Part 2: Half bath redo

My first floor full bath converted to a half bath is almost done!  For a reminder of how it looked when we purchased the house, go here.
It's a small bathroom, so here's my best attempt at getting "after" pictures.

We bought the home as a foreclosure and the mirror was left hanging in the front foyer.  It was a shabby-sad gold-ish color which I repainted in the same color as the board and batten (Benjamin Moore Navajo White).  The brackets holding the shelf are from the local hardware store ($8 each - originally black, which I repainted in the same Navajo White) and I had the glass shelf made at the local paint and glass store  (also $8).

 

The pedestal sink, toilet and tile floor are from the previous owners.  I had a new faucet ($100 from Home Depot) and toilet level ($14 from Home Depot) put on to replace the 1980's gold ones that were on them! 

The hand towels and rolls of toilet paper are in the shelf basket.  The table is one I purchased many years ago in Upstate New York.

I LOVE this wallpaper!!  I wish I had a better camera -- the background looks light blue, but is actually a beautiful robin's egg blue color.  SOOO pretty! The board and batten was something I saw on a blog (I can't remember which one) a few years ago.  After removing the subway tiles from this bath, I knew this treatment would be the perfect replacement.  It was the first time my contractor had ever tried anything like it.  He loved it when he was finished.  I'm pretty sure he'll be offering it to other clients.  You are welcome!

The chandelier is from Lowe's.  Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to purchase, they no longer carried it:)  Gotta love Ebay!  Found it for less than the original price. Whew!

Just waiting for the Dash and Albert Sienna Rose throw rug.  It took me 2 months to decide on one.  I scoured antique stores, Etsy,  Ebay,  and a large number of Internet stores.  THIS is the one.  Finally. It's a Christmas gift from my mom.  And it's on back order....

I originally plamned to do this with all my antique hand-towels (beats leaving them in a drawer to rot!); however, after I fell in love with the wallpaper, I worry it may be too much...  Time will tell. 

Full bath to half bath redo

When we bought the house it had 4 full baths. Great, right?  Not so much for me.  I'm probably one of very few people that thought it was overkill for this house.  I just thought, with no bedrooms on the first floor, why have a full bath (with a claw foot tub, nonetheless).  Sooo,  I remade it into a half bath. I kept the other three baths as full baths, but completely remodeled them - I'll save those for another post.  

Here it was the day we purchased it:

The wallpaper is actually a Currier and Ives-type print from a book.  Each one individual. Glued on.  With liquid-nails.  Seriously.  We had to take all four walls down completely and re-drywall.  No joke.  That should've been our first sign with this house.  Anyway, after pictures coming soon:)

After pictures of the kitchen. Finally.

Time for some after pics of the kitchen! 

Lest I forget, a "before" reminder:

LOVE having the stove moved to the outside wall!  HUGE difference!  Finally a gas stove too -- it's been on my "dream kitchen wish list" for 4 houses now.  Simply put, it's awesome:)

My big splurge -- the long-dreamt about farmhouse sink.... so happy with it!  I found the fabric for the sink skirt on Ebay, the wool rug at an area antique store and the island was a long-ago purchase from my years in New York.  So wonderful when everything comes together!

I was a little worried about loosing that window, but really don't miss it now.  We added a mudroom on to the back where there was just a small open porch before so the window really had to go. I've been adding various open shelving ideas to my Pinterest account for such a long time, I just knew this was the perfect spot for them.  The silver could stand some polishing I see....

Pricing breakdown to follow.  When I find it..... 

Mayberry moment

Taking a moment today to appreciate my front porch.  Yes, my porch.  I LOVE it!  Everyone should have one.  Seriously.  Absolutely lovely.  Not one of these tiny, concrete postage stamps on all these new construction homes, but a real, oversized, across-the-front-of-your-house-step-back-in-time-just-like-in-Mayberry kind of front porch.  Like another room of your home (only colder in the winter and hotter in the summer).  It's made my family closer, it's made me friendlier with my neighbors (and even strangers that walk by), it's made me slow down, take a moment to myself to relax and have a quiet cup of coffee, watch the squirrels gather nuts for the winter, just breathe -- it really makes me happy.  Waaay better than therapy.  Or hard liquor. Or pills.  Seriously -- LOVE IT!!

The perfect place for a porch swing - the hooks are even in the ceiling from the previous owner (probably one of the only things we kept!).

Some of my favorite porches from around the Internet:

A front porch just makes a house look friendlier, doesn't it?

My kids in their pj's drinking hot cocoa while watching a movie AND getting along! It's the front porch - it's gotta be.  And maybe that they're getting to stay up late drinking hot cocoa. Outside. In a tent. Nah, let's just say it's the front porch.

P.S. The day after I posted this, my neighbor called to tell me she had just left pumpkin smoothies for us on the porch.  See?!  

Where to put the laundry room?

I have SO many ideas for the old house we are buying (2 weeks until closing....)!  The biggest challenge?  Well, money of course, but that's boring!  I'd prefer to live in my unlimited-budget-fantasy-until-the-ranch-home-sells-and-reality-hits-world.  No, the real question is:  Where to put the laundry room?  The previous owners had it in what is going to be my children's bathroom on the second floor.  THAT will never work, not with my kids.... Soooo.....where to put it?  Maybe on the main floor in or by the bathroom?  Hmm.....

Maybe in the basement?

Umm, no probably not.  Too damp and far away from the bedrooms.  Not to mention, my kids will use the "I'd love to help with the laundry; however, it's waaay too creepy down there Mom!"  Or the fall back and ever popular "No, waaaay!"  Have to give that more thought..... on to the fun stuff - the decorating ideas!

 Love the idea of having a sink in the laundry room.

 Great crafting/wrapping/folding area!

We're closing in the back porch for a mud room.  Wonder if we could make it a laundry room too?

I really like this for a basement laundry room....not sure ours would work this well....

I LOVE wallpaper!  I'm going to have to use it somewhere...

Finally, a chandelier and a big change...

So, after 8 months, I have finally found my chandelier.  Better yet, it was affordable!  Cheap, actually, for an antique chandelier.  In a nutshell?  $125 from Ebay, arrived broken, received full refund through the Post Office, took it to my lamp-repair guru, he repaired it beautifully (found out it was actually a 6-arm, not the 5-arm it was advertised - yeah for me!), paid him $145, and brought my chandelier home.  And it only took 6 months... Of course, after all that, it's still sitting in a box in the basement waiting to be hung:(  Why? Because we're moving!  Yes, after just 10 months in this house, we're moving.  Yes, we are bordering on insanity.   Yes, after 6 years of trying to make two new construction ranch homes look country-French-cottagey, my husband has given up indulged me and bought a fabulous (well, I think so and that's all that really matters, right?) 113 year old house.  Okay, it's actually a foreclosure in a complete state of disrepair - on the outside anyway, in a small town 25 miles from where we live now with a yard no bigger than a dorm room postage stamp, but hey I got my old house!  Still haven't sold the ranch house.  Hoping a divorce is not to follow.....

Visions of crystal chandeliers still dancing in my head! Here are just a few beautiful rooms that inspired me to think crystal for our dining room. After all, a girl can dream...

DustyLuInteriors

Layla Grace

Hookedonhouses.net

acountryfarmhouse.blogspot.com

littleemmaenglishhome.blogspot.com

fullbloomcottage.blogspot.com

Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic