my bathroom, on a budget...

one major complaint i have about apartment living is the minuscule size of the bathrooms (among MANY other things). and while it's taken me several attempts to get my bathroom to a point that i can live with, there are still a lot of things i would change about it. what i do love about it is the wall color, the accessorie hardware, the sconces, the shower curtain, the fact that is has a good sized bath tub, and the full wall mirror on one side. here are some of those things....

cheapo 'artwork' from the christmas tree shop

crystal springs blue from benjamin moore's classic colors

granita knob from anthropologie

cotton waffle weave shower curtain from target

and a little lighting trick i like is to use soft pink bulbs in my sconces. granted it's not the best light for applying make-up (you might come out of the bathroom looking like a hooker) but it's a flattering light to look at yourself in otherwise. just be sure to have your main overhead light outfitted with a daylight bulb for make-up application, and put them on different switches...

soft pink light bulb from sylvania

there are a few areas that i'd certainly like to update. first would be the tile work for sure, right now they're a creamy colored porcelain tile that i don't love, at all. for the floors i'd probably do a 2x6 carrara border with a carpet of the following tile inside...

2" honed carrara hexagonal tile

OR

honed carrara mini-brick in a herringbone pattern

and for the shower walls i'd do a simple 3x6 subway tile on a running bond with 3 rows of 5/8x5/8 honed carrara decorative boarder at about 5 1/2' up from the tub floor (i actually did this is another project recently and it was simple and gorgeous)...

3x6 white subway tile

1x1 carrara mosaic tile for the boarder

then i'd certainly swap out some of the plumbing fixtures for some of these...

5" rain shower rose from rohl

c-spout widespread faucet with cross handles from rohl

eco promenade elongated toilet from toto

unfortunately space is limited (actually, it's totally cramped) so i have to have a vanity with under cabinet storage for all my excessive amounts of product (the medicine cabinets on the opposite wall just don't cut it). i also like the fact that i have a 'banjo cut' vanity top which goes over the tank of the toilet to provide more surface area. i would of course swap out my current vanity surface for an ogee edged, polished carrara marble top with a 4" backsplash, but keep the 'banjo cut' feature. and of course i'd love to have a washstands with double sinks someday...

gramercy double metal washstand from restoration hardware

and while i love the fact that i have a full bath tub, someday i'd love to have a frameless shower enclosure with a great bench seat (for shaving my legs of course!) and a separate freestanding tub. just add that on to a list of many...


one last thing...it would be fabulous to have floor to ceiling open shelving, maybe with some nice seagrass storage baskets, rolled towels, decoration, etc. and i love, love, love that ladder....

image courtesy of decor pad

small kitchen, small budget renovating ideas to come later...