Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Studio, 1 BR


Here's the thing about living in a one-bathroom apartment: there's no such thing as true privacy.  It's the only option for guests, so it has to accessible, presentable, and, if possible, comfortable at all times to anyone who comes into my apartment.

(Also, here's the thing about living with a dog: he doesn't understand the concept of privacy, so expect to have your showers guarded by a furry four-legged creature who won't let you close the door to the bathroom just in case you somehow magically disappear and leave him all alone while you're in there.  But that's not actually relevant to this post, so let's move on.)

My bathroom is pretty compact, making it easy to maintain a standard of cleanliness, and it's got minimal storage space, so keeping everything tidy is simple.  There aren't any cupboards and I installed the only two shelves after moving in; I can see all of my products all of the time and any potential mess has nowhere to hide!  Because there's not much taking up space - it's got the basics: a bathtub/shower, a pedestal sink, a toilet, a mirror, a towel rack, and the two shelves plus a deeply recessed narrow window - it seems a bit bare.  I'd love my bathroom to look like a page from a Pottery Barn magazine, but it's small and slightly cramped and it barely gets any natural light.  How does one decorate a bathroom?

Like Whitney, I consider coordinating my shower curtain and my bathmat to be as comprehensive as it gets.  (Mine are both white, by the way.)  I'm still using the towels I got for college in 2004.  (We didn't put any linens on our wedding registry and I'm waiting until I see a super sale somewhere to buy a good new set in a color that Jon likes, too.)  And - well, what else is there?

I'll tell you how Jon would answer that question: he'd say that bathrooms are a place for comedic art.  I taped up two little Monet landscapes, also remnants from my college days, on the wall above the towel rack when I first moved in, but they looked really scrappy so I took them down after only a few weeks.  When I asked Jon what I should replace them with, he suggested cartoons.

Cartoons?  Well, okay!  I can work with humor and illustrations.  Of course, my definition of "comedic art" is slightly different than Jon's, but being guided by that idea is proving to be quite fun!  I like topical pieces that participate in social commentary, so over the summer I had the Bert and Ernie / SCOTUS New Yorker cover framed and it's now hanging above my towel rack, and I like the idea of creating a whole gallery wall of works like that.  Here are some of my favorites from the newsstand and the internet:

New Yorker covers (L-R) from 10/17/11, 09/10/12, and 06/03/13
cartoons by (L-R) Charles AddamsPablo Helguera, and xkcd

Any other ideas, dear readers?  I'd love to see some of your favorites that could work!  (And if you have other thoughts on bathroom decor, pass them along.  I could be persuaded to do almost anything...)

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14 comments:

  1. My grandparents had framed National Geographic covers in their bathroom when we were growing up - it always makes me smile when I see anyone with a gallery wall-type display in their bathroom. And it was always a talking point with guests, so you can't go wrong with cartoons I don't think! Loving the mini redesign by the way - and very envious of your coding skills :)

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  2. I have "bathroom pictures" from a large-format assignment in school. I was photographing patterns in nature, and ended up with some congenial, non-descript plant color images that I jokingly called my "Bathroom Series". I sold some, then forgot about them until we were de-personalizing our house to put it on the market. I found the images, framed them, and ever since they've hung in our guest bathrooms!


    (The black and white images I shot for the same assignment were what I actually presented for critique... but those are now in our guest bedroom, so there's that ;)

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  3. New blog design!! It looks great!! And the new profile photo is GORGEOUS!! The Bert/Ernie New Yorker cover is classic, too.

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  4. I'm not a gallery-wall type of girl, so I surprised myself here!


    and thank you - wiping the old template and starting fresh was scary, but I think that Google could walk someone through brain surgery if necessary :)

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  5. Love the idea of funny comics in the bathroom! The New Yorker covers are my favorite. My grandmother had one in her bathroom that had the phrase "if you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat."

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  6. Calvin and Hobbes- the cartoon that merges childhood whimsy with 20th century sarcasm and the ageless questions of philosophy. :)

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  7. We have basically the same bathroom and except ours has the lovely touch of peach sponge painted walls, I know so jealous are you! I love the idea of magazine covers as art though and I think I should do that with some of Fredrik's music ones he has!

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  8. yay, thanks - it's the same idea I've been working with since day 1 but it felt good to make it myself :)

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  9. YES. I love that idea! I could do real damage in the greeting cards aisle if I had an excuse...

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  10. but then I'd never leave the bathroom because I'd get sucked into the Life Musings.


    (I am not being sarcastic here.)

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  11. haha yeah I think Jon will like that one :)


    I just wish I'd kept more of my dad's old covers! you can buy them online but that seems silly.

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  12. When I was re-doing the master bathroom (which is mine. A uses the guest), I focused on one piece of art that I wanted to be the mood board for the room. I chose a print that I loved for the focal point and then selected towels/rug/accessories/other art to tie in with the color palette. The Threshold Target line is pretty good when it comes to cheap but durable linen if you're looking to upgrade towels! And I got a bath mat from West Elm - they have some nice woven ones that are a nice substitute for the typical terry/carpet style.

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I love reading your thoughts and suggestions! Please do leave a comment so we can get to know each other better.