Kids' Bathroom Mini-Reno

Who remembers which room I painted first when we moved into our house in 2019? If you guessed the kids' bathroom, you're right!

I cringe thinking about how sad that little bathroom was when we moved in. It was an old kind of sterile. Do you know what I mean? It was clean, and the walls were freshly painted white, but it still felt kind of grungy. Maybe it was the heat lamp in the popcorn ceiling? Or the newly added chrome and white pulls on the cabinets clashing with the patina'd hinges inches from them? Or all the different kinds of non-matching white? Cabinets, floor, shower/tub, ceiling, toilet, door, trim, and the counter... 

Out of all the rooms, it needed TLC the most. And it needed more than paint. But, we had just moved in, and paint was ALL that I had. I was spending all my extra money on rugs and curtains and blinds and a temporary pantry. A perfectly functional bathroom, although not-easy-to-look at, was way down on the list of where-the-money-can-go. 

No problem. I had paint. Not a lot, but I had enough to make it less sad without making it dark. So, I did this:

Better, right?!

Well, as the months went on we were able to give it a little more attention. My uncle replaced the air vent grate thingy on the ceiling. David replaced the light above the tub and the sink faucet / handles. I found a toilet paper holder that I could stick straight onto the wall- no tools required!

But, every time I looked down the hall into the bathroom from our kitchen, those stripes mocked me. "We're a little crooked!" I didn't use a level. I just eyeballed all of my stripes. And after all the faux shiplap I'd done in other rooms in our house, I was very aware of how uneven the lines in this bathroom were. 

Because I had already gotten mostly done with the master bathroom improvements (eventually I'll get it done and will share all the details), and learned a lot along the way, I knew I needed to start this bathroom with the ceiling. 

So I scraped it, and it was MUCH easier than the last time. Kilz'd it, for good measure, touched up a couple spots with spackle, then painted it with ceiling paint. 

Next I primed my walls. It took a lot to cover up those stripes! And I had to do quite a bit of wall repair. That handy-dandy stick on toilet paper holder is pure evil. Do not buy one of those things, because I'm convinced you cannot take them off of your wall without severe damage. I also had some major problems with the towel rack. But, eventually, I got it all patched up and was ready for paint. So, painted I did. (And let me just say, curb-side paint pick up is just wonderful.) I went with the Twinkly Green thanks to a lot of help from friends who let me poll them on which to choose. 

David replaced the heat-lamp / air vent contraption with an updated / non-heating-element regular light / air vent thing, which required quite a bit of work, and I got to rehab the ceiling after. 

Next was the cabinets. I spray painted the hardware black and antiqued the white. Who remembers the roll-top desk project? Yep- just like that! 

Then I built and added the frame (with gorilla glue- it's never coming off, unless the person who takes it off is dressed in the appropriate head to toe PPE).

And the combination was HORRIBLE. So, I painted the cabinet and the hinges a fresh white, and swapped all of the pulls out with the hardware from the master bathroom cabinets. 

Then David changed out the vanity light. I hunted and hunted and hunted for just right the light, and I wasn't going to pay over $100 for it. Hunting and patience pay off!!

I took down the towel rack and put little hooks up that are much more within reach for the kiddos. 

I hunted my house for different rugs, found two that weren't being used, and they worked GREAT. 

Then I spray painted the frame around the over-the-door mirror. The dark brown wasn't working with the frame around the mirror.  

Lastly, I decluttered. Instead of five decorative pieces hanging from the walls, I shopped my house and chose just two. Voila!

No more crooked lines taunting me from down the hall. No more popcorn ceiling. No more could-have-probably-been-a-fire-hazard, 1970's heat lamp (which the kids actually were pretty disappointed about. Bless). More light. Less stimulus from things on the wall. The kids are still confused as to why I installed three towels hooks instead of just two. One day they'll understand the rule of three's! 

I also love that it's still gender neutral, which was a constant challenge with the all of the green and white. Hence the color stain I chose for the frame. I feel like the orangeyness of it gives it a tiny woodsy/masculine touch. 

Now the big questions is do I go finish the master bathroom mini-renovation project or do I get started on a fun creative project involving a salvaged mantle? 

Stay tuned, and you'll see. : )

Until next time, 

<3 Lindsay