Feb 25, 2018 4 min read

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Q. We are looking for ideas for the guest bathroom in our century home. We like the look of vessel sinks and have found an old dresser at a yard sale we can refinish and sit the sink on. What about the dresser top? – Nick

A. Guest bathrooms are the perfect place to rev up your decorating flair and do something dramatic, unusual or simply fun. Because it’s a small space, it’s also possible to splurge on finishes and materials that would be too costly to apply elsewhere. Vessel sinks and the newest in faucets (that can look modern or antique) are stunning specialty items that turn the vanity into a work of art. Your attention to detail will show off handsomely. Depending on the state of your secondhand-find dresser, give it a rich dark stain, or a weathered paint finish.

The vanity top can be as simple as leaving the dresser top as is, or adding a lush layer of stone or a solid surface material. Another idea … noting that there was a market for high-end ecological and renewable products, a company called EcoDomo began producing leather veneers using recycled leather. Leather from scraps, ends of rolls or recycled clothing such as belts are transformed into tough, long-wearing veneers that wrap around MDF or particleboard. The product line is continually expanding, and they have partnered with Formica to produce dECOLeather countertops.

The top of the custom vanity shown here features dECOLeather’s antique black walrus. Like all of their leather veneers, it is durable and easy to clean. It’s an unexpected material to come upon in a bathroom, very luxe and quietly sophisticated. Check out www.ecodomo.com and click on the portfolio to get inspired. You’ll see leather walls and panels, floor tiles, furniture, countertops, tabletops and more. Fabricators can source materials from one of Formica’s distributors (www.formica.com).

There are dECOLeather products, including table mats and coasters, available through www.wayfair.com. And to complete your vamped-up bathroom experience, there’s a line of Royal Throne leather-wrapped toilet seats. Wow.

Q. We need help in arranging the furniture in our fireplace/TV room. Much of the wall space is taken up by windows and doors, including open access to the kitchen. We are replacing the couch and recliner. Thank you for your advice. – Charlene

A. Thank you for your pictures. The focus for this room is the TV and fireplace, and the fireplace cannot be moved. All the other furnishings can be switched. You have the TV sitting on a stand angled in a corner so that the light from the windows does not hit it directly, which is good. But the wall that it’s on is too bare. TVs are always difficult to decorate around, but the new ultra-thin models give you more options. Think about hanging the TV on the wall, and purchase a large piece of art or create a collage beside it to balance the space. Mask off positions for your chosen art on the wall to see how it fits.

Furniture placement is trial and error. Move around what you have, and don’t worry about floating the sofa away from the wall or window. The recliner is too big for your room and cuts down the walking space to the kitchen. The view into your room from the hallway is fine. What you don’t want is to have a sofa or chair lined up so that you would be facing the hall when you are seated. The idea is to make this room comfortable, not too cluttered. Measure your pieces, and keep only what fits and is necessary.

Email your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com.