We’re about to hop on a plane back from Boston (which is thankfully not canceled, despite the snowy weather), so this post is up a little early for ya but your comments might not pop up for a little while. Anyway, we’ve debated potential colors for the walls in this hall bathroom from almost the day that we moved in. For a while we were on the deep blue train, but after putting that in the adjacent guest bedroom, we’ve been going back and forth between several other options. Dark? Light? Colorful? Muted?
We finally found our focus when we put that bright fish painting on our whitewashed shelf. Suddenly we had a direction. Toned-down-but-not-completely-neutral walls with colorful accents (sort of like we’ve been doing throughout the rest of our house, but this time with a new undertone – plum). Yup, we went for it. Sherry flipped through our paint deck and plucked out Elephant Gray by Benjamin Moore (we went for a nice bathroom-friendly satin finish, and only needed a quart for the job). Like many of our walls, it was grayish – but unlike Moonshine, it had a warmer plummy undertone to it.
Just like we’ve done in our other bathrooms, we chose to paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. We find that in small rooms like these it actually makes the room feel bigger because the ceiling isn’t some jarring white plane and it all feels seamless and lofty. The pic below is a bit grainy because I had to zoom way in. My painting outfit involved just boxers and while maybe I should be flattered that Sherry thought that was worth sharing, I decided we should maintain some mystery in my relationship with you guys…
It wasn’t until we finished that we both stepped back and said “oh yeah, this kind of reminds us of Granny’s bathroom.” We were both so happy with how her bathroom makeover turned out, perhaps it was a subconscious inspiration. They look more similar in these photos than they do in person, since Granny’s “Hint of Violet” was lighter and felt more purple than gray while ours is definitely darker and more plummy (less pinky and pastel than Granny’s).
But either way, the idea of having a Granny-inspired bathroom in our own house is kind of awesome.
See how it pulls from the painting a bit, while providing a nice backdrop for the brighter oranges and blues – which we’ll definitely be bringing out a lot more with some crazy bold fabric that Sherry wants to use for a roman shade.
Here’s the other side of the room too. It’s nice that the soft and moody tone of the paint looks nice with some of the metal accents – like our iron horse head towel hook and the ORB light – to fit right in. But looking at these photos, it makes it painfully obvious how much we need to frame out that builder-bland mirror. Soon I hope!
That’s probably next on our list. Well, that or making a roman shade. Sherry’s got fabric hanging around that she’s been dying to use so we’ll see who wins and gets ‘er done first. #maytheoddsbeeverinmyfavor
The best part about this latest update? That fact that we’re making the existing tile work. I was not excited at the idea of busting that stuff out and starting all over, and it’s in much better shape than the tile in our first house’s bathroom, for which we’re eternally grateful! You know we love to use what we’ve got. So thanks to just a quart of paint, the room definitely looks a lot more polished and welcoming than it did just a few days ago:
What are you guys painting? Are you psyched that we went with a plummy gray after dropping the word plum at least thirty times in the past two years since we moved in? I gotta say, I’m a dude and I love my plum bathroom. Just don’t call it purple. For some reason that’s not nearly as enticing…
Camille says
I love the tile work in that bathroom and I hope you never change it. On another note, one of the first houses I rented with friends after college was a huge, historic mansion in an upscale neighborhood (don’t ask how we got to live there). It was on the market but took over a year to sell: primarily because in the 70’s all 5 bathrooms had been redone with different obnoxious color schemes. It was a remodeling nightmare: the master bath had a mauve tub, mauve sink, mauve toilet. Another bathroom was all yellow, another all olive green. You get the picture. Bad tile is one thing, but bad EVERYTHING is another animal altogether!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah! I can’t imagine! That must have made for an awesome “before” though! I love a good (aka: baaad) before! Hah.
xo
s
Felicia says
Hi Sherry and John!
