This post has been a long time in coming. Even though I don’t consider the bathroom totally “finished,” I’ve reached that plateau where I’ve made all possible updates that don’t require waiting and saving lots of money, two things I’m not great at.
BEFORE:
So, here are some “before” shots. The first two are from the real estate listing, and the third is after we had moved in — the only changes I had made were hanging a new curtain and putting a plant on top of the cupboard.
Sometimes I feel like an asshole for complaining about a perfectly fine and functional room. I’m pretty fortunate and privileged to own a home. It’s great that we haven’t had any plumbing issues, knock on wood, and overall, I try to stay grateful. Now that that’s out the way…
Pam Kueber of Retro Renovation (one of my favorite blogs) has a thing about not calling things “ugly.” In that spirit, I’ll describe this bathroom, as it was, as “deeply not my style.” You can’t necessarily tell from the pictures, but the brown tile in the tub surround is also used on the floor. My first impression was that it screams early ’00s faux-Italian chic, everything brown, wrought iron and oil rubbed bronze with tufted maroon valance over window. I don’t think decor is inherently bad because it’s dated, but I do think we can all agree that in the world of home decor, there’s this 20-30 year waiting period before “dated” becomes cool and retro. I also appreciate “dated” more when it matches the style and time period of the house. Regardless, this is a moot point because the tile is staying for a while.
AFTER:
Knowing that the sink, tub, and especially tile weren’t going anywhere soon, my tactic was to distract from them and make the brown tile fade into the background. I added pops of red and a lot of terra cotta to try to pull off a sort of warm, boho, desert-y look. The biggest changes are obviously the walls (brown to pale pink), and the replacement of the white cupboard with some live-edge wood open shelves, a new light fixture, and new mirror. I also do think the shower curtain is pulling a lot of weight in here in terms of making the room feel more fresh and modern.
Here’s another B&A from a different angle:
Some people may wonder why I took down the cupboard. Well, it really was not anything special. It was a basic MDF thing; the crystal knobs were something I added in an early attempt to make it seem a little nicer. We also were not keeping much inside, as the bathroom that houses our actual toiletries and things is upstairs. I’m not super gung-ho about open shelves in every situation, but I thought they would work well here to give the illusion of more space and showcase more plants and colorful objects. The wicker basket is full of extra TP, bath bombs, tampons, and the like.
As you can see in the “befores,” one of the shades was missing from the vanity light. We replaced it with a new fixture that’s somewhat trendy, but still fairly classic. It was also only $40! I also opted to uninstall the oval mirror. The way it stuck out from the wall seemed to make the room look smaller, despite the fact that it was larger than the new mirror. We have no need for a medicine cabinet in this bathroom, so I bought a cheap round hanging mirror with a wooden beaded cord(?).
I had a bad time installing the shelves. The walls are plaster and difficult to drill into past a certain point, and I was terrified of hitting plumbing or wires. Fortunately I did not. After making a billion holes and then patching them, I got the shelves up and am very happy with them.
SOURCES:
Paint: Clark & Kensington (Ace brand) – Delicate Porcelain 12B-1
Shower curtain: Society6.com (They have the coolest shower curtains! You will pay, but worth it).
Mirror: At Home
Vanity light: Menards
Towels: Target
Shelves: World Market
Planters & vases: Mix of vintage, Target & Ikea
Basket & containers: Target
I chose to use two really small framed pieces on the walls so as not to overwhelm the small space. One is an Art Nouveau illustration I cut out of an old college textbook, and the other is one of my favorite poems, “Karma Repair Kit” by Richard Brautigan, which I printed out to the size of a frame I already had. To me, it has a very “self care” message that seemed nice for a bathroom).
Bonus Ozzie the cat:
As a final thought, here is some inspiration for the beautiful 1936 (year our house was built) bathroom I dream of: classic white square or subway tile with black trim, hexagon or basketweave floor tile, and pedestal sink. Not pictured, a gorgeous clawfoot tub.
(I can’t find original source of this image).
In terms of what’s next for the house, I’m getting the itch to paint the dining room, but I think my next post might actually be about the basement bathroom or guest room.
OK Bye!
Ilsa Heinicke Huscher 