Decor Diary: Summer Cleaning and Organization - The Bath
When I first started changing over my bathroom decor this Spring, I wasn't 100% sure exactly what I wanted, and then I did - but couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so I settled on an alternative... and then I started finding everything I initially wanted. It has been a rollercoaster ride of decisions and changes. Whereas my outdoor and bedroom decor came together fairly easy, the bathroom has undergone various changes before becoming closest to my original vision of a Nature Spa.
I knew I wanted to incorporate the color green and bring in leafy prints, but the overall idea was to bring the outside in for a tranquil and soothing spa feel. Think having a massage, facial or nice bubble bath outside in a private secluded space surrounded by tropical trees with oversized leaves and the sound of a calm, bubbling water-feature flowing nearby to lull you into full relaxation mode. In creating this theme, I decided to keep the other colors rather neutral and similar to nature, which meant creams, whites and browns. I went to Pinterest for photos of inspiration and then scoured Amazon for must-have items.
In early Spring, it was a bit difficult to find the items I wanted or to find them at affordable prices. I was, however, finding items that were in line with my color scheme of pink and green for the rest of my living space and, in a fit of desperation, settled for things in that vein, which ultimately didn't work. At first, I couldn't find the deep green tones I was looking for so I went with the pastel minty ones that were available. It seemed like it worked when I laid everything out, but once it was all up and decorated the end result did not invoke relaxation. The pinks and minty greens were just too sickly sweet and reminded me of a bag of dinner mints - you know the kind you see at weddings in white, pastel pink and minty green? It didn't bring me joy at all and a few items were eventually returned. Removing the pink was a definite factor. It just didn't work in the bath space and I had to come to terms with that.
INITIAL LOOK - Pink & Green Pastels
Luckily, on a random "window shopping" weekend, I visited various Dollar Tree stores and discovered a plethora of items that brought me closer to my original vision. Finding the brown apothecary containers in the form of candles and soap dispensers was truly a case of the luck of the Irish. I had been to various stores with no luck. On this particular weekend, however, I found a dispenser in Ross and the candle jars in Dollar Tree. When I say I couldn't add these things into my cart fast enough, it was like finding a pot of gold. These items were incredibly expensive on Amazon for what they were and I knew I could find them elsewhere for less, if they ever came back in stock. About a month after I started shopping, the stock overfloweth - to some degree. I found various artwork, greenery and a rattan serving tray all in one weekend. My window-shopping excursion turned into the shopping bonanza I was previously denied.
WHAT I FOUND
The only things that continued to elude me were the perfect green throw rug, found later on Amazon, and the shower curtains (inner and outer) which I'd always envisioned to be a focal point of the decor. I had gotten rid of the pink, the kitschy flamingo print, but the minty green still didn't light my visual fire. I mean, it came pretty close when combined with my new green and brown finds, so I THOUGHT I was happy.
THE REMIX
And then, once again, on a random, weekend "window shopping" excursion at Dd's Discounts and Ross, I found the shower curtain combo (inner and outer) that brought my Nature Spa dream to life. Deep greens and tan brought in more warmth and the pattern on the outer curtain brought in more texture and interest. A trip to Primark in Florida, completed the vision when I found the perfect color of green in towels. Below, is the the final result of this months-long journey. At last, I have my Nature Spa oasis at home!
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