Kids' / Guest Bathroom Plans - A Mood Board

 One of the rooms in our house that's been majorly neglected is the kids' bathroom, which is also the guest room when family/friends come visit.  It was wallpaper laden when we moved in...

and that, coupled with a cheap plastic shower curtain, worn cream trim, and some horrible orangey light bulbs made it look like it was part of an 80's time capsule.

 

Not in mint condition though because the tile grout was (and still is) stained and the paint on the cabinets started peeling off long before we moved in.  But, those are exactly the kinds of rooms we like, right?  

Righty-o.

We got as far as getting the wallpaper off, hanging a much better shower curtain, and attempting to remove the popcorn ceilings (they're oil-based-painted on and going nowhere...womp womp) but that's about it.  

Then she sat and sat and sat.  Very much used by the kids but very much neglected.  We looked away when water got splashed on the drywall from showers but we can't push it off much longer.  We've got to get that drywall sealed and painted before worse things happen.  And while we're at that, might as well take it to the next level and touch up a few other things.  Snowball effect.   

So, now that the painting of the living room is behind us (tutorial on painting paneling coming soon!), I'm moving my energies into this room for a (hopefully) quick makeover.  This is only the start though - Phase Uno.  Also known as mostly using what we've got to squeeze in a makeover that costs less than $100.

Here's the plan:

wall color // We've got a whole gallon and a half of China White (by Ben Moore) in our storage room so we're going to use it in here.  It's nice and neutral - a super pale greige - so it won't clash with those pretty blue floors we inherited.  We got it mixed into Valspar paint at Lowe's and if you ever want to do that too, here's the code you can show them.  

hook // There's a little expanse of wall to the right of the shower where this can go to hold the shower-goers towel so they don't have to step out wet to reach it elsewhere.  (Hook in mood board is this one*. In my search for hooks though, I found this pretty hook and it's on clearance!)

wall art // I found a couple of gold frames at a thrift store recently and we'll fill them with some abstract art that maybe I'll let the kids paint.  (These* are a good gold frame option and these* new poster frames look fantastic if you want to go bigger!)

mirror // We'll eventually install two sinks in here vs. the one that's there now so the idea of getting rid of the big, builder grade mirror and replacing it with two crossed our minds.  But the big one might be more functional with four kids sharing this bathroom so before we jump to removing it, we'll frame it out and see how we like it.

vanity stain color // The vanity was painted cream long ago but like I said above, it's peeling.  More like flaking off really.  The fact that it is flaking off though was a little bit of a blessing in disguise because it revealed the beautiful wood underneath!  It's aged to a similar color as the vanity in the mood board.  I don't know if the whole thing will read that color after all of the paint is off but we'll cross our fingers as we strip it and hope for the best.  If it's splotchy or turns out to be a color we're not digging, we'll just stain it to that driftwood-meets-light-walnut color.

rug // I order this rug* and this one* and they're both in the running to be the rug...I just have to decide which colorway I like better.  I was unsure of what the quality would be like when I ordered them because some of the reviewers said they're basically printed foam but I would have to disagree.  They have a super short pile feel to them and they feel well made.  I don't know if they'd fare well as a huge area rug in a high traffic area and I don't yet know how the runner version will hold up to kids and stools but I'll let you know.  I have high hopes.  I've read good things about Loloi rugs on other blogs and it's the first time we'll have ever owned one so I'm excited!  (Rug in mood board is this one*.)

tile // We love our hexagon tile and, as it turns out, it's quite in these days.  It's true, what they say - things always come back into style.  With a good scrubbing and possibly some grout paint, we'll be back in business.  (This tile is similar though a bit larger.)

towel rings // These are what I'm most excited about, mostly because it involves a fun little diy knock-off that will cost pennies.  I don't want to give it away but...there's spray paint involved.  ;)  (Towel ring in mood board here*.)

closet wallpaper // I found this wallpaper* at Dirt Cheap and it was destined to adorn the back of this closet.  Like every other closet in this house (pantry // entry // kids' closet), this one will pack a punch when its door is opened.  Fun, fun, fun.

I didn't include the light fixtures in the mood board because we'll be keeping the existing vanity light (it looks like this one* but brushed brass and it was one of the little vintage things I loved about this house) and we'll swap out the one over by the shower/bath when we take care of the ceilings in Phase 2.  I've been eyeing this one*, this one*, and this one*.

Speaking of Phase 2, that will also be when we paint the doors, redo the shower tile, replace the counter tops (we'll probably go concrete), sinks, and faucets and add a few other things that have to wait until all of those things are done.  I don't have a timeline because that will require a little more time and moolah and both of those things require a tad bit of patience to find and save.  But we'll get there...eventually.

You better believe it.  ;)

+                                        +                                        +

*These links are affiliate links which means that, if you click over and/or make a purchase through the link, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  All of these links will lead you to things we actually paid for or that are similar to the item we paid for in case ours is thrifted/sold out/secondhand.  This extra money helps us with the costs of running the blog.  Thank you for your support and for fueling our love to share all things DIY!