Bathroom Reno Day 1

And I already wish we didn't start this whole thing. Who knew a bathroom reno could be so stressful and chaotic, and we weren't even the ones to do all the work!

Anyhoo, whining aside, our contractor, the same one we used for finishing our basement, continued to do a great job so far. Lookie what they did today:

Recognize this room? It's half of my master bedroom. The day before we moved our bed into a spare bedroom, and will camp out there until the reno is over. Yep, we are "that" type of people that instead of sleeping on one of our spare beds in one of our guest bedrooms, we had to move our bed and mattress with us!

And did you see our contractor Saran-wrapped half of the bedroom to prevent dust from going in? How awesome is that?!

This is how our ensuite looks like now. Everything in there came off today, and our contractor had started to work on plumbing and wiring. 

This is where our future shower stall will be. All the pillars will come off tomorrow after they get into the attic to add a ceiling (to stop insulation material from falling down).

So far no red flags, and fingers crossed the project will continue to stay that way. I promised myself (again) that this will be the LAST major reno project in this house, go figure! :-)

Sayonara

So long, farewell to my plain old bathroom. It was good for its use for the past three years, and time has come for us to move on to something we could relate more to. We are taking our bathroom from this:

To this:

Our bathroom renovation starts on Monday! I also have some exciting news to share shortly (hint: they are on their way to me as we speak). :-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

L'OCCITANE en Provence

The first time I learnt about L'Occitane brand was years ago when I went to a lady's house to pick up some antique framed arts she was selling on CList. We got chatty, and I found out she, originally from Lyon, was the one that brought L'Occitane en Provence into Canada from France...how cool was that?! She ran the company for a few years as the President and later resigned to run their own supply chain company with her husband.

After that I decided to give the brand a try, and was since hooked! I particularly like their Lavender line, and I tell ya, L'Occitane carries one of the best lavender fragrances among all organic beauty products. And ladies, we are not talking about Yardley London's lavender lotion my grandma uses, rather it's the most soothing and faithful lavender fragrance you'd ever smell, very similar to the Primavera ones at Saffron Rouge.

This came in today's mail -- their Lavender Foaming Bath is to die for, and as a loyal customer, you will always get pleasant surprises! For example, I only paid for the foaming bath and hand lotion in the picture, everything else is free (except for the L'Othantique bath salt)!

Another perk of using L'Occitane is that their bottles are always so pretty and presentable that they will add elegant details to your bath retreat. As a matter of fact, I am doing just that by displaying a few things on the Restoration Hardware's Lugarno glass shelf once my bathroom reno is over.  

So, have you ever tried L'Occitane? Do you believe in the effectiveness of organic and sustainable beauty products other than the make-you-feel-good?

Which Bathroom Stool Would You Choose?

Who knew preparing for a bath reno would take so much time and energy? Over the past few months, I have been buying things in this design plan but the list seems to keep growing. So this is our final plan with all the elements already purchased except for the Eames walnut stool.

The most challenging part so far has been to decide on what materials to use, colors, finishes, looks vs. functions, etc. Right now I am really stuck on which bathroom stool to buy. First, I want it to be versatile -- a side table as well as a seat. Second, it should be easy on the marble floor. Third, it has to add some warmth to the bathroom yet doesn't stand out too much. Easy, right?

Here are the options I am considering:

Eames Walnut Stool

Pros: rich and warm wood color; easy on marble floor.

Cons: pricey. Wood and moisture don't go well.

West Elm Martini Side Table

Pros: great-looking, functional and affordable.

Cons: aluminum is hard on the floor unless the  entire bottom is covered by felt.

Tolan Lucite/Crystal Stool

Pros: sparkly, works well in a bathroom.

Cons: might disappear into the background.

Williams-Sonoma Cane Ceramic Stool

Pros: a popular choice in a bathroom. Easy to clean and low maintenance.

Cons: not cheap, might scratch floor, could be heavy to be moved around.  

So which one would you choose for your own bathroom? Which one do you think works the best in my design plan? Do you have any other suggestions?

In the Mail Today

These came in today in time for the master ensuite renovation commencing in two weeks.

Toasty warm bath towels, anyone? This is something I can't do without in a master ensuite -- Arnoca Electric Dry-lined Towel Warmer in Chrome from Costco.

The only thing about this towel warmer that doesn't excite me much is the curved bar. The cross bars in the pictures on Costco site appear straight. I hope the practicality will offset the look.

And should I say online order from Restoration Hardware is a breeze? I ordered this Lugarno Glass Shelf in Polished Chrome last week, and UPS dropped it by our door today!

This glass shelf will go over a double towel bar for extra storage, and to show off some pretty bath bottles and accessories.

Speaking of bath accessories, I am obsessed with this vintage-y look glass soap dispenser.

Fingers crossed I will find them soon!