Baby Blue Bath

When we purchased this house, it was very... colorful... bright blue kitchen, butter-yellow living room, mint-green hall bathroom - the previous owners had painted every room a different color!

The hall bath was by far the most funky. The house was built in 1963, and it has the tell-tale baby blue tile, sinks, and tub to prove it! When looking for a home in this neighborhood, we saw it all - pink, orange, green, brown, you name it.  It could have been much worse! In our initial remodel, we decided to hold off on completely overhauling the three bathrooms and to focus most of our energy on the kitchen and living spaces.

Some before pics for your viewing pleasure:

We ripped out the funky little corner cabinets and painted the walls, trim, and cabinets white.
We also switched out the hardware, and replaced the (BLUE!!) toilet.  I'm still debating what to do about a window treatment in here. I know I will ultimately want to do a roman shade, but I am not totally sure of my color scheme for the future. So for now, my great grandmother's blue and white milk glass decanter collection provides a little shelter from the outdoors.  This was really all we did in here, and I think it made a huge difference. For the time being...

My favorite thing in the entire bathroom - a sketch of my wedding gown by Nardos Imam

Much better without the funky cabinets. I recovered a little vanity stool in Martin Lawrence 

Bullard's Adras Ikat to add a pop of fresh color - you can't see, but there is a stripe of chartreuse in there. I also practice restraint with accessories in here, which is extremely hard for me.

The sweetest way to corral tiny hair supplies - a portion of my vintage tea cup collection gifted to me by my grandmother.  When Mark and I moved in together, I had a pretty hard time letting go of all of my feminine frills.  After a while, I realized that a little goes a long way, and if it makes me happy to look at something everyday, then by-gosh it stays! 

I would not have chosen blue myself, but it's growing on me - pretty and serene without being overtly feminine. 

A lucite tray helps contain my primping mess.

 With this bathroom I am trying to practice what I preach to clients all the time... live in the house for a while and decide how you want to use the space before committing to a design scheme.  Its a challenge, because I really do not love the blue tile counter, but I am learning certain things about this bathroom and how we use it:

• I prefer to shower and get ready in here instead of our master bath, which is teeny tiny and covered with Mark's beard trimmings (gross!)

• I love love love having a sit-down vanity in the bathroom - I had previously only used a vanity in my bedroom, and I will never go back now!

• The fact that this bathroom opens to the guest room as well as to the hall is amazing. When my parents and friends come to stay with us, they love that they don't have to walk around in their bath towel in public! I had initially thought of closing off this door to make room for a larger tub/shower, but now I'll think twice about that.

• I absolutely need a taller bath tub.  This one holds barely any water - baths are hardly enjoyable when half of your body sticks out of the tub... and maybe a little soap niche to hold my glass of wine during said baths... a girl can dream! 

Of course I have big dreams and plans for this little bathroom in the future, but for now, this will do!

Xx
Ivy

SOURCES

Paint: Benjamin Moore Decorator's White (entire house is this color - love it)
Shower Curtain: Target
Vanity Stool: HomeGoods, also love this one
Stool fabric: Schumacher
Lucite Tray: Amazon
Mercury Glass Canisters: Anthropologie
Cabinet hardware: Rejuvenation's Mission Collection in Brass. We used this collection in our kitchen and all 3 bathrooms for a cohesive look.