We closed on our house in August 2007. Since then, the room in the house that has seen the least decorating action is our half-bath. It’s a real shame too because it’s one of the rooms that gets used the most. For starters it’s the only bathroom on the first floor, so we use it all the time, but more importantly our guests use it when they come to visit!
When it came to decorating this bathroom, I was stumped. We painted the walls. Fine. No sparks. I painted the cabinet black last year. It then matched the mirror, but other than that…still no sparks, no vision, no nothing.
It wasn’t until we had the old countertop replaced with granite that it hit me. I knew exactly what to do.
Half Bath Before:

 

Inspirational Granite:

 

This granite is not the same as the granite in the kitchen. It’s more striped and has a lot more brown/gray in it. As soon as the granite was installed, I could tell right away that the walls had to go. They looked entirely too gold against it. The question then became: what color should I paint the walls? I mean I knew it should be gray of some sort, but there are a million grays out there. Then I remembered that I had ordered a sample pot of Mouse’s Back by Pratt & Lambert. I tested it out on the walls. In one word: perfection.

On Saturday I went to Lowe’s to have P&L’s Mouse’s Back color matched into a Valspar paint. I did this because (1) Lowe’s is closer than the guy who sells Pratt & Lambert paint and (2) Pratt & Lambert paint is more expensive than Valspar paint. While I was at Lowe’s, I also picked up a new light fixture (way overdue although not as bad as my master bathroom lights. Just wait till you see those.)
Sunday, I painted the bathroom. Oh, and I wired the light fixture. All by myself! House is still standing. Painter, electrician. Whatev.

Then I got to work on the art. A few weeks ago I went to my local Old Time Pottery and found two 16×20 frames (double mat). $10.00 each. Awesome price. Not awesome color. So I painted them.
They started out this color:

And ended up this color:

This sketch is of a local landmark. I got two different ones at a local antique store for $3.00 each.
Last night I put it all back together.
Half Bath After:

My apologies for the toilet seat being up! It was the best picture so I had to post it.

 

Better, huh? Not finished though. Working on a little DIY I plan to share with you shortly.