Thursday, November 19, 2009

BEFORE & AFTER: a bathroom

a couple months ago, my husband and i had the pleasure of doing our very own "extreme home makeover" on a small, small scale. my mother-in-law called me months ago and asked if i would be up for re-decorating (in her words, "sprucing up") her bathroom. i OF COURSE said YES! how can i pass up an opportunity to design and decorate, while spending someone else's money?! i can't.

the plan was to get the bathroom done in ONE day, but it didn't quite happen like that. i am proud to say though, that we started the shopping and measuring on a sunday, and the bathroom was complete by thursday! we went with a light brown (taupe), champagne, and white color palette. take a look...

BEFORE:
AFTER:

(new light fixture!!!)
by just changing the light fixture in this room reallly helped out, but my husband's brilliant idea to add a frame to the mirror really took it to that next level. that project was his little baby... he thought it up, designed it, shopped for it, and built it; and i think it turned out lovely! that piece alone really updates the bathroom.

some new hardware to update the space.

the ginkgo sconces were a great find, because my mother-in-law loves ginkgo trees. i was thrilled when i found these on CLEARANCE for $6! they were both an iron black, so i spray-painted them white to match the space.

because this makeover was on a smaller scale, we mainly did decorative fixes. we couldn't afford to change the flooring or the yellow-tiled counters, so we needed something a bit dramatic to alter the space. i was so excited when i found this big shabby chic etagere from target because it really transformed the little space. plus, it created storage space and many more places for me to decorate. :) here is a look inside...

(new light fixture!!)
i had so much fun shopping around for old glass vessels to decorate with. i ended up buying about 7 pieces, mainly clear, but wanted some more color; so, i added water and blue dye to the decanter below. i really love the contrast it creates between the blue water and the taupe walls.

i love this old brown pharmacy bottle

i scored this miniature milk-glass trifle for $6 at the local antique store! i filled it with cotton-scented wicker balls, which not only look cute but bring a nice scent to the bathroom.

i bought this little white dish with the idea that my MIL could place her jewelry in it at the end of the day, without the fear of forgetting where she last left it.

i just love the clear bottle below. it is actually a beaker from an old chemistry set; how cool is that?!

this was a really special project for me. these three frames hang on the back wall, opposite the mirror. prior to this makeover, there was no art in the bathroom. it was important to me, to bring in some art to make the space more personal and intimate. however, i didn't want to just throw up any piece of art that i liked because this space wasn't for me. i really wanted it to be special. i was thrilled when the idea came to me to frame pictures of three of the main crops my in-laws grow. i found pictures of each crop and antiqued them to get a vintage feel. from the top down is: cotton, almonds, wheat.

although a perfectly fine chrome towel rack came with the pack we bought, i really wanted to make a custom towel rack for this little bathroom. it was a fun and more importantly, cheap, little project. i picked up 2 corner blocks or crown molding and a thin piece of wood (sorry i can't remember the size). i also bought two iron hooks to hang the towels on. i realllly wanted to get two different antique-looking hooks, but they were all so expensive at the antique stores! so, i opted with the $1.50 special at lowe's and you would never know the difference. (if you look closely, you can see a screw. yes, i still have some touch-ups to do).

(i realize these pictures are really quite horrific. i have a nice camera, just don't know how to use it. ESPECIALLY in a small dark space. aaagh.)

thanks for stopping by!

3 comments:

Jamie said...

it looks so amazing rach!!! i am seriously amazed you did all of that in that short of a time span. one day would have been nearly impossible : )!! your mil must love you! you know me i just love all of the old decanters and bottles, and compote bowls you used. I love how you filled the milk glass one with cotton scented-wicker balls, genius. i absolutely loves what james did too the mirror, genius again. the towel rack is one of my favorite things about the redo. I love it! the ginko sconces are beuatiful and the pictures are so special!

want to come redo my bathroom? i'm lucky i don't have retro tile to work around. you guys did so great working with what you had ;)

i will stop writing my novel now but...i love you!!!

Sam & Chey said...

You're stupendously clever, babe...how DO you do it?!

Unknown said...

nice work Rachel. Love the ginko, love the color, really love the photographs. Nanci didn't tell me about this (I'm gonna have to give her heck about that), but I KNOW she loves those photos!!! Thanks for sharing this project :)