Ideas for the Upstairs Bathroom

We're at the "idea" stage for the upstairs bathroom. Right now it's a mish-mash of dark blue tiles, plaid wallpaper, lots of wood on the walls and an enormous, original cast-iron sink that dominates the space.






The first 3 photos are our bathroom - the other photos are just wishful thinking.





We want something that looks like it belongs in the 1920s, and apparently American Standard makes sinks, like the first photo, that resemble the 1920s art deco style.


We also love the look of subway tiles, and the hex tile floors! (Let's hope it's in the budget...)

The 1920s Kitchen (which is better than what we have)

According to Edic and Edic (1999), our 1920s kitchen, which is now gutted and waiting for us to put it back together, wasn't the greatest plan in its day: "Until the 1920s, most kitchens were inefficiently laid out. Families that could afford cooks had large storage pantries removed from the cooking area. With servants doing the work, there was little attempt made to provide convenience and comfort for the homeowner. In poorer households, the kitchen was a corner of the living area, which often resembled a basement sink area more than it resembled our idea of a kitchen.

In the '20s and '30s, a new kitchen design emerged based on the efficiency methods being employed in industrial assembly lines: separate work areas for washing, preparing, storing and cooking. Unfortunately, the work areas remained on opposing parts of the room, separated by runs of open wall space. The sink might use one wall, the stove another, the pantry would be around the corner, and the ice box would sit near the door for accessibility to the iceman's deliveries. The cook did a lot of walking. (Edic and Edic, 1999. 'Kitchens that Work: The Practical Guide to Creating a Great Kitchen' pp. 8-9)

Yay! Mudroom!

Definitely a selling feature! We love the little letter box next to the door.

The Living and Dining Rooms

The living room is dominated by a woodstove, which will find a new place to live. There are two small windows high on the wall on either side of the woodstove. We're not sure what we're going to do with this wall; Patrick wants to put the TV front and centre there.

The living room will eventually be painted "Glazed Green cc-580" from Benjamin Moore.


(Our floorplan is missing a doorway between the dining room and the kitchen.)


The dining room looks out to the backyard, which is lovely; there's a narrow door that leads to the sunroom. We'll put in a sliding pocket door there, and will eventually paint the dining room "Mossy Oak cc-600" from Ben Moore.

The big job in these 2 rooms is to tear down all of the plaster. We need to get at some plumbing that's hidden behind one of the walls. Also, we'll insulate the exterior walls, which will make it feel less like an icebox. This will give us carte blanche to put in new LED wiring, too.

Our Crazy, Mad Kitchen

Yes, we are crazy. We bought this house, in the state that it's currently in: a construction zone. The previous owner decided to tear down the wall between the kitchen and the "sunroom", the room at the back of the house, adjacent to the kitchen. Apparently it's a load-bearing wall, so the contractors are going to put in a steel beam to hold it all together.


Our plan is to open up the room, and have a peninsula extend out where the studs currently stand. We'll have the eating area in front of the big window in the sunroom.

The Spare Room

We're not sure what prompted these poor walls to be painted in this fashion. Our plans for this room are to put a murphy bed in it for our many guests to stay as long as they like, and to paint it "Buttermilk cc-216" in Benjamin Moore's collection