Guest Bathroom Renovation

 In a whirlwind of a weekend, my guy and I threw together the bathroom renovation that I had been dreaming of. Although it seemed like the project happened overnight, it certainly didn’t begin that way.  After one of our projects, I always reflect on the process and how the end product matched my original vision.  The truth is, this one didn’t come close to what my original plan was.  This is rare for us because if you know me, I’m a very careful planner.  All the careful planning was intentional in this project but just got thrown out the window, not once, but many times.  From finding a great deal on discontinued vanities to ordered tile showing up way later than expected, my original vision was tweaked and changed many times throughout the process.  However, despite it all, I really am pleased with the turnout. 

The style I had in mind was somewhere in between Farmhouse and Craftsmen.  The rest of the home hovers somewhere in that vicinity and it made sense to carry it through in this space.  We installed board and batten on the lower portion of the wall for a couple of reasons.  One-I like how it looks.  Two-it cut down on wallpaper costs.  I really LOVE this wallpaper that I found at Lowes by Scott Living.  It's a peel-and-stick style wallpaper that goes up surprisingly easily.  The pattern gives the walls just enough texture in the design to make it interesting, without being too busy.  This is my first time using peel-and-stick wallpaper, and I have to say after using it, I'm addicted.  I want to use it in every space I can!  I just love the feel of it on the walls.  The walls in this bathroom have a slight orange peel texture, but we didn't have any problems with it sticking.  

I chose a navy, waffle-textured shower curtain that matched perfectly with the navy vanity and utilized warm wood accents in the shelving to soften the room.  I found this farmhouse medicine cabinet on Amazon.  The sliding door conceals all the necessary things you keep in the bathroom but don't necessarily want people to see, while the other side provides access to the nicer-looking essentials.  We updated the light fixture with this cylinder globe vanity light with a brushed nickel finish to match the waterfall-style faucet.  I added farmhouse hooks in lieu of a towel rod to keep with the aesthetic and matched the toilet paper and hand towel holder with the black finishes.  I don't always mix finishes in a space, but in this case, the farmhouse/industrial/craftsman mix was a perfect time to do so.  I used both brushed nickel and black finishes. The mirror was the initial inspiration for the space.  I found it in the Spring clearance section for 70% off at Hobby lobby one day and couldn't pass up the deal.  It actually sat in storage for a few months before we even did the update, just waiting to be used!

The flooring we chose for this bathroom was a pleasant surprise.  We knew we wanted tile flooring, but also know from experience that tile is messy and sort of a hard install for the inexperienced.  We found this awesome tongue-in-groove click-together tile that doesn't require a thin-set foundation and just needs a specialized grout to lock it in place!  We found it to be so much easier and faster than spreading the traditional thin-set, laying the tile, waiting for it to dry, then grouting.  It still took us a couple afternoons to finish, due to cutting the tile and also wrangling crazy kids.  But it was way faster than a traditional tile.  I would definitely use it again.  The only caution I would have for this system is to ensure that the grout that you use is completely washed off the tiles.  There were a few spots where we didn't get it completely wiped clean and it left a noticeable shiny residue that wasn't easily cleaned off after it dried.  We ended up needing to use some strong goof-off and an abrasive scrubby to remove.  

The navy vanity was a steal of a deal at Home Depot! I had been looking at vanities with and without tops, with and without sinks, and was getting discouraged by how expensive they are! $600 was the norm for a size 30” vanity and it just didn’t seem realistic for this thrifty girl.  You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just paint the vanity and replace the top right? Well, I would have except that NONE of the vanities in this house is a standard size. This one was a lovely 28” wide, 20” deep, and 35’ tall. Meaning that there were practically ZERO vanity tops that would fit the base. A custom top would have been just as much as a brand-new vanity. So when my mom called me from Home Depot one day to tell me about discontinued vanities, I jumped and changed my vision to fit the navy vanity.  I ended up only paying $150 for the whole vanity, including the top!  I was just lucky enough to have found one that was being discontinued.  Moral of the story here: always keep an eye out for clearance, discontiued, and gently used items.  I can't tell you how many amazing things I have found by utilizing Facebook Marketplace and discount racks. I added these crystal (plastic) knobs to give it a little sparkle.  

When we purchased our home a year ago, I was NOT in love with the house. It was very dated and needed a lot of upgrading.  So many projects have been done at this point that I sometimes don’t even remember how ugly it was before.  And then I turn a corner and am abruptly reminded when I see a mismatched almond-colored door next to the bright white trim.  As you can see in this picture, it's pretty obvious and it drives me absolutely crazy.  I completely underestimated how tedious it would be to have to repaint ALL the trim and EVERY SINGLE door in the house. So much work and so noticeable I just can’t leave it. We are working on it, but this shows me how much home renovations never end.  I can’t even imagine what it’d be like if we bought a complete fixer-upper! I was naïve. But hey, we all are at some point. 

Overall, it was a quick, easy, and inexpensive update.  Just like with all of our projects, there were a few bumps in the road, distractions that derailed us, and minuscule squabbles through the process, but it always comes together in the end.  Tony is amazing at seeing my vision and making it come to life.  I enjoy the time we spend together working on these projects--even if we don't always agree on how to make it happen. ;) 

Here are some before and after pictures of the project.  

**This post has been edited and updated as of 6/23.  We no longer live in this home, but as I read back through this post that I had started years ago, I thought it needed it to be finished.  This bathroom is still one of my favorite projects.  There were so many beautiful transformations from this home that I never shared, but seeing it on the page now, I think they should be, maybe they will be soon. Stay tuned!