Frugal Bathroom Redo - Before, Part Two

In my previous blog post, I talked about what wasn't going to change as I redecorate the bathroom. Today I'm going to talk about what is changing.

We aren't changing the sink, but I do want to get a more vintage look for the handles. Here's what we have:



I want "cross handles" like this and I discovered that I can order a set of just the handles at Lowe's. Everywhere else I went, I was going to have to order the faucet, too, which makes switching a much more costly proposition.

To the left of the sink is the toilet, and above the toilet are a towel rack and shelf. The sides of the towel rack have yellowed, so I've purchased a new chrome towel rack. I bought the least expensive, reasoning that it will be covered by towels most of the time and I liked the sides of it as much as the more expensive ones.



This shelf was originally in my daughter's room, and this is the way it came from Ikea. When she moved out, I moved it to the bathroom. I found some leftover white furniture paint, so was planning to paint it and put it back. However, when I removed it, I was struck by how much roomier that part of the bathroom seemed, so now I'm thinking it may be destined for the cottage instead.



Currently, the linen closet door is a plain bi-fold. We bought a French door at the local Habitat for Humanity Restore, picked up the hardware at the local hardware store and the painters are going to hang it for us (and paint it). I have some leftover vinyl covering you put on like wallpaper that will make the glass look frosted. The porcelain door knob was $3 at the Restore.



Which brings me to the new shower curtain. I planned to make a fabric one, as I had a pretty specific idea of what I wanted - white background, with a not-too-bold black and red pattern. After a trip to the fabric store didn't yield anything suitable, I remembered some fabric I've had in the cupboard for years. Yes, it would work, but there was one problem. I wanted the curtain to reach to the floor because I think it looks better and also because the front panel of the Jacuzzi tub has yellowed a bit on the end that gets the most sun. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough fabric. But lo! I had purchased a remnant of plain white fabric of the same type and weight that would add the necessary length. I also needed something for the top edge that would give the fabric the necessary stiffness. I had some leftover heading tape for making pleated curtains that worked perfectly. So total cost of new materials for the shower curtain? Zero.

(But thus I may have given hoarders evidence that "I can use that someday" may indeed be a valid excuse to keep unused/extra materials for years.)



The painters are coming at the start of April. I'll update the progress of the Frugal Bathroom Redo sometime after that.

In the meantime, I've discovered my April book, HIGHLAND HEIRESS is going to be out in India!