One Step at a Time: The Bathroom Redo Edition. Volume 4

There are just a couple-few small projects on the downstairs bathroom to accomplish this summer with the rest of them happening at some undecided time in the future. But I want the bathroom to stop having that in-progress feeling it has had for so, so long. To that end, the hardware & decorations have started to go up!

We brought down a mirror from the bedroom to replace the cheap/thin one that came with the place that was installed lower than either of our heads. The frame is old and warped which gives the mirror a bit of a fun house quality, but it turns our that neither of us care! We've plenty of other "accurate" mirrors in the joint.

I've had this mirror for probably 12-15 years and in five houses. The frame is a little grungy so I'll probably refinish it eventually.

I have had those empty frames for a long, long time and haven't had them up in several years so it was nice to have a good place for them. My mom gave me the cast aluminum stag hooks and they work great in here! It will be fun to find small trinkets to hang on the hooks.

I moved the the train rack to over the toilet to accommodate a wall-mounted shelf near where it used to hang. Now that the walls are painted, the cloth basket I made for towel storage makes more sense, as does the shower curtain.

I found this candle vase to use for stowing an extra couple rolls of toilet paper near the toilet itself. The vanity cabinet is just far enough away that it's hard to reach while seated (ahem) and it's always frustrating to not notice the roll is out of paper until you need it*.

Since other pieces of hardware have moved it made sense to reinstall the towel bar on the wall to the left of the sink. I don't feel like there was a just-right spot for both convenience and aesthetics, so it went here. Whatevs. Just so long as we and our very occasional guests* have access to a clean towel for drying our and their hands. Besides, when I repair and hang the decoration I have to hang above it, I think it will look fine.

So yeah. I have a thing where I don't want totally matching towels. That is, I want them to match the decor, but not necessarily each other perfectly and all the time. It's not for everyone.

I saved a shelf that I took out of the laundry room to paint in what was probably the first week we lived here. It will be refinished inside and out when I do the rest of the cabinetry. It's going on the wall stocked with tchotchkes, knick knacks, and doo dads. I have been collecting them and decorations for the walls via gift and purchase for a long, long time. Hopefully, I'll get the shelf refinished and all the stuff up in the next month or so, but I'm not going to sweat it if I don't.

* It's always a little embarrassing to be a guest when there's no obviously available hand towel or back up toilet paper.

Downstairs Bathroom Redo Master List
1. Walls
   a. remove floral wallpaper & repair damage
   b. prime original wallpaper & skim coat
   c. prime skim coat and paint
   d. veneer plaster & topcoat
2. Ceiling
   a. skim out or remove popcorn texture
   b. remove some of the plant hooks?
   c. prime
   d. fun faux finish
3. Cabinetry
   a. sand
   b. pickle
   c. replace pulls and knobs
   d. add reclaimed, refinished wall shelves
4. Tub/Shower
   a. remove and replace caulk
   b. add tile "backsplash" above
   c. remove doors
   d. replace shower curtain
5. Move hardware
   a. train rack over toilet
   b. hand towel bar
6. Floor
   Not sure, but must deal with wrecked stuff beneath tub/shower
7. Window covering
   a. tba
8. Decorations
   a. on walls
   b. in shelving unit