When we first walked through this house the one and only negative, in my opinion, was the main bathroom which also serves as the master bathroom. At first glance, the brick flooring and brick countertop was a bit much …then add a blue tub and a blue stall shower surrounded by more brick with old brass fixtures and tell me how you feel. But the more I lived with it the more I liked it and like I’ve said before, I sort of let rooms dictate how they need to be decorated as to go with the groove of the house and not against it.
Along with the colors, including the paint-splattered rustic bricks, the splotchy white paint job with plaster drips, the vaulted ceiling and the small & narrow door, this bathroom reminds me of an old worn-out boat. So, like our master bedroom down the hall, I’m going with a beach look but instead of a tropical feel like the bedroom, the bathroom will have more of an old and tattered, rustic boat feel. Until now I’ve never ever been into the “beach” look but this house is just asking for it and what’s really great about doing it now is it seems to be everywhere I look and in every catalogue that appears in my mailbox …but I have a few old treasures of my own that will find a new home in there as well.
While I did pick up a few pieces of large faux coral at Pottery Barn yesterday, the bathroom is yet to be completed. But as usual, here are a few projects I’ve done since we moved in to get it to where it’s at now.
A good scrub-down to this little white cabinet above the toilet and cute contact paper over the old wallpaper made a huge difference.
The original faucet wasn’t horrible but it was leaking horribly underneath and at the base and since the sink wasn’t grouted, it was easy enough to plop a new one in there as well {thanks to my step-dad, Barry} Faucet: $99 Sink: $64 {was $39 in-store} both Home Depot
Originally I was going to just replace this old vanity/medicine cabinet with a new one BUT it wasn’t as easy as I thought to find the exact size without custom ordering it. My second thought was to remove the entire outter piece and find a large framed mirror to hang over it and not use the medicine cabinet at all …which also wasn’t easy to find pre-made without costing an arm and a leg. My last {and most budget friendly but time consuming} option was to take it apart and spray paint it to look like it was a rusty old coppery bronze color. Here’s how I did it {using only a screw driver to remove the frame}.
Another HUGE improvement in my book. That brass vanity killed me. As much as I like the way our bathroom looks now even still incomplete, besides the Pottery Barn faux coral, it’s totally and absolutely unique. I’ve never ever seen so much brick in a bathroom before, especially as a countertop but I love the way it’s shaping up and I love the window and the light that shines in throughout the day. But I must admit that nothing AND I MEAN NOTHING, makes up for the worst water pressure in the entire world …even a great big rain shower-head. But I’ve learned to live with that too.
Click Here to see a complete before & after.
Morgan
amazing job! Looks like a brand new space!
bananas.
whaaaaatttt!!! that looks so good! i’m totally stealing the spraypaint idea. the closet doors in my master are framed with that god awful brassy gold. i’m going to see if i can remove it and spray it some off the wall color.
fabulous job!!!
A.Co
This is INCREDIBLE! You’re such a hard worker and have done a wonderful job!
Thanks for sharing your pictures.
A.Co @ A.Co est. 1984
besswess
It is quaint. I like how you have modernized the room without changing it too much. Way to go!
The Budget Brides Handbook
I love it.
FASHION SNAG
Great job Maegan! You are one of the most creative people I know. x
http://www.FashionSnag.com
Lisa Petrarca
It looks great & I love the brick with it!
Stop by & check out my sons pics for CALVIN KLEIN Fall 2010 Presentation!!
So excited he booked it with all the top models..WOO HOO!
Chrissy
You did a great job with this bathroom. It looks amazing even if it is not finished yet. This style is so different from what we have over here in Europe. Love it!
Leia
I wish I had your decorating skills!
Katie
This looks great, love seeing what you’re doing with your new place!
Anonymous
I like the brick bathroom!! Neat idea………also, try a non-water saving shower head. The low-flow one might be preventing a stronger water flow. Since the pressure is low in your area/house anyway, it would be o.k. water-wise to use a regular one. (If I am not mistaken, low-flow shower heads restrict incoming water in order to save water?) It is worth a try…maybe borrow one first.
J-Diggety
I love all things Mediterranean and beach and sea, and your house is quickly becoming my dream house ;)… don’t be surprised if you find a land-locked visitor on your doorstep in dire need of a “beach” fix… 😉
xoxo J
Vee
I love your before/afters and I hardly ever get to comment because I’m at work at the time. Today I made an exception. Your bathroom LOOKS AMAZING! I love everything about it. Thanks for the tips/inspiration. I’m moving soon and I’m filling my head with ideas.
You rock Maegan!
~Mrs. Guru~
Love it!
Kristin
LOVE what you did to that mirror! My guest post is decorated very similarly. Same colors, coral..etc!
Denise
Great job! Love the LOST sign on the door!
Holly
ok, at the beginning of this post i was thinking “ew, brick and blue” and by the end i was LOVING it. i call that a success!
