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cait_armstrong

Did I send our bathroom back to the 80s?!

10 years ago
We have a tiny bathroom that we get ready in *together*. I was trying to make the most of it by installing a huge mirror/cabinet (it was A LOT of work). Now I'm scared it's back in the 80s! What can I do to make it transitional/eclectic and beautiful? Help!

Comments (30)

  • PRO
    10 years ago
    Take out that vanity! So impractical and small ! Get one that fits the scale of the new mirror.
  • 10 years ago
    Definitely removing the vanity. The particle board is crumbling beneath us. I was thinking black with a white top. There is only room for about a 25" width vanity.

    We need to redo the floors as well, so I'm open to ideas for that too.

    I'm open to painting, but the grey tile has almost a lilac tint to it, so I'm afraid of having a lavender bathroom!
  • 10 years ago

    Hmm, grey paint, Ben Moore's abalone would be pretty in this space. I'd fix the black cup holder? (it's chipped off) that'd be a good morale booster.

  • 10 years ago
    If the toilet is next to the sink, I suggest you get whatever width (35" tall) vanity which will fit and put a custom counter with a narrow strip of counter extending over the toilet tank, all one piece with proper support. If you can only fit a vanity with two doors and no drawer, you need to have bins for organizing things under there so it doesn't become a mess.
  • 10 years ago
    Here is one more pic of the space. Thanks everyone!

    For the tile, if possible, I would like to find a tile guy who can extract tile from the back of the vanity and use it to replace those two above the vanity. The sad reality is that modern toothbrushes don't fit those holders anymore anyways!

    P.S. Our house is on a slab, so no option of flipping the sink and toilet
  • 10 years ago

    The mirror is fine. I like the current floor. Is it damaged?

  • 10 years ago

    Some new black ceramic toothbrush holders are made with bigger toothbrush holes. Getting the toothbrushes off the countertop will make it a lot less crowded. The mirror cabinet looks fine, good choice for this small bathroom.

  • 10 years ago

    Both floors will look good. I like the basket weave

  • 10 years ago

    I like the basketweave but either will look nice.

  • 10 years ago

    I love the new mirror. It makes your bathroom look so much bigger. I also love the tile you've chosen. Here's a vanity from Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Glacier-Bay-Lancaster-24-in-Vanity-in-White-with-Alpine-Vanity-Top-in-White-LC24P2COM-WH/204205982

    I would paint the walls white to match the vanity and inspiration photo. I would also consider replacing the wall sconce (unless it's new and non-returnable).

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    put in a vanity with a custom top

  • PRO
    10 years ago
    I like the basket weave tile. I also would prefer the walls to be darker. There's a color from SW called Enigma that is earthy & sexy. Deeper than lavender, but would work nicely with the gray. I would get a white vanity with black top.
  • 10 years ago
    Frame out the mirror. It will look so fresh and clean.
  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Here is the vanity I think I've decided on. Am I being cheap or are vanities just this expensive?? They aren't event hard wood! I will replace the hardware with something gold/antique brass. I still haven't found a light or faucet I love. I can't decide if having it open on the ground is a terrible idea for keeping it clean, or if it is good and I can place a basket down there for more storage.

    http://www.wayfair.com/Chelsea-24-Single-Bathroom-Vanity-QSI1097.html

    https://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/lighting/wall-sconce-fixtures/allen-4.html

    https://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/lighting/wall-sconce-fixtures/satellite-sconce-2-25.html

    https://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/lighting/wall-sconce-fixtures/abrams-double-2-25-plug-in-sconce.html

  • 10 years ago
    Is that electric cord permanent? Is that a good idea over the faucet? Make room for a shelf, table NEAR the outlet....plz.
  • 10 years ago

    @whirlwyn, The electric cord in the very first picture is to a power tool my husband was using and is sitting in the bathtub in the middle of the construction. This is where I plug my hair dryer and curling irons in, though. They are currently being stowed with command hooks on the right outside wall of the vanity (ghetto!). Unfortunately, there is no room for anymore furniture unless I change the vanity out for a 24" wide one. The wider vanity with drawer will hopefully give me more room for my hair supplies!

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    I agree with you on the dark vanity and white top. I use the schoolhouse lighting double light with no cord-hard mounted-the other two lights I love and have used in spaces (see my Clifton Kitchen) but they do not give off as much light and you need good lighting. Consider adding an overhead as well-can you do a couple recessed or do you have a flushmount fixture in the space? if you do I like the "boxie light" in led-(wayfair.com) it really gives off fabulous light and looks updated.

