Bathrooms

Blue Bathroom, Finished!

Huzzah! Hooray! The bathroom is finished!

Bathroom

Most of the items are sourced in my last post, so check there if you want to know where everything came from.

So, yeah. I went with option #6, with the white vanity (Bathroom Redo [Renderings]). I was going to go for option #2 with the dark brown, but I changed my mind once we switched to the new, white medicine cabinet.

There are little vingnettes here and there, to distract you into thinking that the bathroom was not once an ugly, confused mess.

Cuteness

Top o' the medicine cabinet

I actually think the bathroom is kinda cute now! And we did the whole thing for only a few hundred dollars, which was of course the goal. We also painted twice, which was not the goal (haha), to arrive at the lovely green we have now.

Bathroom

I even painted and brought the teal/turquoise color over by way of plastic bins to the storage area:

bathroom storage

That’s “my side”. It wasn’t too bad before, but I thought “hey, why not double my work?” because that is how I roll. The frames that we had hung in our previous bathroom are up there now. They’re just ads from a British magazine (for Marks + Spencer), but I love them! I think they’re perfect over by my makeup and girly things.

Oh, and we hung a silver letter ‘B’.

‘B’ for Balch, ‘B’ for Blue, ‘B’ for Bathroom, ‘B’ for Better!

The Bathroom

Sources & Paint ColorsNeed design help? Let's work together.

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  • Making it Lovely
    August 13, 2007 at 5:49 pm

    (Hi Trisha!)

    Well, “a few hundred” = $300. Still not bad though, I think.

    This is the bathroom on the second floor, by the bedrooms. There is a full bath on the first floor (from when the house was only a single story), but this is the one where we shower and get ready.

    Toothbrushes are in the new medicine cabinet.

  • cbenn
    August 13, 2007 at 4:01 pm

    Very cute. And I do adore the blue toilet. Also a big fan of the medicine cabinet – has the perfect look for the room.

  • Trisha
    August 13, 2007 at 4:11 pm

    its gorgeous..i LOVE the cupcakes!

    (ps this is trisha aka karatekatkniter from lj)

  • Sarah
    August 13, 2007 at 4:59 pm

    Blue toilet and all, this is an adorable bathroom! Is it your main? I can not wait to move into a new house. Thank you again, so much for sharing.

  • drey
    August 13, 2007 at 5:41 pm

    turned out so awesome! i’m glad you picked no. 6. i really really like the simple round mirror you picked and the lighting to go with it. adds such … pizazz! the blue toilet now doesn’t look too.. um.. blue! :P can’t believe you did all that for $200.

    where do you store the toothbrushes? under the counter?

  • krissy
    August 13, 2007 at 6:24 pm

    wow, it looks really pretty. i love how clean it looks with the white cabinet & silver accents.

    and to think…i was rooting for the chocolate brown vanity!

  • jaime
    August 13, 2007 at 7:51 pm

    Wow Nicole – it’s so awesome. It doesn’t even look like the same space. Congratulations!

  • Donna Vitan
    August 13, 2007 at 8:43 pm

    I absolutely love, love, LOVE how your bathroom turned out. It’s very lovely and I wish I can do the same.

  • jenni
    August 13, 2007 at 9:25 pm

    Looks awesome! I love that medicine cabinet!

  • Malin
    August 14, 2007 at 12:22 am

    That turned out really good! Great work. I like the colors and cabinet especially. And the decorations of course, they are so important. I myself have lost speed and come to a stand still with my own bathroom. This gave me a little inspiration back though, thank you :)

  • The Litter Box House
    August 14, 2007 at 6:09 am

    Wow, it took me forever to figure out that you didn’t get a new bathroom vanity, you just painted it white! I certainly feel like a dork. Now I can understand why you were able to keep to a $300 budget…

    Great job on the bathroom. Such a huge improvement. You certainly have a right to be proud.

    Do you have plans for the floor? It really seems to detract from all your work. It just SCREAMS of the 70s…

  • priscilla
    August 14, 2007 at 6:54 am

    Is the medicine cabinet also Ikea? I didn’t see it on your previous post.Thanks, everything looks great.

  • Peggy
    August 14, 2007 at 7:01 am

    Wow. That really is B for Better! It looks fantastic. What fun it was watching it develop. Thanks for sharing with us!

    I really love the white cabinet. And the vanity looks so much better painted white.

    You also use the cutest accessories.

    What’s next?

  • Bethany
    August 14, 2007 at 7:43 am

    It totally works! Looks great… in the last photo the floor actually looks GOOD :) I guess it’s the complementry colours (blue… orange…).
    Also love that you took one photo wilst standing in the shower :)

  • becoming-home
    August 14, 2007 at 8:56 am

    So beautiful! The blue toilet now looks like you chose it on purpose to match your palette :)

    One question though, is the color in all the pictures the same wall color? It looks whitish in the first pictures but much more yellowish green in “your” area..?

  • Making it Lovely
    August 14, 2007 at 12:54 pm

    Here’s the floor plan.

  • paola
    August 14, 2007 at 11:19 am

    I take it all back. The vanity looks great white and I love the wall colour. And the you’ve now got a ‘feature toilet! Too funny.

    Strangely, given how much I like the things in real life, the only things not floating my boat are the cupcakes. Probably because they’re not edible.