Gabby / Gypsy*Diaries
Awwww… I just posted about my bathroom makeover today… but I’m not even sure I can call that a makeover compared to what you did! I love the brick look with the navy feel…. love love love… This bathroom kicks my bathroom’s ass so much… I wanna cry. 🙂
XXX
http://gypsy-diaries.blogspot.com/
Tiffany
you need a tv show. seriously! how do you think of all this stuff? You are amazing. I love the DIY, especially to the frame. I never would’ve thought to do that but it just goes so well with the brick.
sj
Amazing!! I wish I lived in a home that I could spruce up so gorgeously!! Love the look of ‘rustic boat’ and I especially love the contact paper replacement – so simple and stunning. So jealous 😉
♥Aubrey
I can’t get over your pups!! He’s so stinkin cute like my TONKA 🙂
They would be playmates for sure!!!
Great remodel hun. We have the same sink faucets. Lol
And that blue tub…GORGEOUS.
SweetTea
That puppy just steals my heart!! Is it a Frenchie or Boston or a combination of the two? I have a little girl Boston:)
Alison Kelly
Amazing makeover!! I’m just curious. I believe you mentioned this house was a rental. Do you ever regret investing so much into something you don’t own?
attemptsatelegance
I am quite impressed! You did such a good job of working with the brick! Although, any room with that adorable puppy is going to be cute.
Tamara Nicole
Can you come over and work on my house:-) Lovely!!!
Chessa!
it looks amazing! exposed brick is a huge coup in NYC. I’d love to have some. I love the stark contrast and the roughness of the bricks and the delicate white. you did a great job! x
drollgirl
dude. it looks so great. you made some really inexpensive changes that look EXPENSIVE and fantastic!
and i’d kill for all of that brick. for reals. it is 4 scrillion times better than the faux marble linolium (sp? whatever) that is all over my rental!
jenn
Fantastic – when I saw the first photo I couldn’t imagine it being workable, but wow!
You need a piece of black fan coral in the window. Guess what? I have lots of fan coral from a trip! It isn’t black but it’s easy to paint. If you trust me with your address I will send it to you. I think you can see my email attached to the comment?
A little thank you for all you share with us readers!
Anna
It looks amazing! I love the contrast between the brick, the white walls and the blue.
Finding myself.
I really like it! The little improvements really made a huge difference.
Hi, I'm Ely.
really nice renovations! i cant wait til i can get my own place to add my own touch to.
http://www.musingofsorts.com
Lainey
I’m loving all the house renovating posts. There is something so inspiring about reading them. Granted my husband and I are still renting a house right now, I can’t wait till we can finally do this to our home.
Lindsey
Love that you’re working with what is there and making it look amazing. And I absolutely adore the “Lost” sign on the doorknob. I’m just a tad obsessed with the show.
Amanda
I love love love the white coral reef-esque accents!!
chiara
awesome! You have great taste, both in what you wear and in your home’s deco.
Lotty
I’m in love with the taps. The mirror looks pretty sweet as well. Good job x
le pearl
You have done an amazing job so far. You should be so proud of yourself!
Katie
Love the look of this bathroom Meaghan – the boat theme really works with the blue and bare bricks.
Katie @ http://thefilmangel.blogspot.com
Monique
I love what you did here! It looks so much better. I think if you painted one wall the same color as the tub it would look nice too. I kinda like the blue tub it’s kitsch chic!
Steph
I cannot get over how fabulous this all looks together! You did a great job on that mirror. It looks brand new! And the brick is so interesting, and the direction you’ve taken the decorating is just perfect 🙂
anhesty
wow looks really good! you did a great job!
Summer
woah mama! Genius and amazing, and I LOVE!
Now where on earth did you find that adorable contact paper???
kaye i.
You never run out of amazing ideas. You’re so good at DIYs. It seems like its just a few little things, but its not! All those changes made a really big difference.
Anonymous
Amazing! Your bathroom looks great and your puppy is too cute.
I follow your blog and love your DIY’s, would you be able to do a DIY body chain? I’m obsessed with the look of them, there must be a way! thanx!
-taia
Pretty Little World
I love all of these changes! I can’t believe how different the bathroom looks just changing the mirror and the faucet. So very pretty!
Ela
I love it! The spray paint completely transformed it, you are genius!
Maddy
Love your changes. Everything is so cookie cutter these days. So I think you should definitely embrace your unique bathroom.
Re: water pressure. You should have your pipes checked to see if anything is blocked. You can also check your pressure numbers to see what the pressure is compared to the ideal (a plumber can do it or I think you can buy a gauge yourself and check.) You can add a water pressure booster to your water supply to boost it. I had a friend who added a booster. Not sure if it is pricey or not. (Google “boost water pressure” to get some ideas.)
Wanderlusting Fool
wow I think the bathroom looks so great. And I love your little pup in the first pic too!
Sasha
Hi there
I know this is waaay late, but I only just found you.
I have just taken the flow restrictor out of my showerhead because our water pressure sucks too.
It’s a little plastic washer looking disc with holes in it. Just pop it out with a screwdriver and put your showerhead back together and this might help!