When you buy a house (not new) your imagination runs wild and free on big plans to remodel or update. Initially I dreamt of gutting the basement master bathroom, replacing the huge shower, painting the vanity, doing something with the mirrors, maybe change the floor and add a soaker tub. If I was a true do-it-yourselfer, that wouldn’t be too far out of reach. That was my initial vision. As other more important projects took a hold, my initial plans for that bathroom soon became less important and cost-effective. But there still were a few issues I had with the bathroom. This bathroom had no windows and felt cold, nothing a little creativity, paint and a sewing machine couldn’t fix.
I decided on a spa theme. We had put in a hot tub earlier in the year and I thought this bathroom would a great place to change, grab a robe, and some flip-flops and get ready to relax. So piece by piece, issue by issue, I went to work.
Floor: Since tiling was out of my comfort zone and budget in terms of time and money, I knew finding the right area rug would be a better option to address the plain cold tile. It would probably be the single most expensive fix for this bathroom and if I found the right rug the other pieces of my design puzzle would fall in place. I found this natural fiber braided 8×10 rug at The Home Store. I love how it lifts up the room, is warm on the feet and pulls in the natural cabinets and blue color (bonus…its reversible!) And because this rug compliments the vanity perfectly, I was no longer compelled to paint the vanity. 
Paint: Once I had the rug, I knew I was sort of limited in my choices of paint colors. I didn’t want to go neutral as that would be hard to pick the exact color to go with the vanity/floors. I really just wanted a warmer shade of blue than what was currently on the walls. I decided to go with Benjamin Moore’s Palladian Blue but not after trying out all the different shades of blue that I already had in samples of several walls of the room.
Mirrors: I never understood the choice of the mirrors over the vanity. The beautiful round mirrors had a rich wood tone that, in my opinion, clashed with the vanity. So I painted the mirrors the darkest color on the paint strip (2 shades darker than the paint on the walls) and then hotglued a rope around the indent in the mirror. Instantly nautical and coordinates perfectly with the vanity and rug! Yay, three pieces of the puzzle were done.
Wall Mirror. There were still a few things I wanted to do to cozy up the bathroom. I’ve had this big red/gold mirror for thirteen years and love it, but did not have anywhere in my entire house that it “fit”. While still in my creative painting mood, I decided to paint this piece as well. So I taped off the mirror with plastic, deglossed the finish, put a coat of the blue paint and then embellished it with some leftover tan and cream-colored paint I had. Not too bad! I looks fantastic laying up against the wall as you enter the bathroom, compliments the rug, vanity and mirrors yet doesn’t overpower the room.
Seating. Besides the toilet, there was no place to sit and change. The room was certainly big enough to accommodate something. I stole a black vinyl bench from my daughter’s bedroom, with her permission. It would be the perfect fit for another big wall in this bathroom. Of course, the black wouldn’t do, but nothing a slipcover couldn’t cover up. I looked for the right fabric, got many samples and in the end, used a bleached drop cloth. I made a floor length pleated cover with a separate boxed and tufted cushion. I am so glad I went a little wild and used a tan ticking for the boxing. It again pulls the tan out of the rug and vanity. It is so comfortable sit down on too while you get ready for the day or the hot tub.
Room Divider. We had purchased this room divider for another purpose earlier in the year but wasn’t being used to it’s full potential, so I stole it for another room. By placing it in front of the commode area, you now have a bit more privacy in case there is more than one of you in the room at the same time. It also is great to hang a towel on for the shower, and once again breaks the room up a bit and adds more of the warm natural tan color.
Accessories. A few serene pictures, a spa candle, new coordinated towels, sample size products for guests in a pretty jar finishes this room off. I find myself wanting to visit this room because of the relaxing feeling it gives me. Isn’t this what we want every room to feel like?
Shower. The shower is still big. Theres no getting around that. I jazzed it up a little by adding some green glass jars on the shelf to bring the color upwards. For something whimsical, I placed a little mermaid on the shelf (my granddaughter Addy loves). I stole an idea from Pinterest regarding the shower rod with hanging baskets spring-rodded between two walls of the shower. It worked great unless you overload the baskets. I really like the idea and so will work on a more permanent solution that is similar. The last piece of the shower that I would love to do is a smooth stone shower floor. I have one in my master shower and it is heavenly. The smooth roundness of the natural stones feels so rejuvenating on your feet. This will definitely be added to my winter project list. Eventually I will carry this serene feeling into redoing the master bedroom that this bathroom is attached to. I just need to get inspired by something and right now the lake is calling me!
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