When Design Love Turns to Design Hate.

Meet our powder room. It was the first room we decorated when we moved in almost four years ago.

Wainscoting and a chunky chair rail went up, the walls went black, and in came a new light, a glam mirror and some art we had laying around the house. Cheap Ikea tp holder and towel bar were installed, and we haven’t touched the room since.

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I walked into that bathroom the other day, took one look around and hated it. Not everything, but most of my design choices were no longer my style. The elaborate mirror & art? It feels so black and white damask weddingy to me (this could be because we decorated it while planning our wedding). You know that style of black, white & red from a few years back? Glam and luxe, but now it feels like a wedding hall with cheap polyester seat covers. The art? Some prints I made 8 or so years ago. My photos, my work. But my love for them is gone. I used to adore this room, and now I hate it! Does it mean the room isn’t nice? Or that its not someone else’s perfect style? Not at all, just that its lost it’s luster on me. I have fallen out of love with it.

Design is like that though, isn’t it? Your tastes change. You grow as a person. Your life moves in a different direction.

It is time for a change.

What’s on my hit list?

That mirror needs to go. As does the art and accessories. I still love the wall color and trim. The small sink barely fits into the room, so swapping that out is pretty unrealistic, but perhaps the faucet could go?

So what am I thinking? Embrace the Scandinavian black & white and run with it. New shadow box mirror. New light (brass maybe?) New art (finally getting some of the prints I bought in Denmark and Sweden on the walls?!) and new towel, tp and trash can accessories.

Follow Kristen’s board Bathroom: Scandinavian Modern meets Traditional on Pinterest.
 

Not a big project by any means, but one that will put me back to a style I love. Out with the glam, and in with our Scandinavian industrial vibe.

Guess I’ll be making a trip to Ikea, Mjolk and CB2 next weekend. Oh, and I will be doing this all on pretty much NO budget. Wish me luck!

What design trend are you over? Have a room in your house that needs a facelift, fast?

Author: Kristen

Kristen & her husband El Granto & their Vizsla Odin live in a converted Storefront in downtown Toronto.

8 thoughts on “When Design Love Turns to Design Hate.”

  1. 100% I remember and know that wedding hall decor style. So funny how much our style can change in just 4 years. I have totally ‘honed’ what I like and don’t like – my first ‘real’ home was a mishmash of inherited things I loved and modern pops of colour. Cute but definitely not me anymore. I think I am still finding ‘me’ but getting there. Good luck with the bathroom.

    1. I don’t think Ive 100% found me yet either, but I am at least on a path. I have a fire lit under my butt, and I want to start NOW. Like run home and get started.

      Oh, and I still have the mismash leather sofa and ottoman in the living room. One step at a time. 😉

  2. Can I ever relate to this. Our Bathroom. Certain lamps. Certain pieces of furniture. No more. When we started decorating I was adamant that a farmhouse meets vintage style would work in our home. But the final straw was me sitting looking at the mason jar lamp in our living room thinking “Why are you here?” It took several years for us to hone our look and style but now that we’ve found it, it’s most definitely time for a change. Our upcoming kitchen reno will def reflect that. I can’t wait to see what you do to your bathroom. Loving the Pinterest pics already!

  3. I see what you mean with the style. I would have loved this room a few years ago myself, but now it is not as “glam” as I would do a similar room today. Tastes and Styles change! I think your small changes will make a big impact!

    Maybe a brass/gold faucet? You seem to favour that metal on your pinboard

    1. Would love a simple raw brass faucet! Problem is budget, I reaaally don’t have one for this space. We wanted to start our main bath reno this fall, so any cash is really saved for that. I have been looking at discount faucets, and my pal Ikea. Hoping to find something basic and stylish, but may have to live with this one for a while.

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