Lolo's Mama's Profile

WHERE WE SAVED:
We did all the demo and most of the new build out ourselves.
Home Depot tile instead of the fancy $$$$ stuff.
Used an IKEA butcher block intended for the kitchen with some clearance vanity drawers and a large single bowl sink to get the look of custom and space for two in the morning.
Online discounted faucets and fixtures.
Glued pennies to make floor tiles for the shower.

WHERE WE SPENT:
The best (and still reasonably priced!) tile layer in Houston. Didn't want to stare at my uneven grout lines every morning for the rest of my life.
Glass shower enclosure that opens up the space and lets in all the light from outside.

Photos of the still-ongoing process here: we-are-happy-inside.blogspot.com

http://we-are-happy-inside.blogspot.com/2011/09/we-chopped-hole-in-wall-today.html

My wabi sabi medicine cabinet.

I live down the street from the Shipping Container House on Cordell, and it's as amazing in person! My friend Katie works for Numen, and they're a fantastic little company, too.

Domino
Blueprint
House Beautiful
Anthropologie catalogs
RealSimple (their September fashion spread inspired my bedroom)

We just installed a bunch of copper pipe fittings in our awkward second bedroom to make it into a dressing room. The room has five doors and two almost floor-to-ceiling windows, and is over 100 years old so no closets. We didn't really have the option for storage funriture since the space is so weird, so custom DIY to the rescue. Because black pipe and galvanized steel are so heavy (not the best things to screw into a wall as weight bearing closet rods) we chose the copper pipe. It wasn't that much mroe expensive and it was SO much lighter!
If you're not a fan of the bright copper look as in the pot-rack above, pick up either some antiquing glaze (comes in many colors) from your local art supplly store or some Liver of Sulfur for those more chemistry-inclined. The Liver of Sulfur immediately oxidizes bright shiny copper to a black patina, and then can be polished to your desired finish and sealed. We had a lot of fun with it and love how it looks!