The Hall Bathroom Dilemma
I’m in the process of finishing up the living room board and batten, kitchen cabinets, beadboard in the kitchen and everything else that I’m working on. Life is crazy right now! Why I have several projects going at once is just insane, but that’s just how I roll. Ha!
The hall {guest} bathroom has been driving me nuts, so it’s next on my priority list. My plan is to update it a little bit to “make do” until we can gut the entire room.
Don’t you just love the “poop brown” on the walls? {What was I thinking when I painted this four years ago?} Oh, and the window that is half in the shower? Lovely. Just so nice. Humph.
My list of things to work on include:
- New Paint
- Window Covering {this is getting done ASAP!}
- New Mirror
- Light Fixture Redo
- New Shower Curtain {I’m SO not in love with the current one left by tenants before us.}
- New Vanity or Pedestal Sink
- Possibly painting the wood floor because it’s so water damaged
- Crown Molding
The tile has to stay, for now, because it continues into the tub and shower surround. The vanity really needs to go because the space is so narrow and I’m constantly running into the corner of the countertop.
The walls have painted-over-wallpaper which is over the textured plaster walls. I’m debating about ripping off the wallpaper now or if I should just paint over it again. It would look better if I took the wallpaper down, but I really don’t want to tear up the walls. Hmmm…
My hubs and I found a fabulous round mirror at Goodwill to replace the current medicine cabinet. It will also cover the hideous, sunken outlet, light switch and peeling wallpaper. Who in their right mind would install the light switch there??
I’m pondering this $68 pedestal sink from Home Depot…
What do you think? I know that I’ll be losing storage space, but I don’t really need a lot in the guest bathroom anyway. I could always put a small shelf or cabinet beside the sink to hold toilet paper and extra towels.
The tile around the tub is obviously not in very good shape, but I can’t do anything more than clean it for now. At least I can “hide” it with a beautiful shower curtain, right? 🙂 Don’t you love the duct tape that former tenants put around the tub drain thingy? So classy. Ahem.
Okay, so back to the biggest dilemma of all. Paint.
The room faces north so it gets a lot of cool {bluish} light. The tile has a yellow accent border which I don’t hate. I want the paint color to compliment the yellow, but not be too cool because I don’t want my guests to freeze when they step out of the shower. Cool light + cool paint + cool temps = feeling cold. Does that make sense?
Here are some colors that I’ve thought about…
All I know is that the brown has to go…and soon.
What do you think? Should I paint the walls? The floor? Replace the sink?
I love those paint colors. What a great project. I can’t wait to see what you do. I love the pedestal idea!
Happy Valentine’s Day, my friend!!!!
xoxo
Jen
I don’t think you’ll miss the storage, so go for the pedestal- it could be a focal point to draw attention away from those things you don’t like! I like the grey-ish green on the top right.
I love the Privilege Green color-dreamy. I think you should leave the wallpaper, I agree that it would look better down but….. you don’t know how badly the walls will rip and if you know you are gutting the whole room in the future why redo walls just to have to redo walls again. I also agree with the pedestal sink and painting the floor. I love a painted floor but so often you are not going to mess up a nice floor but since this is already damaged go for it. Okay that is my two cents, for what it is worth. What ever you do it will be great, you are just good that way.
Have a great week,
Cha Cha
I would love to see your finished project. LOVE the Privilege green and the Raging Sea. I think either would look good in there.
guest bathrooms don’t need a lot of storage, but you could always get a little cabinet for extra towels.
My guest bathroom seems to be a collect all for my daughter’s hair stuff. I cannot wait to redo mine!
I’m a lover of all things green–so it’s no surprise that I was drawn to the Privilege Green Color! And I say go for the pedestal sink! We installed one in our guest bath, and I love it. You are so right that there isn’t much that needs to go in there anyway, so you won’t miss the storage. Or at least, I don’t think you will. 🙂
I love the Privilege Green…it’s warm and just earthy enough to cozy-up the room without making it feel too small. I think you’d be dissatisfied with either of the two bottom colors. I like the Rainwashed, but [as I sit here in my kitchen wearing a coat waiting for the HVAC repairman to show up] it leaves me feeling just a tad bit chillier. 🙂 However…it’s part of the color palette in my own home. 🙂
I love a pedestal sink in a small bath!
I’m eager to see how you resolve the space issue (with a different layout?) when you’re finally able to tear-out and redo this room.
I think the pedestal is a great idea. A basket or small shelf would be good for any extra storage essentials. Love the paint colors!!!
