Lem's Profile

Taxidermy - real or faux has got to go. Maybe it's because a wild boar head hovered above my head when I overnighted at a family member's home as a child & was traumatized for life?!

I am totally sick & tired of the staged shots. I try to visit blogs to see what real people are doing in their homes, not the super rich. Real people have dirt & chaos but we rarely see it.

MCM? I love the clean lines but it can be a bit theme-y in some homes. I think an eclectic mix is so much more interesting.

DIY? Depends on what it is - many of the "crafty" things I am not into so much but I love me a good furniture redo. Besides, I don't want my pieces to look like everything else out there. Many times the only way to achieve something different is to modify it yourself. In my next life I want to be a furniture maker so I can create whatever I want whenever I want.

Live with what you love, no one but you should determine what goes in or out of your home.

I agree that getting rid of the cabinet & towel bar will clean it up so it isn't so busy. Maybe a nice graphic or abstract print there instead? I wouldn't replace the mirror or light until you are ready to do the full remodel. I have done this in my home - replacing bits & pieces thinking I liked the new bits & pieces. When it came time to gut, I wanted to start fresh so the money was wasted on those items. I would definitely paint the walls, I had a similar color in my bathroom when I moved in & it was one of the first things to go! I would consider painting the vanity base as well for a cheap temporary fix. I found some super cool cabinet pulls for a couple of bucks & painted out my white vanity a color called Mushroom by Martha Stewart at Home Depot. It's a nice brown toned gray & then I painted the walls a pale gray, added a white shower curtain & brought pops of color in through my towels, rugs & art. Good luck!

My OCD has me freaking about dust mites. I wash my pillows (down & synthetic) once per year, all in the same weekend and either dry them outdoors or in the dryer, depending on what they are made of. But I use Micron One covers (for dust mites, bed bugs etc). They have a coating on the inside so they plastic & they don't make noise & they still breathe. But being OCD, I cover each pillow with 2 cases & my regular pillowcases which are changed twice a week (the ones being used nightly). I don't see any reason to replace any of them anytime soon if you take this much care with them.

I had an apt that had the same vanity & tile as yours. Since I couldn't paint or replace it, I used heavy duty stick on velcro (from Lowes) & fabric & covered it. This way it was easy to access the cabinet underneath. I used an inexpensive curtain panel I found & hemming tape & just made a tailored looking skirt (not gathered like many you see if you want a clean look). You could do a solid in the same color as some new towels & rug or a neutral - maybe something woven - linen type color that coordinates with the tile. I agree with everyone about staying away from whites. I am sure all the "whites" in there are different shades. I also purchased a grout pen (I think I used 3 for my tub surround) in white from either Lowes or Home Depot and & "painted" my grout after caulking around my tub. It refreshed the look of the tile & made it look cleaner. I can't tell anything about your light fixtures or mirror to help out there. Maybe a new mirror or medicine cabinet would work? I had an old gold framed mirror in mine & I just painted it a high gloss color to coordinate with everything in the room. It brought whimsy & color in an unexpected way. Good luck & please share with us your "after" photos.

I sprayed a brass table lamp with primer & then a silver metallic spray paint followed with a glossy clear coat without any trouble. If you can't or don't want to spray paint it with one of the many metallic paints out there (many different sheens as well), I would suggest cheap acrylic craft paints. I get mine at Michaels or Wal-Mart for under 1.00. You can use one shade or mix n match until you get the color you want. The good thing is if you don't like it after you paint it on (or try painting the back first to test), just wipe it off quickly with a wet towel. I try to use a small brush & add layers of different colors. The metallic craft paints go on pretty translucent so you will definitely need multiple layers to get the color you want. You can finish it up with a clear glossy spray paint. Treatments that darken or add patina could be permanent which is why I would try this first. Good luck & I love that tree, I almost bought one myself a few months ago!