Drab to Fab...bathroom re do

Two weeks ago I was searching at yard sales for items to use in my "beach bathroom makeover".  I found some cool coral and some shells and a nice mirror.  I already had a whole wall of black mirrors in the bathroom, but anytime I find them at yard sales I usually buy them.

This was my wall of mirrors a few years ago in my bedroom at my old house.  I've added to them since, and kept painting them black.  

After the decision to re do the bathroom into a beachy look I knew the black would not really work.  I repainted all the mirrors white.  

I got a box of waverly wallpaper at a yard sale last year for FREE...and tucked it away and forgot I had it.  When I re-discovered it a few weeks ago it started my mind twirling about putting it in the bathroom.  I knew there wouldn't be enough for the entire room.  I also didn't want to hang it the traditional way, which is vertical.  The stripes are SUPPOSED to go up and down.  But me being me, I like to ask "what if?" and do things totally outside of the box.  So I hung it horizontally.  

The walls in this bathroom are really damaged and need lots of plaster work.  I'm not into plastering so I just slapped the wallpaper right on top of the damaged areas.  Also....all those mirrors are meant to hide MAJOR wall damage where a big ugly bathroom mirror once hung.

Then I stopped at the Habitat for Humanity re-store and discovered a GIGANTIC warehouse full of every possible item you'd need for a home remodel.  I found some white shelves perfect for my beach bathroom, for only $2.00.

So I started bright and early Saturday Morning wallpapering.  By myself.  With no air conditioning.  With one and sometimes two dogs under my feet, in and out of that tiny little hall bath.  I often asked myself why on EARTH did I start all this nonsense on a holiday weekend when I could be laying in the hammock drinking diet coke.

I also let my mind wander to a few weeks ago when I found a bunch of old dirty wood down in the barn on this property.   Because I have decorating ADHD I ran down there to re-discover the old dirty wood.  It was PERFECT for shelves!  So forget about the cute white ones I just BOUGHT!

I scrubbed it all down with oxy clean and then hosed it off and let it dry in the sun.  

Then I went back in to do more wallpapering.

When I got sick of that, I went back out to find more wood.  And play with spray paint.  I found these hooks (what I thought were hooks) at the Habitat Re-Store. My husband laughed and thought I was SO CLEVER to use the braces meant for a stair rail as hooks!  (I confessed that I thought they were hooks and had no idea they were for a stair rail!)

They look like hooks to me!  Wait until you see what I did with them!

I also rediscovered the dock buoys that I dragged home from my parents house a few weeks ago.  I thought they'd be perfect in my beach themed bathroom!

The one on the left belonged to my parents, and it was personalized with their names on it.  They had it hanging on their dock.  A woman at the yard sale tried to buy it and told us she was going to "slap a coat of paint on it and hang it on her dock"  well....my sister said "oh sorry, we can't sell that" then made me take it home.  I had no idea I was doing a beach bathroom at the time and knew it would be jammed in my basement never to be seen again.  I'm glad I have a place for it now.

So back inside to finally finish the bathroom wallpapering.  Reminding myself to never do this again.  ever.

Then I looked up and saw that ugly light fixture.  YUCK.  What on earth can I do with this thing?  

I bought these shades at the Habitat Re Store for $1.50 each.  

I wanted to use them long ways to cover the fixture, but they are meant to be used vertically.  Again, I was thinking outside the box.  So I removed the white round thing at the bottom so it was an empty shade.  I then built a little "frame" around my light fixture

So I could "hang" the shades from the "frame"

     

I went from a plain white bathroom with no charm or character at all to this- (and let me tell you....everything was FREE except the shells from the yard sale and the $4.50 I spent on the shades 

So here you go

  
Don't you just love the FREE shelves I found in the barn?  I coated them with poly acrylic so they wouldn't peel or flake.  Check out the towel bar hanging Vertically on the wall....it's an old flaky board that I scrubbed, varnished and added my "hooks"

   

I just love the horizontal stripes.  So unpredictable.  How do you like the light fixture now?

And I think the buoys look really great stuffed into this old dirty crate....

I just love this bathroom now.  It went from completely DRAB to totally FAB!  My daughter is the primary user of this bathroom.  She was completely against a "beach theme" and wanted to keep it black and white.  She was afraid it would be "too beachy" When she returned home she ran in the bathroom and could.not.believe.it! I think by using the "found wood" it makes it a lot more natural looking and not like I was "trying too hard" to make it beachy. 

Another old board, that was already chippy white.  I used a piece of rope off my clothesline that has weathered for two years to tie the starfish on.  They were a souvenir from my Ocean City Beach Trip last Summer.  I just screwed the hooks right into the wood after I had cleaned and varnished it.  This wall is the one I left white since I didn't have enough wallpaper.

So this is absolutely proof that you CAN re do an entire room for FREE by using what you have, or costing you mere pennies!      

Linking up to

The Shabby Chic Cottage

and for hours of endless inspiration visit:

Nesting Place

The Inspired Room

DIY Showoff

    

Comments

[Kalona Mincey]

Yes, do take advantage of your remodeling ADHD while you feel like it! It's better to know that you're trying to change something for the better, rather than letting it go on and bother you. Your bathroom looks very much like a beach house, although it would be good to let the sun in, too.

[jen]

It turned out so great LOVe the beachy look!

[Suz Reaney]

Really, you need to write a book. This is brilliant. I love the horizontal stripes...what a difference. And I also love the frames and the shelves...I just LOVE it!

Suz

[timeworninteriors]

I love anything that comes from the sea! Great redo!
Theresa

[Jill]

Wow - great decorating Robin. I would have thought those were hooks too LOL They sure worked. Very nice re-do!

[Karla Nathan]

How perfectly coastal cottage!! I love it!!

[Dianne]

Wow! And I thought I did well with my $3 piece of art and new shower curtain! Might have to step it up a bit now!

[Beth Leintz]

Your thrifty transformations are amazing- you should have your own "Decorating on a Dime" TV shows.

[Rosa]

I loved following you in your journey of a new bath! Love it!! It's summatime!!! xo

[Teena]

this bathroom makeover is really clever, well done! Happy Transformation Thursday <3

[Sandi ~ A Cottage Muse]

Simply perfect!!

[Kim]

What a fabulous bathroom! I just love that you did it for literally next to nothing. I've got to go to the Habitat store again, it's been years.

[Jeanine at One Cheap B*tch]

I just love those starfish on the coat hangers/rack. So cute!

Jeanine

[Kathleen Grace]

I love it when someone can take whatever they find and make whatever they want! And the price is right. Once again, our own creativity is worth so much and your bath looks wonderful! can't belive the transformation you made on the light. I had one of those horrid fixtures in my bath and I just replaced it a couple years ago. The shades you used look like they were made for the fixture!

[Lori]

Robin, your makeover is totally gorgeous...everything you did in there is totally clever...and how awesome that you did it for free...amazing!!!

[georgiapeachez]

That is a really clever redo. I was wondering how on earth were you going to redo that ugly light fixture and WOW! Excellent, excellent job :->
suzy