Tag: bathroom

September 27, 2012

I shared my bubble bath…with…a….

No matter if I light scented candles, or softly play the Enya CD on repeat or fill the bath with passionfruit-mango-sorbet bubbles….I just can’t relax. To me baths make no sense…how can lying in a tub of dirty warm water be relaxing?

Since I was a small child, I have not been a fan of baths. Deep down on a subconcious level, I probably associate baths with my childhood bathtime routine – sharing a small tub with 2 younger sisters, I was always awkwardly placed closest to the tap .…’the hot end’, straining my neck on a weird angle to avoid being hit by the metal tap. I am 100% sure they both had ‘accidents’ in there (more often than not) – which means that I pretty much bathing in their piss. Gross. Not cool.

Despite my aversion to bath’s – I spontaneously decided to have a bath last Sunday night. Excitedly I got out my candles, created a ‘nix mix- bathtime’ playlist and bought some lavender bubbles. I actually quite enjoyed myself as I very sunk into the warm water. Initially, I tried reading the Sunday newspaper. I failed miserably. After 2 minutes flat I submerged it like the Titantic. Turning it into a paper-mache blob. However, I didn’t let this affect my morale, instead I just closed my eyes & tried to relax…..

Admittedly, I really enjoyed the whole experience…..UNTIL….I ATTEMPTED TO GET OUT….

Upon getting out, I noticed a dark brown floating mysterious object.…..I PICKED IT UP.……

I SCREAMED. I CRIED. I SLAPPED MY BODY ERRATICALLY.

It was a COCKROACH.

I had just shared my bath with a dead cockroach.

My mind jumped to the possibility of it laying eggs in my ears. I felt so dirty. I don’t think I have ever scrubbed myself so clean. It still makes my stomach churn. It had not been there when I filled the bath up…it must have floated out of the drain.

In an attempt to forget the whole situation, I distracted myself….by design. To try to remain positive about baths, I searched for the most beautiful bathtubs I could find…

(Image via Pinterest)

My dream bathtub…surrounded by (design) books!

(Image via Piccsy)

(Image via SheAchive)

(Image via Viva Fullhouse)

(Image via Style Files)

(Image via livinginside)

(Image via Frisk Style)

Simple. Modern. Clean line. Ceramic against timber floors – what is not to love?!

(Image via Housetohome)

Ok, I’m off to cook some dinner & have a……SHOWER! (No more baths for me!).

April 17, 2012

Embrace Nakedness.

Come on, mInd out of the gutter…embrace the nakedness of brick walls.

I’ve been in love with exposed brick walls for a while now. I love the rawness. Brick’s don’t need to be hidden under a layer of paint. Bricks too, can be beautiful.

My current module (completing a Diploma in Interior Design & Decoration for fun!) called Research & Apply Natural and Manmade Materials. In all honesty, I though the module would be a bit dry…however, I have been pleasantly suprised.

I never realised the various property differences between manufactured materials (ie. tiles, concrete, bricks, glass, rubber, plastic, paper, paint etc) vs natural materials (bamboo, timber, cork, gold etc). Strength, thermal, aesthetics, accoustic, moisture content, water resistance…all things they need to be taken into account when working an interior space. No point have a non water resistant bench top!

One part of my assessment, was to analyse all the materials used in a public space. I chose to do Mecca Expresso (the cafe in the bottom of my apartament block, which also happens to have been voted Sydney’s Best Coffee by Sydney Morning Herald in 2011 – click here for more info….I DEFS recommend you go there if you haven’t already)

Anyways…long story short. Mecca has a beautiful exposed brick wall – I love the rawness of it and the way it adds to the modern industrial theme. Brick walls immediately mentally transport me to a New York converted warehouse loft apartment.

To me, a single brick seems cold and lifeless. However, put them all together and I believe that (with some dim lighting) they exude a sense of warmth. They add a character to a space.

Mecca

Fresh. Rustic. Beauty. The addition of the lamp with well-worn wooden floorboards – creates a gorgeous industrial feel.
(Image via Modern Hepburn)

My two loves in one photo – tram rolls against a brick wall. No words can express the beauty of this combination.

(Image via Dooby Brain)

This brick wall has been white washed, so is not 100% raw, but still there is something so soothing and serene about it.

(Image via

(Image via Apartment Therapy)

Brick walls not just for the home. A fresh and neutral backdrop for a retail store.

(Image via Retail Design)

See bricks just ‘work’…even in the bathroom. P.s. love that tub!

(Image via Dreambook)

Moral of the story: Don’t paint over those brick walls. Embrace them…naked.

April 16, 2012

Toilet Humour- It’s just not funny.

I hate toilet humour. And by that I mean I hate toilet humour. I just don’t find it funny.

I agreed, that going to the toilet is a universal human need (whether it be a diamond encrusted seat or a dirt hole). But, I disagree, that (unless for medical purposes) we really need to talk about it in a crude manner (call me what you want…but I just find it gross).

I have two sisters. I went to a school with only girls. Shedding hair, applying different creams (for all parts of the body) and analysing my face under a magnifying mirror has always been ‘normal’ bathroom behaviour for me. Apart from my short stint at Boston University back in 2007…I admittedly have never co-habitated with boys. That is… until last month.

There are many things which I have needed to ‘adjust’ to (ie. waking up to the smell of re-heated KFC (bought 3am the night before) at 9am, a musty smell in the laundry as they ‘forgot’ to take their clothes out of the washing mactine..)

All those things I can deal with. However, one part of co-habitating with boys, which has caused minor anxiety is …the whole bathroom/toilet thing. I am living with two boys (brothers). I still find the whole sharing a toilet thing a little weird (lucky we a have a couple of toilets & they are both hygenic!).

In an attempt to face my fear with sharing a bathroom with boys, I decided what is better, than to immerse myself in some beautifully deisgned toilets.

Whilst toilet humour will never make me laugh, these gorgeous designs definitely make me smile.

The disappearing urinal, in London, England. These pop up at about 10 p.m., just in time for the drinking crowds, and pop back down at sunrise. Beats peeing in the doorway, just hope there is a system preventing people getting trapped in there!
(Image via GBC Mag)

Steamboat style. Love it!

(Image via Noupe)

Boys will be boys…

(Image via news.com)

Just a chair?! Think again!!

(Image via news.com)

Transparent toilet. Don’t worry, you can see out…but not in. Still – I would feel a little uncomfortable.

(Image via Techblog)

OK, this one just freaked me out a little – The Modern Toilet Restaurant…

Opening in 2004, they are now a franchise all over Taiwan. All 100 seats in the diner are made from toilet bowls, not chairs. . Sink faucets and gender-coded “WC” signs appear throughout the three-storey facility. Ice-cream is shaped like faeces?

Possibly my worst nightmare.

Probably not the best place to bring a child in potty training…