Birds & Butterflies Guest Bathroom Makeover

LibrarianTellsAll
by LibrarianTellsAll
We recently bought a 1980s time capsule, and we're slowly bringing it into the present. The first room we tackled was this bathroom. Our home has two bathrooms: A master bath and this room, which serves as a powder room and guest bathroom.
It was stuck in a time warp with peach wallpaper that was falling off the walls, almond and brass fixtures, and a dated vanity. Two hours after we closed on the house, I was ripping the wallpaper off the walls. I couldn't wait to change it!
You see, I already had a plan to put Sanderson's Picture Gallery paper on the walls. I love the way this English wallpaper mimics vintage botanical illustrations. And it makes such a BIG statement! I think powder rooms are a great place for a bold look, because no one is going to spend all day in there... I hope!
The almond toilet and tub were in great condition, and we didn't want to bust our budget on new fixtures. The house needs a lot of work in other places, too. So my biggest challenge was to choose colors that didn't make the dated almond color look prominent. I chose a wall color very similar to the tub and toilet, but slightly darker, to blend with the fixtures' beige-y color and make them look lighter.
After: We hung Sanderson's Picture Gallery wallpaper on one wall. We like the way it looks with our West Elm shower curtain. A blue rug from Safavieh adds color.
BEFORE
AFTER
After: The walls got two coats of Sherwin-Williams Kilim Beige paint. We used Benjamin Moore's Black Beauty on the vanity. We replaced the brass hardware with brushed nickel cup pulls, handles, and bathroom fixtures.
AFTER
We updated the mirror and lighting. The bathroom originally had one fixture over the mirror, and we wired these sconces ourselves.
AFTER
My husband LOVES Bill Murray, so I hung this cheeky portrait just for him.
DETAILS
We rain into one other big challenge in here: Wiring. My husband ran new wiring so we could have brushed nickel sconces flanking the new mirror, instead of one large fixture above the mirror. Cutting holes in our walls sounded scary. Running wires through the attic sounded even worse! But once we got started, we found that it wasn't as difficult as we imagined.
DETAILS
We worked slowly, and took frequent breaks. If we'd hurried, we would've finished faster. But I wanted time to choose the best colors and accessories, and I don't regret that it took us two months to complete the room.
DETAILS
We finished the room off with neutral colors, brushed nickel hardware, new lighting, fun art, and fresh accessories. Aside from the gorgeous wallpaper, my favorite thing about the room is that guests always exit with a grin on their faces and ask, "Is that Bill Murray in your bathroom?"


LibrarianTellsAll
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 17 comments
  • Gail Daigh Gail Daigh on Aug 17, 2015
    I adore this wallpaper and must have it! Would you please share where in the US you found it? Thanks! Gail D.
  • Kate Kate on Aug 02, 2016
    I love how you've done the whole room, and I really like the walls!
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