EYESORE TO EXQUISITE

When I purchased my house in 1977, a few of the original items had been removed from the house by a previous owner.  One of these items was the large stained glass window that overlooked the staircase.  The opening had then been divided into four parts and fitted with amber colored plexiglass which was --no kidding--the ugliest thing in the house.

The best I could do at the time was to replace the plexiglass with clear glass panels. Obviously there was no "view" so leaving it like this was not an option.

Then I discovered a product called Crystal Craze.  It was a thin paint for glass that crystallized as it dried. I removed one panel at a time and used liquid lead to outline a pattern on each one.  The design was then filled in with various colors of Crystal Craze.  It takes a fair amount of pressure to squeeze liquid lead from a tube so it is not something you work at for long periods of time.  The glass also has to be squeaky clean or the lead will not form a bond and the paint will seep under the lead to the ajoining section.  What I'm pointing out here is that this took some time to complete.

As time went by, the colors started to fade and the paint began to flake from the heat and light of the sun.  I had always planned to find an art glass window to replace this one but other things seemed to take priority.  One day I came across a pattern in an old library book and it just clicked with me.  I took the pattern to a glass artist who altered it slightly to fit the size of my window opening.  Next came the fun part of selecting the glass in colors and textures of my choice.This was a little more difficult than you might think as there was not a good way to lay it out before making a decision.  I had to trust the image in my head and just go for it!

I was very pleased with the finished product except for the fact that the reinforcing rods had been positioned horizontally on the back which detracted from the design of the window.  With a little persuasion these were removed and replaced with vertical support bars that were "hidden" within the design.  THEN IT WAS PERFECT.

The Luxury Of Two Baths.

 Even though I grew up in a one bathroom house with 3 brothers and 3 sisters, and know it is doable, I now had the space and, well, why not? As you know from the post about the main bathroom,(the only one at the time) there was a water closet next to that bath.  Once a toliet was added to that bath, it was no longer necessary to have access to this one from the hall.  Thus began the process of adding another full bath backing up to the main bath.

As you can see from this shot, a wall had divided these two windows.  The window on the left was over the toliet in the water closet and the one on the right was at the end of a deep, narrow closet.  There were shelves along one wall as you can see by the paint marks.  I can't believe these windows were originally divided in this way but guess I will never know the answer to that one.

Obviously, a gut was required but as a result all new plumbing and wiring was simplified.

The entrance to the water closet was eliminated which allowed for a shower against the new wall.  The toliet remained in the same location.

A vanity was added on the closet side of the room.  Coordinating wallpaper with a border. although dated now, looked spiffy at the time.  A traditional window treatment completed the look and now the second floor boasted two full baths.

Then came the idea to change the tile and run it up the wall behind a pedestal sink.  The wallpaper lost out as the faux finish bug was in full swing.  The walls and ceiling were lightly washed in a pale apricot and the wood trim received a rubbed back distressed green finish that matched the color of the shower.

And here it is today.  Adding the shower all those years ago was a great move as I am definately not a bubble bath kind of gal.

This mirror was part of the bedroom decor for some time until it dawned on me how perfect it was for this room.

The twin windows add a lot of interest to this small bath and have been accessorized with a variety of fabrics.  The cream and mustard toile has lasted the longest so obviously one of my favorites.

A few decorative elements changed over the years but the basics have been left intact.

Movin' on

Recognize this?

Recycle? You bet!

That old sink that came with the house has a new life.  It now resides in a snappy new loft apt.  The legs are gone and the faucets are new but it's the same sink...no refinishing necessary.

A bathroom begs for transformation.

When I purchased my home some 30 plus years ago, the bathroom on the second floor consisted of a sink and a clawfoot tub.  The toliet was in another room referred to as a "water closet."  My favorite things in the room were the porcelain towel bars and the sconces on either side of the medicine chest.  Which, by the way, was slightly high for someone 5'2" tall.  That explains the stool you see next to the sink.

As we know bathroom rehabs can be mighty expensive.  So the bathroom stayed as it was for a while until I decided a little paint and wallpaper would be a cheap fix if I did the work myself.  Although blue is not my first color choice, I thought I should pick up the color of the floor tile and incorporate it around the room.