I have built 2 houses. Strangely, your wonderment of toilet paper holders has me thinking of an item I wish I had incorporated. I always find myself taking my phone out of my pocket in the bathroom, as I don’t want it accidentally dropping in to the toilet. So I vote for the gold one, which has a surface to place the phone! Also, we put in handicap accessible railings, as they may be needed at some time, and in a remodel or new build the construction crew can put in extra blocking for sturdiness. (Even if you choose not to install them at this time) Railings can come in better looking models than previously available.
Putting in blocking now is such a good idea, and I wish we'd thought of it in time. But hopefully other readers will note it for future projects. Also agreed re railing aesthetics. A few years ago we installed railings for a family member and I was delighted to see that companies were investing in better design for ADA-related products. It's about time!
Ooooooh, the TP holder! SUCH a great topic to write about! And then there are TOILETS! I looked at 100's before I fell in LOVE with the Tresham from Kohler. But I digress. I literally was overJOYED when I got the last brass Bristol TP holder from Schoolhouse earlier this year. I had been looking at it for 2 years! LOL! But we weren't building yet, so I swore I wouldn't buy it until we had a permit. And then I, of course, couldn't resist the matching towel bar and ring. Wheee! And re: Rory's Other Place...how CUTE is their bathroom? With that GORGEOUS tile floor! I love the billiard ball door knob, the piped in music and the tiny painting of the Ojai bell tower. It's the sweetest painting. And often there are flowers in there from Night Heron Farm. Fresh flowers are such a bathroom BONUS! And re: bathroom etiquette...I always tidy up for the next person. It's just the proper thing to do, right? Seems like a perfectly logical question to ask in an interview, in my humble opinion. And lastly...I cannot RESIST checking out every bathroom at every fancy restaurant I have EVER had the opportunity to visit! Pastis in the Meatpacking District! Lord's because, the WALLPAPER! And bathrooms with tiles shipped in from Portugal, Spain, Italy or France are always NEXT LEVEL. I love your posts. They are SO fun to read! So happy that you are in Ojai!
Hi Seal! Wow I love your attention to detail. I will share your Bristol story with the Schoolhouse design team, they’ll be so pleased. And Rory’s Other Place, so with you on the door knob and floor tiles. And the lighting! And the choice to use the fun-house-like mirror panels on the front of the coffee bar. Love it all! Hope we get to meet in Ojai at some point. Oh, and I’ll get to toilets in a future post!
Amanda...I think the super lovely person who found the last brass Bristol TP holder for me was named Brandi? I believe she said that she was a designer at Schoolhouse. She was WONDERFUL! And, YES to the lighting at Rory's Other Place. The up-side-down ice cream cone from Japan is the BEST! I hope we get to meet in Ojai at some point, too! And if you EVER need tips re: fun spots to check out in Santa Barbara let me know. The Matilija Poppies are just about to bloom in a BIG WAY at the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens. Always a treat! Can't wait for your toilet post in the future! HA! I hope the Tresham makes the list! Have a great weekend!
Wow, I am not alone here! Obsessed over TP holder for our retail store bathroom aware that I'd be the only person who noticed besides you evidently. But alas, during the construction phase it was discarded-- how could the clean up crew not know I obsessed over the perfect (and cheap) black/iron TP holder? The one great challenge both at home and work is that "people you don't know" and kids (i.e. my kids) use them as HANDLES to stand up after doing their business. So it's not really a TP holder. It's a HANDLE. And yes, I always replace the TP regardless of where I am. Paper rolling OVER the roll too because that's what Emily Post would do. I love the gold one for retail. At home, I try not to bring my phone into the bathroom in case it's listening to me. Good luck!
I love design and strangely, I have two of these toilet paper holders shown. The one you're getting for Ojai is a bit wonky. We have it in our guest house and you can get about one square of tp when it's a big roll. But you'll survive and it will look great. (I do like the horse.) I was just in Ojai a few days ago and the pixie sorbet at the ice cream store is top notch.
I could debate the merits of various toilet paper holders all day … and I have. I’m a fan of the Kohler Kumin pivot toilet paper holder. Functional, no tension rod, attaches to the walll on both sides - open ended TP holders are not for me. Love this post. Thanks for your attention to all the details that count.
