Our recent flurry of mirror-related projects means my repertoire of pun-riddled mirror references is growing thin. Our latest victim was the guest bathroom. We figured after swapping out the medicine cabinet in our master bath, that we might as well do the same in the guest bath. Especially since our guests won’t exactly need a medicine cabinet. At least we hope not.
It was still functional, but had definitely seen better days (the interior metal cabinet was starting to rust- we think it was original to the house, which makes it almost 50 years old) and we figured we could do better than the plain silver frame. So two screws later it was off the wall and after another two minutes (ok, maybe I’m exaggerating, let’s say five) we were back in business:
It’s clearly nothing elaborate, but at least it was free (it was an old Target mirror that we’ve had for a couple of years). And we figure once we get some paint on those walls (we’re thinking some sort of muddy gray will hopefully add some sophistication with the yellow tile) the white frame will pop nicely off the wall and go hand in hand with other clean white objects like the trim, sink, toilet, etc.
We also took a moment to remove the large room-encroaching metal shelf & towel bar. You can see it gone in the photo below and scroll back up to see it in action above the john. We figure we’ll add two clean looking hooks to the inside of the bathroom door for guests to hang their towels, and the room might benefit from some crisp art on the wall, just so it feels a bit less utilitarian. Oh and speaking of the inside of the bathroom door, we decided to remove the full length mirror that you see in the pic below. Not just to free up space for those towel hooks that we mentioned…
… but also to remedy the uncomfortable placement. See, if our guests went in there to do their business, they’d get a view similar to this one. Minus the jeans. Awkward.
Removing it was a cinch. Since it wasn’t glued to the door, I just had to remove the single clip on the right side, and then carefully slide that baby out (it had two clips on the top and the bottom, and one on each side). Once it was off the door, I removed the rest of the clips. Here’s the best one handed “in progress” shot that I got.
And here’s the door as it stands now. We’ve still gotta putty over the screw holes left by all of the mirror clips and then hang our towel hooks but we feel pretty good that we’ve saved our guests from having to experience their very own “John on john” moment. If they happen to be named John. Otherwise switch the first John out with their name (like how I overexplained that for you?).
Oh, and you probably remember that we’ve got another one of these mirrors on the master bathroom door (on the outside, fortunately). We were thisclose to taking it off moments after finishing this project, but suddenly started second-guessed ourselves. We’re now thinking that instead of removal, we might leave it be and someday upgrade it with a nice frame of molding around it so it looks built-in. We’ll see…
Mindy@FindingSilverLinings says
Hahahaha! Why? You guys didn’t want to watch yourself on the potty? LOL! Why would anyone put a mirror there? Good call on the mirror removal John.
xo
Mindy
Mrs.B says
Ha! Your guest bathroom is the lost twin of our current bathroom! From the crazy 50’s yellow all the way to the towel racks and soup holders. Since we are only renting our lovely apartment until this Spring, we aren’t planning any major updates but it will be fun to see what you do to yours! Good luck ;)
rebecca says
I forgot to ask something. We have this god aweful poopy brown color tile in our bathroom (its a rental so we have to make it work), do you have any wall color suggestions to make it work? It’s a very small bathroom and about 75% of it is brown tile (I know gross!). Right now we have a white shower curtain up.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rebecca,
Why not post pics on our facebook page to get some ideas? Good luck!
xo,
s
Dena says
I see that you have two fixtures above the sink. Toothbrush holder and soapdish? I have these in my bathroom as well, and am really hoping to remove them (I don’t know if you have the same thought.) Is it possible to do this without ruining the tile underneath?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Dena,
Sadly it’ll probably ruin the tile underneath. We have no idea what we’ll do with ours, but we’ll share the details as we go!
xo,
s
Pamela S says
Whoa! The Target mirror you used is the exact one we have in our master bath x2. We painted the walls the color ‘Ethiopia’ from Behr (which looks only brown online but is really a muddy gray up on the wall, BTW). Crazy!
Tanya says
Your bathroom has the cutest sink! I’m excited to see you work with the tile. I think its a pretty colour. Grey will look lively with it.
~Tanya
dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com
Funnelcloud Rachel says
John on john – love it! I too, think the grey & yellow will look lovely!
