Last year Lilly and her husband Markus spent her Independence Day making over her half bath, so we thought we’d celebrate her sweet makeover on their one year bathroom anniversary. Here’s her (hilarious) letter:
After living in our 1952 house for three years, I was so excited to finally be able to remodel our tiny but crazy powder bathroom that connects to our bedroom. We did all of the demolishing, painting, tiling, plumbing, painting, beadboard and trim ourselves and it was a Fourth of July weekend blast!
1.I let out my aggression on some wallpaper one day after work. It was stuck on well, much like our previous bathroom makeover, but after borrowing our neighbor’s Scunci steamer it started peeling off easily.
2. We took a full day to mix the mortar and lay all of the tile. We purchased a wet saw at Home Depot for about $90 and snipped some tiles off of the sheets and cut them down to fit the edges and corners using the saw. We accidentally mixed a second match of mortar too thin, which caused our tiles to not stick to the floor and nearly brought the end of our marriage, but soon we had completely tiled floors!
3. I think my favorite part of the entire bathroom experience was grouting. You start to see it all come together, it’s almost idiot proof and it’s good for the upper body. I chose a grey grout to pop against the white tile and stay neutral for future home owners. With that said, after spending so much time on this bathroom project it is unlikely that I will be selling this house before my death. I picture George Banks in front of the wrecking ball in Father of the Bride II.
4. I knew I wanted the room to have a mid-century prep feel, with nautical elements even though I hate theme bathrooms. I thought the rope mirror, polished chrome hardware, and navy wall gave the look I was going for without going overboard (overboard?? heh? …a little nautical bathroom humor).
5. So a big thanks to Lily for sharing her makeover! We especially love that she included the art from her grandparents’ house and restored the original magazine rack. Be sure to hit up Lilly’s blog for the full story and a complete source list. Happy Fourth of July weekend everyone!
