One Room Challenge

Welcome to the final week of the fall 2017 One Room Challenge! Over the last seven weeks I have transformed my downstairs half bathroom from a brown disaster to a room that is light and bright. Here is my half bath makeover.

THE PROJECT PLAN

The project plan by week was as follows:

Week two – sand, prime, and paint trim and window
Week three – prime and paint walls
Week four – sand, prime, and paint cabinet
Week five – remove existing toilet, add a new toilet, and sew new curtain
Week six – add decorative elements to the space

PROJECT RECAP

In week one I presented my design plan. In week two I painted the trim and window. In week three I painted the walls. In week four I painted the bathroom cabinet. In week 5 my husband and I installed a new toilet and I sewed curtains for the window. In week 6 I began adding decor elements to the room.

Want to read more? You can catch up clicking the links below:

THE BEFORE

Before I get to the good stuff, I want to remind you what the room was like at the beginning. The walls were an uninviting dark brown. The trim in the room was a dingy beige. They always looked like they were dirty, even if I had just cleaned them.

The toilet was short and had a round seat. It had a very creative toilet seat that was a gift from our realtor. (Interested in the full story? Read it here.)

The window trim was painted beige. It had plantation shutters that had not been well maintained. Paint was chipped and peeling. And there was an ugly stain on the wall from where I killed a spider with bug spray.

To put it nicely, I could not believe that this was a room in my house.

THE REVEAL

I am so excited at how well this tiny space has turned out. It was once dark and dreary. I hated having to go to the bathroom downstairs. I really hated when guests needed to use it. This bathroom is the only bathroom on our first floor so it gets a lot of use. I am so happy at how pretty it is!

Paint

My entire room was inspired by the hand towel in the original space as well as below. It is white with a gray/beige stripe. I used this towel as my inspiration for finding just the right paint color for the walls. I picked Behr’s Toasted White for the walls and white base paint for the trim. The two together create a contrast much like the hand towel.

The Cabinet

The bathroom cabinet was originally stained a color close to that of the hardwood floors. It wasn’t a bad shade. However, it was too dark for this tiny space. I was able to bring it back to life with white cabinet paint and new knobs.

The Toilet

Our new toilet had been an item of contention for most of the project. We had issues with finding a toilet I liked. Then we had issues finding a toilet I liked with the correct rough-in. Lastly, we had issues with having a toilet that wasn’t cracked and broken. (You can read all of our toilet drama here.)

Lighting

This light fixture makes me smile. It is the perfect mix of modern and traditional. And it is pretty.

The original plan called for keeping the original fixture. The fixture was new when we moved in. It had been an upgrade project by the original owners of our home. After all the problems we ran into with the toilet, my husband felt bad and wanted to cheer me up.

I had been eyeing this Allen & Roth light fixture from Lowe’s for a couple of weeks. I really didn’t think we would have time to fit it into this project; I thought it would be something we would add later. Nope! I came home to the box sitting on the table. We had fun wiring it up together.

Curtains

The window in this space was painted beige and was covered with plantation shutters. Plantation shutters do have southern charm. However, mine were considerably past their useful life and were more of an eye sore. I considered stripping them and painting them. I decided to go with curtains made from a bright print fabric to add color and interest to the space.

I purchased the fabric, did a bit of measuring, a lot of additional remeasuring, and sewed these just for this room. It was a good decision. I am glad I didn’t stick with the plantation shutters.

Decor

Decor can really make or break a space. You can have beautiful cabinets, great lighting, and just the wrong accent pieces. The room will feel wrong. I started to feel this way after I added the a framed image over the toilet. It felt boring. I decided to incorporate another DIY. I took 3 small black frames that I have had forever, painted them white, and filled them with images that were cohesive with the room.

The balls on the toilet are a Home Goods find for $5 for the large ball and $4 for the smaller ball. They are a cute, easy to dust fixture for the space.

On the opposite side of the room, I am keeping it simple with this framed image.

On the counter top, I have a small glass vase, a $2 find from Hobby Lobby, and soap with a brightly colored label, a $6 find from Home Goods.

The mirror is a $19 find from Home Goods. It was petite, just what this space needed. The original space didn’t have a mirror. This one is perfect. The bathroom is right next to the front door. I can catch a peek of myself as I walk out the door. This is a nice luxury I didn’t realize I was missing.