Bronwyn Green

The Corner of Quirky & Kinky

It’s been a long, long time coming, but Boho Barbie’s Dream Bath is finally complete! And while it’s the smallest room in the house, it’s also now the cutest.

In a previous post, I shared my mad bargain finding skills. In this one, I’m going to show you how we put it all together.

I didn’t take very good before pictures–mostly because I forgot until we’d already started the process. But our bathroom was a dark forest green and blush-ish eggshell. This was a terrible idea in such a small space, but when we picked colors, I was hugely pregnant and not thinking clearly and wanting to be as far away from the neon peach as possible.

But this is what we started with–21 years, almost to the day, after the green went in. And the floor was there when we moved in.

These are terrible photos. But it gives you an idea of what my terrible tiny bathroom looked like before we started.

My husband demoed the ceiling, ripped out that stupid, hideously ugly faux marble sink and the leaking toilet, and tore up the awful linoleum. I primered and painted, the kids scraped and sanded. And then husband put up a new ceiling.

As you can see, Kitsune, A.K.A. Contractor Kitty, has been on the job, supervising her humans. While her brother, Loki, just hangs out and…licks the shower curtain. Like you do.

After that was done, I scraped and acetone-d off all the fucking linoleum glue (and my fingerprints) to clean up the gorgeous antique hex tiles that had been hidden for who knows how long. We also found “forensic evidence” that some moron carpeted the bathroom with wall to wall shag! WHAT KIND OF MONSTERS LIVED HERE?!?!?!

It was a great day when Contractor Kitty supervised the installation of the new toilet.

And the cabinet knobs and doorknob.

After that, it was time to learn to tile and grout. Thanks to my forever friend, Kelly, I now know how! And, of course, Contractor Kitty was on hand to inspect our work.

After my husband got the sink in, it was decorating time! These are the curtains I made for the storage area above the shower and the pretty new heat grate.

I decided to decorate using the What Would Adele Do? method. (Adele is a friend who’s brilliantly talented and wildly creative. Check out her blog – it’s in the list.) So, I got out my long-neglected watercolor pencils and pad and drew this picture. Then I got my crafting pants on, went over to Pinterest and learned how to “dye” a jar with Mod Podge and food coloring and painted it with a Moroccan inspired design to make a candle holder. (Fake candle – I don’t think Mod Podge and an open flame are a good combo.) And this is a stained glass sconce that we had hanging in another room, but now it lives in the bathroom.

The “butt people”, as my former daycare kiddo called them, were also hanging in another room, but now they also live in the bathroom. And this is a jewelry and hair stuff holder that my husband made for me out of a piece of driftwood we found when we were swimming in Lake Michigan and a bunch of antique doorknobs that I’ve been collecting. The glass ones are from my friend Alex (her blog is also in the list). They were in her house when she moved in, but they’re totally not her style, so she gave them to me!

And finally, here’s Contractor Kitty surveying the finished results.

I am so glad this project is finally done!

6 thoughts on “Boho Barbie’s Dream Bathroom is Finished! (with the unwavering help of Contractor Kitty)

  1. Adele says:

    I love this!!! It turned out beautiful, and your colors all look amazing together!

  2. Diana Lloyd says:

    It looks awesome! Great job on that tile countertop. And…”butt people” – that’s just one of those unexpected design decisions that pull a room together. lol

  3. Gwen Cease says:

    First, it’s abso lovely!! You, hubby and especially Contractor Kitty did an amazing job. But let’s not disparage Loki’s contribution. Taste testing the curtain is a time honored tradition. You certainly wouldn’t want one that was spoiled, would you??? 😉

  4. Tibby says:

    You know how to rock a room AND a page! I envy you in the best way. You can be proud of your mad project management and crafting skills!

  5. Pansy Petal says:

    Totally awesome! Y’all did a great job! I adore contractor Kitty! Love that little shelf behind the toilet tank. Brilliant idea. You did good!

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