The Bathrooms: Before and After

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Oh, the bathrooms.

The bathrooms are the one place where I kick myself every time, because we actually bought our home pre-construction and at the time could have done anything with these spaces.  This was long before subway tile and marble were a trend, and when the tuscan look was still going strong.  By chance our master ended up looking more modern than the other two, but obviously if I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I would go a completely different direction!  Without ripping out the tile, there is only so much you can do in a bathroom, but I have to say paint and some beautiful shower curtains have gone a long way in these spaces.  With the curtains closed I don't even notice our previous missteps, but it is likely that if we live here another 6 years I may push for a mini renovation.   For now the rooms are fun, a little whimsical, and go perfectly with the other spaces in the home, and I am perfectly content with how they turned out. 

Before:



After: 


What a difference a coat of paint makes, right?  I like to call this my Golden Girl's bathroom, because it definitely has that Florida feel, and the paint and gallery wall (which spreads through the entire space) really detracts from that weird shiny tile in the back so much that I almost don't even notice it. 

The boy's bathroom, which is right off their bedroom, was the room that had the most challenges.  It is definitely in the tuscan vein, which would be fine if the rest of the house had the same feel, but it has forever stood out like a sore thumb.  The peach marble was completely my fault, because instead of picking the piece myself, I trusted a cell phone picture which turned out to be completely different than what we received.  People, ALWAYS see your marble/ granite in person!!!  I definitely learned this lesson the hard way.  This was a costly mistake and one we won't ever be making again.  Luckily, we had some butcher block and some paint left over when I re-did the kitchen, and it was just enough to swap out what was already existing.  That change, coupled with the bold shower curtain really gave that space new life, and a more modern feel. 

 Like most of you, I love the look of wallpaper, but just can't seem to ever justify the price, especially when it comes to a bathroom.  I had picked samples and had the space measured twice,  but when I saw a post on Pinterest  about stamping walls to save money I was so inspired that the next week I did just that!  I used a ruler and a laser leveler, and basically just went row by row, putting a pencil dot where the middle of the bee would be.  I then coated my stamp with gold paint and once the grid was done, and two hours later the entire room was finished!  I'll admit not every bee is perfect, but it gives the space a wallpaper feel and coupled with the star wars accessories it makes the room feel a little retro, like a kid who put some posters up over his mom's floral wallpaper.  The tub in there is incredibly deep, and surprisingly out of all the bathrooms, this is the one where I spend most of my time in. 

Before:


 After:


As I said before, our master bathroom was by far the best of them all.  White Cararra Marble, with matching penny tile.  A glass shower door with white subway tile.  Cherry cabinets, which aren't really my jam but actually look great in the space.  All we really needed was a little paint to give the space a WOW effect.  The now infamous Farrow & Ball Hague Blue did just that, and with some fun art, Kate which I found on ebay and that great print quoting Jenna Lyons from Posh and Prep made the space feel much more luxurious without any structural changes.  This room will never change in the future, and that makes me very happy. 

Before:


 After:

Most of us have rooms that we don't love, but that we don't hate enough to put in the money it would take for real change.  Those two bathrooms are just that for me.  My takeaway from all of this is that a solid paint job and some modern accessories can go incredibly far and since they cost so little there really is no reason not to give it a try yourself.  Dark gray, navy, and black can hide almost all sins and look incredible when paired with a simple white shower curtain.  The best part is, it's only paint so if you hate it you can always start over! 

Shop The Post

Guest Bath
Paint- Sherwin Williams Color Aloe in Ben Moore paint
Trash Bin (similar here)


Boy's Bathroom
Orange Furniture Piece was a purchase from Gilt, where diapers were stored in the nursery
Start Wars Nightlight (sold out)

Master Bath
Paint -Farrow and Ball Hague Blue
Jenna Print- Posh and Prep
Kate Moss Print from ebay

Tomorrow I'm heading off for a retreat with my best girl so I'll be scrambling to get the boys all set before I leave. My usual Weekend Links will be posted on Monday.  Stay tuned because next week I have a big (HUGE) announcement! I hope you have enjoyed the room tours so far, next week I'll be posting the kitchen and the boy's room. 

After photography by Sarah Winchester

No comments :