Monday, January 17, 2011

Pondering Bathroom Touches


Photo by Eric Roth


Hi everyone, I hope you've all had lovely weekends and for those of you affected by the Queensland floods, I hope the clean-up phase has been going as well as can be. I had an enjoyable day yesterday pottering around the house, trying to work some more on my 'beginning of the year tidy-up' which I am hoping to have done by the end of the month. However, I got a bit side tracked with the decorating side of things in our ensuite.

As I blogged about a while back, our ensuite was renovated a few years ago but is still lacking some small touches. While I did lots of sorting and scrubbing, I spent time thinking about new colours to introduce, playing around with potential items to display on top of the vanity and trying to decide what sort of curtains I want in this room.

There are two things I am undecided on - towels and artwork. We are definitely over our blue towels and in need of something fresh. I'm thinking of a combination of pale stony grey (or perhaps white). Am I crazy? Does white get too dirty or is it easy to clean white towels and bath mats with a bit of good old Napisan? What is your experience with towel colours?

I'll be sure to share some photos of our ensuite once I find the fabric I'm after (something light with a subtle self-stripe), have bought new towels and have hung our artwork...

26 comments:

  1. Hi Amanda...we have five kids and all of our bath towels are white. I have no trouble keeping them that way...it's amazing what a hot wash can do to spruce them up. I am a white girl at heart and would have everything that colour if I could :)
    Happy shopping and decorating
    x

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  2. Hi Amanda, looking forward to taking a peek at what you have done. I use white bath mats and do soak them every now and then in Napisan. Seems to do the job! ;-)

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  3. Hi Amanda!

    I checked out your old ensuite post and you have done a beautiful reno! You could use quite a few different colour towels - white would look very crisp and fresh and I have found they aren't too hard to keep clean as long as you use a booster in each wash. A lovely soft blue/grey would also look great. I bought some at the post Christmas sales from Adairs and they look great in our ensuite (similar colour to yours except our floor tiles are a slightly lighter grey). Also a lovely turquoise/aqua would look great if you wanted to go for a brighter look.

    Looking forward to seeing how it looks with the new accessories!

    Christine x

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  4. I use white in Hugh's bathroom and it's been fine! I'm the same......needing a towel makeover! Ashamed to say it but the towels we use were given to us for our wedding....6 years ago!
    Thanks for sharing the gorgeous picture, I've been pondering what artwork to put in the kids bathroom (and our ensuite) and something like you have pictured would do the trick very nicely!

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  5. Your bathroom looks crisp and white so you could go any colour combo and it would look great. Personally I'm not a fan of white, only because I'm not the best stain remover and would rather a darker colour so I didn't freak out every time I dyed my hair! Can't wait to see what artwork and colour scheme you choose x

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  6. Hi Amanda...I have the charcoal and white towels happening in my bathroom and I love it..a third colour that looks really fab with it is orange or yellow...or even beige.
    I have had no problems with using white towels..nothing that napisan cant help with.I think you would be fine honey. Look forward to seeing what you end up doing with it, and love the image above xx

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  7. Hi Amanda. I have white bathmats and although they do get a bit dirty it's nothing that a good wash and dry out in the sunshine doesn't fix! I've never been game enough to have white towels though :) i would go with either white or an icy/pale blue.

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  8. I have a mix of white, aqua and dark blue and have to say the dark ones are best, especially when I am constantly in the garden. I am not one of those organised people who do towels separately in the wash, they go in with everything, so dark is easier.
    I do like Anna's idea of charcoal and maybe yellow though :)
    x

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  9. Hi Amanda, I have white bathmat and towels and I find that it's fine. They always come out looking brand new after a wash and even if I don't use Napisan they still look good.
    I like the idea of a light stony grey, it think that would be nice!
    Jxx

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  10. We have white towels, bath mats, tea towels and most of the bed linen is white. I prefer it as it makes it easy for me to interchange sets of linen. I use napisan occasionally but mostly find a hot wash and drying in the sunshine removes any stains. I so love that shelf in the photo you have chosen! xx

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  11. Your ensuite reno is great Amanda, it looks so clean and fresh. I use white towels, bath mats, facewashers and handtowels. I soak them in some nappysan each wash and they come up good as new. The hand towels need to be changed more frequently especially when you have boys visiting who are in too much of a rush to wash their hands properly! xx

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  12. White towels are gorgeous, but they have to be line dried :) As do all towels really!

