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Design•DIY

A FRESH UPDATE TO A SMALL BATHROOM

August 28, 2020
Benjamin Moore Aura Bath and Spa White Dove

Earlier this summer I did a “phase 1” makeover to our bathroom.  While we still need to replace the tile and vanity, we took the opportunity to make some very doable updates to improve the look and feel of the bathroom.  And I’m so glad we did! Removing the dated wallpaper and adding new paint and accessories instantly modernized and freshened the entire space.  I’m so excited to share some of the process with you today!

Background

Our house has one full bath and one-half bath.  The full bath is shared by all the bedrooms and is teeny tiny.  Even though we have updated nearly every surface in our house over the last 10 years, we hadn’t touched the bathroom.  The sand-colored floor tile, bathtub, and green and cream garden wallpaper all looked the same as the day we moved in.  

Wallpapersmall bathroom wallpapersmall bathroom

While the bathroom was fine in a functional sense, it wasn’t my taste.  I had always wanted to remove the wallpaper, but had left it alone all these years because both my husband and son were very attached to it.  I had to agree that it was really interesting to look at.  It had this very detailed farm pattern, almost like a hidden picture.  You could look at it for a long time trying to figure out what exactly you were looking at.  Was that a lemon? And a peach? All on the same tree?  Why yes, yes it was.

However, years of exposure to moisture had caused it to discolor and peel in places. We even saw a few mold spots start to show over the shower.  That was a dealbreaker in my book.  

Thanks to COVID and a four day weekend over the 4th of July, I was able to convince my family to take on a house project and remove the wallpaper!  

Wallpaper Removal

I was itching to get right to it.  I started prepping the walls by removing all hardware and light switches.  I then filled a spray bottle with warm water and began saturating a panel to see what would happen.  After a few minutes, it looked like it was starting to separate from the wall.  I peeled up a corner and started pulling.  

It came off in small chunks. 

I was beginning to get nervous that this may not be as easy as I first thought.  After a few minutes, I got an old gift card to use as a scraper, which helped a lot.  Eventually, I dug up a plastic putty knife which worked much better.  But it was still slow going.

half removed wallpaper

I got the kids involved by giving them the sprayer and encouraging them to spray the walls and not – ahem – each other.  My 6-year-old was able to do some scraping which helped keep him busy. 

I wish I could remember the exact amount of hours I spent removing the wallpaper, but I’ve mentally blocked it out…haha.  I’d say it took around 6 hours total, split over 2 days. 

Taking off the wallpaper felt like I was researching the history of the house.  I found previously filled holes from old towel bars, patched areas from lights and electrical junction boxes, and bits of lavender (!) paint peeking through the light gray-green walls.

Once it was all off, I used a wet rag to wash the remaining glue off the walls.  Then I caulked the cracks, corners, and around the baseboard.  This alone made a huge impact on the seamlessness of the walls.   

trim paint

I did a quick coat on the baseboard using Benjamin Moore trim paint in White Dove. I gave it 24 hours to dry before I taped for paint. I normally use green FrogTape for painting, but yellow Delicate Surface tape was substituted in my grocery order when green was out of stock.  It was actually perfect for taping the freshly painted baseboard and made crisp clean lines.

Benjamin Moore Aura Bath and Spa Paint

I’m a huge fan of Benjamin Moore paint for inside the house, both for quality and choice of colors.  However, I had a hard time deciding between their two paint options:

  • Kitchen and Bath paint in a satin finish.
  • Aura Bath and Spa in a matte finish.

Both are mildew resistant and appropriate for use in bathrooms, but the Aura Bath and Spa is a premium paint and thus more expensive.  I also was skeptical about the matte finish.  Would it really withstand the moisture in our small steamy bathroom?  Could I still wipe the toothpaste off the walls?  

Benjamin Moore Aura Bath and Spa

I decided to splurge on the Aura Bath and Spa.  Since the walls weren’t in the best shape, I figured the matte finish would hide the imperfections rather than highlight them.  It took two coats to cover the walls and ceiling completely.  I’m not the fastest painter, so it took me about 2 hours to do each coat with 3-4 hours of drying time in between.

However, the end result was fantastic.  The paint dried to a smooth matte finish that disguised nearly all the imperfections on the walls.  The White Dove color instantly brightened and freshened up the space without making it feel cold.  It felt like a completely new room!

 

Benjamin Moore Aura Bath and Spa White Dove

Benjamin Moore Aura Bath and Spa White Dove

 

Now, it’s been nearly two months since I painted and I can confidently tell you that I’m sold on this paint.  The finish has proven to be both beautiful and durable for our heavily used bathroom.  Steamy showers, major bath splash incidents, and handprints haven’t left a trace on the walls.

