House Tour Part Two: The Downstairs Bathroom

When we toured our home for the first time, the downstairs bathroom was what stood out to us the most. It made a huge first impression on us. Good thing we don't judge a house by it's bathroom a book by it's cover because this bathroom could have had us running for dodge. Here's why:

First off, let's take a look at the wooden toilet seat and ginormous blue throne. Not only were they horrendous and 50 years old (yep, original toilet) but with a tank that large, the commode was a water guzzler. Talk about flushing money down the toilet. Do you love the 50 year old sink? It reminded me of being in a 1950's prison, or school house. I almost didn't want to wash my hands after using the bathroom...but I did, promise.

What do you think of the blue flooring? Chic? Geometric? Hideous? How about the totally fabulous vanity mirror with blinking side lights? It's all the rage in Paris. I think.

Clearly this bathroom was from a different era, an era that existed well before me and the hubs. It had to go. The problem? Redoing a bathroom from head to toe is expensive. Really expensive. Since we had just done the kitchen from top to bottom, there wasn't room in the budget to gut the bathroom. So...we worked with what we had. And here they are:

The one thing our bathroom kinda had going for itself were these vintage hand-painted tiles. They're not our style by any means, but our house is 50 years old and sometimes it's nice to pay homage to it's age. So, instead of declaring war against our middle-aged porcelain, we formed an alliance. We were going to work together to create a nice bathroom. Here's what we achieved:

One coat of paint, water efficient toilet, new pedestal sink,  simple medicine cabinet, ceramic tile floor, clean roman shade, and light fixture later, here's our brand spankin' not so new bathroom. It's still not our style, but we're so happy that we were able to create a clean, new, and notsobad bathroom for less than $500. 

The best part? We did it all ourselves! No professionals needed. Except, I would now consider the hubs a professional toilet installer- that man can rock a wax ring.

This bathroom was a major lesson to us that if you work with what you have, sometimes it can actually pay off. It's not a new bathroom, but it looks completely different and we're pretty happy with the result.

So, how about all your DIYers out there? Ever had to work with something you didn't love because you couldn't change it? How'd it work out for you?

Stay tuned for part three of our house tour when I show you the living room!

PS- Don't forget to enter my first give away! It closes on Wednesday, so hurry!