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DD Update: My work here is done

So, you waited, and waited...patiently while I teased - a shot of tile here, a casual paint reference there, a glimpse of a fixture to tempt your thoughts...AND you're still with me?! You, dear MLHP readers, are without a doubt, THE BEST!

...And, to reward you....Laaaaa (you know, angel choir sound?) {tsk}
***Disclaimer: Author has unnerving "anti" attitude towards camera flash, hence, photos of unbelievably lovely new bathroom read more yellow than it truly appears in "real life." Arrgghhh!***

...In case you don't remember the Before:
Now, wanna hear the redo story? OK, good.

First: The Paint
Remember how my original, inspiration was to do a soft, petal/blush color on the walls? With this in mind, we picked Valspar's Pink Kiss. After testing a sample, and putting the paint chip next to the tile, my gut just said NO! (MLHP words of wisdom: always listen to your gut!)
So, I tossed out the idea of doing a soft, spa-mint green to my aunt, and showed her a paint swatch next to the tile sample - clearly, it worked much better. We went with Valspar's Neon Mint.
Can I just take a moment to say how truly lovely it was to work with my Aunt Betty on her bath redo? She was so flexible, eager, and willing to let me take this little project down what she sometimes may have thought were crazy paths - all because she loves and (apparently) trusts me as her "designer." If all clients could be so kind...
Anywaaaay...The paint - I suppose a seasoned interior designer would have been tipped off by the word NEON in the paint name....but, it just looked so nice on the swatch {sigh}
The first roll of color went across the newly-textured wall, and, let's just say it was a lot more Eeek than Aaahhh....

Obviously, ran back to Lowe's (shouldn't I be on their payroll, already?) Told the paint guru my problem - NEED TO TONE IT DOWN - he added a drop of red, and voila - neon turned spa! So, I can probably get you the numbers if you really want them - but for general purposes, the CUSTOM paint color is: Valspar's Neon Mint - with a drop of Red.

Once I finished painting the walls, cabinets and trim, we were able to address what I like to call....

The Jewelry
You were all very excited after I gave you this sneak peek at the chandelier... Unfortunately, as lovely as it was...it was only set up to be hung via swag (from an outlet/no hardwiring) AND it only had one bulb socket. We got a great deal on it at the hobby store, so, in retrospect, it's rather obvious it is meant to be merely decorative. We needed function as well as form. Note: Cute chandelier will hang in soon-to-be-born cousin Chloe's room!

I saw this rather lovely mini-chandelier on this fellow Texan blogger's post, and thought it might be the perfect replacement. It was.
in fairness, this is a better representation of the finish...
Next, I scoped out the lamp at HomeGoods. (Isn't this shot of the reflection off the tile Gorg?!)
The artwork is a photograph I took of my grandmother's pearls...
My aunt loved this, and I'm rather proud of it, myself!

...The sisal rug is from Marshalls
...And the Fab hardware my aunt picked out is from Lowe's
Some more close-ups of The Jewelry
Vanity light from the "mix 'n match" selections at Lowe's
Oh, wait! I haven't even had the chance to tell you about the circus involving the Shower Curtain!
In my original DD design, I suggested this waffle-weave extra-long curtain. We didn't really want to order a curtain, and this one didn't get the best customer reviews. But since there was nothing inspiring in our small town, I suggested I could attempt to sew one. You all know I'm not a seamstress, right? (I'm trying, I want to be!)

We bought some lovely white, sateen sheeting...and I got as far as this
Well...my Mom got as far as that...I more or less got in the way. We had it all pinned when I asked my aunt to make a S.O.S. call to her seamstress friend. Luckily, the woman is a kind soul - she took the curtain out of our hands, and sewed it beautifully in an incredibly short amount of time.

So, there ya have it: the nuts and bolts of a summer bathroom re-do.