This isn’t about the bathroom redo (though I love the new color!), but wanted to say thanks so much for coming to Boston! It was so awesome to meet you and I loved how peppy and kind you two were even near the end of the line of peeps waiting to get the book! And the YHL house cookies were totally delish – hope you got to eat one!
Also, I have to ask if you guys ever look at pictures of spaces and give advice? I live in an apartment in Boston with my boyfriend and we are SERIOUSLY lacking in storage. Any el cheapo suggestions/super DIY stuff to do? I just got this GREAT NEW BOOK called Young House Love so I am going to check there too! ;)
Thanks so much!
PS I’m the Felicia whose sister lives in DC and is coming to your book signing there! In case the connection helps!
YoungHouseLove says
Yay! So glad you came Felicia! You guys were all amazing to come out in the storm and we love you!! So glad the cookies and the cocoa were there to keep you warm! And as for advice and pics, post something on our FB page (a pic and a question). That way others can weigh in with ideas and we can try to get some in there too! Hahaha, and thanks for checking out our book. Hope you love it! Oh and we can’t wait to meet your sister in DC!
xo
s
Kristin says
Will your book be for sale at the event tonight? Or should I stop at a local book store and pick up a copy. Looking forward to this evening.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, there will be piles of books at all of our events! Wahoo! So excited for tonight!
xo
s
Krithiga says
Feeling bummed about missing you guys yesterday. You were right in my neighborhood, but it was @ 6 when Boston traffic is at worst (added to it our first snow) and I would ended upgoing home at 9 after work which is difficult with two little ones.
Enough whining..here is hoping I win your giveaway tomorrow :D
YoungHouseLove says
Aw man, so sorry to have missed you but we totally understand! It was a rough night with that storm. Maybe next time we end up in Boston it’ll be sunny and we can have a do-over! Haha.
xo
s
Donna says
Love the Elephant gray! I’m so surprised it shows up so “plum”. I looked at the swatch in my deck when I was considering bedroom paint and thought it looked too gray. Since my bedroom is still a patchwork of swatches I may need to grab a sample of it before I commit. I admire your ability to try new things and commit without a year of patchwork living so to speak. Also I really like the black and white tile. I’m glad you can make it work for your style.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’ve learned that things that look really gray on the swatch usually have more color on the wall (ex: our kitchen color, Sesame, almost looks khaki on the swatch but has a lot more avocado green on the wall). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Jules says
We have an nearly identical main bath to this. However ours is not in the same condition. Actually it was originally black with purple tile but the previous owner glazed it white, but the glaze job was poor and the tub leaks and needs to be ripped out. Here’s my question, if you were doing a gut job in here, would you replace the tile up the walls with regular drywall or add another tile around the whole bathroom? (Obviously the tub surround should be tile again) Would you ever consider bead board?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah beadboard would be awesome!
xo
s
Tipling says
I actually really like the plum-grey. I think it makes the bathroom look soft and inviting. Side note, will you be posting a tutorial for making the roman shade? I have a window I need to make one for in my Kitchen and just can’t seem to find something that works for me. Even if it is not a “true” Roman its ok, its the look I am going for. Thanks for all your help!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, you know we love to overshare, so as soon as I tackle it I’ll share all the deets!
xo
s
Jill says
I know this comment is unrelated to this post, but I just have to say…I GOT MY COPY OF YOUR BOOK IN THE MAIL TODAY!!! YIPPPEEE! I know it’s silly, but I almost cried. What a beautiful book. The two of you are such a perfect example of hard work and the beauty of being genuine – a true inspiration. Thank you for sharing a bit of your lives and yourselves with us. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go read this awesome book I just got. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Jill, you’re so sweet! Thanks so much!! So glad you love it.
xoxo
Sherry (& John)
Ashley @ Any Lovely Thing & Yeah. We Bake. says
Oh my gosh! The “grum,” I’m coining that, looks incredible. I would never in a million years think to use that color in a bathroom, but it looks SO gorgeous.
xo,
Ashley
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, grum! I love it.
xo
s
Jenn says
I LOVE the color! Definitely brightens the place up without being overly dramatic. It even makes your white vanity and toilet look whiter! And goes fabulously with the fish painting. Nice job!