The only con is really the price.  At $80 per gallon, it’s a bit hard to swallow and definitely more expensive than the normal Kitchen and Bath Paint.  While this may be out of the budget for future projects, I’m glad I decided to splurge on paint for this project. 

Above toilet shelves

All in all, I’m thrilled with how the bathroom turned out.  The new paint has given the room a completely new, fresh look.  The room looks bigger, cleaner and more modern with just the addition of new paint.  It even seems to downplay the dated vanity and boring beige tile, which is great, since I’ll need to wait a bit before updating both in phase 2. Until then, I’ll just soak up the newness of the paint and accessories.  

Sources:

Paint: Benjamin Moore White Dove

Rug: Etsy (search for “vintage turkish kilim”)

Soap/Shampoo Bottles: Amazon

Clock: Amazon 

Canister: Cost Plus World Market

Shower Curtain: Restoration Hardware

Shower Curtain Rod: Amazon

Shower Curtain Rings: Amazon

Towel Hooks: Amazon

 

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

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Hi! I’m Lisa and I dig smallish homes. I believe they bring families together and provide a constraint on the accumulation of stuff. I’m obsessed with rethinking room design and storage solutions in order to live the life I want in the house I have. I hope you stay a while!
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Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve literally just crossed the last thing off my to-do list.  All the planning, shopping and prep work is done and I’m ready to enjoy the next few days.  If you need me I’ll be eating a gingerbread cookie (or two) while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures of our minimalist holiday decorations in our living room/ dining room. 

This year we tried something different and cut our own mountain grown tree and I’m LOVING the change.  Even though it’s real skinny, it has the nicest placement of branches and is truly a beautiful tree.

The delicate branches can’t hold heavy lights or ornaments, so I reused the white crocheted snowflakes  and matte black balls from last year, along with a single string of copper LED lights.  So simple, so easy, but still beautiful.  Just what I needed this year.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!
The crows are back! The best decorations are the o The crows are back!
The best decorations are the ones you are  EXCITED to see each year. The ones you instantly pull from the box and start placing in your home. They don’t need to be fancy, or new each year. They just need to bring joy to you and your family. ✨❤️
Surprise! We bought a new home!  And sold our ho Surprise!

We bought a new home!  And sold our home!  It’s been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted.

We are incredibly lucky to have bought our neighbor’s home FSBO.  It’s larger than our current home by ~700 square feet and is a split entry home with most of the living space upstairs and a bonus family room/bedroom in the basement.  

While the rooms (and closets!) are still small, there are more of them.  There will be room for office space for both my husband and myself, a bit more storage, and even a laundry room/mudroom (woo hoo! No more garage laundry for me!)

So what do you think? Do I need to change my name from smallishhome to sortofmidsizehome?  No matter what, I’ll continue to share how I maximize storage in small spaces, because, well, that’s my life and my passion!  

Be sure to check out my stories for a walk through of the new house.  Don’t miss the avocado green tub and original 1960’s kitchen cabinets. So many projects ahead of us!
Hey there! It’s been a while! I’ve had a lot Hey there! It’s been a while!

I’ve had a lot on my plate personally these last few weeks and have had to drop all social media as a way to stay sane and focused on the path ahead.  I love this community, but I just couldn’t give it the time it deserved, so I took a break.  Hopefully you understand. 

I’m trying to ramp back up but could use your help.  What spaces are you having trouble organizing?  What kind of videos would you like to see?  I appreciate each and every one of you and love hearing your suggestions.  It’s what keeps me going when I start to feel stuck!

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Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve literally just crossed the last thing off my to-do list.  All the planning, shopping and prep work is done and I’m ready to enjoy the next few days.  If you need me I’ll be eating a gingerbread cookie (or two) while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures of our minimalist holiday decorations in our living room/ dining room. 

This year we tried something different and cut our own mountain grown tree and I’m LOVING the change.  Even though it’s real skinny, it has the nicest placement of branches and is truly a beautiful tree.

The delicate branches can’t hold heavy lights or ornaments, so I reused the white crocheted snowflakes  and matte black balls from last year, along with a single string of copper LED lights.  So simple, so easy, but still beautiful.  Just what I needed this year.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!
The crows are back! The best decorations are the o The crows are back!
The best decorations are the ones you are  EXCITED to see each year. The ones you instantly pull from the box and start placing in your home. They don’t need to be fancy, or new each year. They just need to bring joy to you and your family. ✨❤️
Surprise! We bought a new home!  And sold our ho Surprise!

We bought a new home!  And sold our home!  It’s been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted.

We are incredibly lucky to have bought our neighbor’s home FSBO.  It’s larger than our current home by ~700 square feet and is a split entry home with most of the living space upstairs and a bonus family room/bedroom in the basement.  

