Writer at Work and Play

Easy Update for a 1950s Bathroom

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 12:06:25 -0400

~ How to Make a 1950s Bathroom Look Fresh and
Sophisticated On a Budget and Without a Reno ~

Until the 1960s, pink was a prime choice for bathrooms. And until the 1980s, pink was considered a beautiful hue that was even suitable for men’s shirts and ties.

While pink is making a comeback for menswear, it’s making a slower return for bathrooms even while it’s one of the most flattering colors for all complexions. Martha Stewart created a beautiful pink tiled bathroom in her Skylands Home in Maine. But for the typical homeowner, a pink bathroom means an outdated little-girl room.

My master en suite bathroom is classic 1950s and ‘60s, when the master bath has a shower stall (allowing generous closet space in the bedroom) and pink tile. I could have done a gut reno as I have in my kitchen, living room and family room, but I want an easier fix here since I’m thinking about putting my home on the market; future buyers might consider structural changes and therefore look beyond expensive materials I bring in.

I considered tile paint for a white finish, but that looks cheap to my eyes and the duration of it in the shower sounds iffy.

Next, I thought about wallpaper—would an additional material give the room a lift? The answer is, yes! Beautifully. And instantly.

When I ran across “C'est Magnifique Wallpaper” from Anthropologie, everything fell into place. The Eiffel Tower motif fits perfectly with my home’s French theme, and its sketch-like design has artistry and cheer. The paper is a bit pricey, but the quality is superb.

This was my first time installing wallpaper, and I completed the room with two rolls in seven hours, saving $700 in installation.

Ever since the paper went up, I cannot stop smiling when I glimpse this room, and neither can my guests when I give them a tour. The paper invites people to linger over other European highlights such as Venice’s gondoliers.

The bathroom now looks fresh, polished and sophisticated, and the mood is cheerful and appealing. The fact that there is tile in the room is an after-thought. I took it as a compliment when a male friend remarked, “I don’t really care so much anymore that the tile’s pink. I barely notice it now.”

Charming.

A Pink Fact
Post-WWII, there was era of youthful optimism reflected in home design color. “Mamie Eisenhower’s favorite hue was pink; she filled rooms in the White House with the color, and soon homes across America followed suit,” write authors Leatrice Eiseman and Keith Recker in “Pantone: The 20th Century in Color” (Chronicle Books).

How To Get an Even More Au Courant Look:
• Shine a bright light. This simple lighting fixture from Home Depot (around $40) is reminiscent of European street sconces, and makes the existing 1950s medicine cabinet harmonize beautifully with the new composition.
• Reinvent your shutters. Remove fabrics from frame-style shutters and replace with cuts of wallpaper applied to 1/8”-thick art board using a spray adhesive; gently wedge into place from behind. Shutters become frames for artful drawings.
• Install a horizontal storage cabinet to break up the wall flatness and to add a unique sense of furniture and handy storage.
• Add glint. Replacing wood knobs with polished stainless introduces an element of shine and additional texture and form.

5 Key Wallpapering Tips:
• Choose pre-pasted paper such as those labeled “SureStrip.”
• Go with a pattern, not a solid, to make a room look fresher and have more dimension, and to hide mistakes if you need to patch.
• Order extra paper for pattern matching.
• Acquire two inexpensive must-have tools: a wallpaper smoother; and a wallpaper blade that allows you to snap off 1/2" pieces so that you have a fresh blade for each cut to avoid rips and ragged edges.
• Only submerge in water the cut panel you’re applying each time, not the entire roll.

“C'est Magnifique Wallpaper” by Anthropologie
$88 per roll, covers 60.75 sq. ft.
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=963130

James Hunter—British R&B and a ‘60s Vibe

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Lord, how I love the radio. And the Shazam app for instantly ID’ing a song. This afternoon, I caught an R&B song that was so hot, so well constructed. And so swinging that I wanted to pull my car over so my feet could dance. The voice was rich and immediate, the backing vocals were on-the-money and I’m sure I heard them tell me join in around their mike. The tune was layered with horns and strings that were super-tight with rich riffs and zings and bridges. I couldn’t figure out if it were ‘60s or current. It was current: Brit James Hunter,
backed by no less than New Orleans maestro Allen
Touissant on keys on “Believe Me Baby” and
“The Hard Way.”

