Master Bathroom Makeover

When we first bought this townhome, there was only one room I really hated. Our bathroom. I was so excited to have a bathroom connected to my bedroom, but it was ugly. Not only were the walls an offensive green, but they were poorly painted. Oh, and before it was green you could tell it had been poorly painted red. It was like a Christmas nightmare. It's called painter's tape. Use it. I think we just stepped backstage into a local theater's dressing room. Plastic curtain rod with rust marks, plastic curtain rings. Oak cabinet with no hardware. Gag. Above the toilet, a glass shelf and a cheap chrome shelf. We tried to live with it but enough was enough. Also note the oversized mirror. All builder's grade.

A whole lot of ugliness in one picture.

This is what we had to work with.

You might think, it's just a bathroom. But it's not. I retreat to this room every single night to soak in a scalding bath and forget the world. Before the makeover, all I could concentrate on was the sloppy green paint slapped over the sloppy red paint. And now...

Our hotel bathroom. Small but elegant. The walls and ceiling are cream (after a hefty dose of primer.)

Ikea helped us choose a soothing print.

That's a metal curtain rod with sliding curtain rings and a spa curtain. Just the way it should be.

A real medicine cabinet in place of the glass and chrome. If you'll remember, this cabinet was so ugly but only $5 on Craigslist. I spruced it up.

We replaced the mirror and added a towel holder.

We replaced those hideous lights. We painted the bathroom trim white (and we used painter's tape.)

This Ikea find gives us a little dose of Restoration Hardware. I love it.

Finally, a creamy rug from Ikea contrasts nicely with the newly painted vanity. Heaven.

When I am taking a bath now, I feel like I'm in an old restored hotel. Most of the makeover came from Craigslist or clearance racks or a bucket of paint, but it feels rich and calming and beautiful. It's a tiny room, but I think it's my favorite one now.

--KC