Now Our Guests Can Shower
Progress has been made in the guest bathroom, folks. Which is good news since we’re less than 30 hours away from the arrival of Sherry’s mom and stepdad. Our first score was finding a shower curtain. Despite being burned by pattern in our last shower curtain attempt, we bought this guy at Target on Friday for about $20.
It definitely still looks kinda rough in there (still have to paint the walls and hang art, but we don’t think we’ll get to that before the inlaws arrive, uh, tomorrow). But getting back to the shower curtain, we think the pattern works much better because it’s bigger when it comes to the scale. The large medallions don’t compete with the tiny square tile on the walls and floor like the smaller scale yellow pattern in the last one we grabbed. The dark brown also introduced some nice contrast since the yellow tiles and off-white walls were sort of washing out the rest of the space. And because our old guest room bedding – which we plan to reuse – includes brown & white, while the walls in there are blue, this curtains sort of ties things together.
Then once we had the curtain finalized (and picked up a cheap white fabric liner to keep this guy from getting drenched, also from Target), we turned our attention to the bathmat – or the lack thereof. We originally brought home a brown one that matched the curtain but it was waaaay too dark. And walking into a bathroom to see a big brown spot on the floor wasn’t the most, um, clean looking choice.
So we went back to Target and picked up three other options for a little bath mat fashion show (Sherry may or may not have clapped and chanted “fashion show, fashion show” as we made our purchase). First we tried this square one that almost blended right into the floor completely.
No dice. It just looked kinda dirty and blah.
Our next choice was the polar opposite. We decided to try a more colorful rectangular mat to pick up those blue tones in the curtain (and the adjoining deep teal guest bedroom).
We didn’t really mind this one. It matched the curtain nicely and certainly would help us achieve our goal of bringing more color into the house.
But when we saw the third option we knew it was “the one.” It just felt crisp and tailored without being matchy-matchy. The stripes are a fun counterpart to the circles in the curtain (the white and brown tones in each one keeps them related in a fun mixed & matched way).
What can we say? I guess even though we’re embracing more color, we’re still suckers for crisp white stuff from time to time. Especially with there’s a white toilet, sink, and mirror in there (so it automatically ties right in). I guess when it comes to bathrooms, nothing trumps clean white linens for us (99.9% of hotels that we’ve stayed at always have plush white towels and bathrobes, so we want our guests to feel like Casa Petersik is just as spa-like and inviting). Long story short, we had a bath mat fashion show winner. So we hoisted it up and sang For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow, removed the tag, and returned the others.
We also accomplished a few hardware updates yesterday. The most needed of which was a new toilet seat, since the old one boasted several chips in the lid and tears in the soft seat (and we’re not really fans of the soft toilet seat thing anyways). Here’s the least offensive shot of the old toilet seat that shows off some of those chips on the lid. We refrained from sharing the open lidded shots since we know some of you eat breakfast slash drink coffee while reading. You’re welcome.
Replacing a toilet seat isn’t rocket science, nor is it a very glamorous job. But I did my best to enjoy the process, and even flashed a thumbs up at the wife as she snapped this pic.
The whole switcheroo brought back memories of when I used a toilet seat for a 9th grade science project where I had to illustrate the anatomy of a mollusk (i.e. clams). In case you were wondering, toilet seats take well to dry erase markers. Yes, I really am that dorky. Go Team Mollusk.
We also replaced the old rusted shower head. It functioned just fine (the water pressure was great and there were thankfully no leaks to deal with) but it just didn’t look very nice.
So we sprung for the cheapest multi-setting shower head at Target (it was $14) in an effort to fancy things up a smidge.
And after using some serious elbow grease to get the old one off, the new one went on within 60 seconds. So shiny, right? I can even see myself in it.
Speaking of being in it, I actually took the shower for a test run shortly after this installation. I figured if anything weird or gross was going to happen in the first use of this shower, I wanted it to happen to me and not my mother-in-law. Fortunately things were all good. In fact, the water pressure is better in there than our master bedroom. Lucky guests.
Last but not least was a quick zero-cost change. After removing the mirror on inside of the bathroom door (awkward!), we realize we were missing towel hooks… ’til we discovered them on the other side of the door while painting this weekend. Seriously, in the two months that we’ve lived here we never once closed the door to the guest bathroom to discover those towel hooks hiding back there until a few days ago. So I just unscrewed them from the back and reattached them to the inside of the door where they’ll actually be seen and used (and Sherry spackled and painted the leftover holes on the lesser seen back side of the door).
We’ve still got a few other things (like towels, and maybe some art) to make the room look more complete and guest-ready, but at least it’s completely functional now. Stay tuned for pics of the whole room after Sherry gets her kicks by adding a few accessories. And we still have to share our progress in the guest room. Which we’re most likely working away on as you read this post.
