THE GREAT COVER UP

There's a curious concealment going on in the design world, a conspiracy that stretches from Architectural Digest to Country Home. Glance through the pages of any shelter magazine, closely examine the pictures of bathrooms, and you'll notice that something's missing. In water closets across the country, some Americans are apparently bathing in defiance of the laws of physics:  they never splash any water when showering. How do I know? Because all of these beautiful, glamorous bathrooms never have a shower curtain in sight - but the grouting is crisp and the floors are dry. Apparently, swags of vinyl are de trop in mag land. Of course, who can blame them? There are few things that scream "tacky" like "plastic shower curtain." But we can't all have marble dividing walls and crystal stalls. The rest of us - us non super-showerers - need a buffer between water and walls. And our bathrooms should look good doing it. So without further ado, some (very challenging to find) examples of proper shower curtain etiquette - and where you can get your own.

   The simplicity of a monogram brings elegance to a bathroom. No 

     ugly here! (For similar shopping options see below.)

Kate Spade's bathroom. Stripes? Check. Zebra stripes? Double check. Using a graphic

pattern to offset the color on the walls is a nice trick - the same one you might use for curtains

in any other room. Scalamandre zebras can cavort across the walls safely shielded from 

the dangers of errant spray.

In a rental and don't want to paint? A shower curtain can bring needed 

color to a bland bathroom. I love the orange and pink pattern - so Tory Burch!

Patterned elegance. Designer Krista Ewert goes luxe with a fabulous fabric 

shower curtain in a pop of pink. Don't hesitate to have your favorite fabrics made 

into bathroom decor. Ever heard of a plastic liner?

How beautiful is this bathroom? An exotic ikat gives it style and substance, 

photo courtesy of Cote de Texas.

Another great white bathroom gets the pattern treatment. 

SHOWER SHOPPING!

Above:  Beautiful chinoiserie examples: Avian shower curtain, from Anthropologie.

 Blue and white pagodas from West Lake at Inmod.

Below:  Patterns, Paisleys, and Monograms. Clockwise:  Green and white patterned Kew shower curtain, at Inmod. Paisley Pop shower curtain from PB Teen. Monogramed Catalina shower curtain, 

Ballard Designs.

Images:  Products, as attributed. Rooms:  Domino monogram, Kate Spade room at Habitually Chic, Orange bathroom, Pink bathroom, Black and white paisley bathroom.

Home Trends: HGTV Kitchen and Bath Expo 2009

Tune into HGTV's coverage tomorrow night of the Kitchens and Baths Expo, held in Atlanta. Starting at 8pm, Eric Stromer and Taniya Nayak will be covering the latest and greatest in appliances, flooring, decor, and other products. Everything from the whimsical to the weird is featured (just see the sampling below). Don't miss it!

Can you find the television? TV Mirror by Seura. 

Even better: can you find the RADIATOR?  Carisa Adagio "harp" radiator.

Images by Seura, Carisa.

Crabtree and Evelyn

When I was a little girl, our house used to receive Crabtree and Evelyn catalogues in the mail. That was back before postage was as expensive, and catalogues and magazines tended to come in more irregular shapes (and larger sizes). The C&E ones were very wide, with lovely pictures of flowers and ribbons, and occasionally, an elegantly robed woman scenting a bath or cutting some flowers. I was always particularly enraptured with their best-selling fragrance, Evelyn, because the famed rosier David Austin had bred the Evelyn rose especially for the perfume (picture, left). It came in a cut glass bottle with a silver stopper, and was the shade of dawn pink. Years later, while living in England, I visited my first Crabtree and Evelyn store in Oxford, on Queens Street, and delighted in the wonderful scents of Lily of the Valley, Peony, and Lavender. Ironically, when I actually had a chance to smell the Evelyn perfume, I didn't like it, but by then, the full romance of Crabtree and Evelyn was well established for me.

So, at times like these (by which I mean: times when I have been suffering from the flu for three days, and wonder if life is ever going to get less wretched) I like to reach for a few C&E favorites. They revive the senses and smell marvelous. And, if you're under the weather, they'll cheer you up a bit too.

A friend of mine gave me a wonderfully scented candle by India Hicks for Crabtree (you know who you are, MM!) and I just love it. This is the fragrance diffuser of the same scent. The smell is of orchid, palms, jasmine, and orange blossom, and it is DIVINE. If you're a sucker for packaging like me, you'll also love the faux shagreen oval box it comes in. 
These beautiful shelf papers are scented with Lavender. Very cute woven short kimono robe. The Wakaya scented candle is meant to evoke a South Seas island.

Crabtree's Gardner's Cream is well known for being restorative to the hands - whether or not you've been using them to garden. Tote included. Beautiful Wisteria Eau De Toilette.

Images: Rose, http://www.flickr.com/photos/34226483@N00/544172215/; Products, Crabtree and Evelyn.