Project Home base: Kid + Guest Bathroom Reveal

Oh goodness. First of all, Merry Christmas! My upfront apologies for the Christmas kid photo interruptions but come on! How cute are they?!

It’s Christmas time y’all and between painting, tile sealing, slicing, and nailing, Team Wayne has been so insanely busy, yet happy as all get out. I mean, how can you not be when you live five minutes from where my kids are sitting in the picture above? We’re so blessed. And yes, I’m a broken record. Back to the bathroom.

It all started when we bought this house. We walked into every room in it and said, “Wow, this is ugly.” The end. One year later and after becoming some what stable with S + A INVEST | DESIGN as a working/functioning business for our family, it was time to talk about remodeling the kid/guest bathroom in our hallway.

It’s so hard for me to even show the before picture of what this bathroom used to look like. The picture is low quality and so was the bathroom.

First thing we decided upon was that the whole bath needed new fixtures. From the mirror to the lights and a vanity makeover, everything would get an upgrade. Well, not quite everything. We decided to hold off on the shower. It is SO MUCH WORK to demo a shower kit and what a mess it makes. The labor would be excruciating even though the material’s cost wouldn’t be horrendous seeing that we would do it ourselves. We probably would have chosen a cheap and easy subway tile but for the work and energy, it just wasn’t worth it. We may have the tub and shower kit reglazed once we decide to move to help with resale but that’s the extent of the remodel this shower will get for now.

Recently, I’ve been seeing this trend called “skinny lap” all over Instagram and Pinterest. It’s essentially shiplap but vertical and skinny. I wanted it somewhere in our house since I’m going with a more modern mid-century modern feel throughout the home. I like the texture this wainscoting created and I’m so happy we tried our hand at it. One thing is for sure though, it was not easy.

Here’s how it started out. We used a table saw to slice one million 1.5 wide but 41 inch tall slats from sanded plywood. Just kidding it wasn’t a million but it felt like it. We later added 5 inch common board as base board to finish the look at the bottom.

My original plan was to stain the boards but as you can see from the picture above, the stain made the boards looks rustic and each board looked entirely different. I hated the lack of uniformity. Sean and I both knew that if we painted the paneling, it would finish the room with a cleaner look and brighten it up. So paint it I did.

I went with Modernist Grey by Sherwin Williams and love the way it turned out. It’s a touch on the warmer side of grays and complimentary the Carbonized by Behr paint used on the vanity.

I love clean lines in my interior design style and this floor from Wayfair was exactly what I was looking for. It came in huge 18 inch square pieces and was a breeze to install. We grouted the lines in a charcoal color for easy clean up (you will never see dirt) and we will never regret that.

This vanity was sanded, primed, painted black (Carbonized by Behr) and the knobs were added. These knobs are getting so much attention and I don’t blame them one bit. They are faux leather pulls from Amazon and super, crazy affordable. What an easy way to add character! Here’s a tutorial on Finishing a Bathroom Vanity from Ren and Billy’s Bathroom Remodel. I applied the same technique to this vanity in my house.

Lastly, I knew I wanted a DIY picture ledge above the toilet. I had chosen a picture of the kids in the bath to frame and I have always wanted a felt board in my home somewhere. I love all the cheeky sayings you can create with it. This “Hey Google” quote had me rolling when I stumbled across it. If only it were true. “Hey Google” has become an hilarious joke in our house because now DJ and ADs will go around saying “Hey Google” to everything after we received a mini google home from my cousin. I always laugh out loud when we’re in Target and ADs will say, “Hey Google, play Mighty Pups” like to the air…Uh, Addie who are you even talking to?! Smh.

My cousin’s wife and I were shopping through Target (obvi) the other day and saw these “Wash Your Hands” towels and “Clean” bath mat. After she pointed them out she said, “Here, you have to put this in your kids bath” and thank God I blindly followed the orders because I’m obsessed per use with anything from Target. This curtain is an older find from Target as well from approximately two years ago. They don’t carry it anymore…I don’t think.

The 30 inch round mirror is from TJ Maxx and here are the links for the faucet, lights, and hardware all from Amazon if y’all are interested. Also, if you look to the left of the mirror in the picture above, you can see an easy created built in that Sean made after demoing one of those mirror-opening medicine cabinets. All he did was install a piece of primed wood and I sanded and painted the drywall for a smooth finish. I can’t wait to style it with some shells that my kids have found on the beach.

It’s really important for me to take ownership here of a disagreement Sean and I had a little bit ago about wether to finish the shower and demo the whole thing or not. He basically told me he wouldn’t do it. I don’t blame him… it’s what he does for a LIVING. So in the discussion, I was very disheartened thinking that the insert would be an eye sore and ruin any upgrades we did to the bathroom. Well, I was very, VERY wrong. I can shut the curtain and truly still enjoy the space. I don’t even hate the tub and shower anymore. Don’t get me wrong they are very ugly but the rest of the room is stunning enough AND it’s not our forever home. For now this space Sean and I created together is a symbol of US and where we are right now. And what a beautiful place we’re in.

I want to wish every single one of you the merriest, happiest, and blessed Christmas. It has been hurting my heart to think that so many people will be away from loved ones this Christmas and it may feel so different than it usually does. Take this time to make the very best of where you are. Decorate like crazy, bake a Christmas dish everyday, play holiday music incessantly and have a grateful heart for your health, family, who you are, and the ability to love. Merry Christmas y’all and stay safe, from Team Wayne.

Ann | DESIGN