Frosting, Tanking, And Sucking It Up
If that title doesn’t make you curious about what this post is about then, well, then I give up. Just kidding. I don’t. And this post is about three bathroom updates, the first of which concerns this baby – the window. Aka the anti-privacy device located conveniently above the place that we do our most private business.
It’s kinda ridiculous that we haven’t done anything to it sooner, considering the window is nearly a straight shot view to the neighbor’s house. It’s not like we live right on top of each other – heck, we’re not even sure they can see much from this distance (we can’t see anything in their tiny far-away windows) but it’s still just a little odd to see this whenever we step out of the shower or whenever I’m standing up doing my man business.
So to get some privacy coverage while maintaining maximum light in the room, we decided to frost it using our tried-and-true frosting film technique (we’ve had luck with this stuff from Home Depot). In this instance this was a $0 project for us because we already had all of the supplies on hand (we had some leftover frosting film, but normally it’s about $19 for a giant tube that can do a bunch of windows and even large glass doors). Oh and it bears mentioning that this window has mullions update: just learned they’re actually muntins (those white criss-cross things) that are encased between the glass, so they don’t stick out. So although it looks like we would have to cut 12 rectangles of frosting film, we just needed two since these are sneaky interior ones.
You’ve seen us frost the side door in our current house this way and we gave a more thorough tutorial when doing the basement windows of our old house. So rather than rehash the step-by-step descriptions again, I figured we’d mix things up and take you through the process with pictures and captions only. Here goes nothing…
And now for the big finish…
Feel free to click over to this post and this post for more detailed how-to-use-frosting-film instructions. Oh and I realize it’s a bit hard to tell in these pictures (since the window kinda gets blown out anyways), so here’s our best attempt at showing the difference via photos:
You probably won’t notice it in photos going forward, but just know that every time you look at pictures like the one below – it means we’re no longer putting on a show for the neighbors. Hooray for leftover frosting film and a zero dolla project.
Oh and you’ve probably noticed some additions to the top of the toilet tank. You can thank Sherry for that.
She brought in one of the potted succulents she made here and we DIYed that 7 art a while back (here).
She also threw down a little dish to catch the earrings she often forgets are still on until just seconds before hopping into the shower (she used to rest them on the toilet or the windowsill but worried they’d get lost). Now they have a spot to hold them hostage. You know her and drop-spots. They make her all smiley.
You’ve probably figured out by now what the “frosting” and “tanking” parts of this post title refer to. Any guesses about the sucking? Keep it clean, folks.
Let’s look behind curtain #1 for the answer.
It’s our new suction-cup-tacular shower storage. We opted to ditch our over-the-showerhead caddy because it was practically visible from the bedroom door. Yup, it was quite the eyesore. So we wanted to do something more subtle on this other side that would mostly be hidden by the curtain from nearly all angles of the room (we keep the curtain about one third of the way closed when we’re not actually showering… or two-thirds of the way open if you’re an optimist). So this stuff can all hide behind that panel of fabric, out of view (unless you’re standing in the shower looking at it straight on, like the picture above and below.
We’ve had mixed luck with suction cup storage before, but these guys from Bed Bath & Beyond had some sort of extra-strength locking system that gave us the confidence to give it a go. They have a hard outer-cup around the suction cup inside and you have to sort of swivel them to install them to supposedly lock them in place. So far, so good. Even with two steamy showers under our belts (they also stood the overnight test, which means we didn’t awake to the sound of crashing down in the bathroom).
We got two hooks…
…and two baskets (which also had the locking suction cups) for a grand total of $22 after handing over four coupons. Gotta love that BB&B lets you use one for each item that you’re buying and they never expire.
I know it’s weird to be excited about hidden shampoo and razor storage, but for a tiny room that we’re in at least five times a day, it really does make a pretty decent difference. The room feels less cluttered and college-shower-y.
Oh and a reader mentioned they had hanging baskets that were hung over their faucet that fell off the wall and turned on the water and covered the drain so their house flooded (so sad!) – so for safety reasons it’s best not to hang these over the faucet. We like the other side of the shower for them since they’re behind the curtain and you don’t get sprayed in the face when you’re grabbing stuff out of them.
So there ya have it: a frosted window, a spruced up toilet tank and some hidden storage sucking it up on the shower wall. All for twenty two beans.
