How’s that for a title? Haha. We’re about 20% there with this room, but we’re sharing these pics in the name of the work-in-progress reality that is our new house. We definitely think some paint on the walls (we’re flip-flopping between soft gray and mocha) will tie things together and better integrate items like the shower curtain and the bathmat along with the sweet vintage yellow tile. And of course bringing in better art, fun window treatments (maybe a bright roman shade?), changing out the light fixture, and implementing other tweaks down the road will hopefully take it from “meh” to “how you doin’?”
The good news is that it works and it’s clean. You can brush your teeth, take a shower, and use the “facilities” without issue. And thanks to the previous owners’ meticulous housecleaning skillz, there’s not a dot of crud or mildew to be scrubbed. Anyway, enough intro. Here she blows:
That’s right, I folded the toilet paper into a little triangle like they do at hotels. Because I’m crazy.
I apologize for the lack of sweeping see-everything photos, but it’s a tiny room. You can stand in front of the sink and touch all four walls – that’s how small it is. But as for our other little additions, I added a small acrylic trash can to the left of the toilet (you can see it peeking out in that top pic) and we used one of those suction cup shower caddies to store some little sample shampoo & conditioner bottles along with body wash in the shower. We also plopped a mini tube of toothpaste in a cup above the sink.
I thought offering bar soap and liquid soap would please anyone with a strong preference either way, and we hung some “placeholder art” above the toilet (three food related wedding pics – cupcakes, grapes, and lemons – that we already had framed) just to fight the Complete Bare Wall Syndrome that was going on. We figure they’re good for a bathroom because they’re just photos that we reprinted and framed ourselves, so if they get damaged from the moisture over time, we still have the originals and can easily reprint them. Although someday we’d love to hunt down or DIY something that ties into the printed shower curtain and deep teal walls in the adjoined bedroom for a little more pop.
We don’t have much by the way of “countertop” in our tiny bathroom, but we kept the lid of the toilet tank empty so people can drop their toiletry bags there if they’d like (since our sink doesn’t have any lip to speak of). And bringing in some plush white bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths completed the mom-and-Jack-ready makeover. It may not be done but it’s definitely grandparent worthy. Haha. And at least we’re not dealing with this awkward see-your-whole-body-while-sitting-on-the-toilet issue anymore:
Three cheers for a non-reflective door in front of the John. And by John I mean both the commode and my husband. That’s right, it’s a toilet-related double entendre.
Great job! I’m super curious to see where this room ends up because we inherited a bathroom very similar to this in our 1965 ranch, but instead of yellow think purple. As in sink, tub, boarder tile and toilet! I’m trying to make it less “girly” for my husband and son. I think the purple toilet will have to go, but after seeing this maybe the rest can stay as is awhile longer… yay for working with what you got. Thanks for showing me how to love my home! Go team gray!
cute, i love the color scheme. bathroom always end up being my last concern. or i just never get to it.
love your blog!
cheers,
yvonne
modern.girl
I’m sure your guests will totally appreciate having a bathroom all to themselves! I really like the shower curtain/rug combo that you ultimately settled on. It makes the sunny yellow room a bit more sophisticated!
Something to consider, I had big bird yellow tiles in my kitchen (with an uber-flattering brown tile stripe) that ran behind all the cabinets, so I couldn’t rip them off the wall. It was lovely, think high school cafeteria.
Anyway, there are companies out there that reglaze tiles. I had mine done white about six years ago and it has held up very very well (until I gutted my kitchen by mistake a few weeks ago, long story). Your tiles look like they are in great shape too! Its relatively inexpensive, compared to retiling the entire room.
Love your website, keep up the good work!
Yeah, Shaye, I was thinking the same about the pictures in the bathroom. But the other way, “I’m here doing my business while these two are getting married”, even though, from what I could see, there’a picture of the cupcakes from the wedding. Stop thinking! Cupcakes!?! Frosted!?!
I AM NUTS!
Be honest…did you buy the Pantene cause the blue in the label matched? ;)
Haha, you’re not the first to point that out. The funny thing is that my mom likes Pantene so I grabbed it. And it happened to be blue (didn’t even notice til we got home). So funny.
xo,
s
We have the exact same tile (appears to go up the same height around the whole bathroom, same pattern on the floor) except in powder blue–I think your yellow is a much better color (at least for now!) :)
the yellow is growing on me now with the peacock walls. yall always find a way to make things work!
