Plywood and Concrete

(dwell magazine)

The saga of my basement continues...

What does one do with a tiny room that has a toilet and a random set of stairs to nowhere? Well, first you use it as a bathroom, though there is no sink...And it actually kind of works as a guest bath. But, it's not ideal.

Forty-Nine Shades of Gray and One Yellow

My bathroom is finally (mostly) finished!! Just a few more touches. We need some kind of towel accoutrement and a bit more storage in the form of another little cabinet above the toilet...because we're weird and cut our own hair and therefore need the double mirror action to see the back of our heads...

That was too much information for you, I think.

Gray and Yellow

My absolute favorite thing about my new bathroom. The barn light! In bright yellow!

I also like my $9 shower curtain. A hand grommeted drop cloth.

Here are the details of my little bathroom redo:

Since the floor is 25 square feet, I went a little crazy on the materials. Marble basket weave! I wanted to keep it in the '20s but also make it fresh and new. That tile we found at Mission Tile, our neighborhood tile place. It was thicker than the home depot basket weave and just a little bit more per square foot.

With the small space situation, I used the beveled subway tile all the way to the ceiling to make the room look bigger.  And I added two niches in the shower so I wouldn't need to add any storage in the form of shower caddies or whatnot.

Because the subway tile is raised in the middle, I found some marble to use as the shelf part of the niche. They are 6 x 12 inch marble tiles from home depot. I swear I spent an hour in the tile aisle trying to find exactly the product I needed for each situation in my bathroom.

And we have a window in the shower! I've always liked it, my alternative being no window in the bathroom, I guess. But I hate the privacy options available when you order a window.

So I went for window film. not martha had a lot of information and I found some favorites, but the shipping from England was $45! I ended up using mesh by dc fix from wall pops. We decided not to do the top window, but I haven't showered in there yet, so we'll see...

In this pic you can really see the bevels in the tile. And you get the view from the bathers perspective. It's like a Frida Kahlo painting!

Now you can see why I had to remove the door. It bumps your legs while you pee, so one cannot photograph the room while the door is open. 

We had to refinish the door because, like, five years ago, I stripped the paint off the bottom quarter of the door. Which meant I had to spend three days stripping the seven layers off the rest of the door. Also? That stuff burns.

Here's another shot of the Lowe's vanity I refinished with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I am now a believer and would pretty much do whatever Annie Sloan wants me to do. That stuff works wonders! I even got my mom to refinish her bathroom vanity with it. Here I used French Linen and clear and dark wax mixed.

Because it took me so long to find all the random pieces of tile for the space, I have to show you how it came out! I used a cove base to make it easy to clean. And for the transition between tiles, I found a mosaic border that I was able to cut into long strips of little bricks. I can't find it online, but it was four rows of offset marble tiles. 

Here's a photo of the whole room again. Door removed. It doesn't really feel like it's a room in my house yet. I'm sure the boys will take care of that really soon.

Tubstep: Slappin' da basement

The bathroom is coming along! Slow and steady wins the race!

We finally got our basement toilet working properly and, of course, uncovered some amazing new problems! But, I think we always kind of knew there would be something...lurking...

Today the tile goes in and I had to compromise a little, which bums me out, but that's what happens with design! I just didn't think I would be making decisions while sitting at my desk. As usual, google came through for me...

The finish date is supposed to be Friday, but that's with no more surprises...

And then I'll be able to sleep in my own bed again.

Post Traumatic Bath Syndrome

This is my bathroom before the remodel.

This is my bathroom this morning...

You can compare by using the light fixture as your starting point. 

It's gonna be amazing when it's finished...I say as I cry into my coffee because I have no toilet.

Bonfire for most Vanities

Except for mine!

I am currently in the midst of a bathroom remodel. And the budget is low. Which means, I want a nice floor, but that means my vanity isn't the fanciest.

My mom and I found one vanity (why are bathroom vanities either $100 or $700? I know that one was in the middle, but, really they are either cheap or expensive. Nothing middle of the road unless you repaint it. Aaaand exhale), within our budget that was made of wood, not mdf. And it was that awful red colored wood that makes me cringe.

I liked the curved front and the white top, so we bought it. And I started planning which of the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colors it would be.

I decided on French Linen. It's a gray that leans a little more brown. I also looked at Coco, which was lovely, but started off too dark. And I wanted to use some of the dark wax to add character. Here it is in full light. I worked under a green pavilion style tent, to keep out the bugs and debris which cast the piece in a green light.

Here it is under the green tent with the handles:

I found the little handles at Anthropologie! Only $6! And they matched without looking too matchy-matchy. The faucet is going to be polished chrome and I purposely chose a brass handle. That way it looks more like I found it rather than a refinished piece from Lowe's.

