HOUSE: Newburgh

Windows and doors.

First things first: I need a new camera, I know. Mine is having trouble focusing, adjusting to low light, and generally being crabby and dumb. Its problems combined with my general lameness as a photographer are making it tough to document stuff I’ve been doing around the house. I apologize in advance for having crummy photos to accompany this post!

I finally got around to putting frosted film on the bathroom window. It came out beautifully! It was a bit nerve-wracking trying to get all of the little bubbles and flecks and such out (if there were ANY imperfections in it at all, I would never have been able to live with it), but once it was done and dry, it looked PERFECT. I trimmed out a 2cm border all around (AFTER it was fully positioned), which makes it look a little more finished. There’s actually no way to see into this window from outside the house, but for psychological reasons, I needed something covering it. I didn’t want to block out any light, though, and I’m not a huge fan of curtains on bathroom windows, so this was just the right solution.

(And yes, I did consider the beautiful Emma Jeffs window films, but I didn’t want to introduce any additional patterns into this room. I may use them elsewhere, though!)

Oh! I forgot to mention that the new sink faucet escutcheons are finally in place! Yay!

In other bathroom privacy measures, there is at last a DOOR on the bathroom!!! Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t like a doorless bathroom. It was a big project, though, and one that was easy to put off until the end of the bathroom renovation ordeal. The door was in rough shape, but after lots of sanding, patching, caulking, priming, painting, and stripping of hardware, it is truly beautiful. Old, solid wood doors are just the BEST. I’ve lived in apartments with hollow-core doors (or worse, those engineered wood doors with the embossed panels and the faux wood grain texture), and they just don’t have the same pleasurable weight to them. These old doors are heavy and satisfying to open and close.

I painted the little stool next to the tub, too. I used an opaque black stain that I had left over from a garden project. I like the weight it gives to the bottom half of the room—it’s a nice compliment to the wallpaper above the tub. (You’ll see it eventually, I promise!)

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33 Comments

  • Reply francesca September 5, 2008 at 2:05 pm

    this is all so beautiful. i LOVE the floor.

  • Reply Persephone September 5, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    Such a pretty bathroom. I am totally obsessed with window film – in my last apartment, which was on the first floor, I put this translucent film with a geranium shadow on the window and I absolutely loved it. I’m kind of sad I’m not overlooked now…

    (window film link)

  • Reply heather September 5, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    I really like that window film idea… I have a window right up against my toilet! It’s looking great – and I do LOVE those tiles too.

  • Reply woodley park-zoo September 5, 2008 at 2:26 pm

    My first thought was ‘a peeper could still peer in those few CMs!’ but then I see what you mean by it being just for psychological reasons, so the border is ok.

    Second thought was GO-go-single-faucet, so pretty and no more ick, double taps!

    Final thought, ohgoshohgoshIhopeIcangetmarbletilessomeday. POSSibly my favourite vision from your whole house.

  • Reply michelle September 5, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    gorgeous bathroom! the floor is my favorite! it’s great that you were able to save the original sink and the tub. btw, i was reading through you house archives and you mentioned that you weren’t crazy about the toilet. mind if i ask why? we are getting ready to have a toto installed & i’m curious. thanks!

  • Reply Anna at D16 September 5, 2008 at 3:04 pm

    michelle: The Toto functions very well and definitely isn’t offensive-looking! My disappointment with it stems from it not complementing the rest of the fixtures (tub & sink) well. It wouldn’t have been ecologically feasible to install a vintage toilet, which would have been my first choice aesthetically. I don’t like things that are “faux-vintage”, so my second choice would have been a very modern, very well-designed toilet (like Duravit’s Happy D line), but it wasn’t in the budget. The Toto was a compromise, and it was the best-looking toilet we could find in our price range. It’s growing on me as time passes. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it, I’m sure you’ll be happy with it! 🙂

  • Reply April in CT September 5, 2008 at 3:14 pm

    I’m absolutely nuts about that corner sink. That is one gorgeous bathroom!

  • Reply Ryan September 5, 2008 at 3:21 pm

    I finally bought some window film and recently scraped, sanded and primed the window but haven’t put it back in the wall or applied the window film.

    I love the clear reveal around the film – do you think it might be over kill on an 8 pane casement window? Our window is over the tub and over looks the vacant lot next door so I actually need the privacy but hate a curtain above the tub. But I’m not worried about people peeping since the window is over 5 feet from the ground.

  • Reply krisitn September 5, 2008 at 3:40 pm

    that looks lovely. I am completely envious of your bathroom! the hexagon floor tiles look great as well. congrats on a job well done! Is this the bath with the pink tub? I can’t quite remember…

  • Reply Ryan September 5, 2008 at 3:46 pm

    of course you already have your toilet installed, but I also have a toto, but the Aquia (dual flush) which looks a lot like the Duravit toilets. my favorite part is the skirted design which made for an unusual installation (which I could offer advice to anyone attempting one) but cleaning is so much easier. I also don’t like the faux vintage toilets so I think modern is a good complement.

  • Reply freckles chick September 5, 2008 at 4:01 pm

    The window film is genious! I adore the work you’ve done on your house, esp. loving that beautiful bathroom floor.