Natasha says
I have been wanting a roman shade for one of my rooms for so long but the prices to get them made with a fabric of your choice costs> 100$ !!!! Any ideas on how you plan to make your roman shade? where can I buy a kit for it and not spend like 100$ on it??!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m going to try to figure something out and will post all about it when I do!
xo,
s
Sam says
That colour is gorgeous. I never would have thought of it for a bathroom, but it looks great. Again, thumbs up!!
xx
Eve says
It looks fabulous! Funnily enough I picked out that same color for the bathroom in the upstairs flat at my mom’s house recently too. I loved how it looked against the black floor and white fixtures, and so did my mom (who usually never ever strays from white walls). What color frame are you guys going to put up? I can see a nice deep rustic wood – a la your console table. It would tie in nicely with the lights and carry the feel of the black tile around/provide some continuity. Can’t wait to see the funky fabric!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m not sure about the frame yet. Still debating. Will keep you posted!
xo,
s
jenb says
Love the color and that you painted the ceiling! This is my first home without popcorn ceilings, so I’m going to give it a go, too! BTW, got your book in the mail on Tuesday and am enjoying it so much. I shattered my ankle on Sunday, so the book has been a great pick-me-up. Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! Feel better! And so glad you’re enjoying the book!
xo,
s
Lindsey says
This is why you guys are the pros and I am a hapless, hopeless home owner… I just don’t “get” the shelf or the shades of grey obsession (har har). It does seem to all work itself out, I just can never see where it is going while you have it in progress! Kudos to being patient with the naysayers! :)
Kari says
Man, that inexpensive, fairly simple step made such an impact! Do you regret not doing it sooner?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! But we probably would have picked another color and I love this on so maybe it was worth the wait!
xo,
s
Meg says
So funny… I’m also in the middle of a bathroom reno (full gut minus tub and toilet). My boyfriend and I recently finished up putting in white subway tile with a black stripe and we have chosen the same tile you have on your floor in there. (I know, so many people use those styles/colors, but they’re so nice.) The funny part is, that is the exact same paint color we chose to paint our bathroom!! (I picked it in May, but we’ve yet to get to the painting part – long story short, it’s our only bathroom so we’re doing it piecemeal [without any outside help] and we got held up after doing the shower surround re-tile when I had to go in for an emergency appendectomy…)
I guess great minds think alike! Or at least choose the same paint color!! It looks fabulous and makes me confident that I’ve chosen well! It’s sort of like seeing into the future!! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
LOVE that! Good luck with everything!
xo,
s
Tessa says
<3 the paint color & <3 the painting. I think you should actually hang the painting on the wall & put some cute accessories on the shelf. Or maybe painting the shelf dark as someone else has suggested would ground the painting better…
YoungHouseLove says
We’re definitely open to all of those things! Will keep you posted as we go!
xo,
s
Lauren says
This looks so great. I wasn’t sure about the tile before, but now I don’t think you should change it! Amazing what a new color can do.
I have older white tile similar to this in my shower. The tiles themselves look fine, but the grout is looking a little less white than I would like. Do you have any tips for cleaning/whitening the grout lines?
Hope you have/had a safe flight home!
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone have tips? We haven’t tackled that yet.
xo,
s
Christine says
“Boomin’ Granny”!, you nailed it! Great color choice. (Oh, I hope you get the Beastie Boys reference.)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha,love me some Beastie Boys.
xo,
s
Christy says
Totally unrelated to this post, but I couldn’t find the last Pinterest thing. Pinterest finally has private boards!!! So exciting.
YoungHouseLove says
No way!
xo,
s
Kristie says
I am suuuuuper impressed with how your new grey softens the room but makes the art and accessories pop! I painted my bathroom Porpoise from Behr not that long ago, which is also from the purple grey family. I have since been stuck with how to accessorize and more than a little worried that I had made the wrong choice. BUT, seeing your bathroom has given me the confidence to quit hesitating and wade in. I think I’m going to start with a water-themed picture!
