Bathroom Transformation

Cue the Hallelujah chorus, it's (almost) done!

I love my bathroom so much that even though it is still the size of a postage stamp, it makes me feel content every time I step through the door.  

We went from 15 year old builder's basics to a slightly customized, cool, calm, and collected retreat, and with some tough decisions we kept it within budget, too.  

Honey oak cabinet transformed by Martha Stewart's "Magnetite" paint.  We kept the faucet (but will replace eventually).  Medicine cabinet replaced with white framed mirror.  We sacrificed space for looks.  Worth it.  Wall color: Martha Stewart "Heavy Goose", color matched to Behr's Premium Plus Ultra. Hard to see, but it's a pale blue-grey.  The walls were an odd grey-green color before.

15 year old carpet (in the bathroom!) replaced with TrafficMaster Allure Vinyl Plank Flooring in Clear Cherry.   Flooring was our toughest decision.  Laminate?  Tile?  Vinyl? Peel-n-Stick?  We were pretty set on peel-n-stick "for now", with the intent to tile later.  Instead, we went vinyl plank, and I am so happy.  It is a snap-together plank flooring that is waterproof, has a wood grain, and resists marks. It also has a lifetime warranty! It was in-stock at Home Depot, and the color is "Clear Cherry".  It looks like more of a beech or maple to me, but it has the light color & dark variations I wanted.  It took 2 boxes to floor the tiny, tiny bathroom, and was our biggest expense at about $50/ box.  We love it so much that we plan to (eventually) re-do the other bathroom floors using the same product. 

New towel rods from Target.  I lucked out, and these were on clearance for $8 each.  This replaced the single wooden dowel that was off-center under the window.  The mat & towels are also from Target. They were clearancing a huge aisle of bath items, so I snatched these up & they match!

                                     

Disgusting ceiling fan no more!

We took it down, vacuumed the inside, painted the ceiling, ran the light cover through the dishwasher, sprayed the plastic part with brushed nickel, installed a cfl, and VOILA! Clean & updated. 

Last but not least: mirror & vanity light.

This mirror replaced the one I custom painted to match the vanity, and then broke trying to put back into the frame.  So sad, but lesson learned.  I think it works because it echoes the white in the shower curtain and trim. The light was also a Home Depot clearance find.  It is more modern than I would usually choose, but I liked the frosted covers, and I liked that it projected the light up instead of down (down light casts hard shadows - who wants that?).  The pull on the vanity has the same curve & the towel bars also have slim, brushed nickel lines.  

What's not done:  well, my shower curtain is still at least 12" too short, the TP holder should be arriving any day, I haven't found a coordinating fabric to turn the blinds into a roman shade, still need to find shelves to go over the toilet, and I'd like to replace the faucet & shower head.  All those are minor because in the big picture I looooooooooooooove it.  Those little not-done items are the "cherries" that will make it even sweeter, but so far this bathroom is my favorite room in the house. 

Note about paint:  I am totally on board with Martha at Home Depot. The colors are really great, and the paint formulas apply & dry exactly how they are supposed to.  I also LOVE the Behr Premium Plus Ultra.  I was skeptical about a primer+paint, but it delivered the goods.  The only reason I even tried it was because they were out of stock in the Martha Stewart paint I wanted & HD agreed to price match it while using the more expensive formula.  I love it when a store does the "right thing" for a customer.  Home Depot is a 40 mile round trip for me, but I won't buy paint from the other home improvement giant again.