The bathroom is done!

We've finally finished the bathroom. I should have taken "before" pictures. The initial plan was to tile the floor and repaint the walls only. The floor was dated linoleum, the sink cabinet particle board making it a sad, tired little room! Once the throne and sink were removed for tiling, the renovation train had left the station and we were powerless to slow it down!

The redo was a family effort - Ethan did a fantastic job on the tiles- ripping out the sub floor, laying cement board and perfectly laying the lovely new tiles. I love the color - an ocean-inspired swirl of green and blue. Kate's gift of the fantastic hooks inspired the colors and shabby-chic meets French-county theme. The Captain did the lighting, floorboards and hook installation. I did the bossing, cleaning up and the painting.

The Captain thought we should move the sink (you see how the project kept getting more and more complicated). Then it seemed silly to put that sad sink back in. We searched for a sink cabinet and were faced with two options - inexpensive (wood-like substance held together with plastic plugs) or something beyond the budget for the entire project! After one disappointing shopping trip, I thought of the unused hutch in our basement and had a "eureka" moment - solid oak, in good shape, lots of storage - YIPPEE - a fantastic cabinet without spending any money! This meant we could splurge on the faucet - a lovely farm-style pump affair. We had intended to set a sink into the hutch, but liked this look better, plus it meant we didn't have to sacrifice the drawers.

Same thought process happened with the toilet - once it was out, how could it go back? My friend, Shiela, visited this fall and told me we needed a taller throne - and she was right. Plus, the new one has a smaller, taller tank, somehow making it look old-fashioned.

The window - mirror over the sink is special. It came from my dear old friend Barbara's farm. When she had the chicken coops dismantled, the current owners ( good friends Doug and Jodi), rescued one of the windows for me. I had the glass replaced with mirrors and now it has found it's perfect home!

If you're looking for me, I'm probably in the bathroom, enjoying the new view.