Here’s a Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. One of. the Sony World Photography Awards in architecture/design went to a woman who did a project on toilets in Japan. Her name is Ulana Switucha. Check it out!
this is my kind of newsletter. i've never thought about how comforting it is to have a shelf above the toilet paper dispenser in a public restroom (not just for phone, but keys, Dunkin' iced coffee, etc... especially because i'm always wearing overalls with the front pocket and all the stuff falls out the second i strip them down lol). Also ditto on replacing the TP and sometimes tidying every restaurant bathroom I'm ever in. can't wait for the next letter!
I'm a retired kitchen & bath designer. Not spending money on small items can completely destroy a design. I found myself yelling at a HGTV designer the other day. She had done a beautiful remodel on a mid-century modern home, building a black slat wall to create a foyer and painted the outdated red brick fireplace black. They were both ruined by white light switches and outlets. They were glaring. I always made sure I specified outlets and switches to match as closely as possible with the materials they were being installed in, especially im stone or tile backsplashes.
Once, a long time ago, I was asked to approve a purchase order to upgrade the toilet paper holders for the (women’s) employee bathroom. I declined, despite all the evidence about consumption reductions and theft prevention. I did not then, nor can I now, believe that MOTION ACTIVATED TOILET PAPER DISPENSERS are anything other than an outtake from a Monty Python episode. For the record, if there is one, I’d have rejected a proposal for then men’s room too (if there’d been one….)
I’m writing a grocery list from my home in Lucca, Italy,where my husband and I have lived for 8 months now. Clare de Boer’s soup reminds me of 2 dishes I plan to make this week: garmugia and vignarola. Both are spring dishes around for only a short window of time when artichokes, fava beans, and peas are all available; garmugia also contains asparagus. Garmugia is a soup from Lucca and the Garfagnana, while vignarola is Roman and either served as a contorno or over pasta. I love cooking and eating seasonally with what is fresh in the market right now.
I have built 2 houses. Strangely, your wonderment of toilet paper holders has me thinking of an item I wish I had incorporated. I always find myself taking my phone out of my pocket in the bathroom, as I don’t want it accidentally dropping in to the toilet. So I vote for the gold one, which has a surface to place the phone! Also, we put in handicap accessible railings, as they may be needed at some time, and in a remodel or new build the construction crew can put in extra blocking for sturdiness. (Even if you choose not to install them at this time) Railings can come in better looking models than previously available.
Putting in blocking now is such a good idea, and I wish we'd thought of it in time. But hopefully other readers will note it for future projects. Also agreed re railing aesthetics. A few years ago we installed railings for a family member and I was delighted to see that companies were investing in better design for ADA-related products. It's about time!
Ooooooh, the TP holder! SUCH a great topic to write about! And then there are TOILETS! I looked at 100's before I fell in LOVE with the Tresham from Kohler. But I digress. I literally was overJOYED when I got the last brass Bristol TP holder from Schoolhouse earlier this year. I had been looking at it for 2 years! LOL! But we weren't building yet, so I swore I wouldn't buy it until we had a permit. And then I, of course, couldn't resist the matching towel bar and ring. Wheee! And re: Rory's Other Place...how CUTE is their bathroom? With that GORGEOUS tile floor! I love the billiard ball door knob, the piped in music and the tiny painting of the Ojai bell tower. It's the sweetest painting. And often there are flowers in there from Night Heron Farm. Fresh flowers are such a bathroom BONUS! And re: bathroom etiquette...I always tidy up for the next person. It's just the proper thing to do, right? Seems like a perfectly logical question to ask in an interview, in my humble opinion. And lastly...I cannot RESIST checking out every bathroom at every fancy restaurant I have EVER had the opportunity to visit! Pastis in the Meatpacking District! Lord's because, the WALLPAPER! And bathrooms with tiles shipped in from Portugal, Spain, Italy or France are always NEXT LEVEL. I love your posts. They are SO fun to read! So happy that you are in Ojai!
Hi Seal! Wow I love your attention to detail. I will share your Bristol story with the Schoolhouse design team, they’ll be so pleased. And Rory’s Other Place, so with you on the door knob and floor tiles. And the lighting! And the choice to use the fun-house-like mirror panels on the front of the coffee bar. Love it all! Hope we get to meet in Ojai at some point. Oh, and I’ll get to toilets in a future post!
