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Bringing The Outside In

Growing up back in the early 80’s (ok, late 70’s!) I always remember plants in just about every room of the house (and in the homes of other people we visited).  Over the years not so much, but now my Insta feed tells me it's well and truly in revival mode.  In a time where we’re so restricted with our movements, bringing the outdoors in again is a beautiful thing!

Let’s talk bathroom plants in particular.  Bathrooms are typically a very hot and steamy room right? (Because of the hot water I mean!)  Similar to that of tropical, rain forest type environments - there’s so many plants that thrive in those conditions - plants which can be easily maintained in your bathroom.  No green thumb required, here's a few examples....

Bathroom plants birds nest fern  Bathroom plants peperomia  Bathroom plants windowsill

Birds Nest Fern, Peperomia, Mother-In-Laws Tongue

bathroom plants boston fern

  Bathroom plants monstera deliciosav Terauii  Bathroom plants peace lily

 Boston Fern, Monstera Deliciosa Tauerii, Peace Lily

Think about your space, bathrooms are often not the largest of rooms in the house, but even the smallest of spaces can make a big impact - bring that green goodness in.  Consider:

Bathroom plants blog 1   Bathroom plants 2   Bathroom plants peace lily 2

 

Pic sources:  Fienza Bathware, Decina, Unknown

bathroom plants windowsill 2

bathroom plants corners

Pic soures:  Unknown, Greens Tapware

bathroom plants shelf

bathroom plants shelf 2 1

bathroom plants shelf 3


Pic sources:  Shutterstock

Bathroom plants blog 2

bathroom plants hanging 2

Pic sources:  Decina, Unknown

Time to bring the outdoors into your bathroom or ensuite space and turn up the heat!

If you like any of the bathroom looks provided here, Cook's have a range of products to recreate these looks.  Contact one of our Showroom Consultants today.  Alternatively, visit our online shop.

Soooo, are you down to your last layer of skin after all the hand sanitising? How’s the isolation going for you?

Although practicing social distancing measures for a little while now, the work from home isolation period has only just started for me (lucky enough to even be working I say).  As I peer over my laptop and gaze into the kitchen area, my thoughts totally leave the spreadsheet that should have been completed an hour before.  We can all relate to some lack of concentration given the circumstances at the moment though, right? I’m noticing that in all the juggle of family v work life (I know you get it), there has been a downfall with strict attention to detail in the cleaning department.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like last week’s breakfast cereal is stuck to the bench top or anything, but 'Spray n Wipe' on the run is just not going to cut it anymore in this current Corona climate.

Knowing how much we all have to play our part in getting on top of this dreadful global virus - a case of the guilt’s sets in about the lack of attention to detail with those other household items.  You know the ones - they're in the background and always left out while you cater to the needs of the demanding ones - like the dishwasher, washing machine, bathrooms and floors.  I’m talking cupboard doors and handles, light switches, fridge handles, remote controls and the list goes on.  'Tomorrow' I tell myself, and back to that spreadsheet I go.

Corona cleaning 2

Tomorrow is now today *sigh*.  I know we’ve all got a bit of extra time at home at the moment, and we’ve got to find ways to entertain ourselves. However, spending almost an entire day disinfecting your house is not really on the ‘I'm so looking forward to this’ list though – agreed?!  Anyway, it must be done. Quick scroll through my news feed first though and see this……

Corona cleaning

…A 4+ day life span, it's a telling reminder that I have to stop procrastinating.  Five hours later and the calming fragrance coming from the diffuser has been overtaken by the strong smell of copious amount of cleaning products, and I'm reaching for the Panadol.  My old stainless steel kitchen sink has been scrubbed so much with Gumption there’s now scratches all over it.

kitchen sink

Ok ok, so the latter may have been intentional…… We've got some beautiful new kitchen sinks that have just gone up on the website. The temptation to ensure the old sink looks even more worse for wear couldn't be resisted. The Abey Piazza colour range is amazing – in fact I’m tempted to do a whole kitchen reno just to accommodate a new sink colour!

Abey Piazza lifestyle sink imagesAbey colour range

See what having extra time around the house does.  I've gone from Coronavirus prevention cleaning, to a new kitchen. Off to tell my husband the good news about our next project – ‘Project Isolation Reno’!

Take care everyone, stay healthy and let’s all look forward to some social NON-distancing on the other side of this.

 

Does your bathroom and/or ensuite desperately need a reno? Have they seen better days? If yours is anything like mine (we’re currently stuck with beige, beige and more beige) it’s actually depressing.  Have you gone through every colour palette imaginable with new sets of towels and bath mats to joosh it up a bit?  It’s just not acceptable anymore right?!  What about those dreaded shower screen tracks?!  The task of getting down into those tracks and scrubbing with an old toothbrush every week – ugggh.

Are you like me and have no idea where to start? Give me a wardrobe full of clothes and shoes and I’ll mix and match outfits that Anna Wintour would be proud of! Basins, taps, vanities and shower heads – help!

Frustrated woman for mood board blog

A friend of mine suggested a mood board to get those creative thoughts going.  After telling her the only mood board I’m aware of is the bored and bad moods I’m in every time I enter these bathroom zones, it has got me thinking.  Maybe she’s onto something?

Turns out, good old Google is good for something other than looking up all those symptoms you’re worried about, and having it tell you you’ve got every diagnosis known to man!

''Mood Board – ‘A way to collect different creative information in order to prepare for a new project.” Ok, let’s do this Mood Board thing.

Search words that describe the look and mood you are drawn to – I’m thinking French Provincial, Scandi, Modern Sleek. Also think about colours, textures and materials (warm, timber, natural, organic, smooth etc.). There’s many online templates that can assist to put all these thoughts and images together.  We’ve used Canva (how good is Canva for wannabe Graphic Designers like me by the way!)

The things you include in your Mood Board don’t have to directly relate to your project.  Just because something is from a different genre doesn’t mean you can’t use it to help establish the direction of your design.

Oh and create more than one – not saying have a heap of them and end up so overwhelmed you’re back where you started – but do a few.  You’ll be surprised how much this can help and you’ll actually come up with a visual that will assist in creating the space of your dreams.  Here’s what I came up with (if you're eyesight is less than ordinary like mine, you can click on each pic to enlarge)….

 

French Provincial Image

Mood Board Blog Scandi                                  Modern Sleek Mood Board

Need to find the right products for your bathroom, to complement your Mood Board?  Check out the retail product range on the Cook’s website, then head into one of the Cook’s Retail Showrooms.  Cook's Showroom Consultants are highly trained and experienced with not only the design and product elements, but the functionality based on your requirements.

You can also find out more about the products used in these Mood Boards.

Happy mood boarding!

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