Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 293 Comments

How To Frost A Window

We wish we had a giant bathroom update to share, but we’re at that phase of the project where some of the bigger things have been checked off (building a shelf, painting the walls) and a few little mid-point upgrades are on the agenda since we’ve been flying around a lot lately (10 flights in 11 days!!). But now that we’re back home, the next bathroom installment will be bigger (either framing out the mirror and making a shade from some amazingly bold fabric that I’m obsessed with) so hopefully this tides you guys over. And since I hate to mention “amazingly bold fabric that I’m obsessed with” without showing it to you… behold:

Newfabric1

Remember it from back here? I snatched it up for $16 a yard at Mary Jos (it’s called Ubud by Iman Home/Waverly and it can sell for up to $27 in other places). I think it’s going to be the perfect punch-in-the-face-of-color that the mostly white (and slightly plummy-gray) bathroom needs. But since that has yet to jump off the counter and make itself into a window shade (boo inanimate fabric!) while we hit up seven cities in the past week, I’ll get back to the completed updates at hand. The first one is new knobs… because these country looking painted wood ones just weren’t doing it for us…

Knobs1

These new guys hail from Hobby Lobby and were just $2.49 thanks to a 50% off knob sale. Quick tip:never buy anything there that’s not 50% off there since the sales just seem to alternate by a week- so if the item you want isn’t on sale, wait a week and try again. 

Knobs3

I love that they’re irregular, sort of like green jade or even some sort of dyed bone. And the gem-like shape is faceted and pretty without being too long and pointy (the counter’s edge extends nearly the same distance as the knobs – and they’re about the same depth as the previous white painted wood ones – so there are no worries of knocking knees).

Knobs2

I love how they mimic the little pops of dark tone in the floor tile and carry them up to the vanity. And I totally want to get one more for the false drawer over the sink – they just didn’t have anymore the day I picked them up, so I’ll have to check again the next time we’re there.

Knobs4

We’ve been asked by more than a few folks if we’re thinking about painting the vanity a darker color (charcoal, black, etc) and we’re definitely thinking about it but not 100% sold yet, so we’re waiting for more of the room to come together (we’ll revisit the possibility after we add the shade, frame out the mirror, etc). Our reason for not immediately painting the vanity darker (which we think could look awesome with the dark tile that we’re working with) is because the room is smaller than it looks in photos, so we like how the white wall tile, vanity, and tub all feel balanced and light- and we worry that one dark object on one side of the room might feel side-heavy and cramped). But either way, we’ll just wait it out and see where we end up. You know we’ll keep you posted!

Knobs6

Oh and in keeping it real news, guess who popped up when I was shooting the pic above? #Clarabomb

Knobs5

The other upgrade we squeezed in there between all of our flights and marathon Clara and Burger smooching when we were reunited (yeah, we overdid it but we couldn’t help ourselves) was that we frosted the window. Buh-bye old paper-ish accordion shade (which we always had to keep closed to maintain privacy since this room can be viewed from the deck)…

Knobs62

… and hello modern frosted window that’s crisp and private (even with the lights on in the bathroom on a dark night you can’t see anything from the deck except for vague shadows – nothing graphic at all). Here I am in my pajama pants getting my frost on. #morekeepingitreal

Knobs7

As for how we applied it, we took the process pic above, but this post and this post have the best specific instructions for applying it, so hopefully those help. And since we’ve never posted a video, here’s that for ya below – or you can watch it on YouTube. We thought maybe seeing it “in 3-D” (well not really but you know what I mean) might help:

So that’s where we are. Don’t mind that brassy old knob. Haha. Just added that to the list!

Bathroom After

Speaking of the hall bathroom list, here it is:

  • rehang a shower curtain at ceiling height
  • trim out the unbalanced window (more on that here)
  • switch out the light fixture (more on that here)
  • add some meaningful art (more on that here)
  • build in a shelf over the toilet for some leaning art (more on that here)
  • paint the walls a fresher color to help the original tile pop (more on that here)
  • upgrade the vanity hardware
  • frost the window
  • frame out the mirror over the vanity for a less builder-basic look
  • ORB/upgrade that brassy gold doorknob
  • make a bold fabric shade for the window
  • possibly paint the vanity (we’re still mulling it over – but we promise we’ll keep you posted)
  • add finishing touches/accessories and dish out a budget breakdown for you guys

Can’t wait to cross more off! And in the meantime let’s circle back to my fabric obsession. Doesn’t it look great with the new knobs and the fish canvas? #everybathroomneedsafishcanvas

Fabricwithknobs

What were you guys up to this weekend? Any small mid-point upgrades or bigger fun ones that made all the difference? It’s so funny how sometimes giant things like hanging curtains or painting the walls can make for a giant change and sometimes it really is the details (like hardware) that finally make a room feel special, like it’s all yours.

