Bathrooms

A Change of Plans

The bathroom is further along, but I’m afraid I’ve deviated a bit from the original plan!

I hated the lights above the medicine cabinet, so I bought a new fixture for $30 from Lowes. We had to take the cabinet down to install the new light, and then realized that we couldn’t put it back up. The lights wouldn’t clear the top, and there were going to be some harsh shadows.

The new plan: hang a mirror instead and add a small medicine cabinet to the right, over the toilet. I bought a mirror ($30) and a cabinet ($40) from IKEA. Oh, and I repainted.

Bathroom Redo

It looks pretty good so far! The trim still needs to be primed and painted, and I haven’t done anything to the vanity yet.

So far, so good

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  • kate (pm)
    July 29, 2007 at 11:51 am

    looks terrific!

  • Malin
    July 29, 2007 at 12:43 pm

    Mirror and wall color looks really good. I also like what I can see of the cabinet.

  • Joy
    July 29, 2007 at 1:02 pm

    I’ve recently found your blog, and I love it! The changes look great… and I almost bought that same wrap dress at Target yesterday. :)

  • varin
    July 29, 2007 at 2:08 pm

    It looks much better! I recently switched out my medicine cabinet for a mirror AND bought an IKEA cabinet to put over the toilet.

    Have you been looking through my bathroom window??? ;)

  • katiedid
    July 29, 2007 at 3:11 pm

    Much better! I almost bought the same IKEA cabinet the other day! :)

  • Anonymous
    July 29, 2007 at 5:09 pm

    Funny, we just changed from similar original lights to similar new lights in our bathroom, too! Looks great! I really love your mirror.

  • Melissa
    July 29, 2007 at 7:46 pm

    Hi there! I had a couple of questions. I’ve been reading your blog since it began, first time commenting, so hello thar!

    Anyways, I love your style, and my boyfriend and I are moving into our first apartment soon…but we have no furniture! I plan on using you as inspiration for decorating my first home! And I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of chic yet affordable furniture. I started with ikea…but there sofas are kind of ick. Any suggestions?

    Thanks a bunch!

  • jaime
    July 29, 2007 at 9:37 pm

    home improvement in a dress – you’re a badass!

  • jenni
    July 29, 2007 at 11:09 pm

    Great idea! All our baths have mirrors (which were here when we moved in) and I thought I’d miss the cabinet. But turns out I don’t miss them at all.

    I like the new wall color, too. Can’t wait to see how the cabinet turns out.

  • amy c
    July 30, 2007 at 5:35 am

    the bathroom looks great, but look at how cute you look! fabulosa!

  • Mandy
    July 30, 2007 at 5:47 am

    Love it! We have a very similar light fixture in our downstairs bath. The new mirror and medicine cabinet are great…really modernize the space. :)

  • Peggy
    July 30, 2007 at 7:13 am

    What a happy accident. I love the mirror and the new cabinet. Also, that kitty in the sink is too cute!

  • The Litter Box House
    July 30, 2007 at 7:16 am

    Very nice! I’m so glad that you changed wall colors.

  • erin
    July 30, 2007 at 7:17 am

    i love it! the circular mirror is wonderful!

  • Anonymous
    July 30, 2007 at 7:59 am

    I think the mirror and light are a great improvement, as well as the paint. My only suggestion might be to bite the bullet and replace the toilet. It’s not as hard as you might think.

  • Little Grey Donkey
    July 30, 2007 at 10:30 am

    Hi! I’m also delurking. Your bathroom looks great. I love the medicine cabinet. And I’m so impressed with how diligently you work on your house! I also recently bought a home, and I keep running out of steam. But reading your blog is very motivating and inspiring!

  • becoming-home
    July 30, 2007 at 12:45 pm

    Looks great! I like the way the roundness of the new mirror picks up on the roundness of the sink bowl.. and how it reflects the gorgeous shower curtain print.

  • Anonymous
    July 31, 2007 at 8:04 am

    I love following the progress you are making in your home and had once considered “Antiguan Sky” for my bathroom. But what is the new color? Is it the final color, or just a way to remove the blue green until you’ve painted the cabinet? (Or maybe you’re not planning on painting it—I’m not sure.) I have those same cabinets in my kitchen and am trying to decide—paint, replace doors, or replace all cabinets! Your handywork is a real inspiration.

  • Anonymous
    July 31, 2007 at 9:49 am

    Hi! Would you ever consider reglazing as an option to change the color of your tub? Just curious for your opinion. Thanks. Looks great

  • Monkey
    July 31, 2007 at 4:24 pm

    been reading your blog for a little while and just never commented…I love that you show your home improvements…I do some on my blog too! It’s always fun to see what other people are doing. I like the wall color you ended up going with better than the first, it looks better with the blue toilet–that’s just my opinion. I painted my bathroom blue–still haven’t finished everything in there though.

  • Arch
    July 31, 2007 at 10:02 pm

    I found you through katiedid…what a lovely blog you have:-)
    Arch

  • Kaelinsaurus
    August 1, 2007 at 8:38 am

    I saw this the other day and immediately thought of your bathroom because of the colors (not that I make a habit of thinking about other people’s bathrooms…) It would probably be a little much for your bathroom with the blue toilet, tub, etc…but still fun to look at! I *heart* penny tile.

    First column, third one down:
    http://prattandlarson.com/mosaics.php#

  • Nicole | Making it Lovely
    August 1, 2007 at 1:32 pm

    I ended up having the paint matched to a Martha Stewart color (she’s so good for blues and greens): “White Grape”.

    That Pratt and Larson tile would be fantastic in the bathroom!

    As far as reglazing the tub, or replacing the toilet, we won’t be doing either. We want to do a more intensive remodel in the next few years, so this is just a temporary fix. We’re trying to keep the cost as low as we can, while changing the bathroom into a place that doesn’t make us sad to start the day. ;)

    Melissa, I’m honored that you’re looking to my home for inspiration! I do mix pieces high and low priced items, and for the inexpensive stuff I usually look to IKEA or Target. I agree, the couches at IKEA are kind of ‘eh’. I’d actually spend a little more on the couch and save elsewhere. A good couch should last for quite a while! Take a look at Room and Board for lots of options at reasonable prices.

  • Renee
    August 1, 2007 at 12:33 pm

    Nicole- So did you choose “Stolen Moments?” It looks like you did… I’m the one who posted before about using that color in my living room and how I initially painted the walls with a 50% lighter formula of “Stolen..” and it was awful. I then used the 100% color of “Stolen Moments” and I just love it. It’s such a peaceful, yet cheerful color and it changes depending on the light. I’m really happy with it and I hope you are do. It looks great!!!

  • Nicole | Making it Lovely
    August 1, 2007 at 10:55 pm

    Hey, Melissa… Holly just wrote about good looking, affordable sofas! decor8: Macy’s *New* Furniture Online + $699 Sofa Sale

  • marbargarbo
    August 2, 2007 at 8:12 pm

    I like the new color, very pretty. :)

  • Meg
    December 27, 2008 at 12:44 am

    hey nicole, can you tell us which style the ikea mirror and cabinet are?? thanks. your bathroom looks great!!

  • Making it Lovely
    December 27, 2008 at 11:29 am

    The mirror is Grundtal, and the medicine cabinet is Aspudden.