Let's face it; Americans love their bathrooms. The bathroom comes second only to the kitchen in the catergory of money most spent on one room. No longer just a place to wash up and do your business, the bathroom is now a place of tranquil retreat and spa quality feel. I know when my husband put in our master bathroom, I spent many a waking hour on shower curtains, bath rugs and colors. Naming my children was a much easier task and hardly took any time at all.
Lately, though, I have pondered upon a few things. It all started when I went to visit a friend at her newly remodeled farmhouse. I politely excused myself to use the "facilities" as it had been a lengthy drive. Upon entering, I was immediately entranced in her Caribbean beach decor. The cobalt tiles, seashell shaped vessel sinks, lovely rugs in pink sand shades, and a picture of her family at the beach smiling back at me.
Wait a second.....there is a picture of them in here....the bathroom, where people have their most private moments.
Needless to say, I finished and got out of there fast!(Yes, I did wash my hands.)
I never mentioned anything about the bathroom except "it was very nice". I had never experienced anyone putting their family photo in the bathroom. Sure, it was in line with the theme, but really? A picture of an island getaway or sandy beach I could see but this was something new. With anyone else, they would have let it go and went on with their life but, since it involves me, I have been on a mission to understand bathroom decor.
First, family pictures have no place in bathrooms, period. Sorry, but I have to draw a line. No one wants to see you and your loved ones in a room that they are probably going to abuse. Not to mention, sometimes it smells in there. That would be the equivalent of hanging your beloved photos above the cat litter box or garbage can. Besides, it's creepy. Even though it isn't possible, no one could ever "go" in there without thinking that you are all watching. There are many other rooms in your home begging to have pictures hung in them, leave it at that.
I also do not get the whole outhouse motiff. We as an evolving society fought hard to get the privy put into our homes so we would not have to get up late at night and trek outside in the elements to relieve ourselves. I would like to meet the individual who decided that he or she wished they could make the bathroom feel like a rustic experience, you know, the "good old days". Furthermore, it is just tacky and unless your whole house is in that same 19th century feel, kind of out of place. Do yourself a favor and never consider this as an option.
Huge vases with some kind of twigs sticking out them and live plants in the bathroom are also a cry for help. Like the outhouse theme, no one wants to have a wilderness experience in the loo. Oh, I have put a vase of lilacs in my bathroom occasionely, but they are fragrant and do freshen the air. Also, you have to enjoy them while you can because they have a short grow period. But huge, green, viney, and bushy plants that take up much needed space, no. See outhouse paragraph about smell.. do you really want to do that to a living thing?
My last complaint is one that, sadly, I have committed. Why, oh, why do people hang a picture of a bathroom in their bathroom. I remember the day I found mine at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I looked at that and said, "That would look great in my bathroom!" And it does...color and everything. But the absurdity is it's a bathroom picture...in the bathroom. It's as if someone is saying, "I would have no way of knowing what to do in this room if it weren't for this picture." Seriously, has anyone ever hung a kitchen picture in the kitchen or living room picture in the appropriate room? Probably not, but I can guarantee you know someone with a bathroom picture.
As I conclude, I hope when it comes to future bathroom decorating, common sense will prevail and everyone will realize the simpler the better.
Unless, of course, it matches your shower curtain.
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