Quick update on my bathroom mini-reno!

Bathroom Reno Update

I ran into a couple of glitches...

Okay, so a lot of you know I’m working on a mini-reno on my bathroom. I’ve hit a couple of glitches, but I love the parts that are done so far!

The new handles, knobs and backplates have been installed. Love, love, LOVE! They’ve added so much sparkle to the room. You really have no idea how much of a change switching out hardware makes until you do it. Going from oil-rubbed bronze to nickel has been a complete game-changer in our bathroom. It feels so fresh.

Close-up of the newly installed hardware.
A close-up of the new hardware.

We have a new faucet...

Jim installed the new brushed nickel faucet. Again, you just never realize how much of a change something as simple as a new faucet can make. It just fills me with joy every time I walk in there and see that all the oil-rubbed bronze is gone. Yes, you read that right, it’s all gone.

I want to be clear… ORB or black faucets and hardware are fine when used in the right context. Dark colored hardware needs to be in a large bathroom with lots of natural light. In small bathrooms it ends up looking too heavy and makes a small bathroom feel smaller yet. Dark hardware should also be avoided with granite countertops because it always read as Tuscan. That’s a trend that’s been out for while.

New Brushed-Nickel Faucet
Our new brushed-nickel faucet! Isn't it pretty?

A bit of a new direction...

My plan was to replace the old medicine cabinet above the sink with a new one. But Jim and I talked about it, and we’ve decided we don’t need a medicine cabinet over the sink. We have a huge built-in cabinet in the bathroom, so it just doesn’t make sense. Instead, I got a couple of spice racks that Jim put on the inside of the doors on the built-in. Now all the stuff that was in the medicine cabinet is in those spice racks—still handy, but out of the way.  I am, however, going to take the spice racks down to paint them white, but not right now.

Spice racks used as a medicine cabinet.
One of the spice racks we're using as our medicine cabinet.

Here come the glitches...

Now that we’re getting rid of the medicine cabinet, I can finally get a beautiful statement mirror I’ve always dreamed of.  So I ordered a gorgeous one. Here’s one of those glitches I mentioned. They sent the wrong size and wouldn’t exchange it for the right size. Nope, they wanted me to return it for a refund. Glitch number two, the price on the mirror had gone up. I was not happy. I got them to refund my money without having to return it. So that turned into a win for me.

Okay, and here’s the silver lining in that mirror glitch. It turns out I didn’t like the silver color. So, I sold the one that was the wrong size, and I used the money from that to buy one in gold. Win, win for me!!  Plus, I think the juxtaposition of the gold with all the nickel is going to look great, and it pulls in the brass that’s on the black bathroom door. Is it possible to have a “win, win, win?”

Pretty brass handle
This handle on our bathroom door is so pretty, I have to make sure there's some brass elsewhere in the bathroom.

Still to go...

We temporarily pulled the old medicine cabinet out to see what would be needed to hang up the mirror and repair the wall. Jim said we could hang up the mirror, and then fix the wall this spring, so I don’t have to wait. I think I’m up to four “wins” now!

Once the mirror is installed, we can change the light fixture. I was going to rewire the old one, but it was beyond repair. Ideally, I would have loved to install sconces, but there isn’t room in the corner and we don’t want to move the electrical. So I bought new pendant lights, which give the same lighting effect as sconces. They will hang a bit in front of the mirror, so the light will be doubled… Hmmm… I think I’m up to five “wins” now!!

After all that, I have another surprise that’s going to update and upgrade the look of our little bathroom. I’m not sharing it yet. You’ll get to see what it is when I do the “reveal” post.

Shiny new things for the bathroom
Shiny new hardware for the bathroom.

Can't wait to show you when it's done...

In the meantime, I’m loving how our bathroom is turning out. It’s so much brighter looking. It feels fresh. It did turn into a larger reno than I previously planned, but I’m so glad it did. It’s going to look so great!

Let me know what you think of it so far! 

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