Are you ready? I’m bringing ugly to the blog today!
Our master bathroom is another one of those areas that I have not touched in the time we’ve lived here. Why, you may ask? That’s a great question. After all, the master bath is attached to our bedroom and I spent time in there every.single.day. You would think that I want the space to be inviting and welcoming and a place that is calming to me. You would think that I’d want it to look something like this…
And yes, of course my dream bath involves a fireplace… wouldn’t yours??
source: Above the Door
And I do want it to look that way. Very much so. In fact, the desire for my master bathroom to be a retreat like the picture above is the reason I haven’t touched it. You see, I’ve always figured that much like my kitchen, we would have gutted our bathroom 5-10 years after we moved into our home. I dreamed that we would knock out Mike’s closet to open the space up, tear up the carpet (by the way, who puts CARPET in a bathroom??), expand the shower, put in a tub, yada, yada, yada… By now, you know me. High dollar dreams on a real girl’s budget. I didn’t see the point of messing with my master bathroom when renovation was in its future. Five years later and guess what? That bathroom renovation is still 5-10 years away… maybe longer. So no more! I’ve decided to finally tackle my master bathroom… and I’ve decided that I’m going to turn the space into something that I love on and work with what I’ve got in the process.
I have lots of issues to contend with in this space and have to deal with them on the tiniest of budgets. As usual, I’ll be shopping my paint supply in my workshop. I think that I’m going to continue our master bedroom color into the bathroom… but I know for sure that the builder beige color’s days are numbered. Benjamin Moore’s Gray Owl is one of my all-time favorites. It’s light and airy, neutral and looks great in any light. The vanity is also getting a big change. I think I’m going to go a little daring with its color… after all, it’s just paint, right?? I love the look of a charcoal vanity and antique brass hardware. Which leads me to my next issue…
There’s a lot of mixed metal finishes going on in the bathroom… and we’ll definitely be changing that. Don’t get me wrong; mixed metals in a room are fabulous when done right, and I’m hoping I can get it right in my master bathroom. Some of the metals I can change… like the black imitation gate-latch hardware, imitation brass plate covers and even my black and silver overhead lights. But some of the metals I am stuck with and have to work around… and none are more glaring (literally) than my bright brass faucets.
And then, there’s the carpet. I mean really, I’m all about comfort underfoot, but who in their right mind puts carpet in the bathroom, past 2 sinks and a shower?? As much as I would love it to rip it out, that carpet isn’t going anywhere right now and that means I have to work around it. Has anyone ever heard of someone successfully painting carpet? (kidding!… kind of. But really, has that been done successfully??)
But finally, there is the piece de resistence. My personal favorite and another one of those “I can’t believe I’m showing the internet this” moments. I have to contend with my wood-grain toilet seat. Is she pretty? I know most of you wonder why I don’t just replace it. The fact of the matter is that I would LOVE to… in fact, I’ve tried to. But I have been told by my plumber that the hinges for my solid oak(?) toilet seat are rusted and the only way that beauty is coming off is if we replace the entire toilet… not an option at the moment. So seriously, y’all. Don’t be surprised if I’m the first person EVER to attempt ASCP on a toilet. They do say it can be used on just about anything, right? Somehow, I don’t think they’ll be profiling this before and after!
I’ve been pinning away on Pinterest, tagging images to serve as inspiration for my Master Bath Refresh. Follow me there to see what some of my inspiration for what’s in store. I won’t lie… this project is going to involve some purchases… there are certain things that I’m looking for in the space in increase its functionality and make it a happy space for me. But those things are accessories and I’m hoping I can find some of them at thrift stores. All of the big items are staying. There will be no demolition and no construction… the only tools involved will be a paintbrushes and a power drill!
So, in between furniture projects, I’ll be working on my master bath refresh the next few weeks and I plan to share the results with you in early March! Stay tuned… and cross your fingers that I can make the ideas in my mind materialize in my bathroom!
That’s odd about the toilet seat not coming off. Just like a doctor- maybe you should get a second opinion?
Oh I can’t wait to see how you will transform your bath. Good luck!
Holly,
Try a liberal spray of WD-40. It will loosen anything!
Can’t wait to see it! We painted our vanity charcoal about 5 years ago and I love it. Of course I just have a tiny single vanity, but it looks great and since our tile is tan it fits. What about peel and stick tile in the short term to get rid of the carpet? There are also some laminates locking floors that you could DIY easily too. You just have to read the manufacturers recommendations for installing in wet areas. That used to just mean including glue between the joints. Not sure whats changed.
I am sure it will look stunning! And suddenly wooden toilet seats will become a bit of a thing.
I can’t wait to see what you do in here. Have you thought about painting the floor underneath the carpet and maybe using a small area rug over it? I know you’ve painted floors before so you could definitely do it, depending on what condition the floor is in. Just a thought. I did that on one of our hideous floors because we didn’t have the budget for new flooring either. Good luck with all of it! ~ Angie
From the experience of spilling latex on the carpet in two rooms (yes, twice…I’m dumb as a door) I’d say you don’t want to paint directly from the can unless you want hard carpet underfoot. Maybe you could think the paint, but try it on a sample first, I suggest.
I’m going through the urge to pull up most of the carpet in my house. Five rooms worth. I fight the urge every day and hope to win so i can leave it behind when i sell, even if i have to make a flooring allowance to the buyer. But i sure know I won’t have another house with carpet unless it has wood floors underneath. All I have here is plywood.
Speaking of toilet seats…..picture this…..50 people coming over for Thanksgiving….I have a white toilet seat less than a year old and it’s pealing, and chipping and looking DISGUSTING. Hubby says no spending…..so whats a girl to do?!? Spray paint of course! I wrapped a big garbage bag over the back of the toilet….opened the window….taped anything that I didn’t want painted……and turned an ugly seat…..into something that blended in instead of standing out like a sore thumb!