Bright basement bathroom reveal
August 19, 2013
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Our basement bathroom is finally finished! It was thisclose to done anyway, and I had everything I needed on hand…so this one is checked off the list! WHOOT.
Let’s look back at how it looked a few months ago:
If you’ve been around for awhile you know we finished our basement last year. We did it slowly so we could pay cash and it took about six months total. The basics are in and everything is coming together beautifully, but there’s still a LOT we want to do down there.
So we had it finished but the basement bathroom was still incomplete, as you can see above. The floors were installed earlier this year, along with the main fixtures – the toilet and vanity. Then I showed you how I installed some storage in the form of DIY floating shelves:
I LOVE those shelves – I’m still so happy with how that came together.
But there were a few things left to do – back when I painted all the doors black in the basement I pooped out and didn’t do the back of the bathroom door. Soooo…I got that done:
Three coats and done!
Back when we had the electrical work done for the basement I knew I wanted two lights above the sink, so we guesstimated where the vanity was going to go. Well the outlet for that room ended up being right in the middle of the sink (right where the mirror went) so the guys came out a few months ago and moved the outlet (and one of the lights) for me.
They patched up the drywall and I just hung the mirror back over it and left it:
So yesterday I sanded it down and touched up that paint and a few other spots in the room. I also caulked the rest of the baseboards down there as well. OK, maybe I wasn’t thisclose to done. ;)
I used the mirror that used to be in our upstairs powder room -- it was shimmery brown so it needed a redo bad. I taped it off to prep for spray paint:
I’ve seen a lot of people not taping off and just using a razor to clean up on mirrors, but with spray paint that’s too messy (for me). So I covered it with newspaper, taped it all down and checked out my spray paint stash to decide on what to do:
I started with the satin nickel color and it was pretty, but when I got it down there it was so…boring. ;) The lights, faucet and mirror were all the same. Then I took it back outside and just went with a basic white – but, duh, that was pretty boring too. I wanted a pop of color on that wall and kept looking to my spray paint to find the right color (not spending money on DIY and all.)
Well I finally found the color I wanted in my regular paints:
It’s the same aubusson blue color I used on this project:
It was PERFECT. And it only took three tries. ;)
The blue brings the color in the towels and shower curtain over to that side of the room:
You can see all the sources for these items in this post (most was from Target).
Originally I planned on using our pedestal sink from upstairs in this space, but when it came time to install it I realized I really wanted something more substantial and something with storage. So I shopped around and found a really inexpensive vanity at Lowe’s that worked perfectly:
It’s really shallow but the sink juts out so it’s still a great size. It’s perfect for this skinny bathroom. (You can find it here online.)
I’m pretty thrilled with how this little space came together! Well…it’s not exactly little -- it’s just long and skinny:
It’s about 11 feet by four feet -- there was no other way to set up the room with the beams in the basement and the rough in plumbing. Also we had to make it this long to incorporate a support column into the wall. When the door is open it goes right near the vanity so there’s actually not much room to spare.
I had a mantra in my head the whole time I was finishing off this space -- “It’s just a basement bathroom.” :) So I went pretty basic with the finishes – the faucet, shower head and lights were all basic, inexpensive finds. We spent a little more on the toilet since this is in the basement – we wanted something that will hold up well (since the plumbing down here has to work against gravity).
Even though we didn’t splurge on much, I think the space turned out beautifully. One thing I don’t regret at all in the building process – I made sure we had a TON of lights in this space. Early on I thought it may be overkill but since I’ve realized it’s a great thing in a room without natural light:
We have a total of five lights in this space – recessed lights in the shower and by the door, the light in the fan and two over the sink. I love the look of the two lights over the sink – I did the same in our upstairs powder room. :)
I do have one more thing to do in here – paint all the trim (baseboards and door trim). But I have to do that in the entire basement so I’m going to wait till I can knock it all out at once. (That will be a fun day. Want to come over and help?)
Here’s a look at the before and after side-by-side – my favorite. ;)
I’d still like to add some art or something to that big wall at some point. I have an idea in mind but for now I’m just thrilled to have this space done! I’m knocking things off the to-do list and it feels so good! I may do these no-spend months more often!! (Although I’m starting to get a HomeGoods itch.)
If you have any questions about this space that I didn’t answer, let me know and I’ll get you info in the comments!
Very pretty! We have the same vanity in our downstairs' bathroom :)
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get the cute blue & green rug?1
ReplyDeleteSarah that was from Target! Found it months ago but they may still have it.
