One Step at a Time: The Bathroom Redo Edition. Volume 6C

YES! I managed to just squeak "all" this cabinetry refinishing in before April ended!*

Let's just get the "action shot" of soap cabinet out of the way at the top of today's program, shall we?

Maybe the late arrival of the hinges will be a happy accident situation, because now that I've come this far, I kind of want to paint the interior of the cabinet purple (Benjamin Moore 2071-50, Amethyst Cream), too! First, because having a pop of color inside cabinets and closets tickles me and second, because it would be lighter and easier to see the contents. While getting this far with a couple of weeks left in April feels like being ahead, the fact that the hinges are keeping me from finishing feels like a green light to paint the interior or at least start.

I remembered to take a photo of the cabinet after I'd emptied it, but before I removed the shelf paper!

In this shot you can see where someone in the past had cut away the back behind the second shelf. This was also done on the second-to-bottom shelf. I presume this was to get at the tub/shower plumbing in the wall behind the cabinet.

I forgot to take a photo of the interior after it had been primed, painted, and had new shelf liner installed, but before I started reloading it.

After reloaded, but before the new hinges were delivered. Sigh. But LOOK HOW TIDY! I purged and reorganized the contents. I wonder how long this level of organization will last...

*Hopefully those hinges will show up very soon so I can get the doors back up... before House Guest Season.

The back of this little unit was in poor shape - so poor it might not make it through stripping or even just sanding, so I replaced it with 1/4" plywood. One nice part of having removed the old backing is that getting inside to sand and paint was that much easier and well lit, and I was able to do something a bit more custom and fun on the back!

I didn't add any moulding to this piece, but I did add the dowel for displaying vintage linens. I am totally enamored with vintage linen, doilies, and handkerchiefs, but they really don't otherwise fit my style. It's a shame for them to be shut up in a box all the time - and I have displayed them in a few places over the years, even using them sometimes - so it will be nice to have a spot to display them. I'll probably also rotate them out occasionally.

In order to get it in there without taking apart the cabinet, I drilled clear through the right side and just a pocket on the left. Then I found a little wood piece at the craft store to use as a keyhole cover.

I have been assembling our aqua, purple, and white things as well as picking some up here and there when something struck my fancy AND was either on sale or at a thrift or vintage shop. I'll also have some seasonal decor to rotate in there.

Yup. The lighting in there is just kind of harsh for now. Halogen bulbs in the vanity fixture, one incandescent bulb in the fan fixture, and a north-ish facing window. You're just going to get shadows AND blurry. Someday I'll get some reflectors.
 (Ahem, Mother's Day is coming, Ms Delia!)

While I was trying to configure which linen pieces to hang on the shelf's new rod, I just couldn't get that one in, but I really wanted to use it now. And then I'd already pressed that middle one AND I'm one of those people who buys in to that whole thing about things looking better in odd numbers. So, I decided to add them to the aqua piece I'm using as a cafe curtain on the window, which suddenly looked a little plain. Still not sure how this window will end up dressed. It's really the only window we have where privacy is much of a consideration at all. There's no reason to cover the top for privacy AND why would we ever want to cover the forest views?

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 & add moulding
   b. pickle - nope! went a different route
   c. replace pulls and knobs
   d. add reclaimed, refinished wall shelves
   e. add wee cabinet by shower
   f. paint interior of large storage cabinet
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 - might just go with the aqua linen towel that's there, perhaps modify it
8. Decorations
   a. on walls
   b. in shelving unit + linens
   c. on big cabinet

WEIRD FACT: We have way too much storage in our downstairs bathroom after all this. Previously all the collected doodads, what-nots, and knick knacks for the re-purposed shelf had been stored in the vanity. I mean, it's hard to believe in the concept of "too much storage" but there's a lot of stuff that you really don't want to store in your bathroom, you know? This bathroom is oddly/stupidly large, particularly considering how teeny-tiny the adjacent laundry room is, so I decided to put the laundry room "back stock" in the bathroom cabinets: the next jug of laundry soap, the backup vinegar (hard water, anti-industrial-chemical fabric softener), stain treatments, oxygen bleach, etc. Honestly, some of these things are handier to have in here rather than the laundry room, since there isn't a sink in the laundry room.