Retreat

It's been a little quiet around the blog lately.  I was away doing an end of summer quick trip.  I saw some friends and some family, there was a lot of driving involved, I spent a lot of time listening to "This American Life" on podcast.  It was a good break. 

But even still when I got home all I really wanted to do was take a long hot bath in my most excellent bath tub.  I have often said how disappointing other bathtubs seem to me now after having such a fabulous one.  I don't know if I could easily live without it now.  It is my total mental retreat where I can go to wash away the day and start over. 

In my opinion, every bathroom should be some version of a retreat.  I know some people just see bathrooms as this functional space, and of course, they have to be functional.  But there's no reason why your bathroom can't also be a place of relaxation and contemplation as well.  Bathrooms are where most people get ready to start their day or where they go at the end of the day to de-compress.  Putting a little effort into making that space something special and meaningful for you is well worth your time and energy. 

Here are a couple of inspiring photos of fabulous "retreat" bathrooms, which I would probably trade my great bathroom for:

I feel relaxed just looking at this photo...

this is totally genius and although I'm pretty sure the "indoor/outdoor" thing is an illusion, it's really awesome! 

My bathroom is no where near the level of these to die for spaces, but it's still pretty great:

I love how this looks in the natural morning light because it's just enough light coming in to be relaxed and serene

one thing I also really like is the artwork that I stare up at while I'm in the bathtub soaking - these are two paintings by Christina Ramirez that I really like.

A great painting by Henry Stinson which always reminds me life is short, and to be enjoyed, while made meaningful. 

one smart thing I'm glad we did is add an extra large water heater tank so that you don't run out of hot water too easily when filling up the tub.  but in Arizona in the summer time, with the pipes running through the house, that's never a problem anyway. 

Ahhhhhh....