Tag Archives: ideas

Bathroom retile. Black and whites


A last post before I leave for a well deserved trip to Tuscany!

Our bathroom is showing some serious wear and tear. It’s a shame really because it’s not that old. It was installed and tiled in 2007, and looked good for about ten minutes before the tiles started fading. They are big grey slate tiles, and to be honest; I am a bit fed up with those anyway. They were a bit too much of a trend so you now see them in all renovations done between 2006 and 2010. Time for a re-tile it is.

Current bathroom. The floor is not visible, but believe me when I say it looks nothing like the slate on the walls anymore

Current bathroom tiles. They look great on the wall, it’s the floor where the problems start

 

 

You can see the faded tiles in the shower. They tick me off each day and it's just not worth it.

You can see the faded tiles in the shower. They tick me off each day and it’s just not worth it.

We are leaving the grey slate on the walls, and I am thinking of treating them with an oil finish to make them stand out. For the floor I am either thinking black and white, or just white. Either way, a smaller tile as I think the contrast with the bigger grey slate will look great. Have a look at some of the pictures I collected on my pinterest moodboard. I looked for pictures with a distinct darker colour on the walls to highlight the contrast between the floor and walls.

Love this. It obviously means I’ll have to infuse my bathroom with a few more brocante or antique-ish items, but I guess I could give our bathroom a similar feel. Painting the bathroom rack black or dark grey/blue is a start. Maybe add a small chair?

A clean look, with small white tiles. They are not expensive either. I’d make the seams between the tiles a bit thicker to really show the contrast. And I’d make them dark. This because it would look better, but also because white seams are a nightmare to keep clean

 

Love this too. Small round tiles, the so-called ‘penny rounds’, found in many American bathrooms from 1940’s and 1950’s. I love how they instantly give character to a bathroom

 

I also thought of maybe going for a more elaborate floor with a massive contrast effect. But as we are thinking of maybe putting up the house for sale next year, this might not be too great an idea…..

Just look at the floor in this one as the rest is a bit tacky. I do have a thing for marble though….. I bet this would look great with the rugged, dark slate…. But I am dreading even thinking of the final invoice….

 

What do you reckon I should do?

 

 

Louis XVI inspired interior design


Nothing like a  bit of interior design inspiration for those dreadful Monday blues.

When, in 1793, the guillotine cut off his head, he probably had no idea how his legacy would live on in furniture. Trends come and go, but the style named after this notorious French King, is always in fashion. Here’s a couple Louis XVI inspired interiors to feast your eyes on.

I love how in this case, Louis XVI style chairs are mixed with quintessential 1970’s elements.

Aaaah, another zebra.. We here at Homevoyeurs love them

A lovely classic interior with a minimalist twist. I love the Yves Klein-esque blue flower fabric on the chairs!

The Starck chairs are almost as old as Louis himself would’ve been, but they work really well in this bright ensemble!

In my humble opinion, the armoire in this design is a wrong choice. I would’ve gone for a darker natural wood, or maybe even glass. This looks to ‘Brocantish’.

Pied-de-poule / Houndstooth


Pied-de-poule (chicken’s foot) or houndstooth in English is a duotone textile pattern characterized by broken checks or abstract four-pointed shapes, often in black and white, although other colours are used.

source: Wikipedia

I know, I know, I am hopelessly late as this trend has been going on since forever, but I still love this graphic pattern in the home.

 

 

 

 

 

Spring inspiration: balconies, patio’s and urban gardens for city dwellers


Wow, that was a trip. Winter just didn’t seem to know when to quit right? But voila, spring is here. Trees and plants are slowly beginning to bloom, birds dare to sing without fear of freezing their vocal cords, and the sun rears up it’s pretty golden head! Time to go outside, open those doors and let the air in!

I feel it, and can’t wait for Friday April 19th when FINALLY after 5 years of bureaucratic struggles, we’ll have a balcony too! I am already researching magazines and garden books for the best plants, the most comfortable cushions and outside candles. I can’t wait to add that bit of outside space to our home. Here are some of the best balconies, patio’s and urban gardens I stumbled upon.