“People Gonna talk” is one of my favorites. Hunter
has been classed with Sam Cooke and Jackie
Wilson. I might throw in the roadhouse of Delbert McClinton for voice and energy, but while there’s a definite played-all-the-backrooms experience to Hunter, there’s no roughness. “...a buttery smooth voice that’s a perfect blend of purr and growl...with a skin-tight band” and a “sharp double-sax horn section,” reports iTunes. As I write this, Hunter just threw in a cool, “Mm-hm” between lines. I’ll second that. And play “The Hard Way” one more time.

Eco-Friendly E-Bags With Style

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:05:52 -0400

When an emphatic salesclerk tried to push a mostly synthetic computer case on poet/playwright Marylou DiPietro, saying it was the “greenest” that his store carried, DiPietro declined. It was while driving away and replaying the encounter that DiPietro, who is also an artist—and who followed a holistic lifestyle long before it became a buzz phrase–had her entrepreneurial ah-ha! moment.

“I thought, I’ll make my own ‘green’ net-book case out of recycled materials,” says this former New York City Upper West Sider who lives in Harrisville, New Hampshire. The idea to “reincarnate” new bags out of leather jackets and belts, vintage designer jackets and sweaters, as well as blankets and newly felted wool materials, was born.

Created at DiPietro’s studio, these one-of-a-kind, handmade cases and carriers are available for laptops, e-readers, and other “e” devices. A protégée of artist LeRoy Neiman, DiPietro was already creating fiber art and mosaics, “so this was a natural evolution for someone like me who is always looking for the perfect bag to carry around my writing accoutrements—books, notebooks, pens and electronic devices.”
Working with master seamstress Noi McEwan, DiPietro turns out some of the most stylish and functional carriers, bags and totes I’ve found in the “repurposing” realm. My favorites: her Gigasleeves, top, for iPad and iPad 2.
To view the line and for info, visit reincarnations.biz.

Pimping My Ride

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Sometimes, the very best is right around the corner. Going through an authorized channel, stripes for my Mini Cooper’s boot would have cost around $325, plus installation of $150. Then I was referred to Mike Frederick of Unique Signs in Mamaroneck, NY.

Mike is a nationally renowned customization sign artist (includes lettering) and pinstriper who can draw, paint and apply any design imaginable, from intimidating lines of flames to simple, well, boot stripes. When I called, he asked, “Do you live around here? OK, come in Saturday morning and I’ll work it in for you.”

Entering the auto studio is like entering a pristine “Cheers” for cars. The garage is immaculate and full of art for cars, and Mike’s car enthusiast friends could not have been friendlier. On display are sample after sample of Mike’s
work. When I mention the delight of having a “Pimp My Ride” studio nearby, Michael shows me the book

Retro Cars Ride Again!

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

I know which cars I love the look of—and that’s the
full sum of my car knowledge. I also know I fall in love
with my cars and hold onto them.

But after my station wagon was rear-ended, I had to buy
another car.

I test-drove a number of sensible cars and, on a lark, I called the Mini Cooper dealer. I’m in the mood for no more mom-mobiles. The least expensive was a 2008 with a manual transmission, above, that was beyond my range. It’s the color and and style I would have chosen, right down to the stripes. I loved the look. And I remembered why.

In college, I’d saved $1,500 for a used white Karman Ghia (with no ac; how did I survive Austin summers?), and thought I was the luckiest person in the world.

I loved the big round lights, the rounded boxy hood and the subtle, retro sporty styling. It was my first manual transmission. If I had a garage for vintage cars
(dream on), I’d include a 1957 Porsche 1600,
orange and red, and a 1972 Porsche, black.

Soon after, the Mini’s price was significantly
reduced. After one test drive, it was mine. I
wouldn’t remove my fingers from the steering
wheel, so they fork-lifted me and the car inside the dealership
to do the paperwork.

Yes, the handling is great but, above all, the styling makes me smile every time. This might not be college, but the feeling is close. Driving is fun and retro again.