A few pictures ala my iPhone (I really have got to get a real camera):
Before
After
In flipping through magazines, I noticed a trend. Layered towels. I know it's to display all of the patterns and towels available, but they just look so pretty all stacked together, and I love all the different monograms:
(all images from Pottery Barn)
So, I decided I'd try and recreate the same layering effect with several different towels of my own in our half bath. I picked towels of different sizes and colors, both patterned and solid. Oh, and definitely the ones that were monogrammed. Here's the end result of displaying a whole lotta towels:
Then, flipping through websites, I began noticing yet another trend. Stencils, stencils, stencils. Oh me, oh my. Like I've said before, pattern is fun, and it makes me really happy (whether it is gray paint, or modern furnishings, or chevron rugs, or sundial mirrors, everybody's got their thing, and pattern happens to be mine). Being the nerd I am, I started doing a ton of research on the art of stenciling, and its cousin vinyl graphics. After a brief time, it occurred to me that stenciling is more for me. It's crafty, it's "easy", and it involves painting... all of which I love to do. I say "easy" because that's probably a relative term. And, most importantly, it is way easier to change if I don't like the outcome. So, one decision down, stenciling > vinyl.
But, now. What stencil? There's only about a gazillion trillion to choose from. And me, loving pattern so, it's hard to pick, gulp, only one? What do you mean I can only pick one? This is going to be harder than picking out a husband (just kiddin' hubs). Several patterns that I love (these stencils are from Royal Design Stencils shop here, and from Cutting Edge Stencils shop here) :
Ikat
Modern Moroccan
Animal Print
Chain Links
Trellis
However, this had to get narrowed down. After a ton of consulting with my friend Flower, she helped guide me from the ledge and back to sanity. First of all, we took into account the other patterns I already have on the main floor. It's mostly casual florals and stripes. While I love the more modern stencils, they aren't going to work in my half bath with the rest of the downstairs being casual and leaning closer to traditional than modern:
(images from Pottery Barn, Bosporus Toile from Forsyth Fabrics)
Well, traditional can also take you down the path of formal, which can in turn become stuffy. And if there's anywhere you don't want to be stuffy, it's in a bathroom of course. ;) Traditional damask prints, beautiful, but not for me:
Somewhere between a modern and a floral is where I wanted to land... but I didn't quite want to be on the road to a super traditoinal damask, and at the same time I didn't want to be, well, grandma-ish. Florals can do both you know (see Pollyanna). But, after many anxious days and nights of flipping through pattern after pattern, I think I've narrowed it down to TWO choices, and I still need to choose only one of them. Whichever I end up trying out, I plan to do the silver sage and a few shades lighter (to create a muted tone on tone look).
And here they are:
Choice #1 The Large Allover Brocade by Royal Design Stencils:
To me the large scale of this stencil (which you can't tell the scale from this picture, but the stencil is 13.25" x 20.5") helps make it a little bit more modern, and the movement helps make it less stiff and rigid like a traditional damask. I think this one will work well with the already existing patterns on this floor, what do you think? :
And Choice #2:
Now, with choice #2 I might be kidding myself. This is a print-it-yourself stencil from this blog post. This may take more time and patience than I am willing to give. But it sure is pretty (and free!).
So, help me to decide. What do you think?
