One Room Challenge Reveal Day!

This is it! One Room Challenge Reveal Day. 

First, a huge thank you to Linda of Calling It Home who dreamed up this semi-annual kick-in-the-pants to make our world more beautiful, one room at a time, and then for opening it up to anyone who wants to blog along in fall of 2013. 

I have met so many great design lovers who I now call friends through these challenges; I have been inspired beyond words; and I have had the chance to hone my decorating skills and learn new things. The bonus is that I have a few more "finished" spaces in my home now, too! 

For this go-round, my project was our family of four's main bathroom.

And the project nearly died last week. There was no week five update because I knew I couldn't get the drywall fixed or the floors done in time. 

Just painting this vanity in a glossy black did a lot to transform the space, although you can see the blingy original floor and absence of baseboards. 

Switching out the old roller shade with this new top-down-bottom-up shade has made a world of difference, too. It's great to have light streaming in all day without losing privacy. I also like how the honeycombs of the shade mimic the louvres of the cabinet doors.



The citron stripes were a last minute addition because I wanted some more color and interest. I pulled together some pretty soaps, a cup for cotton swabs, and perfume on a tray with some funky art. Voila! Bathroom styling.

I did the same for this shelf, using succulents in glass pots, a candle, and a trio of cosmetics in dark bottles. The oversized faux orchid on the counter is the icing on the cake for me in making this space feel slightly tropical and yet still glamorous. 

The thing that messes us up the most is the picture in our head of how it's supposed to be. 

That was nearly the case with my #backtobasics bathroom. In the end, the philosophy of "use what you have" saved the day. 

My humble tips for bathroom styling:

1. Add some art

I used black frames to pick up on the black vanity. The art over the towel bar was a wedding gift but also reminds me of the hotel where we got engaged, honeymooned, and celebrated our first anniversary. The photos above the etagere are of where we had our first kiss (although I shot them years before we even met). And the last minute addition across from the window is actually a page from a calendar that I matted and framed with this tip.

2. Nature

You can't have too many flowers or plants in my opinion. I mixed the faux orchid with the succulents and an aloe (on top of the etagere).

3. Don't limit color

I could have stuck to one or two colors but I thought it was more fun to have a mix.

4. Clean, clean, clean

To make it even easier to keep the space sparkling, I left the Mrs. Meyers spray on the counter. Not only is the bottle attractive but it also smells amazing!

5. Don't give up!

Do what you can, with what you have. Even if your house is a hole in the side of a mountain, a little styling can still make it feel beautiful!

Now, in the same way Ferris Bueller asks at the end of his eponymous movie, "What are you still doing here? It's over. Go on!" -- head over to Calling It Home to check out the other participants here and here.