Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Over Due Bathroom Do-Over

If you have followed along in the last two posts you know that our small and only full-bath in the house was getting a new floor. The catalyst for the decision was that I wanted storage space that the room greatly lacked. We did a mini update on that bathroom about 10 years ago with a limited budget. Because an old steam radiator stood in the way I was convinced that we couldn't put in a vanity so we opted for a pedestal sink. My thinking was, "It's a small room so keep the necessary pieces small to make it not feel cramped."


While living in the house for all these years it has bothered me that the steam radiator in that room was just about useless, being the last radiator on the line. Annoyed with the fact that it took up such precious real estate in the small room, I was determined to get rid of it. I got Mister on board and that hunk of metal was kicked to the curb. (Not really, they're wicked heavy! You'd break your foot.) You can read about the in floor heating here and here.

That left me with a blank slate, or at least a little less crowded slate. We are not changing the tub nor the storage next to the door. So, with grid paper in hand and some photos that I had squirreled away on Pinterest I went to work measuring, planning and shopping online. Here was my preliminary thoughts.


This step in imperative for me in order to get Mister on board. I don't explain my visions well and he doesn't picture these things in his mind's eye the way I do. Also, with space being a premium I need to make sure everything was going to fit and not look/feel too crowded. 

My number two problem with the bathroom, after getting rid of the radiator, was that the toilet flange sits so far away from the outside wall. ( "Number two" haha! I crack myself up! Yes, that was potty humor. Ha! I did it again!) This is an old house and that waste pipe was retrofitted to a house that probably didn't originally have indoor plumbing. Long story short, we can't move it without a plumber and mucho money! We opted for a toilet made by Kohler. It has an elongated bowl and the tank sits far enough back that it takes up some of that space. This was a whole ugly business trying to find and get during Covid but we did it.


I had Mister cut a hole in the wall that plumbing and electrical chases down into. A small niche was made using left over plywood and some scrap pieces of flooring. A piece of glass from a local company divides the space for apothecary jars housing q-tips and flossers. 




The plastic apothecary jars in the niche were from Amazon.

The vanity was a stresser for me. I went back and forth on a 30" versus 36" length. Since I am working with a small space I want to make sure knees aren't hitting the vanity when someone is using the potty. I also don't want the room to feel stuffed and tight. Mister was the voice of reason here. We got the 36" vanity with the understanding that we could always return it if it was too big but we're going to try to get the most storage possible.  

I found a vanity in stock at my local Home Depot and was able to order the back splash pieces to match online. In this old house nothing is straight, flush, level or at a 90 degree angle so some finagling has to take place to get things to look and fit right. Here we had to cut into the drywall to get the top to sit on the vanity right. "Don't worry," Mister said, "a little caulking and nobody will ever know." I have learned that caulking in an old house is like wearing a little, black dress; it is a master at tricking the eye! Oh, and the size? Perfect! 


And a piece of trim down the side by the wall will get a coat of paint to match the vanity. 


Another Home Depot a few towns away had the faucet I wanted.


I waffled between wall sconces and pendant lights. I opted for pendant lights with mixed metal. I love the black but wanted to introduce a bit of the trendy champagne gold to warm up all the cool tones. The flooring has both those warm and cool tones so I am taking my cue from that. 



Like so many other people,  my Amazon Prime membership really paid off during quarantine time. The vanity came with hardware but I wanted drawer pulls to match the gold in the pendant lights.

                                     

                 

Bath mat towels in a dark gray will replace the rug that used to be there. It stays draped over the tub edge instead a rug on the floor. A hand towel bar and toilet paper holder in flat black and a big round mirror finish off the vanity area. I LOVE the mirror. The frame is rubber!

                        

Can you see a peek of the new shower curtain there? I loved the graphic design of this octopus shower curtain. I showed it to Mister and he said, "Yup, that's the one!"  Because the curtain hangs lower and because these floors are not level I had to cut about seven inches off the bottom and re-hem the curtain. Thankfully, it didn't cut into his head. 


I had a couple of the better photos I had taken over the years enlarged at Walgreens photo center and I framed them to hang over the niche and over the toilet. Art doesn't have to be expensive.



And a little zhooshing...


 


In this room we have put a bigger toilet and a 36" vanity and the room actually feels bigger than it did with the littler pieces we had before in this 7.3 x 6.8 space. What had I been so worried about? That is a lesson for me. The bonus in all this...I got radiant heat and more storage. I'm not one to rush summer along but I know when the days inevitably start turning colder I will have some nice, warm tootsies and a lovely space to relax in. 

Thanks for spending time with me and for following along on another project. 

Sources:
Toilet-Kohler
Vanity-Home Depot
Backsplash-Home Depot back and side
Faucet-Home Depot
Lights-Bellacor
Mirror-Amazon
Towel bar-Amazon
Toilet paper holder-Amazon
Apothecary jars-Amazon
Shower curtain-Amazon
Drawer Pulls- Amazon
Shower curtain hooks, large picture frame-Walmart
Towels and washcloths-Home Goods
Hand towels- Target,

I will be linking up to these host's parties: 
Grammy's Grid,  Create With Joy, Finding Silver Pennies, Love My Little Cottage, Farmhouse 40, April J Harris, Stone Cottage Adventures, Lou Lou Girls, The Dedicated House, A Stroll Thru Life, Ducks N A Row, Home Stories A To Z, Jenerally Informed, Across The Blvd, My Wee Abode, Wonder Wednesdays, Apron Strings and Other Things, Imparting Grace, An Artful Mom, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Two Chicks and A Mom, The Pin Junkie, The Cottage Market, Pam's Party and Practical Tips, Katherine's Corner, Shabby Art Boutique, The Zucchini Sisters

14 comments:

  1. Another great makeover, it all looks wonderful.

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    1. Thank you, friend and thank you for following along!

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  2. Looks very nice! Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 14, open July 1 to 26. All party entries shared if social media buttons installed.

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  3. I was recently lucky enough try out this beautiful new bathroom. Everything in it is perfect. The giant squid took me by surprise lol but he grows on ya. Lol. Gorgeous space. Just like the rest if your home.

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    1. Aww, thank you! You're welcome here anytime! Thanks for stopping by the blog and leaving some kindness. Love you!

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    1. Thank you, Amber and thanks for visiting with me!

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  5. You're being featured on the Little Cottage Link Party this morning! I hope you'll drop in.

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  6. I just love this!! What a wonderful job you did on your bathroom. I'm sure you'll be glad you kicked that radiator to the curb. I love the reminder that a bathroom doesn't have to be big to be a lovely space.

    Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I'm featuring you this week!

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    1. Yay! Thank you Richella, and thank you for the kind words!

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  7. What a spectacular makeover ~ everything looks great! I love the unexpected shower curtain creature.

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    1. Thank you for visiting and for the kindness! I do love our shower curtain!

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