the barn half bath: details

Thank you all so much for your wonderful, wonderful comments and emails on the barn half bath! 

I greatly appreciate them and am thrilled to know that you like the room.
If I miss any of your questions in this "details" post, please ask again.

The walls are new, random-width (8-12 inch) pine boards stained to look like old, oxidized barn boards.  (My custom stain formula can be found under "My paint and stain colors" on my sidebar, as is the floor stain.)

The vanity is painted Benjamin Moore's Ashwood Moss (1484) in semi-gloss. 
(This color is from their Classic Color Collection and isn't on the current color wheel, but sample chips can still be found at a BM paint store.)

The toilet to the right of the vanity sits in front of a full-size window.  I love the luxury of light from full-size windows in baths.  I use a simple paper cellular pull down shade for privacy.

The antique hand-painted bird prints with their antique birdseye maple frames and original antique wavy glass were found on the Oregon coast several years ago.  Having never found the perfect place to hang them, they sat in a drawer.  When I was decorating the room I remembered them, and thought they would be perfect here as I loved the idea of the contrast of the frames to the wood walls.

View from the window in late afternoon light.

As I mentioned several posts ago, the painting is one of our favorites and you've seen it leaning against the mirror on the mantel in the living room awaiting its place here while the room was being renovated.
The picture light was a steal (around $30) and is from Home Depot.

The last cuttings from my favorite coral-orange tuberous begonias from Summer in a vintage mason jar.  I love the blue of the jar.  The antique ironstone soap dish is marked "Hotel" on the bottom... the stories it could probably tell!   French Savon de Marseille olive oil soap sits in the soap dish. 

When we found the marble it had simple iron screws that (as you can see) had rusted on to the marble.  I had intended to look for a clavos (a large, usually round, decorative iron nail) but then remembered this antique brass-rimmed porcelain curtain tie-back that I had used in Dallas as a picture nail (I hung a painting on a chain from the tie-back).  I "thought" I actually had two, and after a hunt I found the second one.  Their stems were cut down and retrofitted to work on the backsplash.  They actually protrude just slightly from the marble, and I love the effect.  I also love how it mimics the porcelain piece on the faucet.  This one is cracked, which only makes me adore it more!

Leather wrapped vintage rack hangs over the vanity.

The small old iron lamp was found at an antiques shop for only $8!  I loved its lines.  It was so dirty that I had no idea it had this great gold paint on it until I got it home and cleaned it up!  The small, gold-lined, shade is from Cranberry Hill Lighting in Cape Neddick, Maine.  The real-wax sleeve covers are from Lumiere.  I found the flame-tipped light bulbs locally, but Lumiere sells them; and they sell the standard base bulbs, which are extremely difficult to find.  (See my sidebar for a 10% discount coupon code from Lumiere.  Also, thank you to all of you who have let me know that you have purchased from the company and love their wax sleeves!  I love sharing great sources.)

For this lamp I did something a little unusual... I used regular sized sleeves with chandelier bulbs.   I wanted the "weight" of the regular sleeves for the lamp base, but also wanted the delicacy of the smaller bulbs in the room.   I then had my electrician (Dan;) lower the sockets so that you can not see in to the larger sleeves down to the socket.

A small iron hook, original to the property, was used for the towel hook. The dark gray towels are Thomas O'Brien from Target (they are deliciously soft) in Fighter Pilot Blue, which is really a dark slate grey. 

We also had an original extra-large version of the iron hook that I realized would be perfect to use as the toilet paper holder. But, no matter where I tried to place it, it was like a bright white blinking light when you walked into the room. I just couldn't do it! I finally came up with the solution for the t.p.- it now sits in a small antique iron urn next to the toilet, hidden from view, but perfectly functional.

Wood switch plate cover (and electrical outlet covers) stained to match the walls and go away!  Switches are brown instead of the usual white. 

A simple hook found in the barn is the lock for the room.

 


I loved that so many of you know me so well that you knew I had a reason for putting the mirror behind the door!  I did. 
I had initially "thought" I wanted a mirror above the vanity, and I found a beautiful antique frame with this mirror in it.  Sadly, it had been painted an awful green color and as I worked for days to gently strip the finish I realized that a mirror there changed how I wanted the room to "feel."  For one,  it seemed expected and that didn't seem right for this space, and two, and this is big...  the man-sized 65" plasma is directly across from the vanity in the barn room.  That meant that you would have the constant movement and flashing of the changing images in the mirror.  It was in that second of realization that the mirror above the vanity was axed! 
Knowing I did need to have some kind of a mirror in the room I placed several small antique shaving mirrors from a collection we have on the vanity.  Loved it for a day or two, and then it felt cluttered.  I removed the shaving mirrors.  When designing a space I'll often just sit or stand or walk-it for hours to see/feel/study different angles/lines of sight/elevations and it was during one of these studies with the door closed that the thought of putting the mirror behind the door popped into my head as the perfect solution.  I mean, that's when you would use a mirror, in the privacy of the bath with the door closed since you really don't have to watch yourself wash your hands;)!  I checked clearance and the mirror alone would just work on the wall behind the barn door... perfect, problem solved!  I used the antique, beveled oval mirror from the frame that I had initially found for over the vanity.  Now, instead of the constant changing images from the tv being reflected in the mirror, you get a glimpse outside!  Much better and I love the surprise of finding the mirror as you close the door.

The wood tassels were painted to match the vanity.

The faucet is solid brass with a "living" oiled bronze finish that will naturally wear in the most used areas with use. It is made by Kingston Brass.  It is a "wide-spread" faucet- something to consider when retrofitting a faucet to an older piece, which is determined by the measurement between the two handles.  You don't want to fall in love with a faucet only to find it won't work in your application.  I had initially wanted to refurbish the original brass faucets (which I loved) that came with the sink, but our plumber expressed great concern about their condition-  i.e. they were goners!  Dan was also not a fan of having the cold water come out of one faucet and the hot out of another.  Because the original holes were so far apart,  I had to find a "widespread" faucet .  We then had the plumber drill the center hole (using a diamond drill-bit) for the spout.

The old French chandelier masterfully wired by my very handsome in-house electrician (though not by trade;) with a little peak into the barn room.

The original barn door hardware.






Notice how the barn bath floor is a different color from the barn room. That is not a difference in lighting, but a random coincidence- all the boards the carpenters grabbed to lay the half bath (which was the first room to be laid) were this same color! After my initial "Guys, you have to mix up the different stained boards!" I actually loved it, as it is very authentic detail.  If this little bump-out had been original, it would have been an add-on and the wood used for the floor would have been put down at a different time, and would have been a different color from the barn room.  It was a serendipitous mistake!

A peek into the kitchen!  You can see the kitchen-to-barn room steps and how the rooms relate.  The barn room is 3 feet down from the farmhouse.

In case you missed the "befores" click  HERE !