Psst- We’re finally sharing Clara’s hidden talent with the world over on Young House Life. Does Name That Tune have a toddler edition?

Comments

  1. Kara says

    It was a knobby weekend for me as well, as I spray-painted my kitchen and bathroom knobs for the second time. Last week, I attempted to paint the these old brass knobs with silver metallic paint only to end up with a cheap plasticky look (think kids toys that’s supposed to look silver). It was embarrassing! I even tried two different cans (I think there was a conspiracy out there that hid the Rustoleum Dark Steel spray from me!) But nevertheless, it was ORB to the rescue!

    Reply

  2. Meagan {Green Motherhood} says

    The fish painting and the fabric look great together, can’t wait to see it up.

    I just changed out our bathroom cabinets from a white/cream to a dark espresso in our new house. I never would have thought I would like it, but I just got a wild hair! Now, I have to wait 4 months to see what they will look like……
    Either way you go, can’t wait to see it. Glad y’all are home for a bit :)

    Reply

  3. Kate says

    Oooooooh, thanks for pointing out that Hobby Lobby has (often on sale) knobs! I’ve only been in one once and hadn’t noticed the knobs, but I’ve been trying to find some cute knobs (I really like the vintage clear glass looking ones) to replace the knobs on a dresser for my daughter’s nursery that I’m repainting. Everything I’ve found and liked has been uber expensive – maybe I’ll check out Hobby Lobby again!

    Reply

  4. Beth says

    Inspired by your previous window frosting, I’ve frosted the windows in all of our bathrooms. They look great during the day, but at night you can see sort of streaks and blotchiness from where I pressed with the tool to smooth it out. I tried different ways of doing it, but could never completely get rid of that. Did you have the same problem? How did you deal with it?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I wonder if those are actually creases from the peeling phase. When you peel the film from the backing, you have to be really careful not to get any folds or creases and when you apply it, try not to restick it at all (if you pull back one corner and try to stick it back on you’ll often get a line or a streak there). Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  5. Kathy says

    We had our bathroom gutted when I was 8 months pregnant (we did the demo and hired someone to rebuild it). The new shower location has a window in it, and the day they installed the window I pulled my husband aside and said, “That window is NOT opaque enough”. The installer said it was the most opaque option available and that it should work fine. After they left, I made my husband stand in the shower while I went outside and looked up to the second story window – sure enough, I could see him! I started freaking out – being so pregnant, I was not interested in people seeing the outline of my pregnant body from the street … talk about scarring the kids who stay at the bus stop by our house! To make a short story long, we followed your tutorial for frosting the window and 18 months later, it is still holding up great. THANK YOU – from my whole neighborhood.

    Reply

  7. Amy @ Woodlawn Lane says

    Thank you for this! And the video!! My master bathroom window is right in front of the toilet, and looks directly into our neighbor’s window…and we currently do not have any covering on it! lol Definitely need some privacy…

    Reply

  8. Katy says

    Unrelated to knobs and frosting…which sounds a bit kinky if you think about it.
    I am long time reader, and I am a curious one….what is up with the blazer? Is it like the bra (notice lack of plural, told you I am a long time reader). Perhaps I missed a post on it. Truth be told, I am more of a picture gal (also sounds kinky) and tend not to read the posts in full. I just know I can’t be the first to ask.

    Reply

  10. Christine says

    I recently frosted my bathroom window. Isn’t it great? I used a rice paper pattern, though. You bathroom is lovely and I like that you have kept the original black and white tile.

    Reply

  11. lauren says

    Oh wow, the knobs completely change the feel of the vanity! So gratifying. I didn’t get anything home-y done this weekend, but today I was able to–finally–figure out what to do with the ceiling fan in our bedroom, which I HATE. I was inspired by a lot of the lampshade/chandelier fan fixes I’ve seen online, but I changed it up a bit and am excited about how it turned out. It’s the little things that make a difference!