While the rooms (and closets!) are still small, there are more of them.  There will be room for office space for both my husband and myself, a bit more storage, and even a laundry room/mudroom (woo hoo! No more garage laundry for me!)

So what do you think? Do I need to change my name from smallishhome to sortofmidsizehome?  No matter what, I’ll continue to share how I maximize storage in small spaces, because, well, that’s my life and my passion!  

Be sure to check out my stories for a walk through of the new house.  Don’t miss the avocado green tub and original 1960’s kitchen cabinets. So many projects ahead of us!
Hey there! It’s been a while! I’ve had a lot Hey there! It’s been a while!

I’ve had a lot on my plate personally these last few weeks and have had to drop all social media as a way to stay sane and focused on the path ahead.  I love this community, but I just couldn’t give it the time it deserved, so I took a break.  Hopefully you understand. 

I’m trying to ramp back up but could use your help.  What spaces are you having trouble organizing?  What kind of videos would you like to see?  I appreciate each and every one of you and love hearing your suggestions.  It’s what keeps me going when I start to feel stuck!
⁣I woke up today and saw it - 10K. I’m in sho ⁣I woke up today and saw it - 10K.  I’m in shock. ⠀
⠀
I’m so grateful for each and every one of you who chose to follow my account and watch me organize my smallish home. ⠀
⠀
My goal has always been to share my love of organization and design - while hopefully inspiring others to show their own home some love. ⠀
⠀
No matter how small or large your space may be, I hope you are able to walk away with a few ideas of ways to maximize the space you have.⠀
⠀
In the meantime, I’ll keep working space by space in my own home, adding functionality and order that fits the needs of my family and the space that I have.⠀
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I’d love to know what you would all like to see more of - let me know in the comments what you’d like to see me tackle next!⠀
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#10k #10kfollowers #organizationmotivation #motivation #simplifylife #simplify #organizedmom #organizing #homeorganization #declutter #diyorganizer #diyorganization #smallhomeliving #getorganized #stayorganized #letsgetorganized  #tidyhome #mysmallishhome #lessismore
⁣It’s a rainy Monday here and all I want to do ⁣It’s a rainy Monday here and all I want to do is drink mugs of hot tea nonstop.  But tea can be a tricky item to store!⠀
⠀
When it’s in the box, you never know how many tea bags are left.  But take them out of the box and they slide all over the shelf!⠀
⠀
Using some sort of small, clear, lidded container keeps the bags together and helps you see when it’s time to restock.  Bonus points if the containers can stack, allowing you to store multiple varieties in a small space. ⠀
⠀
These containers are from Target, but any food storage container will work. Even the cheap plastic food storage containers from the grocery store. ⠀
⠀
What is your favorite variety of tea?  I’m a big fan of English Breakfast if I need a little caffeine boost (which I’m definitely in need of today!)
⁣Do you ever have weeks where you just can’t g ⁣Do you ever have weeks where you just can’t get back on track?⠀
⠀
Where you feel tired, and all you see is work that needs to get done?⠀
⠀
It can be hard to figure out where to start.⠀
⠀
I’ve been struggling to get myself moving the last few weeks after experiencing a family emergency that knocked the wind out of my sails. ⠀
⠀
But I know it’s time to turn things around.  Here are my go-to steps for getting back on track: ⠀
⠀
1️⃣Get those machines working for me.  I always get the dishwasher running and then start a load of laundry.  It makes me feel productive and gets the momentum going for the rest of the day.⠀
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2️⃣Grab a pen and a notebook, plus either a glass of water or a cup of coffee, and sit down.⠀
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3️⃣Take everything in my head and write it down.  Everything that needs to be done, everything that needs to be bought, every card that needs to be written, bills that need to be paid, people I need to message back.  I write it down so it isn’t in my head.⠀
 ⠀
4️⃣Circle one thing that I can do now and finish.  Maybe I only have 10 minutes, but in those 10 minutes I can pick up a room, put away laundry, or go through a stack of paperwork.  Anything that will make progress on my list but Isn’t too big of a project that I can’t finish.⠀
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5️⃣Once I’ve done just one thing, I try to reward myself with some sort of self care.  It can be anything that makes me feel good - going for a walk, stopping in at a store, looking at a magazine, or maybe just scrolling on my phone for a few minutes.⠀
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6️⃣Then, I look back at my list and prioritize in order of importance.  I’ll choose the task with the highest priority and start working down. ⠀
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While this process works, it sometimes takes a few days.  I just keep repeating it over and over until things start clicking again. ⠀
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Getting outside helps too.  Fresh air and movement seem to do a world of good.⠀
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How have you been feeling lately?  Are you crushing that to-do list or are you feeling like you need like 3 clones of yourself in order to get it all done?⠀
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Photo by @callimechemphotography

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