Here’s our updated to-do list:
paint the walls so they have some contrastreplace the boob lightpaint the cream trim whitehang some bathroom-friendly artcraigslist the toilet and replace it with a classic white onedo something to add privacy to the windownix the ugly and cluttered showerhead caddy- remove the door so we can shave the bottom to allow for a rug/bathmat (and add a door stopper so it doesn’t squash the art)
- replace the border tile around the room (maybe in phase 2?)
- move the blue pendant light to hang centered in front of the window
- replace the floor tile down the road (just to break things up since there’s so much of it)
Anyone else have a favorite privacy method for the window in their bathroom? Or a go-to item for the top of the toilet tank? Or a perfect solution for storing all of their shower necessities?
Psst- To follow this bathroom sprucing project from the start, check out this planning post, this painting post, this light-swapping post, this art and trim-painting post, and this toilet-updating post.
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You mentioned your suction cups survived after “steamy showers.” We had a heavy duty suction cup in our bathroom and it did fine. When we moved it to the guest bathroom (which hardly ever sees steam) it started falling all the time. So in my experience the steam actually seemed to help them hold their suction. Hope yours works out that way too!
No way! That’s good to know!
xo,
s
I have suction cups similar to the individual ones you have. I’ve had mine for several years now, and while they don’t hold up as well as they used to (I used to get several months before one would pop off), I still get plenty of use out of them. I use them in my bathroom for my towels, and every time I hang one up I just test it to see how firm it is. If it’s a little wobbly, I just re-suction it. I still find my towels on the floor occasionally, but they’re really a great way to have a non-permanent hook on your tile!
Oh, and my favorite part of this post is the Optional part of step 5. :)
Haha, thanks Brenda!
xo,
s
Love it! We have kind of a similar problem, but the neighbors are even further away and the toilet is over more. We do make sure the pull the blinds when we shower in there at night, though!
Also – I learned this when I first started working at historic houses and think it’s pretty cool. The wood/PVC/composite pieces that hold your window glass in place are actually called muntins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muntin). Mullions are the vertical piece you’d find between two adjacent windows. And here ends today’s architectural history lesson!
Oh yes, we updated the post with the right term! Ya learn something new every day!
xo,
s
Yay for frosting windows! We have one in our powder room that needs to be done. A fella who stands can have a chat out the window with anyone who might be hanging out on the screen porch.
Do you prefer the frosting film over a curtain??
I’m not sure which way we’ll go. Maybe both??
Curtains (even thin ones) tended to make the room feel really dark. We liked the film since it lets in more light.
xo,
s
Didn’t have time to read them all, and with 50+ comments already you probably have heard this, but wanted to let you know that even that type of suction cup ultimately failed for us. Of course they only fall in the middle of the night so remember, when you hear that loud crashing noise, that no one is breaking in to your house :) Might have been the scariest single moment of my life up to now…
Hah, thanks for the tip! We have heard from a few folks who have great luck with them. They have all said the key is to restick them every once in a while so they’re up to full strength instead of waiting three months for them to fall. Here’s hoping!
xo,
s
What is the large clear glass container to the left of the toilet used for? Is that a garbage can?
Yup. We’ve had that thing for years. I love that it’s clear so it doesn’t feel crowded.
xo,
s
have you ever tried to remove the frosting…what does it do to the glass?
You spray it with the applicator spray and peel it off. The glass is sticky but Goo Gone can take care of it.
xo,
s
Random question – where do you keep your kleenex?? Ours always land on the back of the toilet, which doesn’t allow me to use any cutesies like a plant or decoration.
Haha, we usually have one box of tissues under the sink in our whole house. As classy as it sounds, we’re a use-the-tp kind of family. Haha. It’s made of the same stuff, right?
xo,
s
We have a similar non-frosted window in our bathroom, but our neighbors are only about 10 feet away…YIKES. Also, the window is huge at 4 x 5 ft (just guessing without actually measuring). Right now we have blinds up for privacy, but I yearn for more light. I want to tackle the frosting project, but worry about seams since the frosting film wouldn’t be big enough to go on in one piece. Any suggestions?
Oh you can get 4 x 5 frosting film I think! Right at Home Depot. We did a side door in our house that was like 3 x 7 so the tubes are really big!
xo,
s
Completely off topic – what brand of shampoo do you have in that giant pump bottle? I’ve been looking for a cost effective, more natural shampoo.
Avalon Organics from Target. We love that stuff.
xo,
s
THANK YOU! I can’t tell you how much this is going to help our bathroom situation – A HUGE window in each of our bathrooms make it a little uncomfortable.
