How’s that for a title? Haha. We’re about 20% there with this room, but we’re sharing these pics in the name of the work-in-progress reality that is our new house. We definitely think some paint on the walls (we’re flip-flopping between soft gray and mocha) will tie things together and better integrate items like the shower curtain and the bathmat along with the sweet vintage yellow tile. And of course bringing in better art, fun window treatments (maybe a bright roman shade?), changing out the light fixture, and implementing other tweaks down the road will hopefully take it from “meh” to “how you doin’?”
The good news is that it works and it’s clean. You can brush your teeth, take a shower, and use the “facilities” without issue. And thanks to the previous owners’ meticulous housecleaning skillz, there’s not a dot of crud or mildew to be scrubbed. Anyway, enough intro. Here she blows:
That’s right, I folded the toilet paper into a little triangle like they do at hotels. Because I’m crazy.
I apologize for the lack of sweeping see-everything photos, but it’s a tiny room. You can stand in front of the sink and touch all four walls – that’s how small it is. But as for our other little additions, I added a small acrylic trash can to the left of the toilet (you can see it peeking out in that top pic) and we used one of those suction cup shower caddies to store some little sample shampoo & conditioner bottles along with body wash in the shower. We also plopped a mini tube of toothpaste in a cup above the sink.
I thought offering bar soap and liquid soap would please anyone with a strong preference either way, and we hung some “placeholder art” above the toilet (three food related wedding pics – cupcakes, grapes, and lemons – that we already had framed) just to fight the Complete Bare Wall Syndrome that was going on. We figure they’re good for a bathroom because they’re just photos that we reprinted and framed ourselves, so if they get damaged from the moisture over time, we still have the originals and can easily reprint them. Although someday we’d love to hunt down or DIY something that ties into the printed shower curtain and deep teal walls in the adjoined bedroom for a little more pop.
We don’t have much by the way of “countertop” in our tiny bathroom, but we kept the lid of the toilet tank empty so people can drop their toiletry bags there if they’d like (since our sink doesn’t have any lip to speak of). And bringing in some plush white bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths completed the mom-and-Jack-ready makeover. It may not be done but it’s definitely grandparent worthy. Haha. And at least we’re not dealing with this awkward see-your-whole-body-while-sitting-on-the-toilet issue anymore:
Three cheers for a non-reflective door in front of the John. And by John I mean both the commode and my husband. That’s right, it’s a toilet-related double entendre.
Alysce says
I love this little bathroom! We are in the market for our first home. One of the homes we looked at had the same tile except it was pink, more on the mauve side. I love the house! But have no idea what colors to pair with the mauve tile!
YoungHouseLove says
Cream or white and chocolate can be fun with mauve- like neopolitan ice cream!
xo,
s
Jamie says
what about big brown and gray vertical stripes? I think it might look pretty sweet if you picked the right tones :) like a dark brown and a greigey-grey. or maybe not…i just have a thing for stripes.
YoungHouseLove says
Stripes are always fun! Subtle tone on tone ones could be awesome. It’ll be interesting to see where we end up!
xo,
s
Kayla says
Hey! Love the blog, love this room! I was shocked to see you guys pick such an out-of-the-ordinary deep color, and even more shocked that it’s close to the color I painted my dining room two months ago. We must be on the same wavelength. I loved the way you accessorized and now I’m motivated to finally hang something on my deep blue walls! Nice job.
Katherine says
I believe that hotels fold the tissue triangle to signal that the tissue is ‘fresh’ – not touched by former guests. But I always look at the triangle and think ‘really, didn’t someone touch it even more to make a triangle’.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, true! But I guess knowing the last person to touch it was fully clothed and not sitting on the bowl may be a comfort to some? Or they just think it looks cute like crazies like me. Haha.
xo,
s
Christie Stearns says
Hey guys! I have an idea for your bathroom art if you are interested! I could do a crochet motif that is similar to what’s on your shower curtain! I could do brown, teal and white, or also include yellow, up to you. I could do say 3 of them and you could frame them together or in 3 small separate frames. If you are interested just email me… I could make them pretty quick for you! I would need you to send some paint chips or something with the actual colors so I can find yarn that is the correct shades.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s too kind! We actually don’t accept freebies or special treatment (we like to keep it real and pay for things that we bring in and use as decor) but thanks so much for the generous and thoughtful offer!
xo,
s
Belinda says
Why wouldn’t you clean that rug? It looks completely grungy compared to everything else in the room. Yuck.
