One of my favorite aspects of DIY’ing my projects is that I also have total control over design decisions! This can be particularly helpful if, like me, you’re a bit of a control freak and/or can be indecisive! This bathroom was the first time I got to really design a full room, and it pushed me creatively, but a year and a half later, and I’m still in love with it! Let’s chat about how I got there!
My Design Style
Up until this point, my design style hadn’t been defined. I liked so many things, but I hadn’t really selected a specific direction yet. Designing my bathroom helped me narrow it down, and it’s only grown since then!
So, what is my design style? I describe it as transitional with coastal elements. What does that mean? Transitional style is a mix of traditional and contemporary (hence, transitional!), where it doesn’t follow as many clean lines as modern but isn’t as ornate as traditional. It’s a happy medium! However, I do sometimes like to go more traditional as well, so I think of it as a bit of a spectrum.
Now, what do I mean by coastal elements? I don’t mean beachy or nautical. I don’t use seashells, rope, anchors, etc. Instead, I use a lot of blues and neutrals, natural elements like wood, and light textures. I turn to Serena and Lily a lot for inspiration (which I definitely did in this bathroom!), but I also like to add my twist on things.
I’ll also say that “transitional coastal” style comes in a lot of different shapes and sizes! This is just a categorical description, not an end-all-be-all! It just helps give me some direction. Check out my Pinterest if you want to see what inspires me!
The Before
Even though this was the second project I tackled, I didn’t actually hate the bathroom. It was darker, but I didn’t mind the color. The main issue was the flooring. It was a cheap vinyl and extremely difficult to keep clean. I was constantly scrubbing it and still didn’t feel like it stayed very clean.
Shortly after we moved in, we had to replace the vanity because the sink broke. It was actually the week before our wedding, haha, so we just ran to Lowe’s and picked something we both liked that was affordable. It was originally all white, but I do think that this brown made it a little better. My main issue with this was actually that the sink was so shallow that it always splashed a lot and made a mess. It also didn’t have a lot of counter space outside the wide, shallow sink.
The Original Bathroom Design Plan
When I started thinking about what I wanted to do here, I turned to Pinterest. Because the bathroom was so dark, I was drawn to white and bright.
Design Inspiration:
(Inspiration One | Inspiration Two)
Potential Design Boards:
So, why didn’t this work? Well, I started by simply painting. Once again, I didn’t prime. Ugh, why didn’t I learn? Now, I prime everything! Anyways, it took three solid coats in areas, and this is what I was left with.
It’s just so dull and lifeless. I knew I couldn’t move forward with this, so I kept thinking about it.
The Final Bathroom Design Plan
So, how did I finally get to this bathroom design? I had saved this image a long time ago, and when I was looking at it, I kept swooning over it. I sent it over to one of my best friends to get her opinion, and she said it looked like me, and a bathroom I’d have. That convinced me to be bold and just go for it!
Design Inspiration:
(Source)
I started creating several mood boards before making some final decisions using Canva. I also decided to install these Cali Bamboo Luxury Vinyl Planks instead of the tile. They’re waterproof, affordable, and I’d already installed a similar type of flooring, so I figured I’d DIY it! I’ll talk about the experience in a future post, so stay tuned.
Design Board:
Planning the Bathroom Renovation
I re-did this bathroom in 16 days. I still can’t believe that, but it was pretty necessary. We only have one bathroom in the house, so it needed to get taken care of pretty quickly.
- Day 1: Finalize design
- Day 2: Ordering
- Days 3-9: Prep work: Window trim, wainscoting (measuring, pre-cuts, and wood prep). remove and patch behind the medicine cabinet
- Days 10-13: Faux wallpaper
- Day 14: Demo: Vanity (including fixing and painting a wall), baseboards
- Days 14-15: Install: Flooring, wainscoting, vanity/faucet, light, wall cabinet, mirror, hardware
- Day 16: Accessorize and Decorate
What’s Next?
The three big elements of this project include the “wallpaper,” wainscoting, and flooring. Each of these steps came with its own mistakes, and lessons learned. And I plan on sharing each of these in detail with you!
