white, waffle-weave shower curtain that I purchased at Big Lots for $7 for the last seven years. It’s been fine, and it does its job, but it’s not really my style, nor does it really add much excitement to an already plain room.
For months now, I’ve been searching the linens section of the thrift stores, but I haven’t seen even the most slightly attractive shower curtain. Since the money was a gift, I think it’s okay to buy new as opposed to used anyway. I must say however, I am surprised at the poor selection of modern shower curtains available at most retailers. After lots of online searching, here are the few I’m considering:
Arbor Shower Curtain from CB2
Waterfall Shower Curtain from Urban Outfitters
Bloomer Ruffle Shower Curtain from Urban Outfitters
Block Party Shower Curtain from Overstock (this one probably won’t work in our bathroom because it only comes in black and the room is already pretty dark)
What do you think? Do you have any great sources for nice shower curtains? I’m trying to avoid floral patterns and birds.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l6nh76NULz1qc7v1bo1_400.jpg)
[ SHOWER CURTAIN DECISIONS ]
I’ve been saving some birthday money for a while, trying to decide what to spend it on, and I think it’s finally time to get a new shower curtain. I have had the same boring, white, waffle-weave shower curtain that I purchased at Big Lots for $7 for the last seven years. It’s been fine, and it does its job, but it’s not really my style, nor does it really add much excitement to an already plain room.
For months now, I’ve been searching the linens section of the thrift stores, but I haven’t seen even the most slightly attractive shower curtain. Since the money was a gift, I think it’s okay to buy new as opposed to used anyway. I must say however, I am surprised at the poor selection of modern shower curtains available at most retailers. After lots of online searching, here are the few I’m considering:
Waterfall Shower Curtain from Urban Outfitters
Bloomer Ruffle Shower Curtain from Urban Outfitters
Block Party Shower Curtain from Overstock (this one probably won’t work in our bathroom because it only comes in black and the room is already pretty dark)
What do you think? Do you have any great sources for nice shower curtains? I’m trying to avoid floral patterns and birds.
