Bathroom - Finale

This is it.  The longest part of this 9 month challenge is done.  The bathroom work started in January.  I now have a bathroom I'm proud of, even though the makeover was scoped down to mostly one side of the room.  The challenge is to make over 3 rooms in 9 months for $3000.00.  This means timing, money, and scope need to be managed.  I hope you are not disappointed that I've scoped the bathroom down to doing one side, plus the addition of a light in the shower.  By doing only one side, I still had the added challenge of making the old finishes work with the new.  Let me know what you think of the result - here's the Before and After pics...

Before

After

The color scheme overall is similar.  Before, I had wallpaper with a green leaf pattern.  Now I have what I want to call 'green apple'.  My mom called it 'avocado' which made me bristle at first because this is an old fashioned color, but it really does look like the fresh inside of an avocado!  

The cabinet height has been increased and they have been stained a nice warm reddish wood tone.  The baseboard and window/door trim is painted white and the counter top and sink look fresh and bright.

The mirror was purchased some time ago with the idea that I would eventually use it in this bathroom.  I did not change the finish on the frame, in part, because this was one way to tie into the existing brass/gold finish on the shower door.  Someday I will add a back splash.

No more snakes and bamboo.  I did buy a snail figurine to bring the white up to the top of the medicine cabinet.  I added a ginger jar I already had to bring in another shade of green and some of the coral/rust color from the roman shade.

I found a container for cotton balls at Savers that has similar stripes to the tiny vase I already owned. 

The towels and area rug are the second (preferred) choice.  I initially purchased really soft towels that were bright white with a green stripe accent.  I brought them home and they looked washed out and made no impact to the decor.  The rust color towels are a great accent matching the flowers in the shade and bridging the tiles in the shower to the newer features.  The area rug is a bit small.  I bought a second one intending to sew the two together, but they ended up being slightly different in size and color so I returned one to Target.  I like how the rug has some green, some white and some beige to match the walls, trim, and floor, respectively.

I have so much more storage now with the two new medicine cabinets I made.  I'm still playing with the decorative items on the counter - added the plant on the right and rearranged other items.

I had the electrician put the GFCI outlet inside the cabinet on my right which is where I would plug in my curling iron or hair dryer since I am right handed.

I don't mind admitting how I smile every time I can put away my curling iron without waiting for it to cool off since I added a metal container to the drawer where I now store the iron.  (Gotta have a lighter for candles!)

 

I used a candle base as a base for my water glass.  I was just looking for something that would give some impact to the right side of the sink.  I found this beaded candle 'dish' (already owned) that matched the metal finishes in this bathroom and used it to make my water glass stand out.

I'm glad I chose the white lamp shades for the lighting fixture instead of the ones that came with it.  I was fortunate to find them at one of the second hand stores I frequent - at the right place, at the right time!

The budget was hit big time for this room mostly because of the counter top choice and the hiring of an electrician.  It was totally worth it.  I made up for it with the great finds like the sink at Habitat Restore and building my own medicine cabinets.

The last room for this challenge, the foyer, cost me $289, so this means I have $597 left for the last room of this challenge.  I'm sure I can work with that.  Especially since I finally found something to house my files after searching for affordable lateral credenzas throughout this challenge.  You'll have to come back to see what I found!

If you think you need something to look forward to, take a look at this link: 

 May Holidays  

 There is apparently an abundance of significance to the month of May - besides my birthday!

Bathroom - A long list of problems to tackle

Happy New Year!  I'm beginning 2014 with room 2 of my 3 room challenge - our main bathroom.  This one scares me the most since it needs the most work.  In reality I will not be able to fix up the entire room with the budget I've set.  That's part of the challenge - what can I accomplish giving me a room I love for at least the next 5 years?

History

In 2003 we remodeled the only 2 bathrooms in our home.  The main bath has a single sink on a long counter, a toilet, and a shower.  At that time, we mostly concentrated on the shower side replacing a small bathtub with a shower and sliding glass doors.  We hired out the tiling of the floor and shower, we wallpapered the entire small room (a project I do NOT recommend with so many obstacles to go around), and we painted the ceiling.  We did not change anything on the sink side of the room except for adding a bamboo frame around the large mirror.  The counter top is cultured marble with a built in sink.  For some reason, I chose a brass finish for the shower door surround and left the existing towel bars and other metal finishes as antique brass.  We've changed the faucet since that remodel project to one with an oil rubbed bronze finish, which I ruined trying to remove the hard water deposits.  Although I've liked the 'Jungle' theme for quite some time, I'm now ready to start a move toward a design I hope will please a larger audience should we ever think to resell.  The bottom line, however, will be that I like it.

Yes, there is a toy snake on the top of the cabinet!

 The shower needs to be regrouted and resealed.

Problems to address

Cabinets and Counters

Our counter height is only 29.5 inches.   On me, that doesn't even reach the top of my thighs and I'm only 5'5''.  I don't plan on getting new cabinets, so my challenge here will be to raise the height in some fashion. 

Additional changes I'd like to make:

• Change the handles and knobs to ones with an oil rubbed bronze finish to continue with the metal finish I used in the Foyer lighting.  
• I want to add more storage as one can never have enough! 
• I will be refinishing the cabinets, but haven't decided how.  Depending on what I end up doing for added storage, I may stain or paint.  One thing I do know is that my husband does not want white cabinets.  Hmmm, that gives me lots of options!  I really don't want to do any tricky paint techniques this time.  
• The counter top will be changed.  I've been researching pricing on tempered glass, Silestone, butcher block and more.   
• That also means I'll need a new sink and faucet.
• Finally, the large mirror was ruined when I put up the wallpaper so it will be replaced.  Don't ever let wallpaper paste drip behind a mirror.  It erodes away the reflective backing.

Lighting/Electrical

Another must do is to change the lighting.   I have been wanting sconces as I've learned this is the best source of lighting for applying makeup.  This would likely involve me hiring an electrician.  I can easily replace the overhead light myself, but I don't want to experiment in moving a junction box and adding another fixture.  Besides, this bathroom has an outlet that is likely not up to current electrical codes.  There is no GFCI.  While we are at it, maybe putting the outlet on my right would be a better fit for me since using my curling iron or blow dryer involves me stretching electrical cord from the current outlet across the sink area.  I am right handed.  $$$$ :(

Exhaust fan switch covered with tape until the fan is fixed

Walls and accessories

Wallpaper will go, but it has been so long, I don't remember the condition of the walls underneath, so that could present a problem.   Towel bars and toilet paper holders are out of date, so I need to upgrade there as well.

Now for my goals on the budget and timing.  I plan to spend between $1500 and $1700.  I'm hoping for the lower end because I'm already thinking of more things I want for the last room of this challenge.  I need to complete this by the end of April 2014.  There are still many decisions for me to make on this project.  Stay tuned in.  One loyal reader mentioned 'motivation'.  Your comments on this blog are the best form of motivation for me, so keep them coming.