YoungHouseLove says
Must be the pics. It’s new and bright white in person!
xo,
s
Emily says
I’m assuming Belinda means the yellow one? It does look a bit tired in the photos. Not sure if its a lighting issue, or if the rug has faded unevenly.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, it’s just the light coming in and the angle of the pics. Thankfully in person it’s sunny and new looking (which surprises the heck outta us after all the beatings it has taken). Seems to work for our guests so far!
xo,
s
Christina C says
Wow, I am so very impressed with this bedroom, especially considering the time and budget constraints. Well done!! Very inspiring!
Izzy says
It’s cute and you’re lucky to have it. But I don’t think grey walls would go with the brown shower curtain…?
Annika says
Not meh at all. I like it! It looks calm and cheerful.
Lisa says
Meh – I don’t think so – you should see what we have to work with, at least yours is presentable, our guests are at least a month away from being able to go to our bathroom!
annabelvita says
Seeing how beautiful the yellow tile looks with the bedroom paint, I’d vote for painting it a 25% or 50% colour match (then it could be the same colour as the ceiling if you ever painted that!)
Or…. carolina inn club aqua might work for ceiling and bathroom and whole house colour scheme too!
Bill says
I love that John walks around the house barefoot, even when working on a home improvement project, because I do the same thing; it drives my wife nuts. In fact, I was doing demo in our bathroom last weekend and was barefoot and remembered John lifting the sink barefoot and was reminded to put some shoes on!
tarynkay says
It is definitely not meh. The last time my parents stayed with us, they had to periodically empty the bucket kept under the leaky sink in the back bathroom. So you definitely win the guest bathroom challenge.
Re: lack of counter-space- my mother is quite vocal about her lifelong phobia of putting her makeup bag on the back of a toilet, so we put a shelf above the towel rack. It looks like you have room for one there, if this is something your guests have a problem with.
I love that yellow tile! I think that a soft grey would look best with it and would also go best with the adjoining teal walls. However, then I think that the shower curtain would need to be relocated and you’d need a white one instead.
Callie says
I love the details and thought you put into your guest bathroom. I know you guys are working hard to save money while shopping, check out Proctor & Gamble’s P&G Solutions, you can select which samples you want to try and they have some great coupons that you can only receive by signing up. I have the Pantene products you pictured in my guest bathroom for FREE through this program. You can get new samples every few months and it would help “stock supplies” for this adorable bathroom.Good luck!
http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! Off to check it out…
xo,
s
Tiffany hall says
I have a suggestion. It all looks pretty but I would minimize the accessories so your guest have table space in the bedroom to put their stuff. We stayed at our mother and father in laws and I had to move all their beautiful family pictures off of the dresser so I had room to empty my pockets. Of course I put it back when I left.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! They’re already here but we cleared off a bit more room before they arrived (still left the clock, coaster, plant, light, and just one bright box for fun).
xo,
s
Kelly says
I’ve just stumbled onto your blog and LOVE IT! You’ve inspired me to redo my laundry room – from boring white to a bright and fun green (I think). Hitting HomeGoods later this morning for some accessories. I’ve even taken before photos so I can see how it looked. You have great taste and gave me the jolt I needed to start working on my house again. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kelly! Good luck with everything- and tell HomeGoods we say hi!
xo,
s
julie says
keep the white walls! they look so clean and crisp and they make the bathroom look bigger. You should do a cute Canary theme in there, maybe with a birdcage?
Cortney says
Know its probably totally nuts but what about deep purple in the bathroom… Though I know it is a bit small in there and that might make it feel smaller I just love deep colors, and the blue rocks. I also have a love of yellow and purple, prob cause their complementary…
Andrea says
I once worked at a victorian-style b&b where we folded the ends of the toilet paper rolls into fans. When I’m visiting friends I sometimes fold their tp like that too – a fun and ridiculous surprise for the next person. (I can also fold the hand towels to hold a fan-shaped-folded washcloth – watch out!)
