Thanks for the encouragement. I was thinking of getting over to the area in our county where all the tile retailers (and tile yards) are located, but was hoping to find a decent base first. That way I can ask about remnants and see if they will cut a piece to size and finish the edges. Meanwhile, though, I spotted almost exactly what I've been looking for close to home . . . Well maybe not exactly what I had in mind, but a low, square coffee table with travertine top that already has been sealed and also comes with casters! A little pricey . . . but what the heck.I'd like to think I deserve it, but still have to convince myself of that.

Hi there - we have completed the renovation but as soon as it was done we were posted overseas so now our tenants are enjoying the two new bathrooms! I used them for about 2 weeks before we left and the improvement is amazing. I don't have any good photos at the moment but what we did was to build out into the master bedroom and we added a pocket door on the bedroom side of the new bathroom. Now, you enter the bathroom through the pocket door and there is a frameless glass shower enclosure on the right (we gutted the old shower and made a 90degree glass enclosure). The new pedestal sink and new toilet are in the same location as they were previously but with updated fixtures everything seems larger and brighter. We installed a chrome recessed medicine cabinet with a light fixture above. The walls are painted a pale gray, the floors are carrara basketweave (gray with gray dots so monochromatic) with the same tile continuing into the shower floor. The fixtures are Kohler Memoirs. We also managed to build in a shallow cabinet opposite the shower enclosure with a full length mirrored door. It is not recognizable as the same bathroom anymore. We played around with all of the ideas generated in this thread and for a series of reasons (mostly economic) keeping everything in the same location was our best bet. The new finishes really make a huge difference. In the adjacent bathroom we again left everything in the same position but we moved the shower plumbing off of the exterior wall and reversed the tub. To do so, we built a partition wall between the vanity and the tub to contain the shower plumbing. We added wainscoting and a recessed medicine cabinet with a white wood frame. Unfortunately our contractor was a bit of cheapskate (his estimate was way under everyone else, we should have known better) and so he tried to cut a lot of corners. Many of his shortcuts I was able to stop and have done right but others slipped by and will plague me. For example, he did not gut the plaster and lathe all the way up the wall, only what was behind the old tile wainscot so he then drywalled over the old plaster so I lost 1" of space which is really significant in such a small bathroom. I could have gained 1" if he had gutted everything to the studs. He also installed the fan on day one and then used that as an excuse to not demo the old plaster ceiling so that when he got to tile and the ceiling was not level we had to get creative. Not the end of the world but I learned that in future I will probably hire demo guys to do all the demo and then hire guys to do the rest. I am capable enough to be my own GC so will not bother with a "contractor" next time - will just hire out the trades as I need them. It will take longer but I think I will get more of what I want in the end. Thanks again for all of your input into this project!

Even varnished wood can easily develop water marks, especially on pieces as they get older. They do start to break down over time. No wood finish is long term water proof. It's not just "amateur hackery" finishes, as you say. Some people can't afford to take a piece of furniture to a professional to have sprayed, but they'd like to update an existing piece. As long as you are not leaving water standing you will not get water marks. I actually have real experience with wax and it beads ontop of the surface if is applied correctly and you keep a polish of it from time to time. Amount of applications would depend on what you are using it for.

I'll start with a mini soil lesson. Clay is not a bad thing. It is full of nutrients and holds water well. The down side is when it dries out it shrinks and can tear roots off of plants. You also cannot work in it when it is wet. Keeping the soil evenly moist (not wet) is the key. Topsoil should be the humus rich upper layer of soil but it can be clay based or loam based or sand based. It is not potting soil. What topsoil is made of depends on where it came from. I live in eastern Kansas so the topsoil in bags at big box stores here is clay based with a slightly higher humus content because it comes from pastures where the sod is stripped off and the next layer is put into bags. Moral of the story: dig in a fair amount of soil conditioner which is usually a combination of chopped up bark, peat moss and manure to make your soil less dense. Weeds-just pull them. It'll only take a few minutes every few days or so. When your flowering plants get larger they will shade out the soil which means less weeding for you :) Now to answer your original question; what to plant? I think it would be best to choose plants that grow to about the same height. That way you won't have something tall shade out its shorter neighbor. Nicotiana is covered in fragrant tube shaped flowers that come in that reddish purple color that you like. It grows about 18" tall and 12" wide. You could intersperse them with geraniums, sweet williams (a cousin to carnations), petunias (like in your photo) and zinnias. Dahlias are also an option but they come in many different heights so check the plant tag. All of these plants come in purple/reddish purples, pinks and white and you should be able to find all of these at any garden center. When you plant, give them space to grow. It may look sparse at first but in time you'll be hanging out in your hammock looking down on a bed of flowers. The last things to think about are air circulation and air temp. If there isn't much of a breeze in the well the plants may end up with mildew. Use a fungicide and follow the directions to keep it at bay. The retaining wall will hold heat so keep an eye on soil moisture too. Stick your finger in the dirt an inch. If it's dry it's time to water. I hope this is enough to get you started. Best of luck and have fun with your cute little garden!