Thank you!
Courtney K says
Looks great you two! I love the plumpish grey. Have y’all thought about maybe bringing in your love of oil-rubbed bronze to the vanity hardware? It might help pull out the black in the tiles without feeling too heavy/bulky.
Hope the book tour is going great!!
YoungHouseLove says
I’d love to get some new hardware for sure!
xo,
s
Jessica says
I second new hardware! I love the white vanity – new, fun Anthropologie hardware will make it POP.
YoungHouseLove says
I got plans, yo! Haha. Will keep you posted.
xo,
s
Danny says
Looks great! It’s nice when you only have to do small changes to make a big difference. We’ve recently repainted our bathrooms as well, but stuck with white for now. However, we went with a yellow for the kids’ room and it’s looking a lot better:
http://houseandten.com/2012/10/26/ah-the-colors-of-fall/
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo,
s
deb says
Looks great and I LOVE vintage tile – glad you’re keeping it!
Karla@{TheClassyWoman} says
I used to have that color in my old bedroom when I was living in a basement apartment, it helped make the room appear more pretty and fresh. Your bathroom looks awesome-the color is perfect in there! Wow, it’s amazing what a quart of paint in a well-chosen color can do! :)
Wendy says
It was awesome to meet you last night! I was near the very back of the line so by the time I was getting home, there was a few inches of snow on the roads and it was slippery. My car got stuck getting up the big hill to my house. I had to wait for my boyfriend to come rescue me, but it was worth it. Already read the whole book too :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no Wendy!! So glad you made it home safely! Such a fun (but very snowy) night! Thanks so much for coming out.
xo,
s
Andrea says
Love it! And I love that you painted the ceiling, it looks great! Can’t wait to see how that bright roman shade works out.
Sarah W. says
Love the new color! And perfect timing as well because thanks to a needed dry wall repair in our downstairs bathroom, we are in need of a new paint job. We really liked the existing sky blue color, but I’m liking the possibilities that a plummy gray might bring. Hmmm. :-)
Maggie says
Love it! I have a very similar color in my living room/den. Olympic’s Silver Spoon! (PS- it’s really the only brand of paint I buy now because of you! I love it). And it’s a soft gray, with a purpley/lavendar undertone. Verrrry nice!
cali says
love the new look! Absolutely makes the tile look less old and dated!
Dayl says
I’m actually in the process of updating our fireplace. We moved into our house a few months ago and whle I love having a fireplace, the wood around it and the yellow stained tile just isn’t doing it for me. I’ve prepped, primed and painted it an off blue, and I’m jsut not loving it – so it’s back to the drawing board to find a warm grey that will suit it. Do you guys have a go-to warm grey??? Thanks a million and I love the bathroom & fish print!
YoungHouseLove says
Rockport Gray and Gray Horse are both awesome!
xo,
s
Miss E says
What a great color! I need to suggest that to my mom for her bathroom color delimma. I just finished painting our living room fireplace wall a fun, surprising accent while the plus one was out- he was astonished he liked such a bold color. Next: final color coats on the front door this weekend!
Maybe if I remember I’ll bring a photo to share at the Dallas YHL book signing!
YoungHouseLove says
Fun! Can’t wait to meet you!
xo,
s
Nicole @ Liberty Belles says
nothing like a combo of my two favorite colors – purple & grey. Or as I call it, gruple (pronounce grrr-pull).
love the update!
YoungHouseLove says
Gruple. I like the sound of that!
-John
Maranda says
I love this color! You guys have the best sense of which colors will actually work well on the wall…which I sadly don’t. My colors always wind up too bland or too bold #designfail. I’m super excited to see how you frame out that builder mirror! We have them in both bathrooms in our house too. I don’t want to replace them completely since hefty mirrors come with a hefty price tag. But my boyfriend didn’t find my plan to somehow frame it too feasible. I can’t wait to see how you do it!
