Bathroom Before-and-Afters

Almost anyone who came in contact with me from September to December last year got an earful about how much I hated my latest apartment. And it was awful--to say nothing of the awful storage, complete lack of workable outlets and doors that didn't stay shut, I had gallons upon gallons of water in plastic storage tubs in my bathroom for weeks on end due to a leaky roof. My slumlords (yeah, I said it) apparently didn't think it was a priority to fix, despite my constant, angry middle-of-the-night "my ceiling is now on my floor" play-by-play voicemails.

But once the roof was fixed, I loved that bathroom. The walls were a saturated teal, and it looked so fresh and clean next to the white pedestal sink and subway tile. I took many long baths in the clawfoot tub.

So I knew even before I closed on my house that I wanted to design the bathroom to match the one from Hewitt Street.

Here is the awful Blackberry before:

There was a dried-out, peeling-at-the-edges wallpaper border around the top of the room and also in the middle. The plants were blocking all the natural light that came in from the window. The worst part about the bathroom, though, was the brass sliding shower doors, one of which was just a big mirror. I like mirrors, don't get me wrong, and I especially like big ones in bathrooms, but I don't think there should be huge one when you get out of the shower or are, ahem, on the toilet.

I left the vanity the same, as well as the wood floors, and the whole room got two coats of saturated teal (which is Sherwin Williams' "Lakeshore"). Here is the after:

The mirror is from my parents's bathroom when I was growing up. I asked them to save it for me, so we dug it out of storage and I gave it a quick coat of paint to match the cabinets.

Speaking of the cabinets. They were this odd DIY-looking built-in that had been left unfinished with no handles. They were kind of a bear to prime and paint, but I love the outcome. I had my brother drill some holes and add handles. They provide a ton of storage!

Like I said, they were completely unfinished, so I picked up a quart of green paint that contrasted nicely with the teal and painted the edges of the cabinet and the insides of the doors:

I added some glass shelves to keep essentials on. I bought some glass votives from Michaels for cotton balls, hairties and q-tips. The corner shelf houses my glasses and a flower candle holder that I have had forever.

The cotton shower curtain is from Walmart, and the framed poster is something I had in my bedroom on Rock Street. I love how the silver frame looks with the teal. My dad also added hooks for some towels:

It's been really fun to be able to pull the things I loved best about all my apartments and put them together in a way that is permanent.

A Work In Progress

It's been 7 weeks since I closed on the house, and thanks to one rather daunting, albeit self-imposed deadline (a New Year's Eve party), I've made some definite progress! So far I've redecorated the bathroom and dining room, installed a door to close off the entryway, and painted the floor in my spare bedroom/office/closet.

I promise to post some 'before' and 'after' photos this weekend. I borrowed my parents' camera (and, really, let's be honest, they're going to have to ask for it when they want it back!) so I can take some better shots. I lost my camera cord sometime during one of the two times I moved in the past 4 months, so if I wanted to share photos, I had to bring my memory card to Target, wait for them to burn a CD and then load them on the computer. Which might explain why my most recent Facebook avatar is a picture from a wedding from 2009. Yup.

Most of my 'before' shots for the bathroom and dining room are from my blackberry. So I apologize in advance for your having to squint and relax your eyes like it's one of those 3D image books from the 90s. (On a somewhat related note, I just spent way too much time at http://www.eyetricks.com/... apparently I do not have the stereogram gene.)

If there's one thing I've learned from this process, it is that while I may be mostly Irish and French, the Finn in me can just run amok. I am stu-bborn. And impulsive. And very impatient. At first I wanted to stone anyone who said any variation of "It'll come in time" or "Let it be a work in progress!" but I am coming around to that idea. Or, rather, I am coming around to the idea that my handymen (dad and brotherbear) are going to go on strike if I don't slow down a tad.

I do have one important photo that I forgot to post -- the outside! Behold:




I still kind of get butterflies when I see that photo. I'm in love, what can I say?