Dawn says
Call me crazy, but I actually kind of like the yellow tile. With the right paint on the wall, it will all mesh well. I have seen a few DIY shows on DIY network that showed them painting tile with this kit called “painting tile for dummies”? It’s an epoxy/paint mixture and the ones I’ve seen have come out wonderfully.
Amy says
Do you plan on keeping the tiled walls/floor? We have a similar bathroom but the sink/toilet and bath is a pink-tan shade. And the cast iron tub (not claw foot) will be touch to move. I painted the walls to make the room more modern, but I don’t like the tiled walls and the built in toothbrush and soap holders and the towel racks. I can’t wait to see what you do! It is one of our low priority projects unfortunately :( And the only full bath!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amy,
Yup, for now working with what we have is the name of the game!
xo,
s
Amanda- Hip House Girl says
Your upgrades look great so far. So… am I correct to assume you’re keeping the tile and sink? I hope you say yes!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amanda,
Yes! At least for a nice long while.
xo,
s
Gary says
I got an off-topic question. Is that door a hollow-core door or a solid wood door?
I want to paint my trim white, but my interior doors are the cheap builder grade hollow core brown doors. I’m afraid they will look horrible if I paint them.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Gary,
Yup it’s hollow, but we paint those all the time!
xo,
s
Carey says
I like the retro yellow tile too – it looks like a nice warm yellow, and with the grayish paint, some art, and cute towels, that bathroom would be good to go! Cute! Good call on all the little changes you made.
Clare says
Has anyone else noticed that today’s toothbrushes no longer fit in the built-in toothbrush holders of mid-century homes? I remember as a kid (circa 1980s) that our brushes always fit perfectly in the slots, but now when I visit my parents, we have to rest them on top. Now what to do with the holder?
kate says
That toilet photo cracked me up!
sonya says
EW! That IS really creepy mirror placement for that one right in front of the toilet. Not really the first view I would want of myself in the morning. Your guests will certainly be thanking you for removing that one!! LOL!
Carrie says
Hi J & S-
I love the blog and think you both have great taste! Have you thought at all about replacing the flat doors with a six-paneled or more dimensional look?
P.S. Hi Burger! Miss your blog :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Carrie,
Of course someday we’d love to! We’re trying to take it one day at a time around here!
xo,
s
Mary C says
Love John-on-john! Sounds like a river in England. Or something. Re: bathroom mirrors, we have the mother of all mirrors in our back-to-back bathrooms – these things are 8′ long, 3′ tall. Talk about seeing yourself from the john. Any suggestions for getting these monsters out? I’d love to have someone cut off 4 reasonable pieces for me to reinstall and frame. Any suggestions youngsters?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Mary,
We’d try hiring a handyman to do it for you! They’re pretty affordable and they have a range of skills! Unless you guys wanna google around and DIY it yourselves of course!
xo,
s
Carter says
If you are looking into framing a mirror, check out http://www.MirrorMate.com. A friend of mine used them to frame one of those huge, ugly bathroom mirrors and it was super easy!
Marlene says
Where did you find the tray for the top of the toilet tank? I need some of those since mine are not flat and it’s hard to store/display items there.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Marlene,
It’s just a long dish from Target.
xo,
s
Anne says
Love it! The grey is going to look beautiful against the yellow and will help modernize it a bit.
I’d love your advice (and anyone else’s) about a color we could use in our mid-century bathroom. We have the oddest shade of bright green tile, almost like a light kelly green all over the walls with a black tile border. We’ve had the walls white forever and while I’m sick of the green tile we’d like to save $$ and do the eco-friendly thing and keep it. Any suggestions on paint colors that might work with the green and black?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Anne,
Why not post pics on our facebook page and get advice from lots of other readers? Good luck!
xo,
s
washdc says
We have a sink very much like that, in a 1929 house, and my husband found it less than charming. (He doesn’t like the look of exposed plumbing.) But before pulling it out we tried updating the faucet and handles and it got a whole new-but-still-vintage personality. Major savings in hassle and money.
Janie says
That is so funny, I think those racks are gorgeous and the perfect solution for guest bathrooms. Hooks don’t let towels dry, and the shelf gives you space to put the guest towels if the vanity is too small.