Nikole says
I love the color! I’m actually thinking of doing a plum-gray in my upstairs 1/2 bath, along with sharp, white wainscot. I really love the black and white tile, too – hope that stays! It looks to be in great shape. I am really enjoying your book . . . I picked it up on Tuesday while I was attending Ana White’s talk and book signing here in Fairbanks, AK. It’s been a great week for DIY in my house!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Nikole!!
xo,
s
Heather says
I used to live in a bathroom with that same tile, and I wanted nothing more than to paint it! It’s the mirror that gets me though, you said you want to frame that out and I really want to do the same for the mirror in my hall bath. Too many other projects on the list to come first though.
I love the muted plum color!
Tara says
Love it! You’re making me reconsider just painting our bathroom Ivoire– I’ve been wanting to do a color, but our cottage color palette is so muted every color I found and liked didn’t fit. I try not to just copy bloggers that I like– I try to just take inspiration from projects and “make them my own”– but I may just straight up steal the elephant grey. Thanks, buds!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it’s totally a stealable color! I’m in love with it. Might try to paint Burger Elephant Gray if he stands still too long.
xo
s
Sarah Barksdale Design says
I love the elephant grey color! It gives the perfect hint of violet without being iin-your-face-purple! Its hard to find that hint of violet shade too because more often than not what looks like “light purple” on a paint deck translates into VERY purple on the walls
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
I love this color. I probably would have picked something bold and ugly and then hated it! I definitely need to work on my paint choices.
I wish I could come to Richmond! Have fun and I’ve been wondering what happened to your Flor unveiling. Is it rescheduled?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it will be announced as soon as we hear the new date! Can’t wait!
xo
s
Christyn says
John made a hunger games reference! #veryimpressed Love how the plum and the tile work together too.
Jes-ka says
I love the before and after for the paint color. The paint really adds a lot of dimension to the bathroom. Love it!!!
amanda says
I love the color! It just brings so much into the room!
kat says
i love the new bathroom, and that painting!! its fabulous. i am currently in the middle of painting my craft room. im doing it in “italian rose” which is a bright coral. my husband is nauseated by it, which was my plan all along since he has taken over every other craft room ive had with his music equipment. maybe this will keep him out! ;] anywya, nice work as always, guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so funny! Good luck Kat!
xo
s
katalina says
I have a black and white floor in my tiny entrance 1/2 bath with purple lilac walls too! love it– but now I wish I painted the ceiling years ago! first I painted it too
lilac and then mixed with white so it was not so willy wonka.
shout out to wash post where they mentioned your book first !! and with the other greats…!
YoungHouseLove says
Ahhh, how crazy was that Wash Post mention? So insane.
xo
s
tara says
loving the new color addition:) looks great with all the other pieces in there so far. my next thought was “i wonder if they will frame out the mirror?” and then a few paragraphs down that idea was thrown out by john! i love when you guys start new rooms!
PS i also loved the NGN interview with roo! i picked the telephone too bc it was quick and “looks” cleaner than the dumpster ha.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah!
xo,
s
Ami says
OMG That looks SO much better! Plum FTW!!
Chris says
Have you thought about popping out the black tiles on the wall and replacing them with white, like you did in the other bathroom? Sorry if someone asked this question already, there’s too many comments to read through (at work! Shhhh…) :) I think the plum looks great!
YoungHouseLove says
I think we have decided to embrace the black tiles since they work with the black squares in the floor and are in good shape.
xo
s
Heidi P. says
Your book came! You’re in my home! Haha. Muwahaha. :)
Anyway, looks great! And I can’t wait to see how you frame out the mirror, since it has the same white plastic holder-upper-thingies mine does and I’m afraid to touch them. :) #maytheoddsbeeverinyourfavor.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha yay, so glad it came Heidi! Hope you love it.
xo
s
Shannon says
Obsessed with that color! It looks great!!!