Holiday Inspirations and Bathroom Renovations

Silver manzanita candelabra from West Elm.


T'is the season to spruce up your nest in preparation for holiday entertaining, and stock up on great gifts. Here are a few sparkling gems we found:

Sleek and chic, these monogrammed silver boxes are from West Elm.


Consider adorning your door with a square boxwood wreath, like this one available for order at Williams-Sonoma.
For the baker, Williams-Sonoma's "Message in a Cookie" kit cookie cutters creates personalized messages with 3 sets of alphabet letters!

Books make a great gift. Kelly Wearstler's new book, Hue, is available for pre-order now!

World-renowned design team Yabu Pushelberg recently released their new book, a compilation of the amazing projects they've worked on. Read more about this talented Canadian team on my previous post "Made in Canada".Kate Spade has holiday greeting cards! Cheery in raspberry and red, these are available at Kate's Paperie.

Martha Stewart has joined with Crane's to create her Holiday Tidings Letterpress collection.

The gift that is sure to bring a smile to any fashionista, this silver resin Neiman Marcus shopping bag ornament is available through Neiman Marcus.

Peace Baby! Holiday peace ornaments are hot this season, and add a touch of whimsy to a modern tree. This german glitter ornament is available at Pottery Barn.

True fat-free chocolate by Godiva! Enjoy Godiva's candle - available in various scents, such as raspberry ganache and white chocolate peppermint bark. A beautiful candle for a powder room, this Prada Beauty Infusion Iris candle is available at Bergdorf Goodman.

We at Housewears are busy juggling many projects these days, and as promised, here's a peek at one project near completion:

BEFORE: Housewears, please help!

Welcome to shower hell. At least this was the feeling conveyed by the clients, as Mr. X is more than 6 feet tall. For him, a satisfactory shower experience was not hitting his elbows or head against the glass in this narrow, claustrophobic enclosure. Things became far too challenging if by chance, he dropped the soap. The clients, a professional couple with 2 children, love the location and layout of the executive home they purchased several years ago. However, as we all know when purchasing a home, some of the features were not ideal. Housewears was called in to transform this couple's frustration zones into blissful spaces.

Mrs. X had an equally interesting retreat, a kiddie pool with jets. This served as an ideal spot for bathing the children, but the kids are older, and Mom is ready to ditch the corner jacuzzi!

And then there was the sink area, a typical style for this 15 to 20 year-old large two-story home, with exposed brass hinges, hexagonal sink and faux marble countertop. These clients also had a large master bedroom that needed an update, and although I didn't snap a photo, they woke each morning irritated by their terra cotta walls and a seafoam green plush rug.

AFTER: Mission Accomplished!

The bathtub area was created with a shelf for towels and apothecary jars filled with french soap and carrera marble floors.

A floating dark maple cabinet with gray quartz countertop, Kohler's Reve vessel sinks and wall-mounted sleek chrome faucets keep the look modern with 'Hotel' appeal. Note the striped pattern of carrera marble in 3 sizes on the floor.

A spacious shower with multiple shower heads was tiled in oversized gray porcelain tiles for easy care.
A floor-to-ceiling etched glass wall was installed next to the sink cabinet, to act as a privacy wall for the toilet area.

A glimpse into the adjoining renovated master bedroom from the bathroom reveals dark exotic wood floors, low modern furniture, warm gray tones and a subdued, luxurious feel. A few more accessories are needed to make this project perfect, but the clients are ecstatic, and as always, that's what matters most to us. This space went from blah to Ahhh!

Here's hoping all of your holiday preparations are Ahhh! inspiring! Click here to visit "Metamorphasis Mondays" and see what others are transforming, and to participate in a great giveaway!