This reminds me of the bathroom in my last place, same color tile, but all the fixtures (toilet, shower, sink) were bright turquoise!
I have a random question: where is your liquid soap dispenser from? I’ve been wanting to replace the plastic container my soap came in with something like that.
Jenny
It’s from Target. Love it!
xo,
s
Looks Great! I too fold the TP into a triangle when guests come. Glad to see I am not the only dork! Love the yellow tiles. Considering the shower curtain, would like a chocolate colored wall paint. But… may darken the room too much huh?
I am amazed at the condition and cleanliness of that bath considering it’s age. That is awesome. Enjoy your family visit! My parents arrive for a visit in a few days and I will be folding the triangle!!
Yeah, we’re nervous that too dark of a brown will make our tiny bathroom feel like a coffin. It would go really nicely with the curtain though!
xo,
s
I have that soap pump in my bathrooms AND at my kitchen sink!
And for some reason the word “commode” cracks me up!
And I, too, fold the TP like that before I have guests over…even for parties. :-)
Sigh. I’m so jealous of your yellow tile. I have a very laaaarge bathroom with the same kind of tile but it’s that rather strong Mamie pink WITH… blue tile trim and accents. And pink and blue penny tile flooring. And vertical pink and white stripes on the wall above the tile (my tile goes up about as far as yours and those stripes are SO getting painted over.) All that along with a blue tub, toilet, and console sink and broken pink ceramic towel bar holders. If it were just pink… or just blue… That room makes all visitors “Oh, my…” in an unpleasant way. Sad – the tile is in great condition but horrible colors.
ANYWAY… I think the yellow tile is even more charming with the blue bedroom walls as the lead in, and that shower curtain really makes the space. I’m sure you’ll make it a more fun space with ease.
I think it looks great. And the grandparents are going to be so busy with Clara, I really don’t think they will notice the “meh”-ness of the guest bathroom. :)
Love it!
Seriously, you guys should open a bed and breakfast, or something, the way you are so exacting with details!
I kinda like the vintage-y of the bathroom. You guys pull it off with the added style.
Cute! That bathroom is adorable. You’re so lucky it is in such great condition and already had cute tiling. I love the wee little sink. I’ve never know anything but tiny bathrooms – look plenty spacious to me ;)
My dad loves to fold the end of the toilet paper over before we come for a visit. It’s such a ridiculous touch that says, “We’re so excited you’re home!” Usually we’ll keep the trend going and keep folding it over so every one gets a chance to feel loved!
Are the towel bars and cup holder stuck over the tile or are they grouted in???
Grouted in. Much to my chagrin. First thing I checked though!
xo,
s
Curious as to what your plans for your Kitchen? That’s a major contrast with the rest of your progress.
We’re building up to that since we have some big plans (double siding the fireplace, knocking a huge opening into the dining room, and adding an island just to name a few). We always believe in living somewhere a while to iron out things like that before diving in (we came up with things we never would have thought of for our first house by waiting a bit before starting those big projects).
xo,
s
Love it! That yellow tile up close in the pics actually looks brand new with little specks…?? I wouldn’t demo it either!
Oh, and our first house was a 1956 ranch with horrible ugly two-tone blue tile. Yuck!
I think the yellow tile in there is spectacular, and I’m not usually a fan of yellow. But it’s so clean and well cared for. I wish my master bath’s original black and white tile (like your bathroom at your old house) was in such great repair. I tried all the tricks you did on your old bath before you demo’ed (peroxide, recaulking, etc.), but nothing has helped. It’s dingy and scratched and won’t stay clean.
I definitely vote mocha over gray. I have a tough time imagining gray going well with yellow, and I think brown, yellow and teal is such a wonderful color combo!
Hi,
Not sure if you’re open to suggestions (I know I’m a complete stranger to you, but I’ve enjoyed following your projects!) but I have one for this room/bathroom.
I’m not liking the curtains. The stark white against that pretty teal cheapens the room. I do like them as a shower curtain though because to me, white always feels clean and refreshing in a bathroom. Also, the shower curtain (to me) looks like a Hawaiian shirt and that bold pattern is too much with your bold paint color (which looks amazing). I suggest sea grass/natural window coverings for the two windows to give the room so texture and a break from the busy patterns you have on the bed.
