Before and After: Half bath

We have this little half bath downstairs right off our kitchen. We squeezed in our peninsula and two bar stools right in front of the door, so it's not the easiest to "get to" because of that, and it's not in the most private spot a bathroom could be, but nonetheless we are glad to have it. While not mission-critical, I have created this nice map for you.

I find it helpful when I have a frame of reference and therefore assume you do too.

So, this half bath has always been fairly builder-basic: plain mirror, plain wall, cheap overhead light. Even the paint, Benjamin Moore's Gray Cashmere, was the most boring color on the planet and did nothing for the space.

That's me before we moved in (almost two years ago!) with our painter in the background. I was telling him I wanted to do wide horizontal stripes but that never happened. 

Anyway, it also always bugged me (still does) that the toilet is facing the sink. Like why couldn't it have been installed with its back on the same wall? I asked this very question to a plumber who could not believe I had spent time thinking about such a thing. He told me it would be a pricey change for no good reason. Humpf. The point is, if you ever come to my house and use this bathroom and think "Wow, I could rest my chin right here on the sink while I sit and pee!" you are not the only one. 

So the first change we made was to put up a new mirror. I have always lusted after the bathroom pivot mirrors from Pottery Barn. But even the name sounds expensive (the Kensington; would you like to have some tea?) and Jason told me no. Siiiiiigh. I knew what my real option was.

It actually doesn't look that bad. We hung Mr. Ikea up about a year ago, I slapped a free printable in a frame and for a long time our bathroom was in a holding pattern. It's so hard to get photos of this small space but for your viewing pleasure, my panorama attempt:

In early November, we decided to launch it into high gear. Jason added crown molding (moulding?) and board and batten, we picked Benjamin Moore's Mineral Alloy (and painted the ceiling!) and hung a new light fixture.

Presenting the official side by side before and afters (although even in the first set, the molding in both is "after")

A couple of personal things. 5 years ago for our wedding, our calligrapher made a custom map that went out with the invitations:

She sent us the original as a gift, which we framed and hung in here.

We also had a certain three year old paint the little pot that went on the shelf:

But of significantly more interest was actually hanging the shelf.

Because, you know. Power tools. 

The most outside-the-box thing we did was paint the ceiling. We knew it was a dark color and wondered about the impact but it actually adds a dimension to the space. Final glamour shots:

That's the story of the little half bath that could. Happily ever after, the end!