Bathroom Update: Cabinets

 The best time to start a project is right before Christmas.  I say that sarcastically, but really I think there's some truth in it. Christmas was coming and there was no excuse to not finish so our front bathroom could be usable.  So, I started a thing.

Our 2019 project is our front bathroom, which I've talked about some here and there on Instagram.  Since our home was built in 1966, we have some great (insert sarcasm here) mid century features. . . like blue tile and blue sinks and a lovely blue bathtub.  And while I joke about the touches of blue, it could be way worse and be pink. . . and trust me, there are houses in my neighborhood with pink everything.  Blue is doable.  Blue doesn't drive my boys crazy.

When we first moved into our home, we just went through and painted all the walls to give it a fresher look.  The walls were desperate for some paint!  Also, Ethan was a whole year and a half and took baths, so the lack of a shower really wasn't a big deal. Fast forward 10 years and now 2 very active boys that need their own shower.

Our plan is to keep the current tub, toilet (we replaced that a few years ago), and counters/sinks and make the bathroom work for with what we have by adding a shower, some new tile, and new flooring and then on the wall with a window add some ship lap to give it some character.

The cabinets were our first step.  They were a really dull brown and just screamed blah.  So, I cleaned them up with some vinegar and water and my magic eraser.  I used  Annie Sloan's new Pure White chalk paint and sealed it up with some clear wax.  I am loving the way it came out!  Without even changing the wall color (soon!), the room brightened up so much! 

 

I found some super fun hardware for the drawers on super clearance for $1.38 from Target's Hearth and Hand line.  I loved the aged metal and new that it would be perfect for covering up the wholes and indents from the previous knobs.  Plus, you really can't beat that price!  It took a little more effort to find the pulls for the cabinet doors. . . aged metal is harder to find than I thought and did not want to spend $10 a pull.  Lowes and Home Depot had some really great ones but they were all too shiny.  I finally found some knobs that came super close at Hobby Lobby on a day where they were 40 percent off!  SCORE! 

 I am so excited to have this phase of the project done and am so antsy to move on to the next project.  I've met with 2 contractors and waiting on a third to see what our options are for putting in a shower and tile.   I'll be honest, I was kind of hoping that it would be quicker than this, but at the same time life has been incredibly full lately and maybe it's a good thing we haven't found the right contractor yet. 

This project is teaching me a lot about patience.  Most of our big projects I've been able to do or Jon and some friends have came over and worked on our flooring.  We are definitely going to be learning a lot through this project and I can't wait to share more.