Master Bathroom Renovation: Colorful Bathroom Pendants

11 Jun Master Bathroom Renovation: Colorful Bathroom Pendants

Years ago, I fell in love with the Sara Chandelier from Canopy Designs.

That beautiful blue color has stuck in my mind for years; in fact, one of my clients has this chandelier in her house, and it looks amazing.  Although I explored other options, and even DIY-ing a fixture, we ended up leaving room in our budget for a pair of the Sara pendants since I believed they would add so much to the room.  Even with my discount, they were pricey, and after waiting what felt like forever (these are handblown in the US), two boxes showed up on my doorstep from New York.

There was one small problem though…that “beautiful blue color” looked more blue-green than I had imagined.

When I called Canopy Designs to inquire, they said they do not make the color in the dining room pictured above anymore because they had some chipping problems.  So this is the new version of the previous blue color – they call it “Aruba Blue”.

I was slightly disappointed at first, but the more I looked at the pendants, the more I felt they fit in.  They looked great with the painting, and the color blended well with the mirror I hung next to the shower.

Just as I was settling into the idea, a slight problem hit me…the hardware.

The original blue opaline hardware that has lived in this bathroom since the early 1920’s was going to be installed on the island.  I thought it would tie in great with the shade of blue the pendants were supposed to be.  But when I held these up to each other, I quickly surmised this was not going to work.

No bueno.

I decided to use the opaline knobs and pulls elsewhere in the house and come up with Plan B for the island hardware.  After some thought, I decided to DIY it, and although I am not completely sure it will work, it looks amazing in my head.  I am still waiting for the tools to complete this plan; hopefully, a little brown package will arrive via Royal Mail any day now.

There was quite a bit of discussion on where to put the pendants when we got them.  Over the island?  Or over the sink?  After a little pow-wow over text message (thanks Jenny, Kristen, & Kristin), I finally decided the pendants should go over the sink.  (which is what I had always had in my head)  Of course, OF COURSE, this could not happen in the end because of the way the beams go across the ceiling.  But I still think they look great.  I guess there was not necessarily a wrong answer here.

You may have also noticed I abandoned my original plan of the double-sided mirror hanging over the sink.  Because I liked the sight line from the front to the back of the room without the hanging mirror, I was afraid installing an element like that would break up the bathroom too much and make it look smaller.  But we did not have another plan until a couple of Sundays ago.  On a walk through one of our favorite antique stores, Kent spotted this heavy, double-sided, brass tabletop mirror.  It had no price marked on it, and we were a little afraid of what price point it was going to be since it is a solid brass mirror.  We readily bought it when they told us it was $40!  The scale of it is really spot-on for what we need, and though it was filthy, I ran it through my tried-and-true-will-remove-any-dirt-and-grime brass cleaning process, and it turned out fabulous.

The hand-blown glass on these pendants is so beautiful – the color is strong, but the size gives them a delicate feel.  I also love the gold filigree detailing.  Since this bathroom is mostly white, I like the little punch of color in the center of the room.  It really helps bring the other couple of items with color together.

More on the gorgeous tub tomorrow…

And here are the posts on the Master Bathroom renovation from the beginning in case you are just joining us.  All six months of construction ups and downs, victories and defeats.  : )

The Original 1921 Bathroom + The Plan

How We Found Our Antique Barber Shop Sink

Gutting The Bathroom, Tile, & Ideas

Wood & Marble Floor Installation

Art For The Master Bathroom