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…
LauraC says
John, you crack me up. Ok, there, gave in to temptation . . . couldn’t resist . . . hahaha!
Megan S says
LOL! Love this post guys! I am really enjoying all the changes you are doing that make a huge impact!
Alyson says
WOW! I basically had the same bathroom, but in ugly teal!
http://365photogblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/awesome-birthday-gift.html
When re-done, http://365photogblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/awesome-birthday-gift.html
It’s a beauty! Good luck with that project :)
Alyson says
Oops! Wrong link to when it’s done…
http://365photogblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/renovation.html
Can’t wait to see yours finished!
deb says
LOVE the yellow tile. Please don’t demolish it!!
YoungHouseLove says
We mentioned in the post that we’re adding gray paint to work with it! No worries Deb!
xo,
s
Brooke Buckingham says
We had the same full length mirror issue in our bathroom! I couldn’t even get through one day of watching myself…. fill in the blank… before I had to rip that mirror down. Such a weird place to put a mirror! :)
sarah says
‘John on John moment’…hilarious!
Nicole says
Amazing what one little switch can do to a room!
LittleMissEclectic says
I love gray with yellow. Also turquoise and yellow are good together.
sarah says
I actually like the retro yellow tile. I think that it would look great with grey paint! I think that it is great that you are going to work with what you have.
Kali says
I never noticed how much “mirrorage” was in the house until all these posts. Someone either thought it brightened the place up or they just really, really liked to look at themselves, all the time. Best photo ever of John on the John.
Alanna says
Can’t wait to see how the bathroom turns out… we have the exact same tile on the walls in the guest bath of our 1961 ranch. My husband and I have been at a loss as to what to do in there.
rebecca says
What a great idea! I think i will do that.
anne marie says
Nicely done, P’s! a few little tweaks and the little loo is more inviting already!
But I’m curious – that chrome train-shelf style towel rack you removed is pretty great (and I’ve been looking for something similar). Do you two have plans to re-use it somewhere else in the house? bathroom? kitchen? bedroom? You could even use it as ‘hall tree’ type thing – add some decorative “s” hooks on the lower rail and hang coats & scarves?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Anne Marie,
It’s in our figure-out-if-we-want-to-repurpose-this-or-donate-it pile. Will pose if we move it somewhere else for sure!
xo,
s
Heidi M. says
Haha… John on the John cracks me up. Brings a whole new meaning to that awesome 80s Michael Jackson song “I’m starting with the Man in the Mirror.”
Whitney says
Love the updates, but was wondering – without countertop space, or any storage under the sink, or any shelves, and now no medicine cabinet….where does your guest put their own toiletries? I know that’s a real issue for me in my mid-century bathroom – there’s nowhere to set my makeup as I apply it in the morning! Where do they put their toothbrush/toothpaste? Razor?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Whitney,
We didn’t have any medicine cabinet in our old house (nor a lot of counter space or shelves) and back then we were all sharing one bathroom! So we figure this one’s a luxury since it’s all their own. We figure they’ll rest their toothbrushes across the toothbrush holder (since they don’t fit inside) or even on the side of the sink. And see that tray on the top of the toilet? That doesn’t have to stay (it’s just plopped there for now) so it might be where our guests put a toiletry bag or something if they have one of those. We just figure that most people don’t open a medicine cabinet at a house they’re staying at and put their stuff inside. We were taught never to open other people’s medicine cabinets for fear of being called nosy! Haha.
xo,
s
Vicky says
Hi J+S: I had a question about your medicine cabinet: did you just remove the mirror and not the cabinet itself and replaced the mirror? Does that mean it’s still got storage when you open the mirror?
Thanks!
– Vicky
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Vicky,
We removed the whole medicine cabinet and hung a mirror in it’s place. No storage behind it, but we figure our guests hopefully won’t be bringing a bag of prescription pills and tweezers and all the other stuff that’s usually stored in one so we should be ok. We actually didn’t have medicine cabinets in either of our bathrooms in the other house either!
xo,
s
Vicky says
Oh was the medicine cabinet just hanging out the wall and not “built” into the wall? I have medicine cabinets too in our master bath (on two sides of the sink, above the sink is another mirror!) but if i remove the cabinet itself there will be a big hole in the wall! any ideas?? if i removed the mirrors and just replaced them with art (and still have storage behind) is that weird????
