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I snapped this picture on Saturday afternoon after we picked up the girls from their week away with grandparents. (I love that she donned her new fall sweater dress she got for her birthday to help out.) All the loose ends of the master bathroom project are starting to trickle in, and the to-do list is getting shorter.

We ordered new faucets for the sink and the tub/shower combo. Both have been having issues for awhile now, so this was a good time to do it. We completely replaced the sink faucet since the parts we needed to fix the old one weren’t available. And we had to replace the center portion of the tub/shower fixture – all of the plumbing is exposed on the tub, and because we have a faucet, a handheld shower, and a shower head, we have not one, but two diverters. Exciting, I know. There are a zillion moving parts on this thing, so after sixteen years they were a little tired and drippy. Plus the handheld shower was cracked from being dropped more than once. The new faucets work like a dream. I feel like the spa factor of the bathroom was just seriously upped.

M found some sort of magical piece that allowed him to install the second Artemide light over the toilet without having to open up the wall and replace the junction box. So the lights are in. I started working on a template for the mirror, and I measured the current shower curtains for possible replacement. Here’s what’s left to do:

-Order and install new mirror.
-Install new toilet paper holder when it arrives.
-Decide on new shower curtains (I’m leaning towards the white linen ones at Restoration Hardware), but we could just stick with our old ones.
-Install missing piece on our shower, and we’re also trying to find a riser mounted shampoo holder vs. the current metal one we’ve bent and hung over the shower curtain ring.
-Touch up blue paint in a couple of spots under the sink.
-Paint the trim and window.
-Replace the hardware on the bathroom door – this has been ordered.
-Possibly install decorative window film on the window for privacy (we already own it, not sure yet if we’re going to use it.)
-Bathmats? I think ours are probably fine. I wouldn’t be opposed to a refresh, maybe even a simple round one to replace the two we have now.
-Artwork? Still spinning some ideas in my head, and plan to draw from things we already own in the house.

The last component is a soap dispenser. Of course the one I have my heart set on is an Agape piece that Centro had on display years and years ago.

I’ve always wanted one in the half bath, but it’s really, really expensive, even with a great trade discount. It’s so gorgeous – you just flip it over with the touch of a finger and it dispenses soap into your hand before returning upright.

It’s a beautiful design, and it keeps the soap off the counter. It would be perfect in there because we have no counter – just the edge of the sink. Plus it would look lovely against the blue walls. But it’s nearly impossible to find them, and they are still so expensive. (You know it’s going to be when it’s 1. Italian and 2. Requires a “price quote”.) Our friends at Centro put us into contact with some other Agape dealers in Dallas and Chicago, so we’ve located six new ones ($$$) and one used one ($$) – we could pull the trigger on the used one, but I’m still debating. In the meantime we bought some Mrs. Meyers hand soap (Basil), and we seem to be functioning just fine with that $5 purchase.

This is the (occasional) curse of being in the design field. I have little interest in having the latest trend or sparkly thing, but I’m a complete sucker for a well designed object that meets a functional need in such a simple and beautiful way. Just like the pegs (which might be one of my favorite things in my entire house now), I think we can see where this is going. I’m just not quite there yet!