It’s been (embarrassingly) over two years since I started our hallway bathroom renovation. I began tearing down seashell wall paper on my maternity leave with “J”… who just turned 3. This project started in a postpartum hormone crazed moment when the thought of looking at that blue floral seashell wall paper was just too much (and my newly born little babe was napping). With a few scratches of my nail, I managed to find a seam and give it a good pull…. and that was the start of a project.

Here is a picture of what the bathroom looked like before we moved into our home. (The wall paper covered the ceiling as well).

After removing the wallpaper from the walls and ceiling I gave the bathroom a coat of paint I “created” using a few different blue samples I had…. and it turned out not so great…. too bright, too blue. After a few months of living with my custom paint color and not loving it, I re-painted the bathroom walls _______ and the color was perfect! The existing wainscoting also received a fresh coat of swiss coffee (my very favorite white).

After the walls were painted we took out the 1950’s medicine cabinet mirror and repaired the hole in the wall. We switched out the lighting and tossed out the old vanity created a custom vanity using a dresser I found at craft/furniture boutique. The dresser was the right length and width, but much too high for a vanity. The hubby was able to remove the top board, cut down the vanity to the right height and put the top board back on. 

After cutting the vanity down and replacing the top board, we cut a hole in the top of the vanity for the sink to drop in. We also had to cut slots in each draw to allow for the plumbing to fit when the drawers were closed. I painted the vanity in a chalk paint, a custom color (not mixed by me… ha ha ha), and used a water based poly acrylic topcoat for durability. I painted FIVE coats of poly on the top of the dresser to withstand the occasional water splashes. I added simple brushed silver knobs to the dresser.

Instead of a traditional shower curtain, I used window curtains and hung them very high on the wall (about an inch from the top of the ceiling). The tall curtains help the space feel bigger. Lastly, I used a grout restore to re-paint the stained and dingy white grout on the original 1950’s flooring. The shower tile was in great shape and didn’t need anything but a little cleaning. I might eventually repaint the cast iron covered tub, but for now it’s just fine as is.

Project completed!!! For under $400 I gave this 1950’s bathroom a completely different look and feel.  Keeping the great parts of the room and ditching the old and outdated.

Price Breakdown:
Dresser: $80 at furniture boutique
Sick: $80 at Menards
Faucet: Online purchase, totally forgot!
Mirror: $30 Homegoods
Basket Shelf: $30 from Hobby Lobby
Lighting: $40 at Home Depot
Paint: $30 (times two due to my color mishap)
Curtains: $30 at Homegoods
Dresser Knobs: $24 at Home  Depot