LOVE the floor, maybe it just needs to be refinished? LOVE the pedestal sink!!! My fav color is Rainwashed. I like that it looks a bit grey and I think that goes wonderfully with the yellow.
I say rip away- personally I would get rid of as much of all the bits you hate- you will feel better about it and will help in you ‘making do’ for longer. I like the tiles around the room, shame about the state of them in the tub, but you can buy tile paint, either that or bleach them to bits( unless you already have, in which case I refer back to tile paint~my inlaws used it and it was very effective)
Totally into teal at the moment so that would be my choice. Good luck!
I have lived in several homes with a pedastal sink, and I have honestly never enjoyed them. They do look sleek, but they are SOOO not functional. We currently live in a place that has a cabinet sink, but it has a more updated look. My mother-in-law has them in her home, too, and she got hers at Home Goods. They are functional AND lovely!
My thought is to definitely paint the room, and the floors if they are really so damaged that you are thinking of ripping them out later. it will lighten up the room, for sure. I’d keep the colors on the walls light. Perhaps a darker color on the floor or use those darker colors for accent (bath mat, towels, etc.). I like privilege green best, but I’d still go just a hare lighter!
Love the colors!!! Can’t wait to see the finished project!
So nice to meet you at the #crafterminds chat!
I love the Privilege Green color. I think that if the floors are really damaged, you should go for painting them. What fun! Can’t wait to see your pics when the project is on its way.
Myra-you should look for a dresser or bedside table that you could transform into a sink. You are so creative. You could find something at Homegoods or a thrift store. This would give you a little bit of storage and I think go with the feel of your home more than a pedestal sink. I say do as much as you can now that you won’t have to redo when you do gut the bathroom. Good luck! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Of the 4 colors I choose Privilege Green. Definitely a pedestal sink. And I just read that Benjamin Moore’s color of the year is vintage wine (2116 – 20), a purple with a chocolate layer. It may be too much in there but worth checking out. That bath has good bones. I like the subway tile!!
Ouchie! As soon as I saw that vanity I thought about how I would be bruised from bumping into it~pedestal sink all the way!
fun project! I love the Privilege Green. I think pedestal is the way to go. You can always get an antique mirrored cabinet for above the sink that offers more storage for the not-pretty stuff.
Big baskets can store linens with pretty white towels on top.
And I love this wire thingy from pottery barn that I featured here:
http://www.fieldstonehilldesign.com/2011/01/rituals-vanity-of-putting-on-makeup.html
look forward to seeing what you do!
-{darlene}
Oh, my MYRA, that IS a project! Anything you do here will make such a big difference! All your color choices are lovely, I guess it depends on what colors you have in the rest of the house and how (or if!) you want the bathroom to relate to what you are doing elsewhere. The top two choices are going to be restful and pretty, of course, and the bottom two are going to be fun and lively! All great choices!
I also like the privilege green. I think until you are ready to tackle the tile, you ought to just leave the wallpaper. No point if you are going to have major wall repairs in your future. As far as the tile in the bath….you could bleach, and scrub, but I would probably also re-grout and caulk the tub as well. The pedestal sink is a great idea. It would probably end up making you like the rest of the tile in the room. Can’t wait to see the finished project. Blessings <3 Paula
Hi,
I just started reading your blog because I too am in the process of remodeling an older home. I have a small guest bathroom and I put a pedestal stink and it made a huge difference so definitely go with that. As far as color choices for the wall, I would go with the lighter one so it doesn’t make the room look smaller maybe even a bit more blue green. My house had terrible wallpaper too but I removed it before I painted and it came off pretty easily. Not sure about painted wallpaper…might want to leave it, if it isn’t pealing up at all. The floor is a tough one…can you sand it and refinish it?
Heather
oh dear… I am in the process of a bathroom remodel and was going to paint the top 1/3 of the walls brown…. now your post has me scared. I also will have the white color on the bottom 2/3- it will be a white painted beadboard. what to do, what to do….
As far as the pedestal sink…. since it’s a hall bathroom it should be fine. I insisted my dh put a pedestal in our main bathroom,and I absolutely hate it. I can’t even put anything on it (it’s pretty small like the pic of the one you posted ) the kids are constantly dropping their toothbrushes off of the sink,and spilling cups of water.. It’s a hassle. If you have to have a pedestal get one with a larger ledge on it, so you can at least set things on it if you need to.
I’d go for Raging Sea as a lover of anything turquoise. Can’t wait to see what you choose.