Bathroom Reveal

Try not to think too hard about that title. It sounds so awful, doesn't it? I promise to keep the post rated G.

After Herm and I got married my goal was to take his house and make it a little less 'man cave-ish'. He did a really good job keeping it neat and orderly, but the house was lacking a cozy atmosphere. It needed some neutral paint on the walls, a few throw blankets draped over the sofa, and house plants here and there, to liven things up. (I didn't do so well with the house plants, but it's been almost a year since I last killed one, so things are certainly looking up!)

With my 'go-getter' personality,  the entire house was redone. Well, everything except the bathroom. It still boasted grass green walls and cheap yellowed Formica cabinets. 

When I first moved in, it drove me crazy. But I guess I lost momentum, and after painting all of the other rooms in our house, I was done. Simply done. I didn't want to think about another room or breath in any more paint fumes. The green colored walls could stay green. 

Herm, however, grew fond of the neutral shades I chose for the rest of the house, and he kept mentioning to me that we need to do something to that bathroom. 

As work slowed down for him over winter, he decided it was time to start. He ordered a kit to make a concrete counter top, and gave me instructions to pick out the rest - paint colors, a sink, floor samples, and so on. 

We share very similar styles, which makes it fun and easy to work together on projects like this... there is no butting of heads or arguing. We just go with it. 

Originally we were planning to use the existing cabinet, and replace the counter top on it, but once we started on the project, we realized just how cheap the structure was. So Herm, my artist-husband, built a new one.

In the middle of this project, we went on vacation, to a little cabin near Lake Placid, NY. We felt refreshed and had such a wonderful time together as a family, but as soon as we got home, we went back to work. We had less than 24 hours to complete the project before our house was filled with guests. Herm's sister Anne, her husband, and their crew of 7 children were coming for the weekend, and since we only have one bathroom, this was a must!

We divided and conquered. I took over painting - the walls, ceiling, trim, and cabinet; Herm installed the cabinet and counter top, mounted the sink, worked on the silly plumbing, and laid the new flooring. 

Within 30 minutes of completion (other than a few detail things) our guests arrived. And that, my friends, is how you get things crossed off the list. :) 

Weeks later, we still stand back and admire our work. It's such a good feeling to have a project turn out like you pictured in your mind, but it's even better when you're blown away with the end result. And in our opinion, this looks good!

 

 

Can I share a quick funny story with you before I let you go?  

I often get complimented on my smile and how white my teeth are. But after I got married, I couldn't keep them white. No matter how hard I tried, they always looked yellow-y. Herm assured me they didn't look bad, but I wasn't convinced. It was frustrating, and I wasn't about to spend a fortune on whitening strips, so I kept hoping for new results with baking soda and regular brushing. I was married and letting myself go, I guess. Well, after the bathroom was repainted, my teeth suddenly appeared brighter too. We solved that problem without really trying too. Grass green reflects yellow hues, folks... Moral of the story: If your teeth look yellowed, paint the bathroom.