The "big" reveal of my bathroom refresh...
Oh my! This refresh took much longer than I anticipated, but the results are stunning! We still have to replace the shower fixtures, but otherwise it is finally done. And I am thrilled with how it turned out! I know I called it a “mini-reno” before, but other than removing the medicine cabinet, we didn’t do any construction. So I’m calling this a “Refresh” instead of a “mini-reno.”
Let me start out by saying our bathroom is not big. It’s only 7 foot 3 inches by 4 feet 10 inches. I’m telling you this for a couple of reasons. First, it is really hard to photograph such a small space, and second, it is really hard to photograph such a small space. There won’t be any of the wide expansive photos you’re used to seeing in bathroom reveals. So please keep the size of the room in mind while you look at the pictures.
So! Let’s get onto the reveal...
This is what you see walking into the bathroom from the hallway. Isn’t it pretty? I’m really excited about the shower curtain. I used two of them so I could put one on each side of the shower like a window curtain. The shower isn’t done yet, so right now they’re just pulled together. They add a certain amount of luxury that’s unusual in such a small bathroom. I also upgraded the artwork by created the two botanicals specifically to hang above the toilet. The black frames repeat the color of the bathroom door and the shower curtain rod. You can also see one of the new pendant lights Jim installed, but I’ll tell you more about those further down.
Quick look back at what I started with...
I started out with this. The picture on the left was taken of the bathroom shortly before we got possession of our house. The one on the right is how the bathroom looked just before any this refresh started. You can see the corner of the medicine cabinet we removed. I was NOT sorry to see the medicine cabinet go.
I hate to admit this, but the bathroom looked a whole lot less cluttered in the left picture. But, in my defense, it was completely empty! And, I did the refresh partly because the bathroom had become so cluttered!
Okay... Back to the pretty stuff...
I literally had to stand in the shower to get this angle of the room!! The star of the bathroom is this big arched mirror that hangs over the sink. The size of it really makes our small bathroom feel more spacious. It’s 24 inches by 36 inches and weighs 20 pounds. I left that detail of removing our small medicine cabinet and hanging the mirror up to Jim because he’s good at that stuff. I just told him how high I wanted it hung, and he took care of the rest.
This mirror is actually the second mirror I bought for over the sink. The first mirror I ordered was similar, except it was silver. I lucked out when they sent the wrong size of the first one, because I didn’t like the silver color. I was able to change gears and go with an antique brass. I like the juxtaposition of the brass frame with all the satin nickel. It makes a statement. It also pulls the brass from the bathroom door into the room which it needed.
I really wanted sconces on either side of the mirror, but there just wasn’t room for them. Not only that, but we didn’t want to move any electrical. Remember, I said this is a “refresh” not a “reno.” So I got new pendant lights and hung them at the level I would have had the sconces hung. This is a great way to get the benefits of a sconce lights when you don’t have room for them or can’t do any rewiring.
I didn’t use the fabric shades that came with the pendant lights. I thought they would be hard to keep clean. I also wanted something more custom looking. So switched out the original shades for these heavy Minka Lavery glass ones I found on Ebay. The seller had them listed in a lot of four, and I loved them so much that I went ahead and got them all even though I only needed two. I priced them out on the Minka Lavery website, and I actually got the four of them for less than I would have paid for one on their site.
Details matter...
Sometimes fate steps in and helps with the details. When I found this clock at Goodwill last year, I had no idea where I was going to use it. It didn’t work, but I thought it was so pretty. It wasn’t until I started working on the plan for the bathroom that I knew where it needed to go. With its dark cherry frame and pewter accents, it blends perfectly with all the brushed nickel accessories and the mahogany toilet seat in our bathroom. The clock even has a gold border around the clock face that ties in with the brass accents. I couldn’t have found a better match if I had tried!
The dark wood accents in the room felt a little too random. It’s always good to have more than two of something to make it look intentional. That’s why I stained some wooden plaques for a satin nickel hook and for Jim’s two razor hooks. They’re attached with 3M hook and loop hanging strips. That way I didn’t have to drill into the tile, and I can move them easily if we decide they would work better in a different location.
Oh! I don’t want to forget the towel bar! It’s actually marketed as toilet paper holder, but it works great for a towel holder. I like that the side hook gives me a place to hang my jewelry when I take a bath. The shelf is a great place to set my small silver gravy boat to hold the squares I use to remove my make up. Just goes to show you don’t have to use something the way it’s marketed to be used. You can get creative and end up with something original.
Quick look at the other side of the room...
Okay… We’re coming up on the end… There’s not as much to look at on this side of the room, but I wanted to show you everything. It hasn’t changed much since my last post. The only real differences are the shower curtain is more full-looking, and I’ve replaced the toilet paper holder. The handles and the knobs on the built-in cabinet are what really catch your eye in person. I should also say something about the mirror on this side of the room. I don’t remember where I got it or even when. I dry brushed painted it at our little house, and I just love it. It fits in that spot above the towel bar perfectly.
One final look for now...
Well, that’s everything for now. I hope you got some ideas from my little bathroom refresh. I’ll share a quick post later on when we get the shower fixtures updated. Just so you can see how the shower curtain is supposed to look!
Let me know in the comments below what your favorite part is of my bathroom refresh, and if it has given you any ideas for your bathroom!
Toodles! Loribeth