The Verdict Is In.

I am disappointed to report that my dream of taking a bubbly bath in a footed tub will have to wait.

Studly is all for a bathroom redo...he doesn't have much choice with death {in the form of black mold} staring him in the face. 

But, after a great deal of research, he and I both realized that purchasing a vintage claw foot tub, though totally rad, was not really that cost effective. 

There are {diy kits} available for refinishing old, crusty bathtubs, but the reviews I read were not that promising.  So, I decided that having the tub professionally refinished was the safer way to go.  I called one bathtub refinishing place and was quoted almost $700.  Adding in $100 for the tub itself, plus another $100-$200 for the hardware I was looking at spending close to one grand{you can buy a brand new claw foot tub for almost that.}

That's when I knew that my dream of soaking in a "clawed basin of utter delight" was just not going to happen...except for in my dreams. 

I was a little depressed at first, but I would much rather salvage the "perfectly fine-but totally clawless" bathtub we already have and spend the money on retiling the shower, buying a new vanity and putting in new floors.  It's not going to be the bathroom of my dreams, but it will look nice...much better the "petrie dish" I have now.

I'll keep you posted on the progress.  Here are few items that are being considered for the renovation.

A modern vanity to satisfy Studly's taste

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Porcelain tile that looks like wood planks {I am totally in love with this.  Almost makes me okay with taking a bath in "regular" tub...almost.}

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A rustic barn door {to separate the bedroom from the bathroom, cause up until now bathing/showering has been an adventure in exhibitionism.} to satisfy my traditional/farmhouse taste. 

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There's one other architectural element I am hoping to add, but I'm gonna wait to tell you about it...just in case Studly shoots it down- just kidding, but kinda not.

Bathroom Makeover...reveal

Yay! My once hideous bathroom has finally embraced the 2ooo's. There are a few little things that still could use some tweaking/replacing, but I am calling it finished for the time being. If you have forgotten what the space looked like prior to updating allow me to refresh your memory. Brace yourselves.

Depressing right? Now I know why I've needed so much sugar since moving into this house... because everytime I walked passed this room all the life and energy was sucked out of my person. But not anymore.

Here's the new...and much improved space now.

Better right? Is it weird that everytime I walk by it now I want to go inside, lock the door and imagine that I'm at a quaint little beach house. All I can hear is the sound of the seagull's screeching and waves crashing on the shore ...no wait that's just the kids duking it out in the hallway and the overactive boiler downstairs...but whatever.

I commandeered this shutter from the {his and her nursery}. I realize that I just put them up a few months ago, but I am constantly rearranging things. I think I have unusual amounts of pent up nervous energy or ADD...possibly both. But I like it much better as this towel rack.

I timed this project just right, because Hobby Lobby had all of their hooks and knobs on sale 50 percent off this week. Holla!!! I got these assorted hooks for $10.

I really like the {collected over time} look. And even though I bought all of these hooks new, the fact that none of them are the same lends itself to that effect.

I am really loving the dry brushed cabinets. I think they pull the whole space together. Painting them was the best spent twenty minutes of my life...almost.

I was really torn on the hardware. Should I pick something worn and distressed like the cabinets or go completely opposite? I decided to do the opposite. I really like the juxtoposition of the old and faded cabinets with the new and bold hardware.

I had this old mirror sitting in the basement. It just happened to fit the space over the cabinets perfectly.

The nook over the pot is kind of a weird space. It's really tall and narrow. I had these old crates hanging out in the garage and thought they would fit the space nicely.

I filled them up with all sorts of beachiness.

My sis gave me these cool old bottles. I topped them off with seashells for a more beachy look.

Look at all of that dirt. I'm not usually a fan of grime, but I think it works well here.

Super cheap seashell art that I made from dollar store shells and an old picture frame.

A jar of seashells.

And a jar of starfish.

And some coral.

And some more seashell topped bottles.

I've always wanted a chandelier in my bathroom. Why? I don't know. I guess because it's something a little out of the ordinary. The fact that it's turquoise is even better.

Oooh, I found this precious at the thrift store for $5. When I saw it I knew it would be the perfect step stool for the kiddies.

I really hated the navy blue and forest green tile that accented the tub surround so I decided to make a simple shower curtain out of layered strips of muslin to hide it.

It's light and airy...perfect for a beachy chic bathroom.

One of my favorite accessories are these old bars of soap in cute, turquoise boxes. I found them stashed away at my grandma's house. Now when I look at them I will think of her...coincidentally, she is the sweetest woman I've ever known and the soap is called sweet heart soap...AHHHHHHH.

When I started the project I wanted to spend as little money as possible...around $50. I think I came pretty close. Here's the breakdown: $10 for hooks, $23 for knobs {also half off at Hobby Lobby}, $1 for seashells, $6 for starfish, $5 for the chandelier, $12 for muslin for the shower curtain, $5 for storage jars, $5 for the stool and nothing for the twigs, soap, frames, mirror and bottles. The grand total ended up being $67. I went a little over budget, but it's still not too shabby for a complete bathroom makeover.

Linking to:

{20} Minute Miracle Paint Job

I got a little bee in my bonnet the other day as I walked past my hideous bathroom for the 30th time.

Studly has been begging me to bring into the 2000's for months, but I've held out hope that he would just give in and let me gut the place...thus allowing me to start from scratch. I have big plans: pedestal tub, travertine tile, granite counters, new fixtures and cabinets...the works. But like always, Studly has to pipe up and ruin the vision by uttering one joy-bumming word - RECESSION.

All right, times are tough. I get it. Besides, the point of this blog is how to decorate on a budget, not how to spend money you don't have to get the sweetest bathroom ever. So, I'll stick my dream of a luxury bathroom in my back pocket for now and work with what I've got...which is a bunch of crap out in the garage and a grotesque bathroom that had it's heyday in the eighties.

First things first, giving the plain, builder's grade, oak cabinets a much needed updating. Because I do loathe the space currently, I didn't want to waste much of my precious time {or money}on the project. So, I grabbed a brush and some paint {pale blue and seafoam green in case you were wondering}I had lying around and got to work.

There was no method to the madness, no rhyme or reason. I attribute that to my irritated state. I think subconciously I wanted to ruin the cabinets so that Studly would HAVE to let me get new ones. But the more I painted the more I started liking it. And twenty minutes later my masterpiece was done. The end result: old, worn and washed out looking cabinets, like something you might find in an old beach house. And you know what? I LOVE them! They have so much charm and character. Truthfully, I am okay putting my dream bathroom on hold, because I am so excited to see how this project turns out.

A reminder of the before: A closer look at the before cabinets: And now for the after: Already the bathroom looks 10x better. And a close up of the cabinets after: I tried to keep the paint light so that some of the existing, brown cabinet could show through. In some places I applied the paint a little thicker so as to add some depth. I also layered the color by first applying a pale blue, followed by a seafoam green. Check back soon for the complete room reveal.