In the meantime, have you guys made any recent bathroom upgrades? Or do you have any tips to share about how you get a guest bathroom ready for guests (besides buying some shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste – which is already on our to-do list along with fluffy towels and a few washcloths)? This is our first time having to furnish a devoted guest bathroom that we don’t regularly use ourselves, so we’re definitely feeling kind of JV about the whole thing.
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I just went to target.com to look at that bathmat. It doesn’t have very good reviews. Apparently it comes apart in the wash. So launder carefully!
Since we don’t have a guest bathroom, we put a hotel towel rack in the guest room, with our coordinating towels. It has a hanging bar which is convenient for guests returning to their room with damp towels and wet washcloths. The only problem is no one seems to use it. They take their towels into our small hall bathroom and try to fit them in….
I wish I had a guests-only bathroom! I love the shower curtain you guys chose, and the bathmat fashion show was marvelous!
I gave my bathroom a little makeover not long after moving in, painting the walls bright turquoise to match my shower curtain. I also added a curved shower curtain rod to make the tiny bathtub seem a little bit bigger. Next on my list is to paint the cabinet, find some curtains (maybe) to cover the big open spot underneath the counter, find some art work, and take down the giant mirror and replace it with two smaller ones. I actually have a big ol’ list of ideas for every single room in the house, and my bathroom definitely needs a little love!
I was so excited when I opened up this post and saw that shower curtain–We just bought the same one a few weeks ago at Target and it’s completely changed the look of our bathroom. We also bought some wood/bamboo floormats and accessories and it gave our bathroom such a relaxed and almost tropical vibe. And it looks great in yours!
Super dumb question – where did you get the bath towel hooks? I am looking for something for our laundry room for coats!
They were on the back of the door already. As we mentioned in the post, we just repurposed those. But you might be able to find something similar at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I actually kinda like the yellow wall tile, but it’s that floor tile that I’m having a hard time with! But hey, hats off to you guys for really working with what you’ve got! I must admit though, given that floor tile that’s like brownish/yellowish/orangeish color, it would have never occured to me to put up a brown/teal/white shower curtain. It looks great! Hence why you all are blogging daily about your great home projects, and I’m still slaving away at my desk job!
This is like a great TV show! What’s coming next??? Nice distraction from all of my unfinished projects… Thanks John and Sherry!!
You guys did great! I’m sure the in-laws will enjoy their visit.
I recently had the same problem with finding a bath mat. Why does it seem so hard to choose such a simple item? haha
I ended up with one from target as well….
Seen here : http://innovativeinterior.blogspot.com/2011/02/bathroom-update.html
Has anyone complimented the condition of your grout yet? I mean… wow! Did you do some photo-shop magic or is it just that bright and white? Or do you have a grout cleaning trick up your sleeve? The curtain and rug are great and all… but that darn grout… beautiful… :o)
That was NO PHOTOSHOP AT ALL! I caps locked that face because I’m so darn excited! We actually didn’t clean it or anything, the previous owners were just amazing housekeepers and they kept things in tip top shape. I wish they’d shared their grout cleaning secret before moving out!
xo,
s
So I read this post right before I went to class this afternoon, when my professor walked in I could not for the life of me figure out why her dress looked so familiar, and then I realized it was the same design as your new shower curtain (with some lighter colors) too funny!
p.s. it looks MUCH better as a shower curtain
Hahhahahahhhaah. Comment of the day goes to Julianna.
xo,
s
“Sherry may or may not have clapped and chanted “fashion show, fashion show” as we made our purchase”
Please tell me that you intended for this to be an Office reference!!! Fashion show, fashion show, fashion show at lunch!
If you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about, that’s OK, I’ll just pretend that you did.
Yes! That’s exactly how I sang it. But I didn’t think it would translate online. Kristen you’re my soul mate.
xo,
s
That’s exactly how I read it too….I even heard Kelly’s voice chanting “fashion show”
then again, my husband and I pretty much converse in lines from the Office or Seinfeld way more than anyone should.
Looks great! I laughed when the image popped up because I came across that exact shower curtain a few months ago and LOVED it, but had no use for an extra shower curtain. It kept calling to me every time I went to Target, so finally I bought it not knowing how I would use it. I eventually cut 3 squares and ‘framed’ them as art for my dining room!
Did anyone else notice that your new “Waterpik” shower head sorta rhymes with “Petersik”? Was that planned? I wouldn’t put it past you… *wink* L-O-V-E you guys!
