The bathroom reveal . . .

Welcome to the reveal of the Libby Bathroom Makeover!  The bathroom is the very last room in the house to be painted since we bought our house four years ago.  Our bathroom is such an awkward space.  If you add the square footage from the main bathroom and dressing area together it equals about 90 square feet . . . not too shabby.  There are much smaller bathrooms out there.

But add in the slanted ceiling above the sink that makes you have to bend over to see in the mirror and the fact that there is a big wall dividing the two spaces, and all of a sudden it is a pretty small space.  Then add in a nasty mustard color along with sketchy DIY stuff from the previous owners . . . not a very nice little bathroom!

Remember this?

And this?

And who could forget this lovely closet/dressing area?
You can just see the nasty carpet in the corner of the pic . . . 

And finally, the lovely wannabe linoleum that was under the fabulous carpet.  Shudder.

But now, after three coats of Benjamin Moore's White Dove in flat on the walls and semi-gloss on the trim (and a whole lot of sweat equity!), plus all new flooring, we have a brand new relaxing and inviting bathroom.

Voila!

There wasn't a ton of natural light today with all the clouds, but this picture is true to the color we painted . . . some of the shots look a bit yellow, but this one is right on!

I paid $3 cash for this shower curtain at Kohl's.  (It was on sale, plus a coupon, plus the last few dollars from a Christmas gift card.)  I had scoured the internet and found nothing . . . this was exactly what I was looking for: a bold geometric that I could build the rest of the bathroom around.  It totally un-borings all the white, while still being restful.  I LOVE it!

John and I were shopping in South Portland last October when we found this rug on clearance for $7 at Target . . . soooo me.  I put it in the upstairs hallway, but it has been commandeered for the dressing area now.

I agonized over the flooring choices . . . or lack thereof.  Just ask my mom.  I finally "settled" on this vinyl tile, on sale for $.84 a square foot, and couldn't be happier.  It was a one-day project, and it is wonderful to have the same mellow flooring in the main bathroom and dressing area.  So much better than dingy old tile and peed carpet!

I decided to go with glass knobs to tie in with my planned soap dispenser project.  A more visible knob would have been way too much with what is already going on with these doors.  Plus the glass knobs give kind of a vintage vibe, which I love.  Brings back memories of my childhood . . . I had the same knobs on a dresser back in the day.

Favorite thing in the bathroom?  My funky new towel rack!  John and I were doing some Christmas shopping at TJ Maxx when I came upon this piece.  I had to have it, and just happened to have exactly enough to cover the $14.99 and tax left on a gift card.  Add a couple of freshly dyed towels . . . it brings some personality to the new bathroom.

This mirror had a tragic oak finish, so I gave it a few coats of a hammered silver spray paint to freshen it up.  And finally hung it after having it sitting on the floor for three years.  How nice to be able to see more than just our knees on down!

So happy with my new soap dispenser!  I'd say "one-of-a-kind," but with all the tutorials out there I'm pretty sure one in ten homes has a Ball jar dispenser now.  And if you don't, you should.

Now for upcoming projects . . . I am planning to sew a grosgrain ribbon stripe or two onto the closet curtains to give them a little bit of a tailored look.  I just haven't decided between two or three horizontal stripes on the bottom, or one vertical stripe down the outsides.  The curtains themselves were super economical at $13 for 11 yards of muslin after a 40% off coupon.  (I find that Joann Fabrics has a pretty high price point for mediocre fabric . . . but you can get a good deal with their coupons!  Otherwise it's Marden's or Fabric Warehouse all the way, much better quality fabric.)

The window curtains are sheers that I stole out of our bedroom and hemmed to fit.  We have regular curtains hanging as well, so didn't really need the sheers.  (Starting your renovation "shopping" in your own house can be a great cost-cutter!) 

ART NEEDED!  I have an idea for the space over the towel rack, but am taking some time to let it mellow into more of a plan . . .

I need a place to store Sophia's hair ties and our cotton balls and Q-tips, so am going to be putting some little shelves over the toilet . . . still working out the kinks in my plans.  Also deciding what to use for storage containers . . . probably some sort of Ball jar project.  (Anyone have some extra zinc lids lying around?)

This is the "before" . . . I am going to paint this bookshelf something fun.  A little pop of color in the corner behind the door.  Now if only I could decide what color exactly, I could get cracking!  It's also clearly in need of some de-cluttering, so I am going to rearrange our storage to make it work a little better for us.

Now the part of the before-and-after that I always want to know . . . how much did it cost?  And will it break the bank if I try to duplicate any part of it?  No bank-breaking here!  This was actually one of our costlier room makeovers since we moved in, if you believe it, but it still came in pretty low all things considered.

Is this my dream bathroom?  No.  Am I satisfied with my low-cost, high-return makeover?  Absolutely 100%!  When I finish a couple more of the projects I have planned for the space, this bathroom will be as good as it gets without a total gut job . . . and I can be very happy with that!

Want to see more?  Check out www.getinspiredinteriors.com.  We'd love to help you make over your space on a budget.  I am also available for custom sewing projects, tailored to fit your individual needs . . . shoot me an e-mail or facebook message for more information!

Last but not least, don't forget to become a follower of my blog for automatic entry in my March 1st giveaway . . . more information to come!