– Vicky
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Vicky,
Scroll back for that info. Ours had a small recess behind it but the mirror completely covered it so we didn’t rush to patch anything.
xo,
s
Bethany says
I am so excited about this post for completely selfish reasons. We have a medicine cabinet that is rusted (past the point of CLR). Really? I can just pop it off and put up another mirror? Should I be worried about what lurks behind….? That’s been my hesitation.
Oh and your fav Nate just talked about this tile “decals” “stickers” that you can put on tiled including broken ones. Did you see that? Not sure how they look in person but could work.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Bethany,
In theory you should definitely just be able to pop it off and put up a bigger mirror to hide the indentation in the wall, but of course you could find something crazy I guess. We’d bet you won’t though. It’s usually just a little cut out box that you can cover and forget about. Or you can google around and learn how to patch drywall.
As for my Nate Berkie, I missed the cool tile decal things he mentioned but I’m intrigued. I’ll have to check them out!
xo,
s
Bethany says
I did it! I did it!!
Well, my roommate did the actual pulling off of the old rusty medicine cabinet. And despite my total fear, it wasn’t very scary back there at all. Whew!
We covered up the hole by putting up a cheap-ish medicine cabinet I’d found at IKEA.
It’s amazing what a little diy’ing (and finally fixing something that’s been bugging/ grossing me out for years) can do to lift your spirits!! Haha!
Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration.
YoungHouseLove says
So proud! Congrats girl!
xo,
s
Christina says
I have a question for you, how do you remove the towel bar above the toilet without damazing the tiles? Are they glued on? I always thought they were screwed in.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Christina,
Scroll back for that info. It’s not usually possible to remove those without damaging the tile behind them. We removed the towel rack/bar on the wall above the toilet, but not the one in the tile. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Katie V. says
Haha, John on john – hilarious!
Kristin says
Huh-larious. Thanks for the smiles today!
Sarah S says
Wow, that bathroom is eerily similar to mine, except that mine is in blue. I’ve got the same tile, the same (unremovable) towel bar fixtures, the same two holder things over the sink, same toilet paper holder. One of my towel bars is also right above the toilet, which I think is a suboptimal place for it, and there isn’t a lot of other wall real estate to put another one in, but I’m having a hard time figuring out how to hang towel hooks in my hollow core doors. The over-the-door kind scuff the frame, so for now I’m using ugly adhesive plastic ones. Any tips?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
We hang hooks in hollow core doors all the time by screwing them in with some Liquid Nails on the back to reinforce them. They never teeter or fall off that way!
xo,
s
April says
I actually laughed-out-loud multiple times today so had to post. You guys are too much! So excited about this new house; your creativity and eye(s) for design are a total inspiration when it comes to renovating my 1920s bungalow. Thanks.
Lindsey says
Ohhh… Grey and yellow is one of my favourite colour combos right now, so I think that’s going to look stunning!
Jill Stigs says
I have seen the soap and toothbrush holders taken out along with all the tiles in between, the wall patched and a shelf installed instead. Looked a lot better.
Can’t wait to see this bathroom gray!
Emily says
I just have to say…those tiles on your floor? Those are my grammy’s tiles. She has the exact same ones in her bathroom. Courtesy of 1950.
They made me smile and think of my grammy.So thanks for the unexpected wave of nostalgia.
Jean says
You make everything look so simple — and obvious! Hey, I really like your yellow tile. It’s retro and fun and it looks like it’s in good shape.
shana says
I am in love with your retro yellow tile in the bathroom (it looks like it’s in great shape too) and think gray will make it look all very current. We have a gray and yellow palette in our house – actually we started with it just in the dining room with this wallpaper in the yellow http://www.sanderson-uk.com/DesignDetails.aspx but on your advice from past posts we’ve carried it throughout the house as its a small wee house and it does make it all seem tied together and larger. Yeah you guys – thanks for continuing to teach me new things – my house is better for it!
annette moore says
Do you guys plan on changing out hardware-like door knobs, etc? Did you do it in your old house? We have a house full of bronze door knobs which I hate, but to replace them all including hinges, etc isn’t cheap.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Annette,
We actually have a crazy idea of trying to spray paint them oil-rubbed bronze. It might not work but we figure it’s worth a shot before going out and replacing them. We’ll post all about our process/results when we get there!
xo,
s
Whitney says
Did you fill the hole that was left in the wall once you removed the old medicine cabinet or did you just cover up the hole in the wall with the new mirror?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Whitney,
The new mirror covered the recessed portion, so we just hung it right in front of it. Scroll back for more details and info on that subject!
xo,
s
Lililee says
I love the idea of putting molding up around the door length mirror in the bathroom. If looking into a mirror while you’re bent over the sink seems awkward, would it be possible to frost or etch the mirror with a really awesome pattern or design?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lililee,
Sure! Anything’s a possibility really. We’re thinking we’ll leave it unfrosted to check out our clothes (since it’s right across from the closet) but you never know…
xo,
s
KathyG says
I spy a super-cheap Ikea-hack for some added function in that guest bathroom – in the long run, of course. ;-)
Viv says
I love the retro look of the bathroom.
