Well we are in the third month of 2019 and I have now completed another item on my to do list for the year that I shared earlier this year. Although this one did not make it on the blog, however, I did give the disclaimer that the list was subject to change. Oh and it did LOL. I decided to refresh our guest bathroom for it needed a little sprucing up. I am glad that I followed through for next month we will have family visiting. Now their bathroom looks like we truly care about them :-).
BEFORE
The guest bathroom wasn’t “bad.” It was tastefully done as they are in most cookie cutter type homes in subdivisions: deep shower/tub combo with updated fixtures, neutral tile flooring, and neutral wall color. However, it did not have sufficient storage for guests and bathroom things. So I added the tall cabinet immediately the day we moved in. I found this cabinet that matched the finish and style of the sink cabinet perfectly at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I love that store and their 20% off coupons! Any who, that find added the much needed storage AND it filled up the large, awkward space between the sink and the toilet. To be frank, the space planning of the bathroom could have been greatly improved with replacing this little single sink cabinet with a longer one to add more counter space. However, that was not in the budget nor in my scope of this project. If I had replaced the cabinet, then I would have probably turned it into an entire remodel LOL.
So I began decorating the bathroom as the African art (see 2nd BEFORE pic) as my inspiration. Hence the shower curtain selection with the tribal vibe and burnt orange & grey palette. However, after a year of living in this home, I still had not hung them. I took this as a sign that I did not feel that they belonged there. To be honest, I would only use this bathroom in emergencies such as my husband is in our master bedroom and I waited to long to use the one downstairs LOL. That was a big sign that I needed to give our little guest bathroom a makeover.
“If you can’t stand to go in that room, then it is time to give it a makeover. Don’t know how? Then call me :-).”
AFTER
Since the room doesn’t have any sunlight and the only source of light is from the fixture about the mirror, I decided that the color palette needed to be light and bright. I was not certain what color I wanted for the shower curtain so I allowed my gut to make the decision. While looking for a new toothbrush holder to match our glass jars in our master bathroom, I came across this linen look / feel white shower curtain. I loved the fabric and I loved how it had substantial weight to it but it was sheer enough to allow light to come into the shower. I tend to lean towards white linens for guest spaces for it gives the feeling of clean (think of your fave hotel) and it is easy to keep clean thanks to bleach. Both of my guest bedrooms are decorated heavily in different hues of white (check out Projects Abbey and Noble).
Shortly after I found the shower curtain, I found the large artwork at At Home. I was there looking for art for my laundry room, but came this piece kept talking to me every time I walked by it. Eventually I broke down and purchased it. I did not know at the time where I was going to install this piece (I was so focused on the laundry room), but I have learned to follow my gut and purchase pieces that speak to me. Often time I find the perfect spot for it minutes upon entering the house. The piece fit perfectly over the toilet and it brought much needed color in the room.
“If it speaks to you, then it was meant for you. It is often better to decorate with your gut than to follow a blueprint or your Pinterest board.”
During this same trip to At Home, I found two marble and wood containers on clearance that were perfect to store Q-tips and cotton rounds for guests. Also they added decor to the open shelving in the floor cabinet. I love how the tops tie in perfectly with the teak floor mat and the acacia vase. I decided to fill the third shelf with hand towels rolled. I love to decorate in threes.
The last addition to the room was to add the hooks for guests to place their towels. Originally the design had no where for towels (wet or dry) to be hung. This led to guests hanging their wet towels across the shower rod. So I finally found the perfect styled hooks that coordinated with the cabinetry and vibe of the space. This At Home find can hold more than enough towels, robes, etc to accommodate our guests. Also it keeps this woman happy….no more towels on the shower rod (Linda Belcher happy dance).
I elected to keep the teak mat and acacia vase for it balanced out the espresso cabinetry and white linens. However, I also decided to place the wastebasket and scale under the sink to keep the space from feeling cluttered. Now we have a calm, inviting and beautiful guest bathroom ready for all of our visitors this year!