Firstly thanks so much for your encouraging and interesting comments on the previous post about the kitchen, I appreciate every single one of them.
As I mentioned I've started on the bathroom, still lots to do but at last I can see how the brass bathtub looks. It's actually a soap dish, to my great delight I found it on eBay -
Susanne @ Miniature Dreams used to have one on her blog header and I always admired it so I was excited to find one of my own. I thought it would be perfect for the old French bathroom and I'm happy to see that it looks right at home.
The bathroom is at the back of the house, above the kitchen. Part of the bedroom will be in front of it with a doorway for 'ensuite' access. (The door that you can see below is the hallway/bathroom door.)
When the dividing wall between the bedroom and bathroom goes in the bathroom will be visible only through that doorway and the side window. There will also be a mirror on the wall opposite the vanity so that it, and the accessories on it, can be seen (perhaps 'glimpsed' is a better word) from the front.
I couldn't find an old fashioned toilet so I made one.
I started out with this modern unit...
I microwaved it on full power for about 3 seconds to soften up the glue holding the two parts together so that I could pull the cistern away from the base. About half of the back of the base was cut off so it fits closer to the wall.
I made the cistern from a small block of balsa adding some trim and a lid, also the flush lever, chain and downpipe. The downpipe is a black plastic drinking straw painted silver, it has a bend at the bottom just like a real one where it connects to the toilet pan. I don't remember where I got the straw, I've had it for ages in my 'found things' stash just waiting to be turned into a toilet cistern downpipe :)
At the moment it looks like it would be impossible to flush this toilet because the lever is sitting on the top of the window blind but that's because both the wall and the cistern are temporarily held in place with blu-tac which is pushing them both forward a little. Once everything is fixed in properly the lever should fit behind the window frame.
I'm going to repaint the cistern (it's too dirty compared to the rest of the bathroom) possibly in a creamy colour to set it off against the white wall, but it might even go black!
I have a dilemma that I'd like your opinion on...
I'm thinking of spray painting the shower unit to dull it down a bit. It's a bit hard to tell from the photo but it looks totally shiny and new compared to the bathtub, and the bathroom in general - I bit too shiny and new I think. On the other hand it does match the toilet chain and the taps on the vanity, but they too may yet get an ageing treatment.
The two paint options are a more aged gold/brass look or matt black. The third option is to leave it alone, it does add a nice little bit of luxury to an other wise very practical home and I quite like having some contrasting features.
Please feel free to share your opinion - (a) paint to look more aged gold/brass (b) paint matt black (c) leave it alone (d) some other option I haven't thought of.
I'd appreciate knowing what you think!