I also think having a medicine cabinet is a good way to keep Clara out of guests toiletries without having to give them the childproofing talk.
washdc says
Oh, and about that toothbrush holder. I have one of those too, and got a cute little vase to hold flowers. A wee potted plant would work too.
sonya says
I was also going to say… the yellow tile is probably not ideal but it can be made to look cute in the meantime. I did this in a house I was helping to remodel to go on the market and a bath remodel of similar yellow tile was not in the budget… so I added black and white accents and it changed the whole look of the room! Everyone said the room was hopeless and would turn off potential buyers, but the house sold in a month! Towels are amazing for disguising those fugly old built-in towel bars that you can’t replace…I used white towels w/ yellow accents arranged with black & white scroll towels I found on clearance at Homegoods…it’s just amazing what you can accomplish with just towels! Can’t wait to see what you guys do with the grey and yellow scheme!
Gina @ Temporary Nest says
Way to make do with what you have!! The gray is going to make that bathroom look so chic. I can’t paint my bathroom since I’m a renter but I have 3 different ivory with beige speckled tile in my bathroom. I have chocolate brown towels left from an old bathroom that worked but now this room is sooooo blah. Any color tips for accessories with beige on beige on beige? Because I die inside a little every time I set foot in there.
http://temporary-nest.blogspot.com/2010/09/bathroom-breakthrough.html
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Gina,
Why not post pics on our facebook page to get some ideas? Good luck!
xo,
s
Kathy says
I know those old medicine cabinets do get rusty, but isn’t it amazing how they used to make things to last?! Talk about sustainable! 50 years old and still functional!
Sara says
I just think it’s amazing that a 50’s house has a “master” bathroom. We have one in our 1952 ranch that we just renovated, but kept our 50’s hall (main) bath. In the master I used small mosaic floortile that is reminiscent of the 50’s tile.
For the toothbrush holder dilema, I recommend using a small votive holder or bud vase in the little cup holder slot. Or if you have enough clearance under the medicine cabinet, add a small cup to hold your toothbrushes.
Kim says
Love the simple change you did by removing the medicine cabinet. When you removed it, did you patch the wall behind it and the put the new mirror over? We are starting our own DIY remodel of our bathroom (which looks identical to your old full bath…we even have the same tub!) and want to replace the medicine cabinet with an updated framed mirror.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kim,
Scroll back for that info. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Megan says
Haha – I can’t believe the previous owners left that mirror on there! I am sure glad I was never a guest there. But now you have a great full length mirror that you can frame out in some cool wood and add it to another room… since I know you like mirrors.
Kristina says
John’s face reminds me of the new Ricola commercial. Are you sure John’s not a latin dancer with really bad cough timing?
Sheila says
*laughing* Funny post. Way to make a ‘boring’ task seem like fun, John!
Mirrors are staging tricks, they bounce light and help things look bigger and brighter. I’d bet they added that mirror as part of their home staging to sell.
Sarah (Sarah Learns) says
haha, i love the “john on john” photo! i have experienced bathrooms with this unfortunate mirror placement. no one wants to see that.
Jenn L says
Bahahaha! I can imagine a confused guest staring at themself on the toilet thinking “I dont want to look.. but I can’t look away!” haha awkward!!!!!
Nice little facelift for the guest back! Good job! =)
xoXOxo
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons
Renee says
I have a mid-century house as well and I’ve found lots of tile tips, etc. on a blog called, http://www.retrorenovation.com Pam has lots of great tips for restoring your house, as well as finding replacements for things like tiles. Her site is more into preserving the mid-century look.
Kristen says
Love the update! And I think you made an excellent decision in removing that door mirror!
Cathi says
Love everything about this blog! Have you considered skirting the little sink in this cute yellow bath.?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Cathi,
We have seen that done and it’s very charming but it’s not quite the clean-lined look we usually gravitate towards. Who knows what we’ll do in there though! We’ll keep you posted…
xo,
s
Shar Y says
Love the photo of John on the john!
Rebecca @ the lil house that could says
That mirror placement is hysterical! I don’t even know what else to say, but how the heck did the previous owners put up with that??
