Friday, August 31, 2012

1/2 Bath Makeover

Let me start by just saying that bathroom makeovers are super fun. Not quite as fun as a kitchen makeover, but close.

I think one reason they are so fun is that they can be simple and still have professional looking results. By making just a few changes we now have a bathroom I adore and one I'm not afraid to let gusts use (unless my 3 year old has just been in there, in which case guest may want to just hold it).





 In this post I will go through all the steps we took to get to where we are now. But first we need to start at the beginning, the orangey oak and laminate counter beginning...




















First things first, something needed to be done about that vanity cabinet. Since I am obsessed with white cabinets wherever they may be, you could not convince me that it should be any other color than white.  The handles and pulls are from Target (seriously, Target has the prettiest, cheapest options you'll find) and I LOVE them!


























Next on our list was the walls. A pretty aqua blue and some beadboard wainscoting was exactly what I needed. My husband put up the bead board and moulding and I got to paint.

How about the hand towel and toilet paper holders? Again, Target. Seriously, go to Target for this stuff!










It was about at this point in the reno (with counter ripped out and no lights) that I was 38 weeks pregnant, at my dr. appointment trying to convince my doctor that "I get that I am dilated to a 5 and fully effaced, but I HAVE to have one more week to get my bathroom remodel done before this baby comes!".  Needless to say, I didn't get that extra week. Amelia came and we were so blissfully in love with our tiny girl we didn't care that the house was torn apart. Home from the hospital and it was back to work!

Finally off to Home Depot to get the big stuff. The countertop, faucet, mirror,  and light fixture.

 If your vanity is a standard size (chances are it is) there is no need for a custom (and expensive) vanity top.  Both Home Depot and Lowe's carry them with faucet holes already drilled (you'll need to pay attention to the holes when picking out your faucet) and they come with the sink basin attached. You can choose from granite or solid surface, I'm a solid surface kind of girl. All you need to do is run some caulk along the top of your vanity and set the top in place, easy peasy.


The old countertop came up higher along the wall than the new one and the wall was pretty badly damaged.  It took a lot of spackling and sanding to get it smooth. My husband thought I was crazy for even trying, he thought we needed a pro for sure but he now admits it looks fabulous! well, he doesn't actually say "fabulous" but you get my point.

Just need to hang the mirror and install the light fixture (left that for the hubs to do) and voila! A brand new bathroom!




I forgot to mention hanging the little cabinet. Found it for a few bucks at a yard sale. It was covered in black scuff marks I thought I would never get off but at last I tried a Magic Eraser! Those things really are magic! The cabinet works perfectly in the space and I am just glad I didn't have to repaint it.

Do you have any tips on getting the most bang for your buck when trying to beautify a bathroom? Tell me about it!

-Chloe

25 comments:

  1. It looks so pretty! I love the colors that you chose. Was the wainscoting hard to do? I'm tempted to try it myself!

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    1. Thank you! The wall color is Spring Melt by Martha Stewart in case you were wondering. And no, wainscoting is not hard. The height of the bead board you see in the pictures is the height it comes in at Home Depot (and most other hardware stores). It sits right on top of your exiting baseboard and is topped off with a strip of moulding. Cutting around the countertop and the outlets is the only place it gets a tiny bit tricky but anyone with a saw and a measuring tape can probably handle it!

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  2. Love your blog Chloe! You have the most clever and fun posts!

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  3. Chloe, I agree with Lisa~~fabulous uplifting blog!:) Excited to have found you and love your ideas and writing style!:) This bathroom post inspired me so much!

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    1. Oh my goodness, you all are so sweet! I can't even handle it! Feel free to share what comes of your inspiration, I'd love to hear about it!

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  4. Hi... was wondering if the color you used in the bathroom remodel is the same as the color you used in the kitchen? Love the results!! I have redone mine kitchen cabinets white when we bought our house 3 years ago... they were gross two-tomed laminate and we sanded them down, primed them, repainted them and added knobs... oh, we also had gross gold hinges and fixtures... we sprayed the gold hinges brushed nickel color with rustoleum... we too added crown molding to the tops of the cabinets... it cost under $25!! We still have plenty of space above them, so I have been shopping around at salvage places for small cabinets to put up top... The kitchen color now is a green... on the lime side... but I am wanting to go with a soft subtle blue... really love your color choice... it is SO hard to know what a paint result will be beforehand. Learned that the hard way!!!

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    1. Hey Monique! Don't worry about a thing! I totally understand first hand the experience you just explained, haha!
      The paint color in the kitchen is not the same as the color in the bathroom. The kitchen color is Nurture by Behr. It is a pretty and calming grey blue. The bathroom color is a little more of an aqua blue, it's Spring Melt from Martha Stewart. I am just like you in the sense that I am feeling sick of green and have been painting everything some shade of blue! Your kitchen sounds awesome! I hope you find a color that works!

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  5. Reading back what I wrote and have to apologize for all of the mispelled words... LOL... trying to type and hold the baby who is insisting on me putting a diaper on his spiderman and wanting to wear the kids online school headpiece and play with the keyboard!! :) SORRY! Hope you understood what I was saying! LOL

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  6. I’m so glad that you changed the light fixture. Your old bathroom gave off a seemingly depressed glow because of the orange-y atmosphere. I congratulate you for transforming it with a sunnier look! The aqua blue wall, together with the countertop, now gives off a beach-y mood. The result is just fabulous!

    William Gulliver

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  7. I agree with William. My favorite change in your bathroom would be the light fixture =P. Anyway, when doing a makeover, I mostly rely on paint color. I just choose a theme that I want to work on – a paint color that would match it, some cheap decors and voila!

    Regards,
    Lida Swisher

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