Where Bloggers Live: The Ugliest Bathroom in All the Land
Welcome to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? Every month a group of six bloggers share their work-spaces, homes, towns, and more!
Welcome to this month’s theme, the one no one’s been waiting for, the very UNpopular, BATHROOMS.
Sigh. What is WRONG with me?? I came UP with this theme! Why would I do this to myself? Why? Waewaewae???
Maybe if I could find a charming Japanese term for bathrooms like I did with books, it might make this more palatable (ooh maybe that’s a poor word choice).
Yeah, nope. Even the Japanese can’t save me from this one.
Okay. I currently have The World’s Ugliest Bathroom. It’s like 70s chiffon yellow, industrial…and not in a good way. AND…no bathtub. Which, to me, automatically knocks a bathroom down from a 10 to a 5 no matter WHAT else is going on.
Okay, you ready? This is it.
Two pics. That’s all it takes. I have tried to make little photo moments happen in there and…no. I had a plant in the window but t was too hard to water and was just the home ALL THE SPIDERS IN THE WORLD were looking for. I’ve looked for a cute little vintagey cabinet to go where the lovely plastic drawer storage thingies are but….that has not yet materialized. I LIKE the vintage sink on metal legs but that alone is not enough to save this space. The yellow tile and beigey beige so very putty beige walls are just…so…not good. I guess I could have pulled down my ratty shower mat for the picture but hey. This is real life. I didn’t even sweep the floor. Or empty the trash.
Does that make me an amazingly authentic content creator? Or just the laziest of the lazy? You be the judge.
Here’s the bathroom’s one bright spot. The Hottest Water Ever. Like, I like to scald myself til my skin practically peels off. And then make it even hotter. I have NEVER set this water temp to All The Way Hot because I would be dead. I would be a burned-up dead person. It’s that hot. Water pressure, not so much. But hot water? Oh yeah. And endless. No complaints there.
Only cold water in the sink for some reason…and the sink tap is ridiculously difficult to turn on, I have to brace my body against the sink while I pull with two hands or I’ll just pull the sink off the wall.
AND…another niceish thing…at certain times of year, at certain times of day…you get lovely dancing leaf shadows on the wall opposite the toilet for your viewing pleasure. Oh. But…they just cut down all those charming little trees outside the window so NEVER MIND.
Every Moment is a Teachable Moment
Now, in the past, I have had the LOVELIEST bathroom, so I guess it all evens out in the end, but that one was for such a short time, sigh. And I miss it so…with its soft dusty robin’s egg blue walls and white beadboard wainscotting and crystal chandelier and wonderful wonderful deep deep soaking tub and 1920s medicine cabinet and oh the list goes on. Sadly, these were all the pictures I could find…
Another favorite bathroom was in my Bushwick, Brooklyn apartment cuz that’s where I had my first clawfoot tub experience, and trust me, it’s an experience. They are designed PERFECTLY for long, deep, relaxing soaks…and they’re pretty, to boot, with their graceful claw feet. And this one had a stained glass skylight directly above it, which was a very nice touch.
Not a particularly lovely photo, but…the tub. le sigh. i miss it so much. I spent SO many hours in that tub. In a cool bath at night before bed before I had ac, in a hot bath before bed in the winter…when i wanted to just escape and read…or nap š
Alrighty. You have seen the best and worst of the bathrooms I’ve lived with for the past…umpteen years. You’re probably feeling pretty good about YOUR bathroom right about now, aren’t you??
YOU’RE WELCOME.
Check out the other ladies’ loos!
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris
Well, I didn’t think it was so bad. I’ve lived in worse. Thanks for the tour, and the memories. But, don’t knock the little plastic ‘chests’ – I have two of them in my bathroom. Something vintage to replace them – I’ll have to think about that.
Iris
bettyewp
It’s just ugly. Maybe it makes me shallow but I do like things to…have a certain aesthetic. Sometimes I can turn ugly things into a silk purse, but sometimes…I just don’t have that much magic in me.
I’m not knocking the plastic storage, I’ve lived with it for years – in bathrooms, offices, closets. It’s useful. But it’s certainly not pretty. And I just thought some sweet little vintage piece in there with some drawers for the stuff, and a little lamp on top, with a picture, etc…would go a long way to improving a sterile space. But it’s a tough space…and I really have not devoted much effort to looking as I don’t know how long I’ll be here (the enduring problem with renting).
jodie filogomo
I knew you would still create some amazing photos Bettye. It’s your true talent.
So I guess the no bathtub thing in ours makes it down to a 5, LOL!! It wasn’t a fabulous tub anyways.
There is one bright spot…you have a bathroom. Did you read the comment on my post where she grew up without one? Now that’s primitive!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
bettyewp
Did you take your tub out? I feel like maybe I remember that. I was surprised when I read that š
Yes, agreed, having a bathroom is better than not having one. That’s a rough situation. I look at a lot of apartments even with shared bathroom situations and I’m just like oooohhhh I don’t think I can do that. But even THAT is better than NO BATHROOM,
Daenel T.
But the pictures are still pretty. That sink! Iām such a fan of everything vintage. The crystal knobs on your old bathroom made me swoon.
bettyewp
Thanks, Daenel…I left as many original details in the bathroom as I could (driving the bathroom buildy guy CRAZY) when I re-did it. It PAINED ME to leave that bathroom behind. The house sold to a single guy in his early-30s, you think he had any appreciation for that crystal chandelier? NO. Plus, he took all my wonderful trees down.
Monster.
Leslie Susan Clingan
It’s functional!! Has great hot water. Looks roomy. Those are all pluses in my book. When we were building our house, it seemed that huge bathrooms were all the go. But I would lots rather have a larger kitchen or den or bedroom. As long as you can do what you need to do in there. who cares about the bathroom!! Like Daenel said. Your photos are beautiful. I think you should get some black metal floating frames – inexpensive – and print and frame photos of your previous bathroom to hang in this one. Maybe it will make it more like home.
bettyewp
Looks roomier in the picture than it really is cuz wide-angle lens (realtor trick). Yeah, I don’t need a LARGE bathroom, but this one just grates on my “i just want things to look nice” nerve.
That’s a cute idea about the bathroom pictures. I’ve printed like two of my pictures EVER, so we’ll see if it actually happens š but it’s a lovely idea.