After 6 weeks, we're finally here. The big bathroom reveal!
Here is the reason. I lived with this for almost 6 years.
For Christmas, I couldn't think of anything I wanted more than new bathroom tile.
The week before Christmas I just couldn't wait any longer so Rob and the kids demolished the floor.
Then Christmas came. Then I got sick. Then came New Year's.
Then I had to hit pause until I figured out a couple of decorating dilemmas.
Then Rob was doing a lot of overtime at work. Then Rob got sick.
So...yeah...SIX weeks later and the tile/paint/hardware update is finally complete! Phew!
This was a bit of a toughy for us. First of all, I've had my heart set on hex floor tile ever since we lived in a vintage apartment downtown 10 years ago. Well, hex tile was way over my budget. I then thought about using patterned tile because I loved the look from our trip in Mexico.
Turns out patterned tile was also way over my budget.
Finally, I settled on Octagon and Gray Dot tile. It was in budget and still has a vintage look to it.
Rob has done tile a couple of times before but this mosaic style was rough. The pieces weren't set on a mesh backing but instead were held together with dollops of superglue. Rob and I are both quite particular and NONE of the spacing between the individual tiles were uniform! ARGH.
Rob worked his hiney off trying to get perfect spacing but it was just impossible because the product wasn't put together well (at all) in the first place. Is that what we get for buying tile within our budget? Luckily the finished look is so pretty that you don't really notice the uneven spacing.
We ended up over budget anyway just because the mosaic tile took a LOT of grout.
It also took three different tubs of grout to find the right color.
WHY don't they sell samples of grout???!! Come on, people!
I hung our Eiffel Tower painting here for now but we will be replacing it with a more modern frame and print after our next trip. I already have an idea of what I want so now I just have to wait to find it.
By now you've noticed my walls are pink. Yep. They are.
(The ceiling above the toilet is actually white but it doesn't look like it in this pic.)
I don't consider myself very girly and no where else in my house sports a feminine look.
That's why I thought it would be fun to do something a little different and paint this room a
vintage-y, dusty/gray pink. Well, remember the decorating dilemmas I mentioned?
This was one of them because the walls turned out way less
dusty/gray and way more cotton candy then I had anticipated.
The funny thing is that I was planning on doing white walls and just the ceiling would be pink. However, at the last minute I decided to try the pink on the walls and loved the color so much
that I decided to paint all the walls with it and switched the ceiling to white.
...We were more than halfway done when I realized the color was off...
Depending on your monitor/screen settings, my walls will look more or less pink to you.
In person, the pink is actually pretty subtle.
I was pretty annoyed because we were already way behind on getting this thing done.
That's why I just kept on painting, hoping it would turn out ok. It didn't.
I hated it but after about a week it dawned on me that if we just change the lightbulbs
to a cooler temperature then it should make the pink tone down to an acceptable level.
Sure enough, it worked!
I hated it but after about a week it dawned on me that if we just change the lightbulbs
to a cooler temperature then it should make the pink tone down to an acceptable level.
Sure enough, it worked!
The walls in the toilet room still look a bit pink-ish because it's a small room
but it's not so bad that I think "PINK!" every time I walk in.
The other decorating dilemma obviously had to do with the orange-y wood vanity.
I had my heart set on NOT painting or refinishing it.
I was hoping it would play more "vintage" and less "out-of-place"
but I'm not sure that's the case.
I didn't want white (too sterile), I didn't want more gray, and I didn't want something too dark.
I also wanted to keep a touch of warmth in the room so after weeks of indecision
I decided to cut us both some slack and leave it for now.
I'm sure we will change it at some point but that point is not now.
'Cuz we are d-o-n-e.
In our "before" bathroom the towel rack was across the room from the shower and so we'd have to remember to grab our towel before we hopped in. If we didn't, we were left yelling for someone to get us one or we had to hop out dripping wet to get one ourselves.
Super annoying!
It was obvious that I needed to put hooks right next to the shower. It wasn't obvious that we would end up with the perk of heated towels since they are hanging right above the heater vent. Score!
Everyone says air plants are the best because they are so low-care and last forever. Well, mine don't. I've had many and they keep dying on me no matter where I put them or how I water or not water them. This is my remaining one and we will see how it does here
with the humidity on the ledge above the shower.
I used Wayfair for my hardware and was pleasantly surprised at the quality!
These knobs were a steal but feel very hefty. I will definitely shop there again.
I added the longer drawer pulls to the upper fake drawers of the vanity
so we could hang hand towels conveniently.
Here's another Wayfair purchase. So pretty but I've gotta say... not so easy to clean.
I really do love the finished bathroom. It's so much lighter and brighter and happier.
I'm really grateful for all the work Rob put into it.
This one took it out of us a bit so it might be a little while before we start another project.