Question – Does the film ever peel because of the moisture in the bathroom?
Thanks!
Lindsey
Nope, it stays firm until you want to remove it (you have to spray it down with the application stuff to remove it, and it takes some force, so it won’t peel up)!
xo,
s
You all should do an evening test and see if you can still see distinct shapes through the film when it is dark outside and the light is on in the bathroom. I only say this because our neighbors have a frosted window in their bathroom which is in plain view from out patio where we like to have a glass of wine at night. We can definitely see the distinct shape of a person taking care of business in there in the evening light! So you may still want to add a shade to pull down for evening use :)
I need to frost my windows in the bathroom as well. We have the shade drawn all the time, so it is always quite dark in there.
Oh yes, we have tested ours and you see shadows move behind it at night with the lights on, but not distinct silhouettes or anything. Just sort of looks like gray shapes behind a white frosted rectangle. I wonder if some frosting films are thinner or something?
xo,
s
Thanks for the recommendation on the shower baskets! We need new ones, and these are so pretty!
What a great look with the window film. We have a living room window that’s practically in our neighbors driveway – this would be a great treatment option, and we too have a roll of the stuff in the basement – never used it at the old apartment.
Also – I LOVE yes to carrots brand products! Cost a little more than pert plus, but it’s my little splurge in the name of pampering.
“Man business”? Hilarious!
I think I would miss being able to look out the window!
MUCH better! Nothing worst than a pesky privacy issue! I’m still pretty scared of the window film…aka bubbles. Maybe one day I’ll get up the courage to finally tackle the window film.
Looks great! I love the little additions to the toilet tank. I’m always afraid to set anything on top of there, for fear it will fall into the toilet. But maybe I’ll try it and see what happens! :)
On a totally unrelated note- I just made my first Joss & Main purchase last night. Woohoo! It was quite exciting. Thanks for hooking your readers up with a membership!
Wahoo! Congrats Lindsay! And as for things on the back of the toilet, some Poster Putty (that stuff you use to hang posters in college without making holes in the walls) or a cut up grippy mat for a rug can hold things in place on top of a toilet so they’re less likely to slide off!
xo,
s
Great idea! Thanks!
Is the window film removable?
Yup, just spray it down with applicator spray and peel it off. You might have some sticky stuff left on the window but Goo Gone can take care of that.
xo,
s
We put our shower caddy on the opposite wall of the shower, too. I also didn’t want it visible. I put up a pretty silver command hook and used the shower caddy we already had. Happy surprise: I like not having to reach through the shower water to get to things!
So smart!!!
xo,s
Not to be completely pedantic (because I just learned this recently when trying to describe our ancient 18-panel paned windows…) but mullions are the vertical elements that separate windows. Muntins are the pieces of wood or metal that separate panes of glass.
Well, according to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muntin
Thanks Ellen! You’re the second one to point that out! Just never knew that! I added an update to the post!
xo,
s
I never go to BB&B without a coupon. We always get our Keurig coffee pods from there, and I’ll risk going a day without coffee before I’ll buy a box of those full price. It’s a pride thing.
I bet your neighbors are bummed that they aren’t getting a free show anymore.
I just wanted to let you know that sometimes those suction cup accessories (even the hard-core ones) lose suction and fall to the floor of the shower. In the middle of the night. When you are sound asleep. To scare the crap out of you.
Haha, thanks for the warning!
xo,
s
Looks good, and it’s nice you still get all that sunlight coming through. I did this in at my house in college – years ago – and you can imagine I was less than stellar in the follow-through.
Had you considered just doing the bottom pane? That usually gives enough privacy while allowing you to still dream out the window while wizzin.
We did think about that, but in such a small room we think it’s less busy with the whole window treated the same way.
xo,
s
What timing! We are also redoing a on the cheap master bath redo. I was going to get blinds, but I think that the film is such a better idea!!!! We have the same lay out with the shower and toilet in one room, and the sink that is out in the room like yours.
So, my bathroom window is right next to the toilet, and the bathroom is small and dark, so I’ve tried all kinds of things to allow daylight into the room while maintaining privacy. My problem always comes back to the fact that while light-weight curtains/frosting film work great in the daytime, when it’s dark outside and the light is on in the bathroom it’s like there’s nothing covering the window at all. (I did the whole “stand by the window while I go outside” thing to my son, and I could see him very clearly. Ack.)