Deletewhat a gorgeous job well done!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS! Just pinned the heck out of it. I am swooning over the colors. That mirror over the vanity is perfect and I love the darker door. Well done, my friend.
ReplyDeleteLooks great! I like all the color.
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic! As always, you did an amazing job.
ReplyDeleteLove it Sarah!! The colors are great. Great job!
ReplyDeleteLove it all Sarah! Just finished my Powder room too, wall-papered my walls and I love it!
ReplyDeleteGreat choice for the mirror color! I love the rug you have in there too! Is it from Home Goods?
ReplyDeleteThat's from Target! It was the Threshold line so I'm not sure they still have it or not?
DeleteJust found it online: http://www.target.com/p/threshold-cool-ombre-rug-trout-stream-20x34/-/A-14321645
DeleteIt looks super pretty! I love how all the colors tie in together but doesn't look matchy matchy! I'm so obsessed with black doors right now, yours looks great! Great job on your bathroom!!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! I especially love that built-in storage and that rug! I am drawn to these colours as well and use them throughout my home- would love to know where you purchased the rug!
ReplyDeleteCheryl @ The Creative Me and My McG
It looks awesome! What a bright and happy space!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing our basement bathroom also!! thank you for stressing the need for lights. Now to convince my husband of that. What did you do for the flooring? Is it a laminate? We are discussing the flooring now.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm so glad we added a bunch! The flooring is a linen-like tile. I linked to it up early in the post, hope that helps! (It was a great price!)
DeleteThere you go, caulking and painting more stuff while my library built ins are still sitting there, a year and a half later. Not caulked and painted.
ReplyDeleteKudos! Another beautiful bathroom cranked out by you.
SO pretty! Love the extra shelving!!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! Would love to know the wall color? We have the same shower curtain and I have tried several paint colors and they all seem too pasty blue. Thanks for the great inspiration!!
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful Sarah. One day, when we have the extra cash, we will be finishing our basement. I can picture it finished. :) The electrical is in in the basement. One thing we planned for was in floor heat. We do know we want tile on the floor.. and being on concrete.. Brrr! So we wired it for that.
ReplyDeleteI love your shower curtain! It has all the colors and is so pretty! Where did you get it? Your use of the small space is genius! I love, love, love the floating shelves!
ReplyDeleteThank you! The shower curtain was from Target. :)
DeleteLove, love, love. The blue on the mirror is my favorite part.
ReplyDeleteChristy @ Creating a Beautiful Life
It's a gorgeous bath....you'd never guess it's in the basement! LOVE that shelf ~ brilliant idea :)
ReplyDeleteThat looks amazing!!
ReplyDeleteI love that bathroom. You would never guess it's in a basement. I love all the color!
ReplyDeleteWow this looks so nice!
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! We need to finish the bathroom in our basement, and I have been worried about it feeling dark and dreary. This is so bright I would have never thought it was a basement bathroom. Thanks for the inspiration!!
ReplyDeleteSarah, I LOVE your bathroom! I have a confession to make - I first saw your posts on it early this year, when my husband and I were building an apartment in my grandparent's basement, and it totally inspired me in my design. I built floating shelves for storage in mine (although they're white), and went with a similar color scheme - except in the long run I decided on more saturated, jewel tone blues and greens and went with peacocks instead of bluebirds :)
ReplyDeleteWhat really tickles me is that we finished ours before yours, and the vanity I installed is the bigger 2-drawer version of yours! I LOVE IT. It's shallow so it leaves a ton of floor space, but the sink is a perfect size. The doors hold a caddy of cleaning supplies, and the husband and I each have a drawer for our things. The espresso/black color is gorgeous and after 3 months of hard daily use, it's still as pretty as day 1. I hope you enjoy yours as much as we enjoy ours!!
I love it! What a difference! my favorite part....hmmm the floating shelves and the mirror, well, it all looks really good!
ReplyDeleteTotally love your bathroom. I have the same shower curtain in my tiny bathroom as well. What color did you paint your walls? IN. LOVE. :)
ReplyDeleteLove it all but don't you just love the darker doors...I have only gotten the inside front painted so far but I love it. Great job.
ReplyDeletethe blue mirror was a perfect choice to pull it all together!
ReplyDeleteWow!!! Beautiful!! I've been eyeing that shower curtain for over a year now. You are tempting me to go and buy it bad!!! You're also making me want to paint all of my doors black ;).
