Scrub a dub dub!

When we moved into the house this was the only bathroom downstairs. It faced an outside door and was right next to the kitchen, technically where my refrigerator is now. The toilet is in what used to be a closet. See the framing? Our best guess was that because the couple who lived here was elderly and could no longer use the stairs, they rigged this for them. At least, I hope that's why they did it...

So it got gutted. Thankfully. But we didn't want guests (or ourselves - I'm a bit lazy) going upstairs to use the loo all the time, so we had to find space for a bathroom on the main level. The obvious (and really only) choice was the living room. We carved out a space in the corner by the stairs and put in a new bathroom.

Because of the shape of the room (a long-ish rectangle), it's hard to get it all in one picture.

I got tile at a discount place in Columbia - I don't know what it's called but I was told to find it by following the water tower, so there you go. 

I'm not sure if the green stripes were wise or not. Feel free to weigh in on that. Since I saved on the tile and tub, I went with a higher grade faucet and shower head - I HATE cheap bathrooms. The tile stretches higher than usual. Partially because I'm a little tall and I hate feeling like a giant in spaces, but mostly because the higher the tile goes, the less likely you are to have water damage to the drywall surrounding your tub.

That shower curtain is actually a big patchwork of pieces, almost like a finished quilt top, that I got at a yard sale 7 years ago for $2!!! It's been a tablecloth, curtain, and now shower curtain. Waste not, want not.

The sink is a table that I bought at a yard sale for $10 8 years ago. It had zebra painted legs and a giraffe spotted top. I painted it white and used it as a night stand for years. I was looking for something different for this bathroom, but I couldn't find a base I wanted, so I painted it green and had the contractor drill holes in this table. The bowl is an individual piece bought at Lowe's - $80, I think. The faucet was pricey at $125, but isn't it pretty? The cost of the entire vanity was only $215, and you can hardly find one cheaper than that, and definitely not a custom one that no one else has. There's a little bit of storage beneath for towels or a basket filled with random bathroom supplies. And the beauty of the green base is that it is solid wood so it can easily be repainted to change the color scheme.

The small shelf behind the faucet holds soap and candles and folded hand towels. It was made to hide the plumbing for the sink.

Both the walls and trim in here are white, Marscapone by Benjamin Moore. It's one of my favorite whites and is used in several places throughout the house. It's clean without being cold, simple but not bland, and somehow warm without actually becoming cream. I recommend it all the time and it hasn't failed me once.

The floors are wood, which is fine for a guest bath or simple powder room, but for a bathroom that gets a lot of wear, I wouldn't recommend it. Or maybe just not if the people using it aren't neat freaks. I always check it after anyone takes a shower to make sure there is not water on the floor. I am seriously considering painting it to give it another coat of water-proofing. The poly on it is pretty thick, but still...

The toilet is in a little nook. It gives it a feeling of more privacy and creates more maneuverability around the tub. The commode is that new two-option low-flow kind, so it saves water and refills faster, etc. The switch on the left is for the fan.

Because this bathroom is next to the living room (I know, not an ideal location but options were limited), the walls are insulated. You can't even hear the shower running when the door is closed.

And of course what bathroom is complete without a little Audrey?