Eileen Slovak

Creating a defined space…

We moved from a seaside town in Rhode Island, to a bayside town in Southern Maryland, spent a brief three year spell in Italy by the bay of Naples, and then moved to a land locked location in Northern Virginia. 

We’ve been in NOVA for 12 years, gasp!

I miss the ocean every day, like I’ve a lost a part of myself. There’s a bit of separation anxiety. When I travel to the beach, I deeply breathe in the sea air, storing it up, self preservation wise. 

Living inland is like being stranded in a dessert, ever in search of the oasis. There’s salt water…or at least brackish water running through these veins. 

Over the years, I’ve gathered some beachy decor, which I won’t part with. I know eventually I will get back to the ocean, or die trying! 

Assorted items that were once strewn about my previous home, somehow ended up, inexplicably, in our current main level half bathroom. Maybe because it’s an unusually large half bathroom? I was lost on a plan for decor and the room became a ‘beachy catchall’.

But now the kitsch has reached a tipping point. 

I decided something drastically decorative needed to be done!

My recent fascination with peal and stick wallpaper from http://www.wallpops.com led to my reimagining this space.

I’ve designated other spaces in my home as a tribute to places we’ve lived…like a European photo gallery hallway or Italian inspired kitchen…so this half bath will remain the beachy bathroom, only with more style. 

For starters everything had to come out.

The vanity was a good size for the space so I decided to repaint it and the mirror to match with “Kensington Blue” by Benjamin Moore. 

The vanity mirror also needed a facelift.

This antique half table has traveled with us all the way from our first apartment in Providence, RI. It’s a sweet, go anywhere piece, but needed a refresh.

The wallpaper brought a tribute to the Maryland crab and the simultaneous ocean vibe I wanted to preserve. 

The lower walls were color washed in “Manor Blue”, a classic gray-blue that paired perfectly with the crabs!

I added back in some seaside accents. Just a few. The rest were dispersed throughout the home for a summer vibe. A collection only works if it stays within defined parameters and does not cross over into the clutter zone.

This was a low cost project that I took my time getting done.

Happy decorating all! Thanks for reading!