For the Bean Counters out there: My aunt tallied up all her receipts - the total came to just over $1500. Unfortunately, we had to contract-out some of the bigger work, and that ate a lot of the budget.
In addition to everything I listed in this post:
  • We contracted for sheetrock and texture (remember, there was wallpaper and old paneling before)
  • Tile (parts and labor)
  • Aunt is replacing the shower stall plumbing fixtures
I'm just delighted with the results, even more so because my Aunt Betty loves it!

I'm buggin' out, ya'll - heading back to Brazil to enjoy having my precious little family unit back together, and some much-anticipated cooler weather! See ya in a few days! :)

20 comments:

my favorite and my best said...

great job alison! the before and after is astonishing! i would love to know what your budget was. if you wanna shoot me a private email?? i do LOVE the pretty shiny tiles. such a nice touch in there.
and major props on the photo. you are a natural.

Linda at Lime in the Coconut! said...

Nice work...and a safe flight back to Brazil! You did some great things while you were on this side of the world!

susan said...

Alison--You did turn that floral bathroom into a relaxing spa-feel. I really like that you can buy the sample size paint at Lowe's. It took me 4 cans to get my bedroom right! My favorite is the picture of your grandmother's pearls!! What great artwork and a personal treasure. Your aunt is lucky!! Thanks for sharing this!

Carrie said...

Beautiful! Frumpy to Fabulous if I do say so myself. And I love your grandma's pearls... nice touch!

Averill said...

Great job; it's amazing what getting rid of {hideous} wallpaper, some fresh paint, gorgeous hardware (and that chandy -- love!) can do. And, of course, that tile is perfect.

Morning T said...

You did a fabulous job. I especially love the pic of your grandmother's pearls!

nicolette said...

Even though the picture is darker because of lighting, the warmer tone just looks a lot better. I also agree with the general consensus here: getting rid of the wallpaper is a fantastic idea.

Nicolette
http://www.furnitureanddesignideas.com/

Dumbwit Tellher ♥ said...

Alison it looks so terrific. I love the hardware (jewelry!) and the color is so refreshing. Your Aunt must be in heaven? Thanks for sharing your pride & joy!

Olive Rue said...

Hi Alison. I just discovered your blog. The bathroom transformation is amazing. Of course, being a photographer I love the shot of your Grandmother's pearls. I've added you to my blog roll.

LindsB said...

Alison, it is just beautiful!! I cant believe the transfermation, its amazing!

I love the tile, love the light fixture...but I think my favorite is the photo of the pearls since it has so much meaning behind it- what a perfect touch! love love love everything about it!!

Haven and Home said...

It looks amazing!!!! I feel like I should be on Lowes payroll too!

pk @ room remix said...

What a GREAT makeover! you must be so happy to have it done and be able to enjoy it now.

bluehydrangea said...

This looks amazing!! I don't know how you had time to do all this!!!

Style Redux 2 said...

Alison-A lovely job-the tile is really great!

Lovely Little Nest said...

Wow, you did a wonderful job on this transformation!

The Little Jewelry Box said...

CUTE site! Would love to add one another as followers:) I am always looking to network with other creative blogs! Let me know OR add me and I will then add you! Happy blogging and best of luck!!

Kim said...

It is just amazing what a little paint can do! Very nice!!

Federica said...

I tagged you! :)

http://sweet-as-a-candy.blogspot.com/2009/07/honest-scrap-award.html

Anonymous said...

Alison, I have to say you did a wonderful job on moms bathroom. It was time for the flowers to go but they were nice at the time the paper was put up. Like everyone else the pic of granny's pearls on your jewelry box is a SPECIAL added touch. I know how much work it was since I was there during the process but it certainly paid off. Love and miss you guys!!!! Melanie

Federica said...

Congrats Alison! Great job! I'd need your help for my new home, it would be fantastic!
I'm so happy, yesterday we signed the contract and now we have to start searching furnitures and everything we need to make this house beautiful!

Kisses

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