Hahaha, love it.
xo,
s
Here are two bathroom questions I’ve been meaning to ask…
1) Bath mats: when I was a kid, we always put it over the tub to dry in between uses. Now we have a separate shower and tub, and the bath mat lives in front of the shower. I wash it once a week to keep it from getting too gross, but they wear out really quickly that way. But, if I don’t wash it, the rubber on the bottom gets moldy and stinky, and the water from the mat leaves some mineral residue on the tile floor. What do you all do about that when you have a shower that gets twice daily use and there’s no where to hang the mat? I thought about one that’s made of a hard material (like teak), but although I think they look nice and ‘spa-ish’, I also don’t see how they help to dry your feet or keep your floor dry. Do people put towels under them or something?
2) Shower curtains…we use just one water-’resistant’ fabric liner, since I don’t want one of those stinky plastic liners in there, but we do have problems with the curtain staying put, and also getting wetter than we’d like. I want a nice fabric curtain in there eventually, so what is the 2nd curtain that you are using inside?
We like to buy two-sided bath mats that don’t have those rubber bottoms, which seems to help with tossing them into the wash and letting them air out (since they’re 100% breathable cotton). As for shower liners, we like fabric ones (not plastic ones) since you can toss those into the wash to get rid of any grime (ours was from Target for about $9). It definitely keeps the outer fabric curtain from getting all wet. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
The bathmat is a total WIN. It really looks fantastic with the tile and the shower curtain. It’s crazy how small details really make a space SOO much less dated.
How funny! I just replaced out toilet seat with a new one and replaced the shower head in our YELLOW bathroom also. Our old one kinda looked like yours. I purchased a delta faucet (brand new in pkg) at a yard sale 2 yrs ago. Our old one wouldn’t come off so when the plumber came for a recent toilet leak, I had him swap out the shower head too and it looks similar to your new one.
I went through the same thing with the bath mats, the yellow really throws everything off. My floor tile is mostly white with yellow hexagon insets.
Great choices,the brown and blue work well!
“Figured if anything weird or gross was going to happen”……LOL.. that is funny.
I travel a lot for work. I picked up this trick along the way, I take the freebie toiletries from the hotels and keep them in a big glass jar from Target (link below) The money spent on the jar is far less than full size shampoo and soaps. It also allows your guests a choice.
http://www.target.com/Heritage-Hill-Jar-Collection/dp/B000V5Q2WO/ref=sc_qi_collection_item
I absolutely love the shower curtain and think you definitely made the right decision about the bath mat. Color is good, but it was just too perfect!
I know that once you get some fun art on the walls, it will pull it all together!
I liked the blue rug best and the yellow tile looks rather nice. Seems wasteful to replace something just because it’s old. Wait long enough and it will become “classic.”
Wait we’re not replacing that sweet yellow tile for a long long time! We’re more than happy to work with what we have! Maybe we’ll redo the shower opening to widen it and add a glass door a ways down the road (and might think about retiling at that point) but for now we’re totally charmed by the yellow tile!
xo,
s
Add some flowers and a candle a nice touch for guest.
Love your little bathroom update! We actually did our own little makeover last week because I found a beautiful shower curtain on sale for $29.95 at Anthropologie, where shower curtains tend to start at $120+ (!!!) I’m in looove with our new shower curtain and finding a solution to match our vintage yellow tile!
http://reisfeltadventure.blogspot.com/2011/02/find-of-weekend.html
So pretty! I love how ethereal and angelic it looks. So sweet! And what an amazing deal!
xo,
s
OOOh I love the new shower curtain and rug! Target’s new line is too fabulous!
We worked on our bathrooms last weekend! We replaced the vent in Jon’s (my husband) bathroom with a quieter model :) we had gotten so used to yelling when using that bathroom….it finally had to go! we also replaced a shower head and bought a nicer/more modern brushed nickel faucet for my bathroom! (On clearance at lowes of course) fun day!
good choice on the bath mat by the way :)
I agree on the fresh flowers. Buy some for the guest room and then make a small arrangement from those for the bathroom. Nothing better than waking up to fresh flowers!
i think that shower curtain works really well with the yellow, and the new bathmat looks great too!
for me, the components of a Varsity level bathroom:
fancy little soaps (i have dozens of l’occitane soaps squirreled away from whenever i’m lucky enough to stay at nice hotels), nice towels, and a clean bathroom. yours looks super clean so you’re good to go!
i love your blog, btw, keep up the great work ;)
okay, some things i love to have on hand when i stay in someone’s home:
of course the essentials; towels, soap, etc. hangers to put clothes on. somewhere to put my luggage and whatnot.
a nightstand with a lamp (so i don’t have to run to the bed from the light switch in the dark)
water and a glass to pour it into on the bedside table. i’ve always done this for my guests http://www.marthastewart.com/good-things/bedside-water-glass
a clock that doesn’t tick…cannot stand the ticking.
extra blankets/pillows. everyone sleeps differently. i like lots of bedding on me!
fresh flowers are a must but nothing too fragrant-especially for those who have allergies.
those are just the few things i love to have. good luck with your guests. i’m sure they’ll love the room no matter what it looks like or what amenities it has because you’ve put your “love” into it.
whats with the hat John? You always wear it when you fix/paint things!
i have that shower curtain! whee!
