My Trip to Alabama

This weekend I was able to drive down to Alabama and see one of my oldest friends, Liza Lee. She is living in the cutest little home in the cutest little neighborhood in Birmingham. Her and her husband bought the house two years ago, with the intentions of it being a 5 year home. If you're doing the math here, that means pretty soon they'll be looking to put their current house on the market.

She asked me to come take a look at her home - specifically her kitchen and her master bathroom. Knowing Liza for as long as I have definitely offered it's perks in that I had a pretty good grasp of her personal style before I even arrived. When I got there, to absolutely no surprise to me, her home was adorable and sophisticated and I absolutely loved it.

We talked for a long time about what she was hoping for for her house. We talked about colors and functionality and most importantly - resell value. It was a fun exercise to go from my home (which is not going on the market any time soon) to Liza's home. Liza and her husband, Dawson, obviously want a home that they love and that feels like them, but every decision will be made with the buyer in mind.

My favorite room to think through was their master bathroom. It is very small. They have a good deal of storage outside of the bathroom, so towels and makeup and jewelry all have a place to live, thankfully. However, it's still nice to have some countertop space for your toiletries. Here is her bathroom as it is today:

It's functional. But I think with some spatial planning, this room could really work harder for the couple. I mocked up a remodel option for them based on everything Liza said she likes and the size and capabilities of the room. This is what I came up with:

I wanted her to visualized the space in a warm white and in a cool white. I'm very mediocre at photoshop but I tried to give the look of a floor to ceiling board and baton wall with marble hex tiles on the floor. I envision replacing her current shades with a woven roman shade. Adding a modernized medicine cabinet to replace her current one and installing a marble countertop that runs the length of her bathroom to offer some much needed countertop space. The counter would hold a bowl sink and run over top of the commode. (There should be enough space between the commode and the table top to still be able to access the water tank.)

This renovation isn't planned to happen any time in the near future, but I am so excited to see it when it does!