What is dating the master bathroom the most, in addition to the oak cabinets, is the window treatments and the light fixture and the vanity stool. It really doesn't matter about how dry the wood looks. The average buyer is going to change out the cabinetry. I would have suggested painting the cabinets for the biggest change but you already said no to that one.

If you pick up modern lighting, change out the window treatments and remove the chair you will be 80% improved. Stage the bath so it looks more spa like with the rolled towels on the tub. Let me find a couple of photos for you

Paint the walls a lighter color to open up the space or bring in other lighter elements. Very simple window treatment on the windows. Let in the light. Frame the mirror if you don't want to change it to two separate mirrors.


Stage the vanity top like below:
Add 2-3 thick white rolled up towels on the edge of the tub where your candles are now, reduce the number of candles to one.

Try Orange Glo furniture cleaner. It comes in a sray and I think it's an excellent product for that purpose.

OK I will try orange glo, can I buy that at Walmart/Home Depot?

And while I appreciate the concerns about the style, we're in an area where it is acceptable (Arizona, area with lots of retired people/rednecks). We are definitely not ikea-nizing the house just to appeal to a crowd that is a minority here.....

Oh the only area I know in AZ is Scottsdale and Tuscon where I visit my adult kids a few times each year and the updated fixtures and window treatments work there too. But I don't know other areas of AZ

As you can see the white/grey/greige/grey marble would stand out like a sore thumb... I'm not totally against painting a neutral color, but no clue as to what color. Everywhere else there's stained and antiqued wood grain, I'm worried a plain color would look weird....

I don't know how plausable this idea is, but if it was my house, I would get some semi-gloss polyurethane and apply a thin coat in areas where the wood looks dry. It will give it the shine you're looking for.

Hmmm DUH! I guess I can indeed just apply a new coat of polyurethane!

There has been quite a bit of interest, one offer that we countered, now I'm just killing time doing a few projects left and right to snazz it up a bit, until school gets out for summer and more people are looking to move.

This is North/Northeast Mesa, snowbird capital as well!

My mother lives in one of the HUGE retirement communties in Mesa, and I can understand your point of view. She's commented that she needs to update her house, but can't bear the thought of all that would be involved, especially as she's in her 80s.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by Ikea-nizing, but I agree that your bath rooms may have a bit too much decorative stuff in them to allow the good bones of the spaces to shine, but as you say, you know the local tastes. I agree with the Orange Glo as a product that may help with your cabinets. Your vanity tops and acrylic tubs would also benefit from Gel-Gloss - it makes them shine like new. I hope your sale goes well.

Denita, I wasn't totally against your suggestion, what I was trying to show/say is that the entire house is very Western/antique, including our furniture. There are probably more modern style window treatments and light fixtures out there that could possibly fit into the decorating scheme, but our new house will not accommodate the fixtures/window treatments I'd be taking down.... sooo they're staying....

I get it, staging is about neutralizing, and appealing to the biggest crowd possible, and I understand that it could take longer to sell and for less money. Well, the house is rustic, and is remodeled to look 100 years old. I highly doubt it will appeal to people who like more modern touches unless we completely re-remodel. So, I'm really not sure if a few modernizing touches to make it 'appear' newer will have much of an effect. It's just going to be that 'theme' house. Oh well......

All the fussy window dressings don't go with the casual oak cabinets and trim.

Everything looks too busy. Remove the fake flowers.

OMG all I asked for is some help to revamp the cabinets a little bit. I don't have issues getting people to come look at it, the feedback has been good..... The rest of the woodwork is all hand-oiled (yes maintenance), and yes in reality the vanities need to be replaced to match the rest of the house, but there's no reason why I shouldn't spruce them up a bit, so they can be tolerable until the next owner gets around to replacing them.....

We get it now. We don't have the benefit of seeing the whole picture with an individual post and sometimes it takes seeing the house in context. Doesn't sound like you have any selling issues at all with all the traffic you are getting plus the offer on the table indicates that you aren't having any issues at all.

The poly may not stick if you have applied beeswax-based coating. But not to worry: The bathroom looks very nice already. The paint colors are fine for your area of AZ.

I would remove all the decorative silk flowers and greenery everywhere in the house. Removing the dated window treatments will bring in a breath of fresh air without Ikea-izing anything. However, if the tub view is the neighbor's house, just remove the overdrapes, not the white sheers.

Good luck with your current offer and any future offers.

You might consider adding a couple of fresh white or red-orange orchids, one in each bath. They run less than $20 each at supermarkets. They would play up your rich colors.

Yeah the window just looks at the neighbor's wall and our backyard, there's no privacy issues. I guess I can see what it looks like without the waterfall drapes, but these pictures are actually my listing pictures, so it's already out in the open like that.

I actually used to have roman shades there, but they broke, and the lace actually lets in a ton more light. I felt roman shades were overdone, and didn't want what the Jones' have.

I happen to like balloon shades, too. If these were not custom, would you mind telling me where you bought them?

Agree with the first post.. revamping the decorations in the room will make the bathroom feel much fresher and updated. I would put on a fresh coat of paint and get neutral colored towels and shower curtain and then add some modern accessories. Good luck!

apple pie order, those came from amazon, can't remember the exact brand. the balloon part is adjustable, so I can actually tie the balloons up higher to show the window more.

Thanks, Aubrey T. for info on balloon shades. Even though they are not the latest fashion at the moment, I like the look and function for some rooms. They are great over kitchen windows if they are machine wash and dry.

The fix I'm doing shouldn't really matter for selling, I just want to make sure everything looks well maintained. We were planning on replacing the vanities, but stumbled across our dream home. At the price point we're at, a certain amount of original builder's finishes is expected. The house down the street that is priced the same is listed with this master bathroom picture (see below). I think we're OK.

i would frame out the mirrors diy style, you can find online, very easy. I would also change out the light fixtures to something more up to date. that way the buyers eye will go straight there , hopefully it will update the look enough to pass.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/566116615630258617/


also get rid of the gold and burgundy shower curtain. it only add more gold tone to the room go with something light an airy...try to get everything neutral as possible. loose the plant, and the oak framed pictures. and gold curtain rod.

If you're going to put another coat of polyurethane on, I suspect you will have to sand the cabinets first, especially if you've tried other things on them first (wax, etc.). I'd go for the Liquid Gold or Orange Glo and call it done.

Re-modeling bathroom for handicap acccesibility. I envision open design with built in ability to change accessibilty features without reconstruction required. E,g walls reinforced to allow changes of grab bar locations, stongly anchored partitions that can be removed/move.etc. Room openspace is 9'4" X11'8" -4'X9' laundry area. Concept deals with fact that most handicapped persons need more assistive devices/aids as they age. Any ideas/concepts are most welcome. Thank Y'All D. Toohill

@dtoohilpeo: You might want to start your own discussion thread. Posts with photos get more responses. Best wishes.