Just random advice from an unknown fellow blogger, hope you don’t take offense. I think you guys are incredibly talented, witty, and have a great eye for design!
Thanks so much for the suggestions! We’re always open to hearing what you guys think!
xo,
s
I totally agree with Kate!!!!!.Something about those two curtains is not right.
We just painted the guest room in our house (where a male friend is currently staying). My plan was to do the entire thing is dark teal (Behr’s Agave Frond) but he was concerned it would not be “manly” enough. We compromised for now (hey, it’s jsut paint) and did an accent wall the teal and the other three walls a medium gray. I was pleasantly surprised with hwo well they worked next to each other and there’s so many colors you can play off both. So I vote gray :)
P.S. I keep sending him pics of your room updates to show him all the fun he’s missing! Y’all did a fantastic job!
It’s amazing what a few awesome accessories can do for a room!
In response to the comment from Larissa about the soap dispenser not working- I had that same problem with the same soap dispenser from Target. When I investigated further, it had a small whole in the pump mechanism. That was causing it not to pump as well. Took it back to Target (many months later and w/out a receipt) and they gave me a replacement that works great! Hope that helps!
I LOVE that sink. I hope you always keep it!!
I love the yellow tiles and vote to keep them as long as you can. We have yucky pink/brown in bad shape and would gladly trade – has made picking a wall color really hard since we like our green towels. I’m holding out to renovate before I choose a wall color.
Anyhow, your guests are very lucky.
hi! i’ve been a fan for a long time now, but never had much to comment due to my lack of DIY skills…we lived in richmond for the last 4 years and moved to south carolina last summer…i’m not gonna lie-i always wanted to know where your sweet house was so i can drive by and stalk in a not-creepy-at-all kind of way. HOWEVER…i now have something to say. i’m risking outing myself as a horrific geek, but I HAVE THAT SHOWER CURTAIN!!!!!!! and i can’t even tell you how excited i got when i saw that you have it too! that alone has given me confidence that i just might have decent taste in something. so thanks for giving me that;) and thanks for sharing what you do!!! i love it!!!
Woot! Twin shower curtains unite!
xo,
s
LOVE the bathroom and how, even with it being sunny yellow, it WORKS with the teal in the guest room!! (obviously you guys realized that connection … hence the teal shower curtain!!)
Wall color suggestion based on your comment of wanting something light gray and mocha: may I introduce you to “Oregon Coast” by Valspar! Depending on the light, it’s a warm wet sand color, light gray, warm khaki or warm gray. It’s loverly!
Ooh thanks so much for the tip! We’ll have to check it out!
xo,
s
Love the end result! Looks great!
Where did you get the little turquoise cup that you have the toothpaste in? It looks EXACTLY like ones that we carry at the Ten Thousand Villages store that I volunteer at, except it’s a different colour!
We got that a loooong time ago at Sur La Tab on clearance I think! Love it though!
xo,
s
Hi,
I’m loving the finished room and bath. The only thing I’d change is using brown towels instead of white. I did that in my very WHITE bathroom and it totally made the whole bathroom pop more. But I guess if you end up painting the walls a nice deeper colour it will then make the white towels pop. But the place is looking great, and its amazing how much you did in a short time!
ITA with you Lina on the towels :)
Opening that up is going to look great. I can’t wait to see your ideas and favorite finishes for the future re-do.
For the paint color, it seems like mocha/brown would tie in nicely to the bedroom, but could be dark for a small space. What about a single stripe or dark brown, maybe an inch or so wide, that follows the line of the tile? That could tie in with the bathmat, shower curtain and bedroom, but keep the brightness that’s in there now with the white.
Ooh that would be interesting! Thanks for the idea. We’ll have to see where we end up…
xo,
s
I have that same little glass that I keep my toothbrush and toothpaste in, except mine is pink. Love it! Great start you guys! Can’t wait to see it when it all comes together
I don’t know if you all had the floral pillow shams in mind when you were coming up with the color scheme but they are totally the “tie it all together” for me. All the happy, cheerful colors seem to come right from there. I can totally see picking a color from those shams to use as bathroom paint.
