{A Half Bath Makeover}

We just finished the half bath makeover I talked about in this post…just in time for our Thanksgiving guests and increased bathroom traffic.  

We started with this mood board…

…and this very basic builder basic bathroom (nice, but just not cutting it)…

I’m sorry that I don’t have more pictures of our half bath before.  It really wasn’t anything to photograph…it was pretty boring.

But, now…we have this!

The board and batten is painted in the Sherwin Williams Extra White that our builder used for the rest of the trim in the house.  It is a semi-gloss so it’s easily wipe-able and cleanable, which is awesome because before we painted we would get water spots on the flat paint they used for the room from hand washing (and I have to admit a few sprinkles of pee-pee from a 3 year old who isn’t tall enough to aim in the toilet every single time).

The top ledge of the board and batten is mdf in a 1x2 (laying on its side to make the ledge) with a 1x4 up against the wall (under the ledge).  Then we added cove molding under the 1x2, which makes it look more like molding, rather than just two pieces of wood nailed to the wall.
 
We used lattice for the vertical battens. We went with this option because the top of the base molding is kind of narrow and we didn’t want the battens to hang over.

Notice the non-overhanging goodness?  That makes me really happy.

The pictures really don’t do the paint color justice...it’s hard photographing a space with very little natural light (unfortunately, there are no windows in this little space). 

The paint is Beach Glass (Classic Colors #1564) by Benjamin Moore (their Ben paint line, which is their cheapest).  It’s a misty green/blue, and changes colors during the day.  Sometimes I look at it and it looks really green, while other times it looks really blue. 

I love it!

(This swatch probably looks a little differently depending on the computer monitor, so go check it out at a store that sells Ben Moore paint.)

I have to admit we are first time BM paint users and loved it!  It covered really well and was easy to use.  We are believers in BM paint now.


The art is a Pinterest inspiration.  I found and pinned this awesome photo of a New Jersey state map on a chalkboard. 

Source: houzz.com via acharmingnest.com on Pinterest

Which inspired this...

The art was easy-peasy…I used a white paint pen, chalkboard fabric, stained dowel rods, jute twine, and upholstery tacks.  While looking at a sea fan on my computer screen, I just drew it with the white paint pen onto the chalkboard fabric.  Then I stained the dowel rods, and stapled the fabric to the back of the rods.  Using upholstery tacks on the ends, I tied the jute twine to them to hang.  I hung it using the same upholstery tack pushed into the wall.

I still need to purchase this basket tower from Pier One…


And there you have it folks.  Our new and improved half bath!  I have to say I think it’s the best looking room in the house.

And I’m happy to report that our door casings (which we have dubbed the never ending project) are almost done!