You know that dream you always had as a kid? The one where you show up to school and realize you have no idea where your classes are, and when you finally do miraculously make it to class, you realize there is some big project you forgot about? Oh, and you’re only wearing your underwear.
Am I the only one who had this dream? What’s even funnier is I still have it as an adult and find out in my dream that I never actually graduated from high school. For this former teacher, that’s a nightmare. Or maybe it’s a sign I was the “goody-two-shoes” to a fault.
But this past week, it’s happened in blog form…in real life. I’m slacking over here y’all. Our house is a straight up disaster zone today as we experience the post-vacay-back-to-the-grind mentality. So I’m revving up this DIY train with some room design plans! And I’m circling back to our hallway bathroom that I abandoned for a while.
You know. The usual for our house. Blankity blank blank blah.
This bathroom is Olivia’s bathroom as well as our guest bath, so I like to keep that balance of just enough frill but not so much to the point where it feels little girl-ish. It’s come a long way since that shot of Day 1 there. But it still needs some love.
I’m ready to enter Phase 2 of this space. We’ll be keeping the wall color and shower curtain the same. But the cherry wood vanity, builder grade light, and frameless mirror are about to get their eviction notice.
Those printables I put up in here the other week are probably to blame for this sudden decor change itch.
We’re not making this a gut job or anything like that (because that’s the whole beauty of moving into a new builder basic house). It just needs a bit more personality to make it “finished”.
Since we already have some direction with the paint color and shower curtain, I sat down to play around with a mood board. It’s so much easier to see everything together. Just so you know, this is my brain on decor hyperdrive. Nothing is set in stone, but this is the direction we’re going in.
1. The builder grade light fixture in this bathroom isn’t bad by any means, but we’re ready to give it some character with a barn style light. This one is pretty snazzy. (And the price is right.)
2. I’ve been searching high and low for a white distressed mirror at the right size for a bathroom that doesn’t cost more than $100. This mirror I found is a steal at less than $30!
3. We transformed our master bathroom cabinets using Benjamin Moore Winter Gates a few months back and since we have plenty leftover, the color would be perfect against the wall color in this bathroom too. Cherry wood is pretty, but it doesn’t really work in here.
4. Last year, we painted the walls with Sherwin Williams Sea Salt. The color is beautiful!
5. I have a possibly-crazy-possibly-spectacular idea to add subway tile around our existing fiberglass shower/tub walls. We’ll see how that goes. I bought this shower curtain a few years ago before I’d even heard of my fave designer Joanna Gaines, and I love the contrast of the dark grout and the ruffles.
6. To offset all of the light colors in the space, some rustic wood could really add some balance. This towel rack from Liz Marie Blog is a great idea. (And much easier for the little one to hang her towel on later than on a towel bar.)
7. These antique white pulls would work well with the mirror and the price is great.
8. I’d thought about building an industrial shelf to contrast some of the feminine details in this space until I spotted this one. I can’t even DIY it for the price.
I’ve been thinking board and batten in this bathroom would be great too, but the jury is still out on that one. What do you think? To b&b or not to b&b?
Yesterday, we finished up a few projects in Olivia’s room and we are so close to the final reveal that I can hardly stand it. We DIY at sloth speed around here…ya know, if sloths could DIY. So there’s no telling how long it will be until this bathroom is finished, but it’s great to have a plan.
I always love hearing y’all’s thoughts. What’s your verdict on the bathroom design plan? Yay or nay? I’m ready to tackle those cabinets right this second!
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Have you thought about just adding a frame to the nice big mirror that is there? That towel hanger and the shelves will add some great charm. Have fun with it.
I did and would have if I was just going to do a solid white painted frame, but since I wanted the milk painted finish and the one I found is only $30, I could hardly DIY it for that price. Buying this time around won over busting out the power tools. 🙂 Our builder mirror thankfully isn’t attached with adhesive. It’s just put up with wall clips. Way easier.
That sounds like a great plan. The room already looks great so your updates will be a nice bonus. I am off work (high school) for the summer. So far with this being the first week off, I have not done much besides cleaning and laundry. Oh, and I have read three books lol. I need to get my butt in gear. I also fell off the blog wagon a while back too. Good luck with this ongoing project and enjoy your week as well.
Lauren, looks like you have a great plan in place. As far as the b&b goes, that many depend upon how adventurous you feel after installing the subway tile surround. I’m sure the room will look beautiful either way. I’m excited to see the reveal for Olivia’s room as well. You and your husband have already created an enchanting room for her thus far. Cheers, Ardith
Thanks, Ardith! I agree with you on the b&b. We’ll see how ambitious we feel later. 😉
Hi Lauren,
Your bathroom is lovely now, but I know how it is wanting to make it your own. I am looking forward to the final reveal. Your mood board has some great choices and will make a big impact. I enjoy following you and I love your style. Thank you for sharing your talent with us. I would like to ask you what software you use to make your mood board? That is such a great tool!
Thank you!
Debbie
Thanks so much, Debbie! It’s so much fun putting it all together. Would you believe it’s not really any fancy software at all? I just used Picmonkey to mash up all of my inspirations. I’ve thought of writing a post about it later with details on how to do it. It’s really easy though.
Thank you so much for your reply Lauren. I never thought of using Picmonkey in that way. I look forward for your post. It sure would be helpful.
Enjoy your day,
Debbie
Hey Lauren,
Love your ideas to personalize the bathroom! I think I would go with the board and batten instead of the subway tiles….. Looking forward to seeing Olivia’s bedroom reveal, too!
Blessings,
Lanita
Thanks, Lanita! I always appreciate your feedback. 🙂
Your bathroom in the first picture and my bathroom are twins! I can’t wait to see what you do, especially as I’ve had my eye on Sea Salt for a while too. I can’t bring myself to think about painting the cabinets though, as we JUST moved in.
It’s that oh so classy builder grade chic, right? Hehe I’ll definitely say the Sea Salt color is more beautiful in person than it is on screen. And perfect for a bathroom I think. I know exactly what you mean about painting the new cabinets. I think that’s why it took me a year before I mustered up the nerve to paint the ones in our master bath. But now that I have, I LOVE it! And can’t wait to paint these next. I’m still holding out on our kitchen cabinets for now though.
Do you have a finished picture and how did the subway tile go on the shower? Thanks!
I do! You can see the full reveal here: https://www.blesserhouse.com/2015/10/modern-farmhouse-bathroom-makeover-reveal.html We decided against the subway tile though.