Have you guys checked that out with your window solution? How do things look through the window at night with a light on inside?
Hmm, I don’t know why that would happen – are you using the frosting film from Home Depot? On ours at night it just looks like a glowing white window. There are shadows and stuff that can move across it if someone is flailing around during our little “window test”, but nothing like clear silhouettes or anything!
xo,
s
No, I used film I got quite a while back. Maybe what you guys got is heavier/thicker? We don’t have a Home Depot, but we have a Lowe’s; I’ll check there and see if I can find something that works more like yours.
Thanks!
Good luck!
xo,
s
I’ll be interested to know how long your suction cup baskets last! We had some in our newly tiled bathroom and with shampoo bottle, lasted about a week, until the fell off in the middle of the night! Not a nice way to wake up I can tell you!!
Eventually, the only way we could get them to hold, was to get the suckers wet, apply a lot of pressure for a few minutes and then not put anything in them for a few days. I guess the suckers adhere better and cause a stronger vacuum over time, because since doing it that way, we’ve had no problems.
Great tip Sue!
xo,
s
It looks so much better already! And I LOVE the frosting film! I always open the blinds in our bathroom and forget to close them, it drives my husband nuts. But we have close-ish neighbors and its a full window next to the shower, so I guess I understand his concerns… ha!
We have three windows across the front of our house that face the front yard/street–one of the windows is our master bath and the other two are our master bedroom! I put up dark blinds and have them shut 99.9% of the time, but I get anxious that the neighbors can still peek in and see everything we do, plus the master bedroom gets awesome light, and I would love for the blinds to just be open sometimes. I have thought about frosting them before, but I didn’t know if the frosting would be totally obvious and make the windows look funny when you look at the house from the street/curb. Any thoughts/suggestions?? Thanks! :)
Hmm, I think it might be obvious that those windows are frosted at certain times of day. We have white faux wood blinds in rooms like the master bedroom that we use for privacy (with floor length curtains that we can pull closed for double light-blockage). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Love all the changes!! We have those exact shower baskets and they seem to work alright. We’ve had them now for about 3 years so I guess they must be ok. They do fall periodically and yes, it is heart attack inducing, but there doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason. I think sometimes the top basket gets too heavy and crashes down on the bottom basket. Multiplying the crash by 2…it’ll make you jump right out of your skin. And putting them back up really bites – we have a hard time locking them in without it coming completely unstuck. Hope they work well for you guys though!!
Thanks for the tip Veronica! We have heard that resticking them from time to time (before they fall off) can keep them up for the long haul. Here’s hoping it works!
xo,
s
I have a similar suction cup in my bathroom since my shower has built in shelves, but nowhere to hang anything. I didn’t get it at BB&B, but it is the same double layered type. It’s only come loose maybe three times in the nearly three years it’s been in there, so hopefully you’ll have the same experience. I remember having the other type in our bathroom when I was a kid and those seemed to come down every other day!
Thanks Claudie! Hope ours hold that well too!
xo,
s
Hey!
Looks wonderful! Question: I purchased the very same shower curtain to make our small spare bathroom appear larger. One wash and dry cycle (even on delicate) left it a few inches shorter than before. How do you keep yours the same length and clean at the same time?
Thanks!
Stacey
We wash ours before we hang it (to pre-shrink it), and then just place the tension rod wherever it should be to just allow it to graze the floor. We don’t find that it continues to shrink with each washing – although we so notice that it looks short for a second, but one hot shower later and it’s back on the floor (we think it might have slight wrinkles that get steamed out and then it relaxes and is the right length again). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I have a hanging shower caddy in my guest shower that attaches to four curtain rings on the inside of the shower curtain (like a much smaller shower curtain that has four mesh pockets for shampoo and stuff). It used to be in my master shower, and I loved it because it was ONLY visible from inside the shower, but my awesome new shower doesn’t have a curtain (and does have a niche), so I moved the caddy over to the guest shower.
I’m loving the changes you’re making! Your vision is an inspiration.
Amazing! Love that!
xo,
s
We have suction shower caddies with the same locking function, but they’re from Target. They work… Most of the time. They fall down anywhere from once a month to once every three or four months. Good luck with yours! I would bet your BB&B ones are a little more sturdy than the Target cheapos.
