PEEK with Lara & another giveaway!

Hello Visible Voice readers! My name is Lara.

I am the mom of three daughters, wife of a musical genius and I normally blog at Overstuffed.

Four months ago, my family and I moved ourselves across America from Utah to Michigan and settled into a really charming little house built in 1920. I love the house for what it can become, but it isn't quite there yet. In fact, it has a reeeeeeaalllly long way to go. So when Kristi asked me to do the PEEK post, I wasn't sure what I could offer because literally nothing is the way I want it to be.

But, unless I come into a very large sum of money and an even larger allotment of extra time, that's going to be the case for a long while! So I decided to show you one of my spaces that I have redone, but not fully. Our bathroom. Exciting, no?

Before I show you, I want to tell you what it looked like before. The doors and trim were a tan color, the bottom of the walls was painted dusty rose--that oh-so-fashionable mauve color from the 1980's, and the top of the walls was painted off-white. Actually, it was just plain plaster, so whatever color that is.

Now, I loved that mauve color as much as the next girl when I was in 4th grade, but I am totally over it now. Since this is my master bathroom and also serves as a guest bathroom (there are two entrances--one from our bedroom and one from the hallway off the living room), I wanted it to be very cool since guests would probably see it.

Enter my collection of opera posters.

I am a classically-trained singer with a passion for opera in general and Puccini operas in specific, and I have been saving these old opera poster prints for some really cool decorating project, and I decided this bathroom was perfect to finally unveil them. All of the inks in the old prints are the same colors: reds, browns, yellows, blacks. So that is where I got the inspiration for the paint job.

We painted the doors and trim black. These are the entrance door from the living room, and the door to thelinen closet. Lots of doors in this room!



I was a little worried about how this would come out, but I really did love the end result. We painted the lower half of the walls a deep red color, and the top a yellow-ish tan that matches the posters beautifully.
My husband helped me paint, and we listened to opera the entire time. It was only fitting, considering the plans for the final result, right?

There are super high ceilings in this bathroom (I know! Who has a bathroom with vaulted ceilings?) so I was able to hang this HUGE (and I just don't have a wide enough angle lens to depict just how huge it really is, but if it helps that is a full-sized towel bar underneath it) La Boheme poster as the main feature in the room. I love it. Not only is it my very favorite opera, but I think the poster art is my favorite of the posters I have collected.


Above the toilet I framed three small ones (Otello, Turandot and Tosca)
and then framed another small one (Madame Butterfly) to go over the hand towel hook on the other side of the sink.


On the back of the toilet is a cheap plant purchased at WalMart,

a paper-mache ampersand

(I love ampersands. Plus, they kind of look like treble clefs, so I thought it worked in here), and my musical Scentsy warmer.

Currently, we're warming the pomegranate ice scent. YUM!



Over on our radiator cover, which also serves as extra "counter" space when we need it, I have a mirror that I purchased at GoodWill. It was originally a pretty gaudy gold color, but some black spray paint spiffed it up quite nicely.



I put up the black curtains and the metal tie-backs to match the towel rods. The green lace thing is necessary so our neighbor's can't peek in on us, but doesn't match at all. It was there originally, and I haven't found what I'd like to put there instead. So, that's why the ugly curtain!


We have a pretty cool claw foot tub in there, fitted with a shower and everything (oh look! You even get a little peek of Sophia taking her bath)



This is the shower curtain that was there when we bought the house. It matches okay, so I stuck with it for now. I did find some cool shower curtain rings on clearance, though, and until I find the perfect curtain it's made a difference.


Can't forget the magazine basket (we have a trash can to match under the sink)--it's very important!


Here's a better view of how that fits in with everything else.



We also have a sink and vanity. I'd like to do replace the vanity eventually. But this works.



Someday very soon we will pull out the yucky linoleum and replace the toilet and tile the floor. But for now, this is my opera bathroom.

And I'm pretty sure I love it!

Thanks for looking!


Thanks so much Lara!  I started following Lara just a short time ago and just loved her blog.  I also knew she'd do a fabulous PEEK.  And she so did!  And over at her blog she has fabulous photos, wonderful words and just an overall good vibe going on.  So be sure to go check her out over at Overstuffed.


Oh and guess what she's giving this away...


A mini  framed poster of opera Falstaff to one LUCKY winner!  I think it's very cool!  Don't you??

Here's the entering part!

Just leave a comment.  But lets make it interesting.  Since this is a bathroom theme tell me....does the toilet paper make it to the toilet paper holder in your home??  If it does...are you the only one to do it?  Or you the naughty one that never puts it on.  This is one of those uber PEEVES in life.  So share. 

Oh yes and some additional entries shall help some too huh??

(don't forget to enter one for each.....don't put all of your entries in one comment *cough cough*...or it won't count as extras)

1 comment - go over and become a follower of Lara's blog.  If you already do...that counts!
1 comment - follow my blog.  If you do that counts too!
1 comment - follow me on twitter...again...counts if you do!

I'll leave this open until next Wednesday and announce on Thursday (17th) the winner.

Good luck!

And thanks again for doing this PEEK Lara.  Your bathroom looks GORGEOUS!!!!  Please come back and show us more as you do more in your home!!!