Nora says
Have you considered taupe? Depending on the shade, you can get kind of a cross between gray and mocha. (Somebody may have suggested this — I haven’t read all the comments). I also like what one reader suggested of doing a 25% saturation of the bedroom wall color.
YoungHouseLove says
We’ll definitely bring home some taupey-gray-mocha chips to try! And a lighter tone of the walls in the guest room is another possibility for sure.
xo,
s
jeanne says
Guys, I’ve scrambled many-a-time to make a room a cozy haven for my mom when she’s come to visit. I am sure your parents are thrilled and feel so welcome.
And since you posted the toity mirror pic a month ago, I’ve been dying to say: Dear God – John has the longest 2nd toes in the history of mankind. LOL. Crack me up.
xo Jeanne.
YoungHouseLove says
Seriously. They’re like monkey toes. The scariest thing? Clara has them too. Haha.
xo,
s
D says
I think it’s cute! And, I think that the yellow and the cute vintage feel, match the bedroom it’s connected to.
Elizabeth says
Looks really nice. The folded paper reminds me of a comedian we saw on a cruise that told us we should all mess with the housekeeping staff and fold it again before leaving the room, to mess with their heads and make them think we didn’t actually use the paper lol…good times
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s pretty funny.
xo,
s
Hanna says
The bathroom looks really really great. I hope you are having a wonderful time with your family!
Katie Rose says
Oo I think a soft grey on the walls as you suggested would compliment the yellow tile beautifully!
Alos, thanks for the pic of John…on the John! I am definitely understanding the awkwardness of the previous mirror/hooks placement now!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, happy to clarify.
xo,
s
carolinaheartstrings says
Looks so wonderful and inviting. Your folks are going to love it.
Katie K. says
It’s totally not “meh” — I LOVE it! Super cute, and the yellow looks fabulous with the deep blue of the guest room. I wouldn’t paint the bathroom at all (unless it really reads differently in person).
PS – Thanks so much for sharing your home and family…I am newly addicted to your blog. (We hope to buy a new house soon, and you’re making my fingers itchy! I wanna new house to make pretty!!)
Julia Fain says
Makes me think of this bathroom:
http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Bathrooms/Mid-Century-Yellow-and-Gray-Bathroom/detail.esi?oid=506688
Think they did an amazing job with the yellow and grey.
YoungHouseLove says
Cool! Thanks for sharing the link!
xo,
s
Andy says
I agree with the idea of using a paler version of the bedroom paint in the bathroom. Although I would just add some leftover bedroom paint to a can of leftover white until I had a tint I liked.
Have fun during the visit! Don’t forget you can use all the chairs you currently own around the dining room table for a whole family meal.
Nikki T says
Go with Mocha!!!
Amber V. says
Inquiring minds want to know… what did your mom think of the guest room??
YoungHouseLove says
They say they slept like babies and seem to love it so far. I must admit they haven’t torn their eyes away from Clara for more than a few moments though, so they totally would have slept on an air mattress in a closet, haha.
xo,
s
NB says
I totally agree with the commenters that have said to match the wall color to the tile, it will make this small space seem bigger! I also love your idea about a patterned roman shade, I have seen some really cute ones at World Market that might bring in some of the brighter colors from the room, although you would definitely have to go with a different shower curtain then! I love your approach to use what you have and stick with the vintage tile! I can’t believe you pulled together a guest room and bathroom so quick!
Celise says
I’d fold my TP too for guests. It’s those special little touches that just make a guest’s day (at least that’s what I think).
Diane says
Clean is the most important thing in any bathroom, so you can’t go wrong!
I think grey looks pretty snazzy with yellow… your yellow tiles look as if they have flecks of grey color in them? Or maybe it’s just my monitor!
YoungHouseLove says
You’re right, they do!
xo,
s
Erin says
Where are the towels from? They remind me of the plush towels to get at a hotel and I love them!
