Introducing the Bathroom

OK, well considering my fast-approaching deadline to have a good chunk of my kitchen done this month, I should probably be sourcing plywood or tearing our formica or priming cabinets or something useful. BUT I've been more than a little obsessed with a new idea for my bathroom the past few days, so I have to get it off my mind before I can move on.

Presenting, our bathroom:

I know. Captivating, right? So, there are clearly numerous issues with this little guy. We need a new sink, new/refinished tub, a new light fixture, and every paintable surface should probably get a new coat. But let's focus on one thing for now. The tile.

I'm not sure that I could honestly describe this tile in a good light. It's a dingy beige + blush color in a weird uncategorizable pattern. Despite its lack of good attributes though, I don't hate it. It's just meh. It's definitely original to the house, and in-line with early mid-century bathrooms. (Edit: definitely NOT original to the house!) So I can't really find a good reason to rip it out, especially since it's in relatively good condition in most parts. (Edit: After doing research on this tile pattern, I found it was produced in the late seventies, which absolves me of all guilt for not keeping it when we gut everything. Wahoo!)

BUT, can I ever love my bathroom with such meh tiles enveloping the whole thing? You can't see from this photo, but all four walls are lined with it. My initial plan was to ignore the tile and focus on making the rest of the bathroom nice and shiny. Then hopefully there would be a nice contrast between new and old. But the post over at Young House Love about their entryway grout gave me an idea! Could I possibly start to love these tiles if I gave them some bright white grout?

Up close the difference isn't very striking, but the overall view of the tile changes the effect of the pattern I think. It becomes a little more graphic and fresh. I'm just trying to decide if it's enough of a difference to justify all the work. It will be so much work! Of course, I won't be actually re-grouting the tiles. I'll just be painting it with Grout Renew like the Young House Love folks. But still, so much work!

Kitchen Kitchen Kitchen

Now that the holidays are over, I'm trying to get back in the swing of homey things. Next on my list is the kitchen. I don't think I've posted a photo of this most beautiful part of our home. Brace yourself.

Don't stare too long. It will eat your soul. I look at that photo and wonder what kind of crazy I am for buying this kitchen! Well, the walls and trim have been painted since that photo, which makes a big difference. But we've still got a ways to go. The tricky thing is that this update will just be temporary (we want to do a full renovation in a year or two), and our budget is super duper modest. So I've been working on putting together a bare-minimum plan that will possibly work out well. Here's an idea of what I have in mind.

Yay Photoshop! This rendering gives me hope that I won't hate myself every time I walk into my kitchen!! However, like I said, the only progress we've made so far is painting the walls and trim. Here's a list of what we still need to get there:

- Painted cabinets
- Plywood countertop
- 3form panels as backsplash
- DIY linen roller shades for windows and door
- Grout renew for floor
- Cleaned and painted oven hood
- New light fixtures
- Rods for hanging utensils

My current goal is to have the cabinets and countertop finished by the end of the month. We're going to do it!