  • 10 years ago
    Thanks all for your comments so far! After the mirror installation, we had to take a break, and now are finally looking to buy the vanity and toilet and have the floors redone. I used the Houzz virtual reality tool to put in a black and white vanity. We have decided on the style of the white vanity and I'm trying to decide if we should paint it black (it only comes in white and dark brown) with the gold fixtures like my inspiration photos above. I'm still stuck on the black, white and gold thing even though everyone says it will look old fashioned! There's also another vanity at Home Depot but I think we decided it looks like cheap construction/MDF. Those three drawers are so enticing though!! Photos below.

    http://m.homedepot.com/p/Runfine-24-in-W-x-19-in-D-x-34-in-H-Vanity-in-White-with-Vitreous-China-Vanity-Top-in-White-and-White-Basin-RFVA0069W/206460829?MERCH=RV-_-rv_mobileweb_rr-4-_-206460828-_-206460829-_-N

    http://m.homedepot.com/p/Glacier-Bay-Lancaster-24-in-Vanity-in-Amber-with-Alpine-AB-Engineered-Composite-Vanity-Top-in-White-with-White-Basin-LC24P2COM-AM/203749590?MERCH=RV-_-rv_mobileweb_rr-3-_-206460828-_-203749590-_-N
  • 10 years ago
    I feel your pain with cheaply made vanities, we need one for our powder room and all the ones for what I want to spend right now are awful.

    I do like the style of the white one best. You could live with it for a while white and then decide if you want to paint it?

    I'm odd one out but with all the squares on the wall I prefer the hexagon floor option, breaks up the grid a bit.

    I do have a question for whomever about the over the tank counter thing - how do you get into the tank to fix problems with the counter there?
  • 10 years ago

    @PirateFoxy Thank you! I have had the same question! It is a great idea for those with little to no counter space, but I would not want to block access to the toilet tank.

    I'm also leaning toward the hexagon for the same reasons. I also think it will be a little less dark.

  • 10 years ago

    I would paint it black.

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    Maybe sharing some images from our portfolio will help you move forward with your project.

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  • 10 years ago

    I like the dark, narrow vanity that you chose. You don't have much space, and there is probably a code for how much space you need around the toilet. Here, I think it is 15 inches. I love the mirror you put up, and the basket weave floor... Although the thin sink is really small, you may appreciate having a little more room to move in the room. I came very close to installing a similar sink, but without a vanity. Do you have a storage closet? If you do, I would consider a wall sink since the room is so small. http://www.signaturehardware.com/basswood-wall-mount-sink.html


  • PRO
    10 years ago
    I like the black vanity and gold is back in style !!!
  • 10 years ago

    I'd opt for a wall mounted sink and open shelving beneath it.

  • 10 years ago
    Not sure if anyone is still following this, but I wanted to provide an update and get your weigh-in! We finally had the tile worked on and the new toilet and vanity installed. I'm semi-freaking because:
    - The toilet and sink are so close together and the whites do not match. I don't really have much wiggle room here because finding a sink and toilet that even FIT this tiny bathroom was a nightmare.
    - One of the black tiles the guy brought to replace the old doesn't exactly match - it's matte instead of glossy. Am I crazy?
    - The grey wasn't a perfect match and we're considering having him come back and re-tile the whole wall with the new different color grey.
    - I also bought a few accessories and wanted to get some opinions
    - Should I paint the vanity black as I'd originally planned?
    - There is still some gunk from the last vanity that shows and I just wish it looked nice and clean. Not sure how to remove it.
  • 10 years ago

    Yes, paint it black. I like the accessories. I don't know enough on the availability of tile to comment on the shade of gray. I would want the matte black tile replaced with glossy. I know these are old tiles but that black glossy seems fairly basic. I'd be surprised if it is out of production, then again, I'm not expert.

    Forget about the differing whites. They also ( I suspect ) do not match the white in the floor or the tub. You are only noticing because it is new. The bathroom is looking better. :)

  • 10 years ago
    If it's the only brown wood in the room, yes it needs to be black. As for the tile, getting a perfect match even with tile currently in production is nearly impossible. Colors vary between lots. At a minimum I'd redo the wall with that has the mismatch. The corner will hide the difference between the two walls. Glossy is a complete mismatch for matte, need to get the correct sheen.
  • PRO
    10 years ago

    I would not worry about the wood vanity it is dark enough to create some balance and does not look like you were trying for black but missed. I would agree the tile situation needs to be fixed. Either hire a professional to paint all the tile so it matches or re-tile. This will drive you crazy over time. It looks like a small bathroom and they tend to have tight spaces between the toilet and vanity. As long as you have a between 15 -16" from centerline of toilet to vanity I would not worry about it. The space looks clean and functional, I would focus on the tile issue. Best of luck!