Bathroom inspiration - unique and chic

1. High Gloss Magazine, 2. Southern Living, 3. Scandinavian Chic, 4. Nate Berkus, 5. The Hawley House Project, 6. Casa Diez, 7. Christopher Peacock Cabinetry

Make your bathroom proud with this eco-friendly material

Bamboo! I got Chris a pair of silky smooth bamboo pajama pants, and if he weren't wearing them almost every night, I would be. They're super light weight, and really soft. Understandably, I was really excited when the folks over at Pure Fiber offered me a set of bamboo towels to try out. Here's a little bit of info about Pure Fiber's bamboo towels:

"Unlike cotton towels which are slow to absorb water, bamboo terry soaks up that excess moisture in a flash. The difference is unmistakable, but you have to feel it for yourself to truly appreciate the wonderful bamboo fabric.

And bamboo isn’t all about a cashmere-like softness. Bamboo’s natural properties help to combat the accumulation of unpleasant odors from your bath towel. You will be able to use this towel for much longer during those warm summer months before that mildew smell starts to creep up.

Cotton towels typically get thicker to increase absorbency – all of that extra fabric can feel like you are wrapping yourself in a thick blanket. Bamboo does more with less! A bamboo towel can soak up more moisture than a thicker cotton towel, while remaining lightweight and extraordinarily soft."

The first thing I noticed when I opened the towels was "wow, they are really, really, smooth." They are also much lighter and thinner than typical towels. Chris said, "They are so soft they feel slippery."

So, the claim to super softness and being lightweight: True.
I've been using the towel for a little over a week now, and do not notice any odor. Granted, it's not technically summer anymore, but it's been extremely humid here in MD, and we've been having lots of rainy days.

I was most doubtful about the towel being able to absorb as well as my normal towels, but they actually dry me off just as well and in the same amount of time.

Long story short, if you have been thinking about trying out bamboo towels - go for it. The softness is unreal, and their performance is up to par with traditional towels.

Here are some photos of mine:

The bamboo towels are thinner than traditional towels

The washcloth.  This washcloth is wet now, but one thing I noticed is that the bamboo washcloth doesn't get crunchy after it air dries (which my normal towels do), they dry to the same softness as they are after being freshly laundered.

A close up of the texture.

Want some? You can purchase them at Amazon

Does anyone have any bamboo linens? If so, what do you think of them?


*disclosure: I received a set of Pure Fiber towels as a sample

Warm up your bathroom for the autumn and winter season

At this time of year, our thoughts turn naturally enough to ways of warming up our homes. If you’re looking to give your bathroom a warm glow, there are ways of doing this both figuratively and literally. Using a warm color palette and natural materials when updating your decor makes the room look warm, and adding innovations such as heated towel rails and underfloor heating will provide a warm feeling to match.

Your decor needs to match your bathroom furniture, so if you have existing cabinets and aren’t planning a full remodel, then think about the base color of your bathroom cabinets. If this base isn’t satisfactory and you’re willing to put in some DIY effort to tweak the bathroom to suit, you can paint your own cabinets with cupboard paint, a durable paint type available from DIY stores. Warm neutral colors from beige to ochre are a good starting point and can be complemented by richer accent colors: russets and orangey reds, warm greens, and shades of mocha, chocolate, bronze or gold.

Try using a combination of tile and vinyl (or washable) wallpaper: a neutral tiles and highly detailed wallpaper will bring a balanced combination of styles to the room. Or contrast walls of neutral bathroom paint with richer, more detailed tiled areas – tile small alcoves and a full feature wall, or add this detail in your shower enclosure or basin splashback area. Finally, you could tile or paint the whole room, according to your taste, and use bathroom accessories and art to bring interest and variety to the room.

Add real (rather than visual) warmth to your bathroom with underfloor heating (from £400 for a small area) – obviously this is something that will cause quite a bit of disruption so is best factored into a bathroom overhaul rather than a simple redecoration. Adding an electric towel radiator, provided you have the space, is something that can be done without disrupting your existing central heating system, as the power source is separate and the unit is self contained. Alternatively, you can exchange your existing bathroom radiator for a towel radiator.

 love the rectangular tub...

4 images above © betterbathrooms.com

Flooring additions like soft, cozy rugs or bathmats will amp up a bathroom’s comfort factor during the winter months, and task lighting combined with ambient lighting will bring warmth to the room (dark and cold just seem to go together, somehow) and ensure that you have sufficient light in the bathroom on gloomy winter days.

Here are some more bathrooms that I would just love to cozy up in on a cold winter's day:

This bathroom has a warm, Victorian-vintage vibe to it

via BHG

pardon my drool...I love the big armoire, rug, and beams in this eclectic bathroom.

2 above via Elle Decor

*disclosure: This post is sponsored by betterbathrooms.com