Challenging Space: Storing and Displaying Bathroom Essentials

Every day life involves a few staples

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Lotion
• etc.

I made an observation.  When looking at blogs and/or magazines and someone's bathroom is in a photo, you usually don't see those essential items anywhere.  I consider it a form of false advertisement because we know that the person has the items somewhere, so why not display them?  There are pretty ways to display these belongings without taking up too much space.  What to display depends on what your routine is and how important it is to have certain items handy.  So now I will bring you...

One bathroom counter three ways!

What all of these images have in common is the ever loved tray.  Trays come in handy for so many things, especially for organizing and de-cluttering.  Oh yeah, and each setup displays a perfume because hey, a girl's gotta smell good!

1. Straight to the point
This is someone that has a simple morning routine involving the staples mentioned above and maybe a couple of other small things like a fragrance, facial moisturizer, lip balm, etc.

A few things to note//
- The oral care items are corralled in an open glass jar which helps with de-cluttering.
- A decorative soap dish can be used as a storage item for small things as well!

2. Makeup Junkie
This person has a serious makeup routine in the morning.  Two glass containers are used; a tall one to hold long makeup items (mascara,  brushes, etc.) and a short one to store small makeup items (eyeshadow, lipstick, etc.).  It's also better to only keep the makeup handy that is used everyday rather than keeping the whole collection out.

A few things to note//
- A makeup mirror is included here because it can be a best friend during application.
- A mirrored tray gives a bit of interest to the counter and glass on top of glass looks great!

3. The Skincare Junkie
This person has a daily/nightly routine for their skin and may have various washes, scrubs, oils and moisturizers to store.  These items are displayed on a small glass tray and sit next to a decorative box.

 

A few things to note//
- A decorative soap box is used to store small items (cotton balls, cotton pads and q-tips).
- A large box is used to store other daily items, and with a close of the box it is all hidden.

In summary, don't hide your stuff!  Keep it out and be proud of it.   Find fun and unique ways to display these items without becoming too intrusive.

So how do you keep your essentials stored and which of these does your morning routine mirror?

Straight to the Point//

The Makeup Junkie//

The Skincare Junkie//

Challenging Space: Living with Televisions

I guess living with TVs isn't really a challenging space, but it still poses a problem.  Whenever I'm looking at magazines, design books, or design sites I notice that the living/family room rarely includes a TV.  I read the reasoning behind this at one point but I forgot what it was...please comment if you know!  I think that watching TV has become a big part of family time especially since the economic downturn.  Mix that with the continual rise in movie ticket prices (hello, redbox!) and you're sure to be sitting in front of a TV in a comfortable room in your home more frequently.  Sure there are people that don't watch TV, that's fine, but for those that do this is for you.  With all of the nice TVs out there and all of the creative people in the world, I find it hard to believe that a TV can't be included in home interior photoshoots.  Here are a few great examples of how TVs can look nice in a room:

{credits: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 }

What about you?  Does it bother you that TVs usually don't make it into photoshoots?

Challenging Space- Above the Kitchen Cabinets

I'm still in the process of decorating my kitchen.  It has been a while since something was done in there, but I've actively been looking for the perfect light fixture (this could have something to do with the 2/3 fluorescent lights blowing out and knowing that the third one is on its way).  I have also been a little puzzled with what to do with the space above the cabinets.  You know, that awkward area between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling.  Our kitchen for example:

I don't want plants, beer bottles or wine bottles displayed there, so what other clean, clever, modern options do I have?

Here are a few ideas that I came across:

Layering in a corner                               

I love the way these surprise elements add interest to the kitchen and draw your eyes up.  I also enjoy the fact that this area isn't too busy; it's very clean and chic.

Add windows                                                                       

This is a great way to get more natural light flowing through your house, and definitely adds interest to the kitchen (if it's within your budget!).

Add a stencil/wallpaper to the top of the wall                            

This will add visual interest as well, and you will be able to keep the top of the cabinets bare.

Upshine!                                                                                  

Add some under-counter lighting to the tops of the cabinets so that the light will shine up.  This will also give the room more dimension.

Cute plates                                                          

I love the look of this.  It's kind of an updated version of adding antique plates to the tops.  You can also choose plates with designs that compliment the theme of your home.

credits 1 2 3 4 5

Do you all have this space in your home?  If so, how do you decorate it, or do you just keep it empty?

Challenging Space- A Narrow Hall

We've been blessed with a beautiful home.  I love the process of decorating and finding ways to creatively decorate a challenging space.  One place that may be a challenge is our front entry.  It happens to be a narrow hallway.  I see images all of the time of grande entries/foyers, and I would like to be able to decorate mine in ways that I have seen (a large pendant light fixture, a console table with a lamp and cute bowls for keys and other daily essentials, a mirror or painting hanging over the console, a large bench just to name a few).  Instead, I have a narrow hallway that can't be overdecorated because it would be too easy to get cluttered.  As I said, this is a challenge, and I look forward to tackling it and finding a creative and lovely solution.  I decided to create this post to help others with finding solutions for decorating a small hallway (as well as myself) because every home does not have large halls, and narrow halls need love too!

1. Hang a large image on the wall that is the longest and has no doors on it.  This is a way to make a big statement without utilizing too many items.  One large image and an eye-catching Semi-Flush mount light fixture can do wonders.  These two items together can take away from the lack of space by drawing attention to themselves.

2. Place a small storage bench on a wall that has nothing on it and put an over-sized mirror behind it.  We all know that mirrors add depth to a small space, so the use of mirrors can be your friend in this situation.

3. Create your own art gallery.  On the largest/longest wall, hang images up and frame them in multiple frames of the same kind.  This gives a cohesive look regardless of what you decide to put in each frame.  Also, the frames will encourage movement if they are hung like the image below.  As you walk down the hall, you and your guests will have something to focus on along the way.  This will also possibly lead to conversations based on what you have framed, so it's a great ice breaker!

4. Stripes, stripes, stripes! Add a few large stripes to the hallway in a shade or two lighter/darker than the main paint color and this will create a space that looks complete.  Hanging a few small items on the wall similar to below can finish the look off.  Smaller stripes may not work as well because of the headache factor.

5. Add a runner to the floor.  You can choose a heavily decorated runner to flow down the hall and place a few images on the wall and this space can look great!  Since it's a potentially high traffic area, a runner is always good with keeping your floor clean, and if it's heavily decorated or a dark solid, it doesn't need to be cleaned as often.

6. Let the hallway flow into the next rooms decor.  This image may be borderline overkill, but it actually works well in this smaller space.  The darker colors give this space a glamorous look if that's what you're into.  If not, you can switch the dark colors out for light.  We also know that lighter colors can open a room up.  It's also better in my opinion to use a few larger pieces in a room to fill up a space rather than lots of little things because the overload of small things can give a cluttered look/feel quickly.

Hopefully this will help if you are faced with the challenge of a narrow hallway.  It has given me a few ideas of how to tackle this space!  If you know of any other ways to decorate a narrow hall, please post a comment!

 Here is our entryway currently:

credits 1 2 3 4 5 6

Oh yeah, and I must not forget Independence Day!  Happy Birthday, America!  Also, thank you to all of the courageous men and women that risk their lives everyday to protect ours!