I love the idea of painting the walls gray. Gray and yellow are such a hot combo right now! We used to have baby blue tile in our old place and when we were selling, we had a really difficult time trying to think of what color to paint the walls to make it scream a little less of “hey! there’s blue tile and a blue toilet in here!” At least your john is white! :)
Allison K says
Man your guys’ small projects are making me want to start working on my house! I’ve only been a reader for the past few months, so I wasn’t around when you were working on your previous house. We bought our house almost 3 years ago and have made lots of changes, but there are still lots of small things like mirrors, and annoying towel racks that we haven’t gotten around to. and major things, like putting the baseboards back on the bathroom after redoing the floor almost two years ago….oops!
Emily Anderson says
I actually really like that bathroom! I love the lighting fixture and the wall mounted sink and the butter colored tiles. Call me weird, but I’m totally into the authentic vintage bathroom look.
Cheri @ I Heart Old Houses says
I’m kind of smitten with your retro yellow tile…it’s so happy looking! Though I agree that the matching soapdish/toothbrush holders should probably go somehow.
misa says
i love that bathroom. i can’t wait to see it all fixed up. also, that picture of john is hysterical.
Anna @ The Owl and The Phoenix says
I just love that yellow tile! So cute – and much more interesting than cream (which is what I have – blah!)
Tara says
Looking good! My childhood home has a full-length mirror behind the toilet. Never bother us three girls and my mom used it to put on her makeup. But I always warned boyfriends that it was there…
Val says
I adore the yellow tile, and I so appreciate that you are all about working with what you have.
I have a 50s bathroom, and the medicine cabinet has a slot for used razors–if we ever open that wall, we’ll find a pile of them.
Also, my toothbrushes fit in the holder just fine–so there are less chunky toothbrushes available.
Val says
One more thing–any plans for the light fixture? I am looking to replace mine eventually (I like the shade but the fixture is rusted), so that is a tutorial that would rock.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Val,
Yes of course! When we get there we’ll share the goods!
xo,
s
haverwench says
A modest proposal: you might consider keeping the vintage light fixture, but frosting the clear glass shades with spray paint (e.g., Krylon or RustOleum).
Cynthia says
You see the mirrors that are everywhere in the house we live in. It used to be my husband’s grandmother and so now we live in it. There isn’t a mirror when you use the restroom but on the opposite side. I wish I could remove ours but I think it’s glued on as well and if I decide to remove it, it’ll be ugly underneath. Plus I’d trade you bathroom colors for yours. I hate the color of mine!
Sara says
Love this post. You guys are too funny.
Allison M. says
We just bought our first house this fall, and we have the same yellow tile and towel bars on the tile too. I think I might use your idea of painting the wall a gray color. I think I appreciate your new house a lot more, because we also just moved into a home and we are facing a lot of the same issues. TOO MANY UGLY MIRRORS! :) It’s kind of fun to see you guys going through the same tasks we are.
Veronica says
Very cute post! You make a simple job seem fun and interesting! Our 1948 colonial had all of the original bathrooms when we moved in. Our first floor powder room is a yellowish tile that goes up the wall like yours with black rounded caps at the top. Instead of completing demo-ing the whole thing (which wasn’t in the budget), we put in some black granite tile flooring (over the existing tile which wasn’t a problem), a white pedestal sink and I painted the walls an ivory color that sort of blends in. Then I hung a black glossy mirror and some black and white photos. I can’t tell you how many compliments we get on that bathroom..people think we redid the entire thing but it was fairly cheap. I like the look of the retro tile since it stays with the character of the house.
In our other bathroom which was a salmon pink tile, we hired a guy who was able to put white subway tile over the pink tile and then we put a travertine floor over the original floor. We had already gutted the master bath the previous year and it’s such a mess (as you know) so we wanted a cheaper, easier solution. The tile in our house is 60 years old and it took two guys over 12 hours to remove it from a fairly small bathroom. They also damaged a lot of our plaster walls in the process! I swear the tile had about 4 inches of mud behind it..it wasn’t going anywhere. They don’t make ’em that way anymore. Again, you can’t even tell that there is tile over the original tile and it really updated the space! I don’t think many people know how to tile over existing tile but the guy that we hired did a great job and has done this many other times. We considered reglazing the tiles but we heard from many people that the glaze starts to chip off after a short amount of time so we opted to cover the existing tiles with a basic subway tile from Lowes.
I am loving all of your play-by-play posts and you have definitely inspired me to get some projects done around my house!