Moody Blue Bathroom Makeover

The long-awaited Operation Paint the Master Bathroom has finally been accomplished…  And I even got the right color on the first try! :)  Don’t you love it when that happens?  I have no patience for picking up paint samples and taping them to the wall.  Nah… I just grab a pillowcase or curtain that is the color I want and traipse on down to the paint department.  Lucky me, I found the perfect moody gray blue for our master bathroom.  It is called “Lunar Eclipse” by Olympic Paints. 

Whatever the name, the color is just what I was looking for!  A perfect complement to the adjacent Master Bedroom with all its blue linens, while also bringing out the blue background print in our shower curtain. 

You may remember what we were working with before… It was a grayish cream color that was all on the walls in this house when we bought it.  We are steadily ticking off the rooms and adding some new colors to this place.  Here is a side by side comparison.

  

Painting is just one of the many steps in this bathroom makeover.  As you can see, we also have a new light fixture, faucet and wall shelf to showcase!  The faucet was a Christmas gift from Santa… Santa obviously knows what I like! :)  Isn’t she pretty?  Yeah, I’m the kind of person who gets excited about a new faucet… and then blogs about it.  And let me just say, I’ve had this beauty installed for two weeks (Thanks, Papa!)and I’m STILL excited about it!

Meanwhile, this past weekend we installed our new light fixture which was a must-have for the new bathroom.  I wanted a chrome four-light fixture to match all the other hardware in here, but alas, it was not meant to be… and I had to settle for brushed nickel… maybe no one will notice? ;)  The best part is, I saved $20 by buying the fixture and the glass shades separately at Lowe’s.  Apparently they think they deserve an extra President Jackson just to pick out the shades for you and put them in the same box.  I also had a gift card to sweeten the deal, thanks John and Heather! :)

Oh, I almost forgot how “we” installed it.  I stood on the countertop and installed it, while Papa gave instructions and handed me things!  Yay, me!  If it weren’t for pesky things like the potential for electrocution and circuitry and what-not, I could be my own electrician.  Haha…

 

Voila!

It looks good and it puts out a lot of light, which you all know I am fond of.  However, compared to the old light, which was one of those “oak” strip lights a la 1984, the shades on this one funnel the light down over the vanity.  That’s excellent when you are trying to locate the foreign object on your contact lens, but it makes showering a little dim.  So, next on my list is a bath fan/light combo to replace the jinky fan-only unit in the ceiling over by the shower.  They do make some lovely bath fans these days that look like elegant light fixtures.  I’m a fan.  :)  Now to convince the hubby that $88 is not too much to spend just for the convenience of a well-lit shower. 

Last but not least on the “new things in my bathroom” list is our oil rubbed bronze wall shelf.  Don’t you love how trendy paint finishes sound like expensive hand-polished metals?  Yeah, me too.  Anyway, the wall shelf was another gift from Santa (he SO loves me!) to replace the “oak” wall cabinet that was a freebie from a friend.  I really enjoyed having that cabinet, but I was worried how it would look when I refinish the vanity in bombay mahogany.  So, I merely suggested that I liked this shelf and thought it would make a good replacement.  You know what happens when you tell my mother… I mean Santa… that you “like” something.  She goes and buys you a twelve place setting of it!  With all the accompanying serving bowls and platters!  I mean… she surprises you with it for Christmas!  Thanks Mama!  And then after…. ahem… three tries, and as many hours waiting for a second round of spackle to dry, I successfully installed it… by myself!  I didn’t even drop it and wake the puppy! 

And here it is, securely attached to the wall… with two anchors… that hold 100 lbs each.  Not. Going. Anywhere.  :)

And dear readers, what is a new shelf without new accessories?  (And some borrowed from other rooms that have been invaded by puppies anyway.)  The new accessory is that cute glass canister with the darling bird on the lid.  It’s from Pottery Barn… my Love.  And ergo, it’s from Andi!  Thanks Andi and Nick for the Christmas present!  I got it to put bathroomy things like cotton balls and Q-tips in.  PB even offers some staging tips:

But, I don’t have any cotton balls.  And I’m pretty sure it would hold a case of Q-tips.  So, I just filled mine with bars of soap.  :)  But I forgot to emboss them with flowers and tie little pieces of string around each one.  Darn.

So, that brings us to the end of the “new things” tour.  Next on the ole to-do list in here is to refinish this vanity!  And install the matching mirror frame.  And I’ll probably restage the countertop.  You know, cause that’s what I do… when I’m not admiring my new faucet and jar of soap.  :)

I’ll be back soon for the big reveal!  Will you?