08 June 2011

Bathroom Update: Part 1

With Daughter home for the summer, we've been undertaking a few home improvement projects. When she's around, it's two against one -- Spouse is powerless to resist our lengthy project list! :)

Our upstairs bathroom was long overdue for some upgrades. Other than the shower curtain and towels, the bathroom really hasn't been updated at all in the 17 years we've lived in the house. Most people would not have let it go this long. I'm not sure why I did!

As we've been replacing all of our 80's brass fixtures around the house, these faucets were high on my list to vacate the premises.

But not as high as THIS LIGHT FIXTURE. I have hated this light fixture with a vengeance since the day I first saw it. But, like other projects around the house, I guess it was easier to put up with it than to embark on an update of the entire bathroom.

I made sure that we took down the old fixture on the day before our neighborhood "large trash" pick-up day. I leaned it (bulbs included!) carefully against a tree near the curb and sure enough, under the cover of darkness, some kind soul picked it up. Perhaps it will grace a theater dressing room some day!

Spouse and Daughter replaced the light fixture with this new one. Of course, this part of the project was fraught with all kinds of unexpected problems. Nothing is ever as easy as it should be, you know. In the above photo, you can see that we still had holes in the wall to patch. This was the least of our troubles.

With the new light fixture in place, they began painting the walls. Daughter chose the color -- a rich caramel which looks just like the stuff you put on ice cream.

Just last night, Spouse finished changing out the faucets in each sink. The new faucets, a brushed nickel, are so much better than the old brass ones! Daughter also replaced all the drawer pulls with nickel knobs to match the faucets. And you can see a glimpse of the new wall color in this photo.

Over the next few days, she will be putting the bathroom back together with her new shower curtain, towels, and accessories. We are also planning to put a frame around the mirror, a trick I've seen on HGTV.

In an ideal world, we'd also replace the counter and the tile floor, but these upgrades will have to suffice for now. When all these relatively minor changes are done, it's still going to be a huge improvement.

Stay tuned for Bathroom Update: Part 2! I hope we can wrap up this project soon...because, of course, there are a few more on the list. :)


8 comments:

Jill said...

You just reminded me that I've been meaning to paint the breakfast nook!

It looks like it's going to be great! Can't wait to see an "after" picture of the whole thing!!!!!

Oh btw, the kids have been begging for your "campfire scramble" forever & we finally had it last night! They were in heaven!

Janet said...

Thanks, Jill! Yes, there will be after pictures -- when AFTER finally comes!

Very glad to hear your family still enjoys the Campfire Scramble recipe! My daughter has now decided she doesn't like eggs so we don't have it much around here, unless she's gone! It's a good one! :)

Heather said...

Very nice! I love the paint color! We recently redid both of our bathrooms, and they too had the awful brass fixtures. We went with Venetian Bronze and love the difference! My husband recently completed our brass-be-gone project by replacing all our door knobs with bronze ones. Well, all but the front door...which hopefully will be done soon!

Linda said...

Your bathroom looks great! I love the nickel finish. Our house is about 20 years old and the bathrooms are in desperate need of a new look

katie said...

Looks awesome Janet!! We had the exacty same light fixture in our bathroom...thank heavens when that left!! Still have brass fixtures in our upstairs bathroom...can I borrow your hubby to change them out for me...mine just thinks it is too much work!!!

Janet said...

Heather - Thanks! We have been putting in bronze fixtures, too, with the exception of this bathroom where we wanted something a little different. ANYTHING would be better than the 80's brass! :)

Linda - Thank you! Can't wait to finish this project. Our master bath is in huge need of an update, too, but since nobody sees it except us, it's lower on the list. But someday!

Katie - Hey, thanks! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING with these theater-like light fixtures??? Good riddance to them, I say! I still can't believe someone took that old one off the curb. :)

KarenSue said...

looking forward to seeing the finished room! hint hint

Janet said...

KarenSue, thanks for stopping by! Pictures tomorrow! :)