In the latest West Elm catalog they put a little stool in the bathroom. I thought that was a nice idea to put towels, clothes on.
I love the vintage yellow tile!! I think one idea for the walls in the bathroom would be to paint a border around it referencing the bathmat border. You could use the mocha color and do several thin to medium borders starting above the tile and down from the ceiling–just like the bath mat. That way there isn’t a heavy color above all that yellow, but it would crisp it up and tie in with the pretty shower curtain and mat. I love gray and yellow, but it could go sterile in a bathroom. Good luck, and I love the guest room!!!
You’re the second one to recommend that and it’s definitely an interesting idea we never would have thought of! We’ll have to see where we end up!
xo,
s
You are VERY fortunate to have such good vintage tile colors. Sadly, we had to painstakingly remove ours when we moved into our house…we were gifted the Pepto-Bismol Pink. Bye-Bye!
Not that you need suggestions on how to paint/decorate well, but how about matching the tile color exactly? Perhaps it will make for a good option since the room is so small and wouldn’t cut it in half horizontally… and it may update the look slightly. Plus – the yellow is SO lovely with the teal you painted the room.
You’re the second person to recommend that! It’s definitely nothing we’d ever think of but it’s a very interesting idea indeed!
xo,
s
I love this idea!
It wouldn’t chunk it up, as Brooke said and it would “extend” the bathroom walls too.
Is the bathroom door solid? I am using over-the-door hooks in my hall bathroom because I am afraid my hollow core door won’t support hooks that are attached. Please tell me I’ve been worrying for nothing–and then how to attach hooks firmly to a hollow door.
I love how it all came together. I think you can put off a major renovation for a long, long time.
Hollow core. Those hooks seem to work without anchors (amazingly). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Okay just one last thing, I promise. To all the people suggesting more brown in the bathroom. From experience that is not a good thing to have too much brown in the bathroom – it will eventually remind you of poo.
I can’t beLIEVE you haven’t hemmed those curtains yet. What are you doing with your time??
:)
jbhat
Haha, oh yeah. I did wash them though! See how much they shrunk? Amazing. Hemming will come someday…
xo,
s
Love it!!! It really came together.
The bathroom looks great! That tile is amazing, I can’t wait to see what color you paint the room.
Speaking of paint, the guest room wall color in that first picture looks good. Really good. Like, “I want to go out and buy a gallon of that color and paint a room then have to buy all new stuff to match it but that’s ok because it’s gorgeous” good. Hope you’re proud of your guest room transformation – enjoy your family weekend!
Love the shower curtain. Where did you get it? I think mocha is the way to go with the wall color but I’m biased because we have a mocha colored bathroom.
It’s from Target. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I think it looks great without having to paint anything! When I looked at the picture of the sink I saw the frame of the mirror painted brown.
We’re definitely open to painting that mirror! It’ll be interesting to see where we end up in there.
xo,
s
Ok, I have to say it bugs me just a little that your soap dispenser is clear. It adds another color to the room that I’m not sure I can develop an appreciation for. Maybe a simple white one? Or brown? Whatcha think?
No way- we love that soap dispenser! We have it in our hall bath too (and had one in our two baths in our last house). We’re just really into the Restoration Hardware-ish look (and the fact that it’s recycled glass + so affordable from Target). But to each his own!
xo,
s
Well, it IS your house. :-)
All I can say is, who wouldn’t be delighted with that guest room and bath, even without the lure of the Cutest Grandbaby Ever? Well done, you!
I have the EXACT same tile in my main bath! I cannot wait to see what you guys do with it, because I am stumped!!!
Love the tp triangle..
But more importantly, please tell me that you have a plunger stashed somewhere clever. As a lady, I’d never need such a thing… but as a lady, I’m embarrassed when my equally embarrassed guests need to ask for one. Now, I keep one tucked away as a guard against mutual humiliation.
Yes, we just didn’t mention that since it didn’t sound very “romantic.” There’s a little one hiding behind the toilet with the trash can. Haha.
xo,
s
Is your mom going to laugh at you for folding the toilet paper? That’s something I would totally do–and something my mom would TOTALLY make fun of me for!
Haha, she didn’t even notice. How funny is that? One track Clara mind anyone?
xo,
s
I think it looks really adorable and sweet. How lovely to have a guest bath IN the guest room!