Here’s hoping!
xo,
s
Speaking of bathrooms, I came across this list of budget bathroom remodels. Recognize anything? :)
http://www.bhg.com/bathroom/small/budget-small-baths/?sssdmh=dm17.591576&esrc=nwhi041212h&email=4152588059#page=11
No way! Thanks for the heads up!
xo,
s
The title of my post today is “Opening up the body barrel” haha – what the??
Frosting the window is a great idea! Yes to cucumbers! haha ;)
Haha, nice title.
xo,
s
I have those suction cups for my loofa and every now and then they fall down…freaks me out every time. I hope that doesnt happen with your baskets that would make a nice loud bang! Oh and love the frosting, we did the same thing to our huge window right opposite the shower…way to go builder :)
I love the window film and have been considering trying it out. Question..I know people can’t see in, but how well can you see out? I really don’t want to completely block the view. Thanks for all the inspiration but what I really appreciate is your research! Just used Benjamin Moore Advance paint on your advice for our built ins..looks amazing–no more knots!
It does truly block the view outside (we don’t see trees or sky or ground anymore, just a glowing white frosted rectangle). Thankfully we have bedroom windows and even one over the sink that we can still look out of. And so glad the paint worked out for ya!
xo,
s
Looks great! To avoid people seeing the inside of your shower, it’s a good idea to shut the curtain. Keeping a wet shower liner closed breeds more bacteria than a lufa sponge and is totally unsanitary. Moisture from steam also gets on the shower curtain, which can grow invisible mold when kept shut. Just thought it would help!
Thanks for the tips Anne!
xo,
s
The Titanic. Baaaahahahahahahaa! Your posts are hilarious!!! Nice job!
I’m going to be totally honest. I would need like four baskets to corral my variety of shampoos, shaving cream, gel soap, bar soap, razor…the list goes on. are you hiding a plethora of products for the sake of taking pretty pictures or do you only have three bottles in your shower?! :) :) :) :)
Hah, that’s really all we have in the shower. We like to keep it simple. More on that here: http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/01/the-simple-life/
xo,
s
I love my 3 section soap dispenser. It suctions right to the wall, and helps with little ones who get carried away with the bubbles. Now we don’t go through half a bottle of shower gel with just one washing!
Laura @cookiecrubsandsawdust.blogspot
Sounds awesome!
xo,
s
Please remind your readers not to hang things above the faucet handles in the shower. If the cups give way and the baskets drop down on the handles, they can swivel the water on (if you have knobs instead of a lever handle) while simultaneously covering your drain with the stuff you were storing. This really happened in our second-story bathroom and flooded our house. It was years ago and it’s all better now, but definitely something I don’t wish on anyone else.
Yikes! Great tip!!
xo,
s
Thank you so much for posting this! We are wrapping up our bathroom reno and didn’t want to spend the extra money to add frosted glass to our new window and wanted to do this. Can’t wait to show the hubs tonight!
Wow! I’m one of those people that would’ve been like “there’s nothing to do in this room!” but this looks 10x better than the before. Love it!
Two things that have nothing to do with the bathroom re-do: 1) Sherry’s hair was down when she was applying it the window film (and it’s gotten long again!), and 2) I love those orange earrings in your little dish. :)
Aw thanks Claire!
xo,
s
Love ! My experience with suction cup holders… If you have cultured marble shower and tub surrounds, the suction cups discolor and leave yellow circles that will never go away. I moved out of my last house with yellow circles on my shower and bath walls and refused to use them in my new house. I hope you don’t have the same experience!
Wow- thanks for the tips! It makes sense that tile that’s porous like marble (and very light) might have that issue! Good warning! I think anything ceramic or porcelain should be ok though!
xo,
s
I have used a spray on version of this and it works great. It basically goes on like spray paint.
We hear that’s great too!
xo,
s
Looking good kids! And brilliant idea on the credit card for applying smooth bubble free film {not sure why that never occurred to me before?!}
p.s i LOVE avalon organic goodies too {recognize the labels!}
Cheers
~ Jillian
http://www.hersplitends.com
You might already know this but Domino is coming out with a special edition on April 17. I know you’ll want a copy!
Oh yes, so excited!
xo,
s
Just wait, those sneaky suction cup baskets will wait until you least expect it…and then scare the beejesuz out of you when they come crashing down! I had them and we’re not sure if it’s because our rental is not properly waterproofed behind the tile or the baskets themselves. Hopefully you’ll have better luck. We gave up recently and got a simplehuman one that hangs from the shower head.
Haha- now I’ll be ready!
xo,
s