Thank you for all the support with our big announcement yesterday. Your energy and excitement for us is going to make this process so much easier. I'm sure of it. With that said, buckle up--it's been pretty crazy over here since we decided last Friday we were taking the job and moving. We have a lot of unfinished rooms and projects. We have reassessed our list and nixed, altered and even added a few things. Maybe that's a different post entirely, but obviously we needed to do something about our master bathroom before putting our home on the market. Because, this:
We have been planning, saving and dreaming about a bathroom overhaul and that's just not gonna happen in this house. Ain't nobody got time for that. But! We knew there were a few quick things we could do to improve the aesthetic drastically. There were some main problems: the builder-grade vanity, the light fixture, the flooring, and the stenciling. Oh, and the faux marble tub surround that isn't our favorite but had to stay. Because it had to stay (no time. no time), we started brainstorming ways to make it look its best. It's off-white, so having anything lighter on the walls only makes it look more yellow. That meant we needed to create contrast in the room so the off-whites/yellowing plastic would appear whiter. Dark walls (which thankfully the bathroom can handle due to a window) and a vanity painted a few shades darker than the surround did the trick.
I painted the vanity first, using Farrow & Ball's Shaded White color matched at Sherwin Williams (they had the formula). It's a perfect light greige that I'll definitely remember for the future. I am quickly learning you can't go wrong with Farrow & Ball colors. They are sophisticated and rich looking every time.
I also added cheap-o handles from Home Depot that really help the vanity shake off more of the builder grade look. When deciding on a wall color, I knew I wanted to stick in the blue family since painting our bedroom a really, really light blue (Farrow and Ball's Skylight). I pulled out all my blue swatches I had from picking a base kitchen cabinet color and decided on Glidden Professional's Mystery Sound. It's a warm, muted, deep blue/green with gray undertones and it looks really nice from the bedroom. I think things like that are important. How paint colors look from one room to another--they should coordinate.
Glidden's professional line (Master Touch) has a high sheen level. We actually went with eggshell which is more like a semi-gloss in other paint lines--perfect for bathrooms.
And now for a confession--suddenly the faux marble doesn't bother me! At all. The sophisticated paint color and not stenciled roses really glam it up I think.
The floor is still making me twitch so that's next on our list. And lighting. And dressing the window. Really, we could have should have done this so many months ago, even while waiting on a future big-time renovation. Lesson learned.
What do you think?
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WE'RE CHRIS + JULIA
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I just built a new home and they had the color mystery sound for a paint choice outside. I used it for my shutters and front door . I think I want to use it inside too I love that color !
I love the progress!!
We just made the decision to move hopefully in the next year. It's amazing how our to do list has changed as well. I obviously won't be able to sink money in our bathrooms like I was planning but I honestly think it doesnt take much to make a room seem inviting.
I'm so excited for you guys!
Good color choice on your bathroom walls and furniture. I am a fan of white when it comes to bathroom because for me, white symbolizes purity and cleanliness. Every time you enter the bathroom, it gives you the feeling of being clean all over if it has white walls, etc.
It's amazing what paint can do! Perfect color!!
I KNEW you'd work your paint magic in that space! Just like the laundry room, it's amazing how your color choice can down-play less desirable elements in a space. Your bathroom looks fantastic!
I love the "aint nobody got time for that" reference... thats awesome haha
You probably have something in mind for your flooring, but if you've never heard of such a thing (I hadn't till I used it), grout-able vinyl flooring is freekin AMAZING!
I used it in my master bath over old tile; and it completely upgraded the room in 1 day. An agent friend came over and was shocked to learn it wasn't real tile, and said would be recommending it to clients who needed quick and inexpensive floor updates to get their places sold.
(I'm not a sales person or anything, just an enthusiastic user. seriously. great stuff)
tiles:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMaster-Ceramica-12-in-x-24-in-Coastal-Grey-Vinyl-Tile-Flooring-30-sq-ft-case-24716/202191244#customer_reviews
I am always shocked by the difference paint can make. It already looks 100% better!
Love the paint color! We just picked a more dark, moody greige for our master bath and I can't wait to paint!
You can always get your tub and tub surround painted/reglazed if that faux marble really irks you. Look up tile reglazers/surfacers in your area, they do acrylic and ceramic, and prices are usually between $200-$400. I am saving my pennies to do that to my own bathroom because I have not the time, money, or patience for a full BR reno in my house. I think YHL had their tub reglazed in their second house.
Can't wait to see what you do with the floor because I have similar vinyl on mine. I'll be looking for tips and inspiration if you do something "fast and dirty" without laying tile! My BR floor is a nightmare and over a hundred years old. I can't imagine the layers of linoleum and vinyl that live underneath. In my mind I keep imagining that there's some kind of wonderful vintage tile under it all, and behind the bathroom walls but I know I'll just open a can of worms and a lot of asbestos.
That color warms my heart and I want it in my life. AH. Are you making a list of all the paint choices you've made?? if so, I need that list some day down the road.
wow! such a change! feels so fresh and modern. and, I think the dark wall color really makes the white colors look whiter!
Wow! I don't mind the faux marble surround with those few paint changes you made. That is a great solution to a quick upgrade! That will definitely help make the sale. Excited for your adventure!
When you painted the cabinets, did you do the whole degloss-sand-paint process? (I'm prepping to paint our hall bath cabinet.) Also, thanks for the rec on the Farrow & Ball- going to go swipe a fan deck now. Yay.