I can't wait to show off my bathroom! I have been interneting for weeks picking everything out! Cameron and my mother getting most of the texts and emails, "Do I really like this?" I like too many things. Sometimes that is not good. When designing a 35 sqft room...

Next task: finding the perfect greige paint...more gray than beige...let me know if you have any good ones!

Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

DIY Home Sweet Home The More the Merrier Monday

ModVintage Life Mod Mix Monday

The Southern Institute Creative Me Monday

Ask Anna Weekend Warrior

be colorful motivated monday

Skip to My Lou Made By You Monday

Making the World Cuter Monday 

Inspired By Felicity Get Inspired Monday 

I Should Be Mopping the Floors Mopping it Up Monday 

You're Talking Too Much Meet Me Monday 

Get Outta My Head Please Show it Off Monday

Flour Me With Love Mix it Up Monday

Bringing Beauty Beautify it Monday

Crafty Confessions Tuesday Confessional

My Uncommon Slice of Surburbia Tuesday's Treasures

Home Stories A to Z 

Our Delightful Home Show Us Wat You Got Tuesday! 

Reasons to Skip the Housework Time Out Tuesday

The Farmhouse Porch Cowgirl Up Tuesday

Thrifty Home Penny Pinching Party!

Someday Crafts Whatever Goes Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday

Rae Gun Ramblings What We Wore and Made Wednesday

Adorned From Above Wednesday Link Party

The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday

Thrifty Decorating Thrifty Thursday

No Minimalist Here Open House Party Thursday

Fireflies and Jellybeans Show Off Your Stuff

The Shabby Nest

Fingerprints on the Fridge Feature Yourself Friday

Chic on a Shoestring Flaunt it Friday

Fridays on Remodelaholic 

My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday

Five Days Five Ways Friday 

TaterTots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up Party 

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special 

Sassafras Salvation Sunday Salvation Show

Under the Table and Dreaming The Sunday Showcase

My 1929 Charmer Sunday's Best

Project Decorate: April and Joe's Bathroom

 

 

My cousin April and I have never met in person. She's my cousin by marriage and we met on Pinterest, of all places. Our mutual love of beautiful things and home improvement brought us together and now we occasionally chat on Facebook.

April also has a house full of half finished rooms and five kids. Which means she needs some inspiration and a nap immediately!

Her master bath is even less than half finished! She sent over this pic for me:

While this bathroom is in limbo, the seven of them have been using one bathroom! I have four people sharing one bathroom and...just...I don't want to talk about it...

 

They have the floor and shower wall tile ready to go, a gray linoleum and a pinkish hued ceramic, respectively. April asked for help picking out a paint color as well as a vanity. She asked for clean modern lines and no yellow. No. Yellow.

 

To help me in my quest to design the perfect bath, I looked for inspiration. April recently got back from trips Hawaii and California and while I'm not sure if it was her favorite vacation ever, I do know that the opposite of an Alaska winter would be a Hawaiian summer.



Black sand beach and blue ocean and white foam were my inspiration. But not literally, of course. Let's keep it soft. A person often times is half asleep in their bathroom. No one wants to be jolted awake by a paint color!

Softening...




All three of these paint colors would work well in the space. There are no windows in the room so it can get cave like. I really liked the pale blue because it looks incredible with the dark wood on the vanity.

Here are three examples I found of dark wood, modern bath vanities:

(Ikea)

 

(homedepot)

(home depot)

The last one is the only one under budget, the other two are a little more. But you could add some feet to the front to make it look more custom. And swap out the door and drawer handles. Ikea has some modern handles that might be perfect:

(Ikea)

Since the vanity has a lot of good storage, April asked for open shelving above the toilet. I found this pic for her:

(paint speckled pawprints)



 

 Floating, open shelving made out of pallets!

And now, for my most favorite part, the shower curtain! Now, I know I'm out there sometimes, but I really thought this would look amazing in the bathroom! And April and Joe have really great senses of humor. So go with me on this trip, wouldja?

(urban outfitters)

See? It's cool right? Fun and adventurous! And light and airy! Okay, fine. Get whatever shower curtain you want. I'll be over here.

 

Vanity 1: $349

Vanity 2: $419

Vanity 3: $279

Handles: $6/2

Shelves: DIY

Shower Curtain: $64

 

April and Joe's olioboard

Project Redocorate: April and Matt's Office Bathroom

 



If you've never met a Disney Princess in real life, I imagine my friend April would be a pretty close representation. As in, I think cartoon birds braid her hair in the morning and even her facebook messages smile at you from the computer screen. She's an all around delight and she offered her husband's bathroom at his Chiropractic Practice to be redecorated.

And here it is:

With a bathroom like this, there's not much one can do. It's ADA compliant and adding a beaded curtain and twinkle lights would probably not comply. There needs to be enough space around the toilet and most of the items installed are there forever. Except for the Lack table and the tiny tree. I think they can go...

