The people who previously owned our home loved LOVED wallpaper. (And white carpet.) Come to find out, 1980s wallpaper makes a small bathroom seem much smaller. We planned to strip the wallpaper, add a fresh coat of paint and update a few of the fixtures like the lights and faucets. I’d seen a lovely drum light fixture as well as some more elegant faucets whilst searching for inspiration so I knew those would be changed immediately, making the space look calmer and prettier compared to the previous fixtures.
And as house projects go, this took way longer than expected and required more repairs than anticipated. However, the new yellow bathroom looks so, so much cleaner and bigger. I considered doing a shower remodel but in the end, I decided the shower we had was fine. It’s a little old and tatty but it’ll do! The main issue was the decoration.
Welcome to 1989. Bangs are big, Molly Ringwald is always sad, and Michael Jackson is blaring on the boombox. Why yes, that is two types of border wallpaper glued on top of a base layer of wallpaper. It took a lot longer to get off the walls than we anticipated. (Also, this is the kids’ bathroom, so it is inherently a bit messy.)
Week 1.
Week 2. Yellow paint! Leak fixed. Wall fixed. Kids annoyed to still be taking showers in our bathroom.
Done. The changes other than the paint:
- Curved shower curtain, giving the kids a bit more space in an otherwise small shower. Friends recommended some 3/8″ Glass Shower Doors, but they just don’t fit the aesthetic. Also kids!
- A new to us mirror I found on Craigslist for $40
- A new catch all for all of their counter items
- Mason jars for their soap and toothbrushes
- New to them art — thanks to Finny
I can’t tell you how much bigger this tiny bathroom feels. The kids are happy, and we are happy to have that much less wallpaper. Win! Maybe next I can also get my bills down with a new quote from Money Expert (https://www.moneyexpert.com/gas-electricity/). My friend told me he saved a bunch of money through changing quotes. Only one way to know for sure!
~K