The garage apartment challenge

I think I mentioned the other day that the first thing on our list of things to do when we move into Lotus House II (aka Teddy House) is to decorate the garage apartment so we can list it on Airbnb. Here's what we're working with...one large room with a full bathroom and an efficiency kitchen, which has apartment-sized appliances, a sink, cabinets, and a pass-through bar.

And, for those of you who missed my post about pink bathrooms the other day...

The first thing we're going to do is rip out the lattice/owl and paint the bathroom walls white, then remove the carpet and put down something like this:

Golden Summer Teak
lumberliquidators.com

Next comes finding all the fun stuff...furniture, pillows, quilts, pictures, dishes, and all the other things that will turn the space into the perfect getaway spot. As you might guess, I have a few ideas.

To be honest, I'm leaning toward the neutrals.  I would work a little bit of color into the room, probably with pictures, lumbar pillows in the upholstered chairs, and towels in the bathroom, but I find that palette more restful...and isn't that what people will want?

Pink bathrooms

What I'm about to say will very likely result in my being accused of heresy, but here goes anyway. I'm not a fan of pink bathrooms. There! I've said it. I know that many mid-century enthusiasts think having a pink bathroom is the epitome of cool, and I've read many a passionate post about leaving them intact. I respect those opinions, but, try as I might to like them, they're just not my cup of tea.

I sometimes think that one reason I don't love the part of mid-century design that is considered a bit kitschy...like pink bathrooms...is that I'm a good bit older than many of my fellow bloggers and grew up in the Fifties. I can truly say, "Been there, done that. Had a pink bathroom," and I have never felt a desire to repeat that color scheme. I wasn't a pink kind of girl, even then.

That said, the house we're buying has a pink bathroom in the garage apartment. Since we've decided to Airbnb that space, we have made a decision to put our efforts into decorating it first, so we can start renting it right away. (Did I mention that I'm not a big fan of owls either?)

The pink bathroom in Lotus House II

The way I see it, we can embrace the pink and go full-on kitsch with a shower curtain like this.

DENY Domingo shower curtain
amazon.com

Or we could embrace the pink but forego the over-the-top whimsy, with a floral shower curtain like this.

DENY Garden Doodles shower curtain
amazon.com

Or we could play down the pink by choosing a shower curtain that is predominantly another color.

DENY Lottie shower curtain
target.com

However, I'm leaning in the direction of a mix of strong colors on a white background, where the pale pink is almost an afterthought. My idea is to use a thick white waffle-weave cotton as the main shower curtain and swag a geometric print to the side (or make a valance out of the print). I would use thick white bath towels and turquoise accessories

DENY Rain 9 shower curtain
amazon.com

My daughter, on the other hand, likes putting all the color on the wall, with this predominantly blue and green wallpaper, which has just a touch of pink, and using a white shower curtain.

Nana wallpaper
hyggeandwest.com

I have a strong feeling that there are mood boards in my future. What's your favorite so far?

Our house: Bedrooms and bathrooms

A few days ago, I posted photos of most of our house, with the exception of the bedrooms and bathrooms. I promised to show the rest soon with minimal procrastination, and to my own surprise, I'm keeping that promise to you now.

My daughter's bedroom

One of the things I love most about having shutters...
the play of light on the ceiling

Master bath

My bedroom...until we find a place with a separate apartment

A glimpse of the boys' bedroom
through our jack-and-jill bathroom
(I didn't feel like picking Lego pieces
out of the carpet for a full-room shot.)

Finally...photos of our house

Grandson #1 had a birthday party last weekend, so we finally had to stop procrastinating and get the last of our projects done around the house. You should have seen us scurrying around at the last minute trying to get everything finished. (We were going to rip out the granite, but that project got put on hold indefinitely when circumstances changed.)

The bedrooms and bathrooms are finished too, but I'll save those photos for a later post.  Soon, I promise. No more putting things off. (She says for at least the 10 millionth time in her life.)

And a scene from the birthday party that provided the necessary impetus for getting finished...