Since my friend is a Disney Princess, it wasn't hard to find inspiration. On the design questionnaire, she asked that the space be, "Elegant, clean, warm, tidy but inviting and classy." Which, for some reason made me think of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel:

That's the lobby. And it's gorgeous. And cartoon birds deliver your luggage. With that in mind I set to work finding the items to make the space more functional.

First, paint color. I love a good, rich green. And this one suits a craftsman style but it's a little more playful:

Jadite by Sherwin Williams.

Next I wanted to add some warm browns to the mix. And I found this shelf from the Threshold collection at Target.

It was designed to hold these Threshold baskets:

And I would only get three. Then the shelf has some open space so it doesn't loom over the toilet like a giant shelf monster. The baskets can hold the cleaning supplies and extra toilet paper..

 

 

To soften the very rectangular shelf up a bit, I added a table runner to the top. This one is a little too wide for the 14" deep shelf, but any fabric would work.

It's from World Market and it's 16" wide. I say cut off the sides and iron the edge under! Live dangerously!

 

Another function the bathroom needed was a place to hang purses or jackets whilst one avails himself or herself of the necessary. Sticking to my Disney/Craftsman/Nature/ inspiration, I found these amazing beetle and ant hooks at World Market:

Metal and a little rusted these will look great next to the wall color and bookcase.

Now the hard part of this design comes in. The artwork. What does one put in a bathroom that is both inoffensive and yet has some kind of link or meaning to the client? I think I solved it.

April and her husband lived in Northern California when we reconnected on facebook. They have since moved back to Arizona, (where I went to high school with April!). And I asked her where she went on her honeymoon...Monterey! Combine all these things, shake them in a jar and you get....Ansel Adams. I know. It does seem a little boring. BUT! He was an impeccable photographer! And he was from San Francisco. He was in the great earthquake of 1906! And the photos are both Zen and beautiful!
I selected three, for very specific reasons:

Oak Tree - It is gorgeous and representative of his work.

 

Birds on a Beach - taken in the Monterey Peninsula

 

Canyon de Chelly - Full circle, back to Arizona.

 

For the rest of the tchotchkes, keep your eyes peeled for things at Target. Maybe something air freshener-ie? Like those reed things or the jar of beads that smells good. (Time to get practical about bathrooms!) I chose a plant, a candle, a vase, a frame...but that's totally up to you!

 

Sherwin Williams - Jadite (Feel free to go darker or lighter. It's better to look at swatches in the space)

Target Threshold Avington Bookshelf  - $80

Target Threshold Baskets - $20 each 

World Market Bug Hooks - $8 each

World Market Table Runner - $25

Ansel Adams Posters - $20 each

Poster Frames - $12-$30 each

 

April, I hope this is what you guys were looking for. And feel free to use this design as your own inspiration to help you figure out what you want! If I were there I would totally paint the wall for you and set everything up...but it's a long commute...

 

Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go pee...too much potty talk around here... 

 

April and Matt's olioboard

Just the bath, ma'am.

I've been thinking about finally finishing my tiny bathroom. Like, tiling the shower/bath area and getting a new, deeper tub. And a new window. In the pic below, you can see the old plastic surround and the ancient jalousie window. Both are still there and wreaking havoc on the bathroom in everyway an inanimate object can.

 

I went in search of some inspiration, which is difficult. Because to regular human sized people a "small bath" is the size of my living room. But for my purposes, a small bath is 5' x 7'. And it's the only bathroom. (Unless you count the random stand alone toilet in the basement).

 

For reference, here is the before:

If you want to read about the transformation, click here. Otherwise, after a lot of work, we got this:

But the inside of the shower looks the same. Which is sad.

So I've been pinning my life away and here are my inspirations for my tiny bathroom:

(Design Manifest)

 Marble basket weave floor! Subway tile! Simple, elegant, timeless,...yes, please!

But what if the subway tile were beveled?! Gorgeous!

(Houzz)

And what if there were a niche above the sink for happiness and sunshine and little toothbrushes for boys?!

(Debra Paessler Designs)

The only thing I'm totally stuck on is lighting. I have requested a heater/light/fan combo, but I need to bring the pretty. And no one wants to help. Which is where you come in...

Here is what I want:

(a new found treasure)

Except, only one and centered above the mirror. And maybe not quite so big. Like this:

(schoolhouse electric)

Also? I like this:

(remodelista)

And this:

(Brabourne Farms)

But then I went to etsy and found these:

(1, 2, 3)

All three great. But completely different. I would probably paint the top one. Most likely white. The other two I would leave as is.



 

So. What should I choose? They are all pretty awesome. I like the giant stork leg situations, but no one else seems to grasp my vision. Or be able to tell me I'm nuts...in a nice way with plenty of facts to back it up. Because I need the facts, in outline form, or I will not believe you. I will just think you are wrong.

So, help me online ones. You're my only hope.