    Reply

  12. Chelsea Asermely says

    You probably already considered this because you guys think of everything… but what about painting the window frame/trim black? I think it would call out the nice black boarder tile nicely and give it all a pop without having to paint the whole giant vanity black… just a thought!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      You know, just the other day I was thinking about that- not sure we’re ready to pull the trigger (I worry once the shade goes up it’ll be too busy and grid-y) but it’s always possible down the road!

      xo
      s

  13. Britt F. says

    Love the knobs!! I die for anything aqua-esque.

    I was feeling energized this weekend with the holidays coming up so I spray painted our bedroom curtain rods white so they add a fresh little pop to the room. Beat it, nappy gold curtain rods!

    Also thanks to you both encouraging us to hang things on our walls that mean something special versus simple space fillers, I took the blue fabric heart that we had sewn onto the underside of my wedding dress this June and re-sewed it to a piece of fabric that matches our foot stool/coffee table to frame. The blue heart was cut from one of my Grandpa’s shirts after he passed away as I knew I wanted him close to me at our wedding, and now with your inspiration, that same special heart is proudly framed on our living room wall.

    Thanks for inspiring us to make our homes more “us”!

    Reply

  14. Alyssa says

    Wahoo!! Bathroom update. love the fab!! (That’s short for fabric, I’m trying to be hip like Clara in her “name that artist” video) ha!

    Reply

  15. Laura says

    Okay – hear me out – how hard would it be to selectively remove all the black tile and replace it with… anything else? I mean, you guys kind of did that in your master bath and it turned out awesome. I just love everything you guys are adding in there, and I think it would be even nicer if the black just went away. So, that’s my unsolicited idea! Maybe more work than you want to do, but not nearly as bad as retiling the whole bathroom. Eh? :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yeah we could remove the black tile if it bugged us but we’re cool with it! It’s classic b&w basket weave on the floor, so we don’t mind it at all :)

      xo
      s

  16. Jessica Shaw says

    Looking good guys! Just out of curiosity, where do you find a shower curtain liner that is long enough for you to hang it close to the ceiling? Every time I go to a store that has them I look for one that is longer than the one we have now but they all seem to be the same size!

    Reply

  17. Lindsay Rede says

    Love that fabric! And this is totally unsolicited opinion, but I love the vanity white. I think it’s a narrow room that a darker vanity will make the room feel heavy and tighter. What I would do is paint the black trim tile, not on the floor, love the floor, but the wainscot trim a different color. So your eye doesn’t hit such a hard midpoint in the room. The reason I guess I suggest it is we just finished painting the tile at my moms house so it must be on the brain. Anyway…. Unsolicited so take it for what it’s worth. Haha!
    Here is the tile we painted! If you’re interested!
    http://lindsayandandrew.blogspot.com/2012/11/painting-tile-who-knew.html

    Reply

  18. Amanda says

    I love those knobs!

    Funny little story about buying your book on the weekend – On Saturday I went in to Ottawa (ON) and found your book at Chapters. When I got up to the cash the cashier says “OMG, is that what I think it is”, she then flipped it over and said “YES IT IS” and have me a huge high five. We had a good little discussion and both agreed that you guys should come to Ottawa for a signing :)

    Reply

  19. candice q says

    I actually tackled some low-hanging fruit this weekend! When we moved in the first thing I noticed was that all the outdoor lights had been painted the same dull grey as the siding and it was on the top of my list. With a little help from – we spray painted (ORB) the porch light and all the outdoor lights. I am surprised what a big difference such a small paint job can make & I loove it :D

    Reply

  20. Abby says

    Oh, how I hope you will tackle the mirror framing first! The former owners of our house put a GIANT builder grade mirror over the fireplace in our living room and I am dying to frame it out for a more custom/high end look. I have seen a few tutorials online, but I trust no one the way I trust you all YHL to lead me in the right direction. I can’t wait to see your strategy!!

    Reply

    • Kaitlyn says

      Mine is the exact same! I am thinking of using that foam type molding to make it lightweight. Can’t wait to see what John and Sherry dream up!

  21. Leah says

    Oooh, I love how those turquoise knobs knock such a powerful and tranforming punch! That’s amazing! Now I’m wanting to change out all the knobs on my bathroom cabinets. . . might help if I finalized a color scheme first, lol.

