apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I like the shells. I have shells in the guest bath, that the cat uses to con me into giving her drippy water from the faucet.

The master has an African violet that's managed to stay alive without the same cat eating the buds. I'd like to have an orchid collection, but that's a magnet for same cat who will play with the buds until they fall off.

She's a very cute cat, so she stays. Gotta baby proof for her antics, though.

In our downstairs bath we have shells and other beach themed items, and living plants. It's a perfect pair for the bathroom, since shells (and plants) can get wet without much problem. :)

In our upstairs bath I used a fake plant and some candles on the one shelf that was open for decoration. It also has a pretty paint color and some homemade art on the walls. No window in this bath, so we had to make due with fake, but all other plants in our house are real.

It was interesting because when some friends first toured the house they were really surprised at the decor in the bathrooms and all commented about how they hadn't thought of decorating theirs. Personally, I like something pretty to look at while I am in there! :)

We have shells too, and jars of sand from places we've been. I knew about the problem with framed paper in the loo - we put a nautical chart in there. The colors are soothing.

Sea-themed bathrooms are popular! I have small jars from beaches, a few shells, a cobalt blue deck prism, and some blue votive candles in my bathroom. I toyed with the idea of going all out fun/goofy/tacky, but I restrained myself.

They collect yuck in the bathroom. I don't plan on individually cleaning them. Also shells in your house are bad feng shui.

damn--I had no idea shells were bad feng shui. why?

If I have to see another bowl o' shells in my lifetime, I might just have to check out (and I'm only 25).

Like the song says: If it makes you happy, it can't be bad feng shui-ee-ee-ee...

Gotta agree with Rebecca326- shells in the bathroom take me back to the 80s. Pretty shells from distant locations are nice, sure, but a sea-themed bathroom is just so overdone.
I recently put my lucky bamboo in there and it's brightened the area up a lot. New towels will probably do the trick too. I think Target's having a sale this week...

I like the idea of displaying a collection in the bathroom. We have embarked on potty training so I have been spending alot more time in the bathroom and have found it to be quite boring.

However, sea shells are for the sea shore.

I agree with the school that shells and accessories collect dust - I did have them when I was about 23 and I got tired of cleaning them. To me the best look for a bathroom and sometimes kitchen is a minimal approach, meaning if it doesn't belong there - toss it. Who has time to clean the dust that uneeded accessories collect. Less is better.

I have a corner shelf of mementos of trips to Florida --- a few vase-shaped sea sponges and fans of corals from Tarpon Springs. For years I also had a British botanical poster of wetland flora in the bathroom but it wore out and I am now replacing it with framed scientific illustrations of various seaweeds.

I have a part of my postcard collection covering the big swatches of wall in my bathroom. They're things I'd otherwise toss, but I love the look and sentiment of them, and they add some nice color to the little room. This way, I get to milk their worth to the last drop, so I'm not so worried about humidity damage. I'm always getting new postcards from traveling friends, anyway. ;)

Any sort of ceramics work in the bathroom, like old plates, cups, saucers. Crockery loves humidity. It needs it to stop crazing. Plates can hang on walls or ceilings. You can use a teacup and saucer upside-down as a lampshade. An old gravy boat could be a water feature. And they come in all colours and shapes and there are some crazy antique ones.