Tovah says
Decorative hooks might be a fun way to “dress up” your guest bathroom. I actually had different hooks in mind that I wanted to suggest (I swear I saw some white ceramic deer head hooks at world market that I thought were cute but can’t find them online) however in my search I came across this and also thought it was cute. http://www.hooklady.com/H/h206.htm
Not that you guys need advice but after reading today’s blog it was what I thought of:)
Katie says
LOL! Seriously disturbing mirror placement… who in their right mind would have done that? Only thing I can think of is a house full of teenage girls who were desperate for mirror space because they had to share a bathroom or something. And it doesn’t really seem appropriate to let the mind wander to any other possible scenarios….
Thanks for the laugh today!
Jenn says
That might be the funniest pic you’ve ever posted!
Future Mama says
Wow…why would someone put a mirror there?! Ha!
Much love,
Future Mama
http://expectingablessing.blogspot.com/
Kaisa says
Any plans on covering up the pipes under that sink? I’ve got a similar sink in my apartment (although mine is a hundred times uglier and run down looking) and have been trying to think of ways to disguise it a bit.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kaisa,
We’re ok with the exposed pipes, but you could always switch things out for a pedestal sink that covers things more (or something with a vanity base). You could even skirt it by using fabric and securing it with velcro. Good luck!
xo,
s
alma says
Little things make a big difference. I have one question, where do you go with things you no longer need? For example the metal rod. My hubby and I are finally cleaning out the basement, but we have no idea where to go with the items we no longer need. Most of them are clearly trash but paying to get rid of that stuff seems like money that we would spend and could have easily used to get the basement in better shape.
Alma
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Alma,
We always donate them to the Habitat For Humanity ReStore! Someone somewhere might be looking for that exact thing!
xo,
s
jbhat says
It looks so much better in there. You guys have such a knack for knowing what to edit, and your changes are usually so simple, but oh-so-effective. And it’s such a charming bathroom, too. I partiuclarly love the marble threshold (if that’s what I am spying). I am looking forward to seeing the room with gray on the walls. Someday…!
jbhat
Melissa says
While I wouldn’t want one in my primary bathroom, I really dig that sink in there! So unique and quirky – fun for a guest bath. :)
If you did remove all those tile-mounted items (soap dish, toothbrush holder, towl bars) … you could then replace those lines of tile all around the room. Maybe in some funky kind of tile. Or just repair the drywall after removing those rows and have the yellow end lower on the walls. I dunno, just a thought. Keep up the great work!
Melissa says
Okay, after reading the comment about John and Clara’s monkey toes I had to go look at her pics – she totally does have those toes. LOL Too funny!
My husband bequeethed his Flintstone feet to two of my sons. Hmm.
kim says
nice yellow bathroom to check out
http://www.hgtv.ca/sarahshouse/theshow.aspx?sectionid=399&categoryid=8295226515459576536&postid=124183
Val says
On covering pipes–you can buy a stand that matches your sink to cover exposed pipes. I think they look great myself, but in my case the previous owner replaced metal pipes with pvc, so we left the stand in place.
carmel @ our fifth house says
Hahaha- this post made me giggle ;)
xo- Carmel
Paula says
I have full mirrors on both sides of the bathroom door. I’m scared to take them down. What if they are hiding a hole that goes right through the door?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Paula,
Haha, could be! But we’d bet against it. Somehow a while ago it was a trend to put mirrors everywhere! Crossing our fingers for you!
xo,
s
Thelma musser says
We have that EXACT tile in our main bathroom. I tried more then one color before I found a light blue toned grey that goes perfectly. Unfortunately I don’t have a color name since I sorta just dumped some paint together as a last ditch effort:-)
Val says
Lucky! I did the same thing to a similarly awkward mirror in our bathroom and underneath was a perfect rectangle of deep, dark, merlot paint. Homegirl who owned the house before just painted around that sucker…geesh…lol…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha that’s hysterical. Especially because of your use of homegirl. Love it.
xo,
s
Lindsey says
You two are seriously hysterical – how did you find each other?! I love your personalities – they totally jump out of the computer screen. Thanks for the laughs!