    Look forward to seeing what you do with the fabric and mirror.

    Reply

  22. cherise says

    We’re now doing one of out guest bathrooms as well and we just last week framed out the contractor mirror with some douglas fir strips that were scraps from our dining table my husband built. Love how the little things make such a big difference. And then I discovered clavos! Just haven’t figured out how to attach them yet. I’m hoping somewhere, for some project, at some time, you’re going to want to put on a clavo and and blog all about it! Hahahaha. Can’t wait to see what you guys do with your mirror!

    I finally got the book! And now I have house guests for the next 10 days so it’s sitting on my bedside table unopened. It’s just about killing me to get started.

    Have a good one!

    Reply

  24. Jamie says

    Do you think that the frosting film will stay on a bathroom window okay even though the window is right alongside of the tub so will get splashed with water & steam every day? Thanks!
    P.S. I’ve been obsessed with Ikat lately so I heart your curtain fabric choice. Can’t wait to see it finished! =)

    Reply

  25. Sue says

    Hi! This is my first comment – I’m one of your fans from Asia, by the way.

    Just thought I’d mention that you can actually have homemade film application spray. I had just moved into our home and we frosted all our bathroom windows and also did a few tinted ones on the larger windows. We used to use just water but recently managed to get hold of a tip where you just add a few drops of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (the yellow one) into a sprayer bottle. The shampoo supposedly doesn’t leave stains on the window – I just used normal washing detergent and it worked like a dream!

    Reply

  26. heather s. says

    Love the knobs! All of the window film I’ve installed mentions spraying the film once it is on your window so that your card (or squeegee or whatever you use to push out the bubbles) glides easily over the film, making it easier to push out the bubbles. Just a tip for anyone wanting to do this themselves.

    Reply

  27. Wendy says

    I’ve taken advantage of the Hobby Lobby 50% off knobs too. We got sturdy, high quality knobs for our kitchen for a fraction of what it would have cost if we’d gotten cheap-o knobs at Lowes or Home Depot.

    As an aside, you guys are my diy heros. Pretty sure that if I had just finished the week you guys had, the only thing on my to do list would be to sleep and watch tv. Way to be productive! :)

    Reply

  28. Donita says

    Those knobs are so pretty. The fabric is perfect. Tip: When I am not sure if I want to paint something or just leave it white, I use fabric or poster paper. I put the fabric or poster board against the item that I am thinking about painting. Then stand back, look at it from all angles. It’s not the same as paint, but gives you an idea if something will look too dark. If it would make the room look too small. :-)

    Reply

  30. Lisa Hansen says

    Do you know how the frosting would hold up on a window in the shower? We’re renters and our landlord frosted the window with the spray and 90% of it is gone off of the bottom pane of glass (I’m assuming it got wet from the shower spray). While our backyard is mostly private, I really hate showering as I’ve not been able to come up with a window covering solution!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think the film would hold up better than that. We haven’t had it on a shower window, but on bathroom windows that get fogged up all the time and it seems to be great!

      xo
      s

  31. Karen says

    The other night I had a dream you were pregnant… like way pregnant! You announced it with some sort of beach ball under the shirt stunt. I was super excited! I can clearly see from the photos that you are NOT 9 months preggo!

    Reply

  33. Katy says

    That fabric is fabulous! Your hall bathroom is coming along great, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I always love checking out all the neat/inspiring things you guys do in Petersik-Land!

    Reply

  36. Rita says

    One quick question! Okay well it might be long. I am on my THIRD doing of my window in my bath…The frost spray did NOT work (cracked and slid) so that was scraped off. Then today we did some “PRIVACY” film (textured) BUT it does not do privacy at night(not that the package said any of that)! Ahhhhh, hello. My question is does yours do night time privacy? You know cause we have one of those REALLY awkward windows.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, if you get the straight frosted stuff, in most cases from the outside you’re just a vague and fuzzy dark shadow- nothing graphic in our case (and we’ve used it quite a few times!).

      xo
      s

  38. Amanda says

    I love the frosted windows idea! I have an insanely awkward floor to ceiling window right by my toilet that faces the street… bad planning… may or may not have had some shameful run-ins with the garbage man. It’s currently covered in an old shade but would love to get rid of it! Definitely going to give this a try.