  • Nicole | Making it Lovely
    August 14, 2007 at 12:25 pm

    We’re leaving the floor (and the tile in the shower which is the same). We’ll redo the whole thing eventually – this is just a temporary fix (I hope!).

    Priscilla, the medicine cabinet is from IKEA. It’s “ASPUDDEN”, but it isn’t on their site.

    The wall color is the same in all of the photos, but the lighting is different. We have compact flourescent bulbs in the hallway area (doing our part, and all that), but incandescent in the bathroom itself.

  • Tallulah Jean
    August 14, 2007 at 12:40 pm

    Hey, where are the shelves in relation to the sink and toilet and all? I’d love some more storage in my bathroom, so I’d like to see a shot of how it works with everything else. :)

  • Ashley
    August 14, 2007 at 1:47 pm

    The blue toilet is too cute!

  • Brandie
    August 14, 2007 at 4:13 pm

    Lovely work! I’m glad you went with the white cabinet – that was my vote. Your countertop doesn’t even look peachy anymore!

  • Emily
    August 14, 2007 at 4:45 pm

    I think those frames are chic! I love the prints; they look like original art. Very New York City, nice work.

  • Jillian Frances
    August 15, 2007 at 8:02 am

    I can’t believe how well this turned out. You’ve really given me hope that someday our horrific bathroom might not be so bad without spending a small fortune.

  • Mrs. Limestone
    August 15, 2007 at 8:32 am

    Really impressive in light of the blue toilet you had to work around. Love the framed advertisements!

  • Making it Lovely
    August 15, 2007 at 11:14 am

    The smaller one was $40.

  • Kristin
    August 15, 2007 at 10:03 am

    It’s absolutely stunning! I agree that the flooring actually works with the blue! Could be the photos, but I like it. I also really love the framed advertisements, the silver B, the mirror, and (of course) the medicine cabinet.

    So glad you shared this with us – it’s great! Looking forward to future projects.

  • lsaspacey
    August 15, 2007 at 10:33 am

    Here’s the larger version of the bathroom cabinet for $50. Nicole, what does the smaller one cost?

  • Sarah
    August 15, 2007 at 1:54 pm

    Nice!! The blue toilet fits right in.
    :)

  • lsaspacey
    August 15, 2007 at 7:28 pm

    Nicole, have you tried to deep clean the tile? When I cleaned mine I was amazed (and sickened) by how much lighter it got. I just used Comet bleach and a scrub brush.

    However, has similar tile to yours in their bathroom and they did posts on their more intensive process.

  • lsaspacey
    August 15, 2007 at 7:30 pm

    Sorry, that first link (has similar)is supposed to go with the blog name House-made.

  • delight
    August 16, 2007 at 5:27 am

    just came across your site. first off love the design. secondly the blue bathroom is adorable. a blue toilette, so unique. I also like the photographs you choose.

  • Little Grey Donkey
    August 16, 2007 at 8:40 am

    Gorgeous! What a transformation for under $300.

  • Lindsey
    August 20, 2007 at 3:14 pm

    What a great job! It’s adorable!!!

  • Irvina
    August 22, 2007 at 4:49 pm

    I love those images of the chicks in their skivvies! I want to put some in my bathroom!

  • jenn ski
    May 17, 2008 at 8:21 pm

    What is the name of that cute yellow plant you have in that blue vase. I want to use them in my wedding center pieces.

    Thanks,
    Jenn Ski

  • Making it Lovely
    May 30, 2008 at 9:44 am

    They’re Billy Buttons (a.k.a. Billy Balls). The technical name is Craspedia, and I bought a bunch of them dried from The Flower Mart.

  • Bathroom Renovations Contractor
    June 26, 2008 at 2:00 pm

    You did a lovely job, Nicole. I love how you accessorized with the “vignettes”. And you seem to have found space for everything. Space for stuff is often something lacking in many bathrooms.

  • zeniamai
    September 23, 2008 at 1:20 am

    I hope our bathroom will turn out as cute as yours…

  • Courtney
    October 23, 2008 at 10:32 am

    Of all things, I love that little blue vase. Where did you get it? Alhtough, it has been a while, so I probably wouldn’t be able to find it anymore.

  • Making it Lovely
    October 23, 2008 at 10:36 am

    The vase was from Crate & Barrel.

  • CJ
    April 1, 2009 at 1:31 am

    i so love the storage area! i feel so envious! :)

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  • HomeSweetHome
    June 8, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    Love what you did!! I especially love the big “B”. May I ask you where you found that?

  • MODsquad
    June 11, 2009 at 9:33 am

    Hi there… I’d love to know where you got your while medicine cabinet. I tried clicking on ‘last post’ to see where all your items where from but the page is not there. Thanks so much!

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  • Mikaela
    November 14, 2009 at 7:21 am

    We had a blue toilet at my mum’s house, before they renovated. Absolutely gorgeous! =P

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  • ivette
    March 3, 2011 at 10:59 am

    so, so nice! Where did find that cool letter B? thanks

  • Kasie
    July 7, 2011 at 11:06 am

    Where did you get the silver B initial? I can’t seem to find one that I like anywhere.

    • Making it Lovely
      July 7, 2011 at 11:08 am

      It was a gift. I think Ballard Designs often has them, or stores like Home Goods.

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