After: Our Primary Bath Refresh

This is a sponsored conversation written by us on behalf of Delta® Faucet. The opinions and text are all ours.

Remember when we started tackling our mini bathroom refresh last month with the help of our friends at Delta®? Well, we’re back with some “after” photos because this baby is FINISHED. And we love it dearly.

The main goal of this refresh was to make the bathroom more functional for us, but more importantly, to finish it out the way it was always intended to be. We had originally gone with different faucets when we renovated our house last year, knowing they wouldn’t last forever. We had to go with two pedestal sinks (that we knew we would eventually replace) because our cabinetmaker couldn’t commission our vanity in time.

We wanted the bathroom to have the same traditional, classic feel as the rest of our house, so our faucets had to be just right. We chose the Delta Two Handle Widespread Bathroom Faucet from the Cassidy Collection. We love the way they turned out and how they add the sophisticated charm we were desperately lacking in that space. They’re fun because they look original to the house, but at the same time they look sleek and new. We love the juxtaposition they bring to the room. We had similar cross handles like these at our last house (which was built in the 1950’s) that were actually original, and everyone always complimented on how much they loved them. We’re getting the same response with our new Delta ones, too :).

We went with a chrome finish to match the rest of the bathroom’s fixtures and hardware so that it all flows together. We debated on if we wanted to choose a different finish and mix metals (something we believe is fully acceptable when done correctly) but we ultimately decided to go with matching, as we felt it was more timeless. We didn’t want anything too busy going on in there because, like we said before, we want it to feel relaxing, spa-like, and serene. So far we feel all those things and more every time we walk in there.

We also added a new wood-stained vanity with a polished Carrera marble countertop. We can’t tell you how much of a game changer this is for us. We have drawers! And storage! And a place to set things down on when we’re doing our hair or washing our face! It’s glorious and we’re kicking ourselves as we wonder why we didn’t tackle this sooner. There’s literally a place for everything now.

We thought about doing a white vanity to brighten the space up, but we love the look of the dark wood mixed with the lighter countertop. That contrast is key, and really elevates the feel of the room. Plus, stained wood is a staple in craftsman style homes, so adding it in our bathroom felt appropriate.

We are maximalists at heart (more is more!) but we wanted our bathroom to be paired down and simple. We added new hand towels and some greenery to bring a little nature to the area around our sink. We also added some more plants to our window ledge directly across from our vanity because you can never have enough plants in one room.

Then, to finish it out, we added some simple DIY curtains. We had talked about adding shelves above the toilet and possibly one long, wooden shelf going across the windows to hold plants, but once the vanity was built, we realized we have all the storage we need and ultimately decided against adding any more shelves.

The end result is exactly what we were going for: clean, sophisticated, and timeless. Every time we go in there now, we realize all the waiting was worth it so that we could decide on exactly what we wanted. We couldn’t have done it without the help from our friends at Delta, and want to thank them so much for these beautiful faucets!

The Perfect Fall Day + Beef Stew Recipe

You know those fall days you look forward to all summer long, when it starts getting chilly outside and the sunlight changes and you have nowhere to be but home? We had one of those days this weekend and it reminded us why we love this season so much.

We spent a lot of the weekend binge-watching Netflix’s new show The Haunting of Hill House. Have you seen it? It’s based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 book of the same name, though the TV adaptation differs a little from the original book. It’s also been made into two different movies, most recently the film The Haunting in 1999, though, again, the film is pretty different from the original source material.

The show is SPOOKY, and we scream/jumped so loud (twice!) that we’re pretty sure a couple of our neighbors heard us. We wouldn’t recommend watching it alone, but just know it’s sort of a family drama at heart, with chilling situations here and there, but it’s set in this gorgeous old house, so you know we were game from the start.

PJ had a taste for beef stew, so we went to the grocery store after coming back from visiting our land and stocked up on all the ingredients. He didn’t really follow a recipe, just kind of dumped it all in there. From what we can remember, it included:

Easy Beef Stew

• 1/2 bag of carrots

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 1 can of corn

• 1 can of green beans

• 1 can of peas

• 1 large chuck roast

• 7 gold potatoes, quartered

• salt & pepper to taste

• chopped garlic to taste

• 1 packet of beef stew seasoning from McCormick (though next time we plan on making this seasoning ourselves)

• 2 cups of beef stock

He dumped everything in the crock pot and put it on high and left it over night to really soak in all the juices and flavor and by lunch the next day, it was ready to eat.

PJ also has a love affair with corn bread so he whipped some up following the recipe on the back of the Krusteaz box. We didn’t have any milk, so he used sour cream instead and it tasted fine all the same. Does it get better than warm stew and corn bread on a chilly fall day? When there are windows to be opened and scary Netflix shows to be watched? WE THINK NOT.

Hope you had a good weekend, too, friends.

xx