{Big Box Bath} The Plans + Inspiration

From the sound of things, you guys are almost as excited about our Big Box Bathroom remodel as we are! (Catch up with what I’m talking about here.) I’ve partnered with Lowes, and my Rockstar-Contractor for the actual labor (you may remember his work in our Kitchen and the Pool Bathroom)…he’ll be doing the heavy lifting and stuff requiring power tools…and stuff requiring plumbing, oh yeah, and the electrical. (I’m no dummy, I know my limitations!) And I’ll be doing the fun stuff, like painting and general bossing-around.

You saw the before pictures yesterday…now let’s break down how we’re going to give this bathroom a Big Box Makeover!

The Floor // You can’t really tell from the pictures, but the tile and grout look straight out of a gas-station bathroom. Even Britney Spears would wear shoes in here. (Bless her heart, that lapse in judgment is going to follow her forever.) I’ve scrubbed the grout with Mr. Clean Erasers and covered the floor with rugs…but as Mr. Sugarplum likes to say, ‘You can’t polish a turd.’ So we’re replacing the turd. Uh, floor.

The Lighting // The spray-painted lights, toilet handle and paper holder have held up like a champ, but it’s time to update them. We also need to add an over-head light source, and a fan to keep the room from fogging up like Kid Rock’s tour bus. (That was a pot-smoking reference, Mom. Although I have no firsthand knowledge.)

The Mirror // We trimmed out the builder-basic mirror, but it’s still just that…builder basic.

The Counter // Two words. Scallop Sink. It couldn’t scream “1986” any louder if it tried. It’s also yellowed over time and is pretty stained.

The Vanity // Thanks to some shoddy plumbing, the bottom of the vanity has all but given out. And with only two tiny drawers and a single cabinet, there’s not enough storage for two growing kids.

The Ceiling // We’re fortunate to have 9-foot-tall ceilings, but the white ceiling isn’t doing anything to show that off. I’ve been talking about painting this ‘5th wall’ for years, so it’s time I quit gabbing about it, and just did it!

The Walls // I’ve loved the stripes for four good years, and they were perfect for updating the space within the budget we had at the time. But I’m ready for something different. Instead of paint on the walls, I want to add some architectural interest…along with some color and pattern.

The Shower // The creamy 4×4 tiles around the shower need to be repaired in several places, so we’re going to just update it….and take the tile all the way to the ceiling. This will protect the walls better from steam and water splashing, and be a cleaner transition visually. It’s also the perfect time replace the leaky shower head and faucet with no ‘off’ setting.

So once I knew what needed to be updated and replaced, I hit up my Pinterest boards for inspiration.

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Then I called my clever and talented friend, Kristin of Hunted Interior, and we chatted tirelessly about tile and wallpaper and faucets and potties…and what we liked and didn’t like…about what works and doesn’t work…and most importantly, about all the stylish bathroom options available at Lowes.

And then my clever and talented friend combined all that vision into one amazing moodboard. I’ve never actually had a design roadmap for a makeover before, and WOW is it great! Hop over to Hunted Interior to see the design plans for this Big Box Bathroom makeover.

After seeing it all together, I could not be more excited and anxious for this project…so it’s a good thing the demo starts today! Follow along on InstaGram under #hspbigboxbath for live updates. I love following the real-life pace of projects on other blogs,
so I’m hoping you feel the same, and want to come along for this ride
with us. I’ll be back soon with Day 1 progress! Go check out the design plan and let me know what you think! Do you think we’ve bitten off more than we can chew?