Last week you saw the before of our bathroom. If you happened to miss it, you can check it out here.

This week, we are sharing the after. Actually, the after, after. Let me explain. I’ve mentioned before that I’m bringing an old blog back to life. As a result of not keeping up with that old blog and not thinking I’d ever bring it back, I don’t have a single picture of the bathroom after it was completed in 2011. I do have some of my old design notes that I can share.

I had some pretty bold plans for that little bathroom. As usual, all of them over budget and just a bit eccentric. Here were our final selections.

For the paint, we went with Martha Stewart’s Precious Metals in Eagle Brown. Terrible name, but beautiful color. Her precious metals collection had a gorgeous shimmer – not glitter – shimmer – we were trying to keep it classy. It was a perfect compliment to my tiny bubbles in the shower.

For fixtures, we went with the Bamboo collection from Glacier Bay in brushed nickel. Clearly, Don Ho had a bigger influence on me than I thought. We wanted double sinks, but we had very little room. Leave it to IKEA to have a solution. Their BRÅVIKEN sink’s trough-like design allows for two faucets in a smaller space. We went with one large round mirror to “mirror” the accent tiles in the shower. We kept the light fixtures clean and simple.

While I don’t have an after photo, what I do have is hindsight and photos of a slightly updated bathroom.

Let’s tackle that hindsight.

1. The paint. That paint really was fabulous but it made that bathroom feel so small and dark. I was going for a spa look but got a cave instead. Great for hibernating, terrible for getting ready in the morning. The paint’s saving grace was the shimmer. It did reflect light nicely. But that shimmer was a blessing and a curse. It was a nightmare to do a touch-up with that paint. It NEVER looked right. We had to repaint an entire wall, not just the tiny bit that was nicked. On a trip to Home Depot to get more of it, I found out that the entire line was discontinued. Time for a new color and no shimmer!
   
   
2. The sink. It works and it gives us two faucets. What it doesn’t do is provide space for anything more than a toothbrush holder, a soap dispenser, and a small mirror. I am a big fan of a clean, clutter-free countertop, but getting ready is a real pain in the ass. I have to put everything in the sink basin. Countless little hairpins have gone down the drain and I am convinced that I’m going to be electrocuted by the hairdryer. Because it has no legs and is mounted to the wall, I live in fear that it will just pop off the wall and onto myself or Brant and crush us.
   
   
3. The heated floor. I’m as stubborn as they come and when the salesman told me that I would never use that heated floor, I vowed to prove him wrong. It’s been 9 years and we have probably used it less than 20 times. The only time it has really been useful is after a long night of drinking and karaoke when sleeping on the bathroom floor just feels like the right choice.

So now for the update. It’s a good thing that paint was discontinued. Gave me a reason to find a new color. I went with my favorite – GRAY!

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The paint really made the bathroom feel much bigger and so much brighter. Not to mention, so much easier to touch up when needed.

Don’t think that I’m done in here. I want a new vanity that doesn’t threaten to kill me and I would love glass doors for the shower. I also hate that toilet. Check back in a year – I might have another bathroom update. OR my husband, not the vanity, will have killed me by then.

Like what you see? Shop this look. While many of the items in my bathroom have been discontinued, I’ve found a few great substitutions.

We found our sconces at Home Depot, but they have been discontinued. I’ve found some great alternatives that, quite frankly, I like a little more…

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My tiny bubbles have also been discontinued, but here are a few great options.

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