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  13. I prefer a neutral towel either in brownish colour or grey tones. This is how I add my colour to the bathroom along with my bathmats. Although I have been currently using green to match my cushions in the lounge room. I love to carry a theme through!! Can't wait to see what you do xx

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  14. Hi Amanda, can't wait to see what you do in the ensuite. My personal experience with white towels is that I don't have them - makeup stains - yuk!! Maybe I'm just lazy when it comes to stain removal. In saying that I do have white towels (with a hint of pink) in the girls bathroom - but then again at 2yrs and 4yrs I don't have to worry about makeup yet! If you are willing to soak away the stains, white towels do look fab and give a bathroom a hotel vibe.
    Enjoyed catching up on some of your posts - I'm practically green with envy over that vege patch! Michelle

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  15. I keep our bathrooms plain, i.e. NOTHING on the counters, all toothbrushes & shaving gear in a drawer or cupboard, always looks clean & tidy. I add colour with towels, amazing how long your investment into Sheridan can last, like "this is looking a bit shabby now, probably as we got it when we got married 13 years ago" kind of thing!! I use top quality for the 4 children too, also lasted a long time. I have only gone as light as latte cream coloured towels, white is a bit too white on white in our boring Army issued bathrooms. I can imagine when we build our own home, white being perfection for bath towel fluffy happiness. Love Posie

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  16. I have white towels too - they are the only colour i can have!! Cant wait to see pics of the ensuite!
    Rachie xo

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  17. You have such great taste I am sure you will find something great... I love natural and clean elements that make you feel like your at a spa :)

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  18. Fun times ahead!! I am a white towel girl all the way. We are still using the Sheridan towels we were given as wedding presents - over 9 years ago. I use white towels for the babies too. Hot wash, sunshine, and an occasional nappisan booster and they're perfect :)

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  19. Your inspiration is beautiful!

    One thing I will say is we have a white bathmat in the girls bathroom and it is NOT a good idea! Whilst I seem to be able to keep towels white, bathmats I cannot!

    xxMB

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  20. Hi Amanda, Just reading through your blog. I hope you don't mind me putting your link up on my blog :-)

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  21. Amanda, I love your blog, in fact it is one of very few blogs that I return to time and time again. Even after a break in blogging, I always return to your blog first. You are able to capture the essence of yourself and the kinship between your family, so eloquently.

    I loved reading about yours dreams for 2011. My best wishes for a 2011 bub.

    Once again Amanda, inspiring pics and a beautiful portrayal of your lifestlye:- your garden wrapped around with the corrugated iron-love it! The trips to the gallery! I LOVE THE FRESH AND PROFESSIONAL FACE LIFT TO YOUR BLOG - VERY CLEVER. A LOVELY NEW PROFILE SHOT OF YOU TOO - what a gorgeous lady you are.

    Happy holiday season. xo

    Tracey

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  22. love your new profile pic. as for the towels - go white. you can always bleach them. xo

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  23. Why not go with both coloured towels. We live on a farm so white is not practical for my husband, so I have white and he has a darker colour. Very effective with the white hanging in front of the dark--give it a try, you won't regret it.

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  24. Who doesn't love big fluffy towels? I love them especially when they are warm. I'm actually thinking of getting a towel warmer too! Enjoy the gorgeous day, Kellie xx

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  25. Hi! I read you already purchased towels, so I look forward to seeing the photos when you feel ready. I love the clean white look of your new ensuite. Pale stone gray or white would be my pick, too! I wonder what color you picked!

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  26. Hi Amanda
    I love the ensuite makeover. From some other posts, I've noticed that you really like yellow. So why not go with that? Or if you can't settle for one colour, how about a multi-hued accent towel among fluffy white ones? I love Missoni towels (they are pricey and are on my wish list), but I've seen some knock off designs around. Personally, I'm a white towel girl.
    Good luck
    Maja xxx

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