Category — Bathroom Remodeling / Renovation Ideas

Finishing Touches of a Small Bathroom Remodel
(See Below for DIY PVC Trim Installation Instructions)

Bathroom remodeling is a wonderful thing. New tub, new shower, new sink, new tile, new bathroom fixtures - it’s all new! Sometimes, however, after getting all those new important bathroom items installed, the small or inconsequential finishing touches get left undone. You are so overwhelmed and (hopefully) happy with the completion of the big renovation picture that little things like trim and molding fall by the wayside. They may be small, but those little bits of untrimmed areas can make a big difference to the overall finished appearance of your bathroom. Left with unfinished or incomplete trim and molding, your bathroom renovation or remodel just doesn’t shine as brightly as it could. [Read more →]

I found so many funky bathroom sinks when I was looking for one to fit on a modern bathroom vanity cabinet that I thought I’d do a post dedicated entirely to small white vessel sinks.

To make the cut, the vessel sinks had to be small and white (hence the title - Small White Vessel Sinks), but they also had to be priced under $150 and be somewhat unusual or unique. I’ve broken my selections down into two categories - Round Vessel Sinks and Square Vessel Sinks.

You might think that a vessel sink would only be suitable for a bathroom with modern decor, however there are several choices in the round vessel sink category that would complement a more traditional decorating style. Check out the vitreous china vessel with the scalloped edges and the elegant design of Laurel. A definite plus for anyone wanting to convert an antique washstand, dresser or cabinet into a functional lavatory feature. [Read more →]

Hey, I had an idea for a low cost modern bathroom vanity cabinet!

For some bizarre reason it’s hard to find a modern bathroom vanity cabinet at a reasonable price. Modern vanity cabinets alone run into multiple hundreds of dollars. Add onto it the cost of the bathroom sink and faucet and it’s no wonder that bathroom renovations come in near the top of the list for most expensive home improvement projects. With this proposed hack of Ikea’s Bestå shelf unit, you can have a modern bathroom vanity sink cabinet for less than $150 dollars. Even with the addition of a small vessel sink and a vessel sink filler faucet, you can still put it all together for under $400. (Don’t forget the pop-up drain and mounting ring.) [Read more →]

If this was my bathroom I would:

(a) Close the door and never set foot in it again.
(b) Burn it.
(c) Post toxic warning signs and string yellow caution tape across the doorway.
(d) Remodel.

You know I’m going to pick (d) ! This isn’t my bathroom, but for the purpose of walking through the important factors and considerations to keep in mind when thinking about a bathroom renovation / remodel, it’s a perfect example. The bathtub and shower don’t match the toilet, the toilet itself is disgusting, the vanity cabinet and the mirrored medicine cabinet are dated, and the sink faucet and the tub/shower faucet are less than appealing. [Read more →]

Continuing with the outdoor room theme…..Get a little closer to nature this summer with an outdoor shower!

I’ve always wanted an outdoor shower, alas, the perfect location has eluded me. Maybe you’ll have better luck.

(For the products, sources and pricing of items featured in this design inspiration board, see below.)

[Read more →]

If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It

Words to live by in certain circumstances, but on the other hand, if you can make it even better, by all means, what are you waiting for? That’s how I felt about the built-in cabinet in my small bathroom. The cabinet was installed a little over a year ago. All I had to do at the time was prime and paint the doors and add hardware (knobs / pulls).

Now, one year later, I’ve had plenty of time to assess how this built-in bathroom cabinet works for my needs. It makes a great storage place for bath towels and extra rolls of toilet paper, provides space for displaying attractive bathroom accessories, and the bottom of the cabinet is a laundry chute that goes straight down to the laundry room which is a definite plus. All well and good, but I decided it needed to do more. In small bathroom design, you need to get the absolute maximum use out of every available inch of space. To maximize the use of this built-in cabinet it needed to offer even more functionality. This is what I did to turn a simple bathroom cabinet into a multi-tasking feature even more worthy of the space it occupies in my small bathroom. [Read more →]

Can you believe it?!  It’s taken forever to get to this point, but the new roman shade for my kitchen window is finally done. 

Without any further adieu, here it is:

The placement of the shade, right at the top of the cupboards, truly gives the illusion of a larger window. 

Am I the only one who thinks it looks waaaay better than the ‘before’ shot shown below?

Next Up:  The other kitchen window.

Small House = Small Living Room

More than just a living room, this area in my home also serves as the entry point from the front door, the access point to the second floor, and a throughway to the den/library.  That means a lot of traffic and very little uninterrupted wall space.

Like the homes of many DIY home decorators/renovators, my humble abode is a (continual) work in progress - it is by no means perfect.  Through my endeavors to make this small living room work for me, I have discovered and incorporated some small space living ideas and solutions that I thought would be worth sharing with you. [Read more →]

Remember that window over my kitchen sink?

The plan was to make a new Roman Shade, specially sized to cover the full width of the space between the upper cabinets on either side of the window above the kitchen sink.  Then, I was going to mount the new fabric window shade at the top of the wall, thus giving the illusion of a larger kitchen window.  The plan has not changed - the process of choosing the perfect fabric, however, has definitely slowed me down.

What I’m looking for is something fresh and bright to liven up the kitchen area.  I’d like something modern and funky, but the fabric I choose also needs to work with the character of this old house.  At this point fabric type, such as linen or cotton, is secondary.

So far I’ve been able to narrow it down to two color families: [Read more →]