I haven’t read through all comments, so sorry if this has been mentioned before – but have you tried the new shower head in your master bathroom as well, as you said the water pressure is not as good?
I’m asking because when we moved, we first were disappointed of the shower in the new apartment b/c it seemed to have much lower pressure than in our old apartment. When we changed the shower head to the one we had in the previous apartment, we could’t detect any difference anymore. Apparently the shower head can make a huge difference!
The shower curtain looks great with the tile, you incorporated it really nicely. Personally, I liked the blue mat better than the white one, but I totally agree that white towels will look very hotel-y :) .
No, but I’m dying to! Once our guests come and go it’ll probably be next on the list!
xo,
s
Have you tried a soft toilet seat? For the times one has to spend in the bathroom, the soft seat is so much more comfortable on the tush. Good beginnings to redecorating your bathroom.
Haha, I guess it’s just a personal preference thing. We’ve tried it but we just can’t get on board. But to each his own!
xo,
s
Actually, we DID just redo our guest bathroom and had my parents here last weekend to use it, and I did the “test drive” the morning they arrived to make sure the shower and everything worked great, and that’s when I realized there was no place to put your clothes! When I shower in my own bathroom, I just walk back into my room and change there, but guests typically change *in* the bathroom, and there was no where to put your clean clothes other than on the floor or the toilet. And while I keep my guest bathroom pretty clean, I still wasn’t a fan of either of those options. I didn’t have time to do anything about it, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Love the way the shower curtain looks with those yellow tiles, btw!
I’m an expert host, but a new blogger! I’ve posted some pics of guest room must-haves. They include a “Guest Jar”, robes, and a few items to tuck in the closet.
Your room looks great so far; have fun with the fam!
I loved this. Loved loved loved it. Despite being in our house for almost four years, and having the handiest man in the world available, we’re just starting our renovations this summer. Our REAL renovations that is (yay for fiance soon to be hubbster finally getting an addition!). Anyway, we absolutely had to do one mini-makeover when we got into the house and it happened to be our bathroom. Let’s just say it’s likely the smallest full bath in the history of full baths, and it was gross. Here’s the post on it.
http://www.likeacupoftea.com/the-beginning-bathroom-renovation/
You guys are awesome. Thanks for keeping me amused during my lunch hour! I love kicking back and reading about what’s going on. Also, that little bean of yours looks JUST like the Mrs!
That floor tile is adorable!
Love what you did with your yellow-tiled bathroom! About 6 years ago we bought a house with not one, but TWO bathrooms with yellow tile. And yes, one of them had flooring with yellow windmills on it!! We got rid of all the yellow in that bathroom, but in the other one, we kept the yellow tiled shower, painted the walls a soft gray, put up a gray/yellow/tan striped shower curtain and a soft gray rug on the floor. Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. I’m new to YHL and am loving all the posts! Keep ‘em coming!
I love how the guest bathroom turned out. I am sure all your guests will enjoy it.
Just had a thought on your master bathroom’s water pressure situation.
Inside each shower head is a small piece of plastic that is a “water saving device” – if you pop it out (screwdriver, drill) it will show an improvement in your water pressure.
Great idea! We were actually going to try switching out our showerhead for a newer model since we’ve heard they conserve more water but actually feel like they have improved pressure. Yes please!
xo,
s
We bought our mattress at OMF too!!! We LOVE it! My husband had previously bought our guest bed there, so we went in, checked it out…. then shopped the department stores… none of them came close to the OMF stuff! Good choice!
Oh my god. I’m from Richmond and we had that exact bathroom tile when I was a kiddo. Haha I think there must have been a contractor’s discount on this tile combo once upon a time or something. Snaps on the bold colors though, it looks great!
So, I have some strange questions about this shower. It looks like it is basically in a “nook.” Is that so? If it is, about how far back does it go into that corner? Is it dark in there?
I ask because we have a bathroom about this size and shape and I hate shower doors (they get dirty so easily) and I am trying to see if it possible for me to avoid having one. I never thought I could use a shower curtain but after seeing this, I think there is hope.
There’s a light in there so it’s nice and illuminated, but it still feels kind of like you’re in a little nook. I believe it’s a pretty standard shower size though (about 2.5′ x 4.5′ ish).
xo,
s
Thanks! =)