YoungHouseLove says
We got them at Target a while back. Love them!
xo,
s
Megan says
Everything is looking so great you guys! I am a reader and am always looking to your projects for inspiration. My husband and I are about to purchase our first home. I was wondering, have you ever thought about printing your blog (specifically your DIY projects) into a book? I know a lot of people tend to bind their blogs at the end of a year for memories. You guys could do it! Just a thought :)
YoungHouseLove says
Great idea! We’ve thought about it a little, but being cheap-os we figure it’s free to read online and it costs money to print books, so we’re happy to hold off for now.
xo,
s
Donald says
I think that bathroom is screaming for some wallpaper, in browns and teals and golds, maybe super oversized floral.
heather j. says
Oh man…I’m not a big LOL person…but I literally shrieked with laughter when I saw the pic of the mirror & John. Why would anyone put a mirror THERE?
Hilarious…
Christie Stearns says
Aww too bad I cant’ crochet you guys something, I found perfect motifs to match the shower curtain!! If Sherry ever wants to learn how to make them give me a shout :) It’s fun. But it gave me a great idea to do some things like that in my own home so thank you!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thank YOU! It was so sweet to offer. Have fun with yours!
xo,
s
Christie Stearns says
PS, I like the white walls too, I think keeping white walls and doing more wall art in brown & teal with a little yellow would look crisp and beautiful. But you guys are the experts… I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
kristie says
Please whatever you do, never get rid of that floor tile! It is ADORABLE.
Liz U says
LOVE the shower curtain…. I have the same one in MY guest bathroom!! I gave myself a little pat on the back for having the same shower curtain as y’all… maybe I DO have some good taste! We ended up matching paint to the blue in the curtain (our bathroom has a LOT of white tile going up 2/3 of the walls, so it didn’t overwhelm the small space) and it is one of my favorite rooms in our house (maybe a little gross, but true). :-)
Kristina says
No mocha. Any combination of brown + yellow in the bathroom is a less-than-ideal choice. Gray all the way!
erika m says
This is a bit off topic…but I love how you already worked so many items that you already had into the room which brings me to my next question….I have a duvet cover (from Garnet Hill) that is so awesome and soft but just doesn’t work in our new place. I am contemplating dying it and painstakingly putting a stencil on it with fabric paint..do you think the paint would hold up to washings? Just curious as to your or your readers experience with fabric paint…I’ve used it sparingly before. Thx in advance….love love the teal color with the yellow.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I’m not sure. Maybe head over to the craft store and read the fabric paint label to see if it’s ok to be washed multiple times? Anyone else have advice or info for Erika?
xo,
s
gerie says
Love the look so far, great job!
My question is, where did you find the towel hooks for the bathroom door? Is that a hollow door? thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Those hooks were already there (on the other side of the door, so we just removed them and reattached them to the right side once we took the mirror down). But we’ve seen similar ones at Home Depot or Lowe’s. As for the door, yup it’s hollow. And funny enough the hooks hold up just fine without anchors (they were also hung without anchors on the other side when we removed them).
xo,
s
Brianne says
Hi! Wonderful job! Where did you get your plush white towels. We just painted our guest bath and are in need of new towels as we have guests coming on Tuesday. I apologize if this info was given else where. Thank you for your inspiration. Cheers!
YoungHouseLove says
We got those from Target a while back, but they’re so basic I bet they still have them.
xo,
s
StaCy says
In my humble opinion (of which you did not ask for :) I would strongly vote for grey in the bath… My dad has similar tile in the house I grew up in and he painted the walls a mocha color to try and update the look. I just ended up looking… bad is the best word I can come up with. But I am sure whatever you end up with will look ravishing! Good luck to you!
Erin says
Hi! I was wondering where you got those fluffy white towels from?
YoungHouseLove says
Target a while back. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lauren L says
LOVE it!!! Soft gray for walls is my vote!!
Jolie says
I actually like the tile. I have the exact same color tile in my bathroom. (50 yr old brick ranch)
I wallpapered it because it was really hard finding a paint color that went well with that tile color. I tried blue, brown, all sorts of colors I had sample painted all over the walls. The wallpaper ended up winning out. :)
I love your shower curtain!