white is warm

I think with design shows like on HGTV, we've become more attuned to great interior design.  There are so many more options that have the high end designer look, but can be attained for a fraction of the price with some ingenuity and vision.  However, we are inundated with so many beautiful designs and options.  And that can be overwhelming.

Before Pinterest, I used to cut out pictures out of magazines and put them in an "inspiration" folder.  When it came time to renovate our bathroom, I had inspirational photos to reference.  I began to look at how to change our bathroom from "builder model boring" to "beautiful and personal".

BATHROOM (BEFORE):
When we first moved in, we made temporary solutions to make this bathroom usable.
Tan walls.  Linoleum floors.  We painted the cabinets white.  (and clearly needed to replace the toilet!)

It doesn't take much.  You just need to know what rooms you like, and understand what makes it beautiful to you. What's great about Pinterest, is you see the common thread between all your "inspiration" photos.  Do you like classic?  Do you like modern?  Do you gravitate towards dark or light colours?  For me, it was a colour scheme and one material element that was consistent in many of the photos.  I love white.  And I love the look of marble.  

This was our bathroom inspiration photo. Julie Charbonneau hails from Montreal, Quebec
(Canada), and her aesthetic is sophisticated classic with a hint of French.

It's funny how our perception of what we like, and seeing an actual visual of what that is, can be so different.  My house used to be mostly taupe and brown, which I thought represented balance (neutral) and warmth.  But no matter what I did, it never seemed quite...right.  But after reviewing all my photos, the meaning of neutral and warm was re-defined for me.  I realized it's white.  It evokes a nostalgic feeling of warmth to me.  It reminds me summer whites (hot, lazy family days spent together) or snowy whites (winter nights spent inside by the fire).

I guess that's the key for me.  Not only do we want our homes to reflect our style, we want it to be a place for memories, those nostalgic feelings.  To create a house with warmth that you can call home.

BATHROOM (AFTER)

Sources

Vanity:  Lumberland North (I've seen similar ones at Lowes)

Mirror:  HomeSense (owned by Marshalls/TJMaxx in US)

Floors:  White, marble-look tiles, Home Depot

Towels, Counter accessories:  HomeSense (owned by Marshalls/TJMaxx in US)

Toilet:  American Standard Cadet, Home Depot

{Attending these beautiful  parties...Coastal Charm}