Amanda...I think the super lovely person who found the last brass Bristol TP holder for me was named Brandi? I believe she said that she was a designer at Schoolhouse. She was WONDERFUL! And, YES to the lighting at Rory's Other Place. The up-side-down ice cream cone from Japan is the BEST! I hope we get to meet in Ojai at some point, too! And if you EVER need tips re: fun spots to check out in Santa Barbara let me know. The Matilija Poppies are just about to bloom in a BIG WAY at the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens. Always a treat! Can't wait for your toilet post in the future! HA! I hope the Tresham makes the list! Have a great weekend!
Wow, I am not alone here! Obsessed over TP holder for our retail store bathroom aware that I'd be the only person who noticed besides you evidently. But alas, during the construction phase it was discarded-- how could the clean up crew not know I obsessed over the perfect (and cheap) black/iron TP holder? The one great challenge both at home and work is that "people you don't know" and kids (i.e. my kids) use them as HANDLES to stand up after doing their business. So it's not really a TP holder. It's a HANDLE. And yes, I always replace the TP regardless of where I am. Paper rolling OVER the roll too because that's what Emily Post would do. I love the gold one for retail. At home, I try not to bring my phone into the bathroom in case it's listening to me. Good luck!
So sorry the perfect one was tossed -- ack! I share your anxiety about bringing phones into the bathroom... :)
I love design and strangely, I have two of these toilet paper holders shown. The one you're getting for Ojai is a bit wonky. We have it in our guest house and you can get about one square of tp when it's a big roll. But you'll survive and it will look great. (I do like the horse.) I was just in Ojai a few days ago and the pixie sorbet at the ice cream store is top notch.
I appreciate the tip and will aim to buy small rolls. I've not had the pixie sorbet yet -- next visit!
I could debate the merits of various toilet paper holders all day … and I have. I’m a fan of the Kohler Kumin pivot toilet paper holder. Functional, no tension rod, attaches to the walll on both sides - open ended TP holders are not for me. Love this post. Thanks for your attention to all the details that count.
I feel seen -- thank you! Just checked out the Kohler Kumin model; love its simplicity.
Here’s a Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. One of. the Sony World Photography Awards in architecture/design went to a woman who did a project on toilets in Japan. Her name is Ulana Switucha. Check it out!
I just checked it out -- very cool designs. Thanks for sharing!
this is my kind of newsletter. i've never thought about how comforting it is to have a shelf above the toilet paper dispenser in a public restroom (not just for phone, but keys, Dunkin' iced coffee, etc... especially because i'm always wearing overalls with the front pocket and all the stuff falls out the second i strip them down lol). Also ditto on replacing the TP and sometimes tidying every restaurant bathroom I'm ever in. can't wait for the next letter!
Thanks so much for your note, Lily!
I never dreamed there was someone else who would extol the virtues of a levered toilet paper holder like I do. I have found my people.
Haha -- welcome! I'm comforted to know I'm not alone in caring about these very important matters!
Of course toilet paper should feed from the top!
Right? Thank you. We can be friends now.
Fun post!! 😍
Thanks for reading it!
I'm a retired kitchen & bath designer. Not spending money on small items can completely destroy a design. I found myself yelling at a HGTV designer the other day. She had done a beautiful remodel on a mid-century modern home, building a black slat wall to create a foyer and painted the outdated red brick fireplace black. They were both ruined by white light switches and outlets. They were glaring. I always made sure I specified outlets and switches to match as closely as possible with the materials they were being installed in, especially im stone or tile backsplashes.
Glad we’re on the same page! Also, I like to yell at the tv too.
I would make the hire cut! Yay, me !
YES!!! 🙌🏻
Once, a long time ago, I was asked to approve a purchase order to upgrade the toilet paper holders for the (women’s) employee bathroom. I declined, despite all the evidence about consumption reductions and theft prevention. I did not then, nor can I now, believe that MOTION ACTIVATED TOILET PAPER DISPENSERS are anything other than an outtake from a Monty Python episode. For the record, if there is one, I’d have rejected a proposal for then men’s room too (if there’d been one….)
I’m writing a grocery list from my home in Lucca, Italy,where my husband and I have lived for 8 months now. Clare de Boer’s soup reminds me of 2 dishes I plan to make this week: garmugia and vignarola. Both are spring dishes around for only a short window of time when artichokes, fava beans, and peas are all available; garmugia also contains asparagus. Garmugia is a soup from Lucca and the Garfagnana, while vignarola is Roman and either served as a contorno or over pasta. I love cooking and eating seasonally with what is fresh in the market right now.