ReplyDeleteLooks so good! Love how bright and crisp everything looks. The floating shelves coordinate nicely with the colors in the shower curtain, very pretty :) Pinning
ReplyDeleteI love love love it! Great lighting for a basement bathroom too! I love everything!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and I have to say I am spending some time looking around, love the colors in this bathroom. It looks so crisp and clean. Thanks for sharing. :-) New follower....
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing, well done!
ReplyDeleteSlightly Skint Blog
perfect color for the mirror! great looking bathroom :o)
ReplyDeleteWow! Looks fabulous! The mirror is perfect!
ReplyDelete~Steph @ Silver Boxes
The shelves are so great. What a great use for the space. I love how they are open. Very pretty bathroom.
ReplyDeleteThe floors you used were also at the Grand Bohemian in Asheville Nc . They looked amazing in that 5 star hotel and look impeccable in yours. I know you are loving them and your new space! It's amazing!! Lesely
ReplyDeleteSo fresh! Love the warm wood shelving, it brings in the perfect texture, and looks a tad rustic, my favorite mix!
ReplyDeleteLooks great!!! I love the rug and the colors!
ReplyDeleteI love it. Great color choices.
ReplyDeleteLUV IT ALL!! you should do a DIY canvas paint and do one BIG art piece.
ReplyDeleteThis looks FABULOUS!! My husband and I JUST finished our basement this very week (almost a year to the day from when we started! ha!) http://www.lifeinyellow.com/2013/08/the-basement-diaries-the-final-frontier-part-2-of-2/
ReplyDeleteLove how you used the space and I'm swooning over those shelves!!
Sarah, this bathroom turned out lovely. Very welcoming. Painting the door black really seemed to tie everything together, as a whole. Love it all. Beautiful job! :D
ReplyDeleteSuper smart with those shelves! Looks great :)xo Kristin
ReplyDeleteI love your space - motivating me to tackle the kid's bath and I've been eyeing that shower curtain for soooo long. Wondering where you got the bath rug????
ReplyDeleteI love it all, but I'm dying over the floor! I can't wait to redo my master bathroom with something similar.
ReplyDeleteSo very pretty, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI've read all the comments to find the paint color
& brand. I think it's usually Sherman Williams..
(The question has been asked before,
but no answer shows up yet.)
Paint details, please! Thanks.
Chrissy
Thanks Chrissy! It's called Silver Lake -- I have all the details on the basement colors I used in this post: http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/05/picking-out-basement-paint-colors.html
DeleteIt's beautiful!! I love all the details you added. The colors are AMAZING!! I never would have thought to put them together, but your rug and shower curtain bring it all together!! Beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat space. I especially love that you used the space for the floating shelves. It kills me every time a contractor says something like, "It's only about 9" or so. We'll drywall that in so you'll never see it." I'm thinking, "Nine inches! Woohoo! Tons of storage!" That's when I know I need to keep looking for a contractor who gets it. Glad you also didn't get backed into a corner on that one. :)
ReplyDeleteI love how the bathroom turned out. It looks soooo much bigger now that it's finished than it did in the "before" pic. The blue is the perfect color for the mirror.
ReplyDeleteAs for your "no spend month," you inspired me to do the same. I completely re-did our master bedroom without spending a dime this past weekend. I moved the furniture, moved pictures, dug out some curtains that were packed away, and I even changed out the curtain rods. Hubby was blown away with the results. Thanks for the inspiration!
Love how your bathroom turned out as well. Love the choice of colors, calm, pretty, clean and the use of space. That little corner of shelving is super functional and very clever. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSarah
simply fab! I love this space...when did shower curtains become so cute?
ReplyDeleteGreat color palate and mix of patterns :) sorry if this is a repeat question, but the shower looks like it doesn't come with a door ?
ReplyDeleteI love your bathroom, so pretty! These are my favorite colors! I have been drooling over this same tile for a while now at Lowe's. I'm glad you used it so I can see how nice it looks in a bathroom! My husband and I just started the first stage of our master bathroom reno. I wanted to do some floating shelves over the toilet in there, so this tutorial really helps me to visualize how to make them. Great job on everything, your bathroom looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLove the bathroom! I just put turquoise in my master bath and am loving it. I especially like your fun shower curtain!
ReplyDeleteWow it all looks really great!
ReplyDeleteRunt
runtspickins@yahoo.com
www.runtspickins.wordpress.com
looks amazeballs! you give me hope for my own basement - so cheery!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about your shower, as we are doing a similar thing to our bathroom soon. Where did you find such a small shower surround?
ReplyDeleteWe got it at Lowe's!
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