Budget Bathroom Design Board

No, I'm not talking about our upstairs bathroom that contains more paint samples than there are numbers to count. My friend Darlene had a plumbing issue in her upstairs bathroom, which required busting into the floor, so she thought it sounded like a good time for a makeover. (Agree!)

She and her husband asked me to find them new everything: flooring, vanity, paint color, even a tub and toilet. And they told me I had to keep it all under $2,000, since they would also have to pay a contractor to install it. They also had a lot of specific ideas about what they wanted, which, you might think would make it difficult, but it was actually awesome because it eliminated a lot of things right off the bat. Holler! Here's an example of their requirements: a 36" vanity in dark wood, tile that looks like what they have in their kitchen, brushed nickel fixtures, light green paint, and exposed shelving.

This was so fun:

>> I'll start with the vanity. I had no idea about this until we bought our house and started pricing out new ones for ourselves, but a vanity can get expensive REAL fast. Like, it was common to see them for $800. I knew that wouldn't fly in this case since so many other things needed to be purchased, so I did a little digging and found this sweet vanity combo (cabinet, countertop, and mirror) for $369.

>> They wanted tile around their shower, and they wanted the same stuff on the floor. If you recall, it also had to look like what was in their kitchen. I found some 12x12 beige ceramic squares with a warm undertone, to compliment the vanity, for $1.13 each.

>> Since the new vanity would be smaller than the old one, more storage was needed. Exposed shelving will go next to the mirror, and while the price of this will vary depending on how many they buy and what wood they choose, it can be done for under $50.

>> New faucets were also on the list. I will say: I'd never looked at shower faucets before. Knowing they wanted brushed nickel was a lifesaver, because there are 9 million options at every store. The shower set was $107 and the one for the sink was $89.

>> As for the paint, I chose Lime Sorbet by Benjamin Moore. Since the room doesn't have any windows or skylights, I wanted something really fresh and airy to keep the walls from closing in on you. The accessories would also play off the sherbet-y color of the walls. A basket for hand towels and a glass jar for cotton balls, $13 each.

>> I picked a tub and toilet, too, which honestly aren't that exciting so I won't go into much detail here. Tub $280, toilet $98.

On an exciting note: demo has already been done and their contractor is installing the items right this second. Aaaah! They purchased most of what I picked, which is just a thrill. You might think that's lame because a client is supposed to like what the designer finds, but it's exciting the first time it happens, okay? I'm having a moment.

I'll have pictures for you (befores and afters) as soon as it's done. If you want me to help you out with a design dilemma of your own, just hit me up via email: paige [dot] ronchetti@gmail.com. I'm still offering them for the low, low price of $0 for the time being, so take advantage while you can.

Any updates around your house lately?