    Also added a fresh coat of paint to my bathroom this weekend. Amazing how small changes make all the difference!

    http://bit.ly/bravegirlboots

    Reply

  39. Nicki says

    The bathroom si looking awesome! I have been painting our oak kitchen cabinets for months now (in my spare time), and I finally finished them and my husband hung them today! I also started painting the walls in the kitchen and dining room. Two walls down. I am posting pictures of the kitchen cabinets on my blog tomorrow. Excited!

    Reply

  40. Stacey says

    I can totally see it coming together with that swatch of fabric. Must admit the wall colour with the fish canvas threw me a bit a week(?) ago. And it’s amazing the difference that fresh coat of paint has made. Thank you for all your hard work keeping us updated while your lives are so hectic. Your time management skills are level Superhero!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks so much Stacey! You’re so sweet! All this travel makes us crave projects like you wouldn’t believe! Haha! We couldn’t wait to get home and jump back into things!

  41. Kristy says

    I love your “punch-in-the-face” fabric and the image it evokes. So umm, I’m sure you’ve already seen pictures of Weston Bower and I’m thinking you and John better hurry up and have another girl and FAST before someone else’s baby has a chance to claim him! He’s so handsome!! :)

    Reply

  43. jeannette says

    i have another comment, sorry to spam you.
    you say, “sorry about that brassy old knob….”
    do visual dissonances leap out at you more in photographs? that is, do you see stuff in photos you don’t see in person? could you write a little bit about how seeing dissonance (if in fact you do) in pix helps or inspires design?
    i was very interested in your “middle” post, which was about the process of doing, redoing, living with it and redoing again, rather than the usual american way of just bulldozing through and living with the consequences of your very bad taste of three years ago. it seems as if harmony is an impelling value for your decisions, and i am wondering if photos help. by making the brassy old knob stick out?
    also, the new elle decor has a feature on “elegant cozy”. this rings a bell with me, and i think it may be what you all are after.
    meanwhile, i hope you’re not too tired and that all that cookies and cocoa isn’t causing….well it wouldn’t be montezuma’s revenge, but the opposite. fruit, guys. eat some clementines.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, absolutely! I always tell people I’m better at virtual room analysis (someone posts a pic on facebook and I toss out a suggestion) than anything in person. In person it’s a lot harder for me to take in scale and balance and color all at once – it’s so much easier in a 2-D photo since it’s flat and obvious discrepancies in color/finish/balance/scale/style seem to pop out a lot more! I’ve heard a lot of folks give this as a tip too (ex: if you’re selling your house take photos of each room and look at the pictures to see what’s wrong- are thing hanging too high or low on the walls? do certain areas feel cluttered? is a room out of balance with too much on one side?). It really seems to help!

      xo,
      s (& the fam)

  45. Sassafras says

    Each of our bathrooms has a fish canvas over the toidy! One I painted and one my son painted. Love the knobbies you installed.

    (my painting fish goes burp – I have a matching one planned where fish goes toot and in sons painting his fish are beautiful koi)

    Reply

  46. Lisa says

    Sherry and John,
    Question for you….I have an almost identical bathroom in our small house. It is being used by four of us (2 adults, 2 kids). My problem is, where on earth should I hang towels to dry? We have tried on the back of the door, but they never fully dry. Do you have any suggestions? I have been trying to figure this out for months now! There just is not a ton of wall space for a full towel bar.
    By the way, the bathroom looks great! Keep up the good work and thanks for being a huge inspiration for me!

    Reply

  50. Krista Haws says

    Hi you two! Bathroom is shaping up nicely! Ok, I have a “side note” question for you since you mentioned “marathon” hugs and snuggles with Clara and Burger. I am due with our first baby in 7 weeks and we have our pup Myles (mini weenie dog), who is very important to us and we pretty much treat him like the baby. I’m really worried after the baby is born, he’s going to feel pushed aside and have a lot of trouble adjusting. His whole life is going to change drastically! I’m wondering how you guys handled that big transition and how well Burger did. Did you do anything special? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :) Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no, the key is that we went out of our way to cuddle Burger more! That way he associated Clara with great things and not bad ones and there was no bad blood! We even brought him a treat and a new toy when she came home with us, so he always felt attended to! Hope it helps.

      xo
      s

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *