WHOA NELLY - A LADY NEEDS A LOVELY PLACE TO BATHE

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Okay, so I had a long chat with myself (Is that better than chatting with my dog? I'm not sure.) and I decided to give myself some tough love by laying down the law and saying that I can't change a thing in my bedroom until I've updated the master bathroom.

I did this for two reasons:

1) I know this will motivate me to finally work on the bathroom.

2) I really want a pretty, serene, relaxing bathroom....like this:

(I think this photo is from Cottage Living)

Or this:

Domino Magazine

Or even this:

(A friend sent this to me a while ago. I'm not sure where she found it.)

Oh...and:

Reason 3) For heaven's sake a girl's gotta have a little restraint!


Here's how the bathroom looks right now (well, this is a picture with the seller's stuff...I don't have burgundy candlesticks or green towels...but you get the idea).

It's not a horrible bathroom by any means. It's large with a separate shower, spa tub and double sinks. But the elephant in the room is that burgundy countertop. If I liked burgundy I could probably make it work....but I really don't care for that color. It reminds me of the turtleneck sweaters my dad wore in the 80's....blahhhh.

It also has a GINORMOUS mirror (people in 1992 really wanted a good view I guess), and a wierd unused space in the corner between the vanity and tub.

I can't spend much money on this room so I'm going to pull some Houdini magic to try to make it look like a million bucks...for like $200...less if I possibly can, but considering I need (want) to replace the faucets it will be at least that much.

Here's my preliminary plan:

1) Somehow change the countertop to something neutral (this is where the smoke and mirrors will come in).

2) Replace the mirror with 2 smaller oval mirrors.

3) Install shelving of some sort on the wierd, useless, tile platform.

So it will look kind of like this....but much better....hopefully:




4) Maybe rip out the perfectly good white square tile in tub surround and replace it with perfectly good but hard work requiring white subway tile....maybe. Don't you love subway tile?! I've always wanted it.



So I hope you'll hang in there with me during this project. It will be time consuming but I'll keep you posted, and hopefully you'll find some inspiration for yourselves along the way.

16 Suburbanites Said:

Victoria said...

I can't WAIT to see what you do with the bathroom! Especially the countertops. When I was a teen my parents bought an old farmhouse and the kitchen had fire orange countertops!!!! AAAH! :)

Xazmin said...

Well, I was gonna say "I can't WAIT..." but someone already said it! I'm anxious to follow this project! You ladies in the blogging world are so creative and visionary - very inspirational!

Wendy said...

Love the oval mirrors, the shelves and the subway tile. Can't wait to see it finished. I can't wait to see what you do with the counter top. My counter in the kitchen is UGLY, and I want to do something to it. I wan't granite, but I'm holding off on getting it.

Be careful with the mirror. When they put ours in, the glued the entire back to the wall. There is no way to get it off unless you tear your wall up. Maybe you can frame your mirror like this http://wendysfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2008/12/frame-mirror.html and then hang the ovals in front of it.

mimi charmante said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mimi charmante said...

I too am cracking up... You must feel so much better about your bathroom after seeing my "before" photos! We have a lot of subway tile in our kitchen and main floor bath which I totally love!
I was waiting to hear from you (and wendy, and melaine...)~
xo

countrymans said...

Honestly think that subway tiles are timeless. Always a classic choice. The rest of your homes is so lovely.. it's really one of my favorites. Thank you also for helping me with the very awesome header for my blog.. :)

Unknown said...

What pretty bathroom pictures. I can't wait to see how yours turns out! P.S. I love the subway tile!

Anonymous said...

Hi! I just found your blog. You should try www.miraclemethod.com for your countertops. They can refinish it in any color!

Kristina said...

I can't wait to see what you pull off!

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

OK - I am officially in love with your blog. Love your home and can't wait to see more.

SoBella Creations said...

I can't wait to see the transformation!

Unknown said...

You've got the basics there already, so your tweaks will make it look fantastic. I'm wondering if you are going to paint the benchtop or redo it.

ellie mae said...

OHHH beautiful bathrooms. Cant wait to see what you do :)

Hey, we're starting a challange on February 9th to see how much money we can save for that week by using what we already have in our pantries, freezer, and fridge. We'll going to see how long we can go without going to the grocery store! Gulp! We would love for you to join us :)

Dodi said...

Wendy above knows of which she speaks - take off that mirror and you'll have to sand and re-texture the entire wall. (Seriously ALL THREE of our bathrooms have the same damn mirror - was it cheaper by the yard back then?)

I might see if I could find a way to trim it out or do something creative like that. Only on HGTV is the wall pristine behind the mirror.

AnNicole@Our Suburban Cottage said...

Thanks Wendy and Dodi. That's a great heads up. I'll keep my fingers crossed for an "HGTV" mirror, and keep a plan B in mind in case I need to keep my existing mirror.

Thanks again!

Scooper said...

Great ideas! I also wouldn't let myself start on my bathroom until I finished the master bedroom.

And as for subway tile, I want to lick it. I love it that much!

Can't wait for the big reveal.