  • Reply erin@designcrisis September 5, 2008 at 4:44 pm

    Fabulous, fabulous job! And I can’t imagine how much work it must have been… just painting and installing a few new pieces of hardware here and there makes me tired!
    And your window film turned out sooo much better than mine! HOW did you get all the tiny bubbles out???

  • Reply jennifer in sf September 5, 2008 at 4:53 pm

    That doorknob is awesome. As is the rest of the bathroom of course. Looking forward to seeing the wallpaper in action!

  • Reply Rebee September 5, 2008 at 5:46 pm

    What a great bathroom! I love everything. I’m actually less paranoid about peeping Toms than most people, but I think even I would put something over the window even though nobody could possibly look in. It’s just one of those things.

  • Reply Michelle September 5, 2008 at 7:46 pm

    Gorgeous. Absolutely lovely and wonderful.

  • Reply So Lovely September 5, 2008 at 9:49 pm

    I adore your blog and the description of your camera made me laugh so hard. Re: the frosted film. Did you use the type that adheres with “water suction” if thats what its called.

  • Reply Katja September 6, 2008 at 6:39 am

    The frosted window film looks perfect for the space! I really like that you trimmed it so that it has that border, I think it makes a big difference, like you said it gives it a more finished look.

  • Reply lesley September 6, 2008 at 8:41 am

    love the whole room, especially the border on the film!

  • Reply DawnMarie September 6, 2008 at 9:08 am

    I am in love with this bathroom. So clean and crisp but not cold. Perfect balance. I really like the window film idea. What about bathrooms with lots of moisture. Is this something you recommend for the bathroom that is used daily for hot showers?

  • Reply lisa September 6, 2008 at 9:31 am

    Beautiful job! Congratulations on a beautiful space.
    I love the details. The door and its hardware are perfect.
    I think your sink is the jewel of the room. And the red brick wall is a wonderful foil. I really would love to learn more about toilets though… Is a vintage toilet really ecologically unsound? What’s the difference?

  • Reply Adam September 6, 2008 at 11:41 am

    So beautiful! I can’t wait to see the wallpaper too! Anna, is that doorknob enameled? I love the color of it, and the plate behind it. How did you clean those? In a crockpot?

  • Reply laura September 6, 2008 at 11:42 am

    well done on getting the window film on,well, I tried this and it was a disaster. I might try again now I’ve seen yours. We have a similar Victorian house here in the UK and it’s still ‘work in progress’

  • Reply Anna at D16 September 6, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    Ryan: I wouldn’t do the bordered edge on a multi-paned window, it would just look too busy. I have seen examples where several panes have randomly been left completely un-frosted, though, which looks very cool.

    kristin: We would up not doing the pink tub, but yes, this is the same bathroom. 🙂

    erin & laura: The keys to successful window-filming seem to be (a) using TONS of the liquid spray (I bought a kit) on every surface (both sides of the film and the glass) and squeegeeing like crazy after the film goes up. I highly recommend the spray/squeegee kits, I don’t think it would have come out well if I’d tried to do it with plain water and my hands.

    So Lovely: This is the window film I used. It has an adhesive back that’s bonded with water. It’s very inexpensive, all the home centers have it.

    DawnMarie: The window film is absolutely fine to use in hot, steamy bathrooms! Have a look at the site (link above), there are lots of FAQs.

    lisa: Older toilets use a LOT more water than newer ones, and have less efficient flushing mechanisms (more prone to clogging or requiring second flushes). You can read more about that here.

    Adam: It’s called a Bennington doorknob. It’s made with different kinds of clay that are swirled, molded, and fired. And yes, I stripped everything in a crockpot. 🙂

  • Reply Pip September 8, 2008 at 8:25 pm

    congrats on your escutcheons (sp?). in our last place we redid the bathroom and had a similarly finicky issue. your escutcheons definitely bring back memories of how good it feels to get the little things like that seen to.

  • Reply ambika September 11, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    Gosh, I even love your soap dish. The whole thing is so subtle and classic.

  • Reply house decor September 25, 2008 at 12:57 am

    Great attention to detail

  • Reply mgu September 29, 2008 at 1:29 pm

    The floor tiles! Oh my!

  • Reply monique October 2, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    I LOVE all of the choices you made for your bathroom. It is all coming along so beautifully. You must be thrilled!

  • Reply autumn March 4, 2009 at 11:42 am

    I love love love the floor. Is it hexagon marble and where did you find it if you don’t mind me asking.

  • Reply Anna at D16 March 4, 2009 at 11:57 am

    Yes, the floor is marble. We bought it from Fuda Tile in Ramsey, NJ.

  • Reply Mapiurka May 17, 2009 at 5:27 pm

    Hi Anna, today I met your blog and I like it.
    I love the floor, and all the details.
    I’m from Buenos Aires Argentina and I would like you to visit my blogs, so you can see my vinyl wall decals collection:http://mapiurka.blogpsot.com/
    Thank you, Maricel

  • Reply Karin July 29, 2009 at 11:22 pm

    I also love the tile floor. Did you use white-white grout, or an off-white?

    Cheers,

    Karin

  • Reply Raquel August 4, 2017 at 11:32 pm

    Anna, I want to use Gila privacy control film on a closet window. I have frosted film left over from a previous project and am wondering if I can do two layers of film for added privacy. Would you know if this is doable–does the second layer stick to the first? I would prefer to use what I have on hand already instead of buying yet another roll I will not use entirely. Thanks!

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