a basement bathroom

 before: retro harvest gold disaster  ::  after: not gold

There were lots of things I didn't like about the old bathroom. Like that rusty corner medicine cabinet. And the gold "marble" countertop. The faucet didn't work well and the cabinet doors didn't close all the way. This bathroom has been on my list since we moved in, but was never a priority because it is so seldom used. 

But, we are having lots of houseguests in a couple of weeks and on a whim I bought this pretty dresser, which fit the space perfectly. I've always loved dressers-turned-sinks, so I decided to try it. I'm so glad I did!

I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the perfect mirror.

My first task was replacing the old baseboards. We had run out of baseboard-replacing energy by the time we got to this bathroom years ago when we did the rest of the house. It is an easy project and makes such a difference.

About five years ago, we had these hexagonal tiles installed on top of the yucky (gold!) linoleum. I still love them. All I needed to do was fill in the space under the old sink. (I didn't have quite enough, and they are discontinued, so I used a similarly colored but different shaped tile back by the wall. It's not very noticeable.) It makes the room seem so much bigger to see the floor under that dresser!

I have to admit, tiling was sort of a dream come true. I've always wanted to try it. I definitely need more practice, but I am happy to say that I would be willing to give it another go.

I can't even tell where the old tile stops and the new tile starts. Hooray!

I found the sink at a garage sale (thanks to Abbie) and my dresser on craigslist. It had already been refinished in a pretty blue color (See here. Darn basement lighting!). I used a strong varnish on the top to save it from water damage. I turned the top two small drawers into false drawers to make room for the sink. Then I shortened the middle drawer to make room for the pipes. I didn't follow this tutorial exactly, but I found it helpful.

I used Martha's Heavy Cream on the walls, which is the same color I used for my kitchen cabinets. This bathroom gets no natural light, though, so it turned out quite yellow-y, which surprised me, but I don't mind one bit.

He doesn't mind, either.