For the rest of the story and 'before' photos of this transformed tiny farmhouse bathroom please see my last two posts, part 1
HERE and Part 2
HERE , or scroll down and click on 'older posts'. Warning-this post is picture heavy. One photo for every square foot of space...that's 42 pics.
Sit back, scroll and enjoy as I take you on a tour.
The house itself is 560' sq feet, and the homes only bathroom is 42' sq feet. Working in such a tiny space presented several challenges. To get an idea of just how small my bathroom is - stretch out your arms and imagine that it's much narrower than the space between your hands. Yes, every INCH really does matter in a situation such as this. I originally considered making it larger but decided to work within the homes original framework to keep it small, cozy and simple.
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| A 1918 medicine cabinet hangs on the wall above the toilet. |
Demolition revealed original wood planks on two walls and the ceiling. New pine planks were added where necessary. I used a high end white glossy paint from Lowe's 'Reserve' line to brighten the space and invite light to reflect off the walls. This tricks the
eye and makes tiny spaces appear larger. The old shower/tub combo and tile was
removed and a 4-1/2' 1924 claw foot tub and new plumbing took its place.
This tub came out like new, what a transformation in and of itself. I am so pleased with it.
I used
the Annie Sloan chalk paint color called 'French Linen' as my
inspiration for the color of the tubs exterior. While you can paint the outside of a claw foot tub with Annie Sloan chalk paint, a different type of paint was used when the tub was professionally refinished. I wanted to keep this room in a neutral palate, as I can
easily add in pops of color down the road that will work well with both the gray
tub and the white walls.
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| A galvanized milking stool works as a towel stand and a vintage doily hides bubble baths, lotions and potions |
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| A new higher toilet was installed and I'm not loving it. I prefer the shorter ones |
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| The Loo Watchdog |
Using a tub to bathe is so 'on purpose'. You can't just jump in and out as quickly as you can with a conventional shower. Unless... you have a faucet such as the one below. It is really easy and comfortable to shower in a sitting position. For me, having a relaxing and super comfortable bath to soak in is part of my simple, sunny life plan. I don't want to rush as much as I did in years past. I make my tub time a relaxing ritual, that includes good music, candles, homemade skin treatments, and sometimes a glass of Organic red wine, or hot herbal tea. For extra pampering I throw in a handful of fresh flower petals from my garden, and keep a good book or magazine nearby. Then, when my ritual is nearing its end, I can easily rinse off and get ready for life's adventures.
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| This faucet makes hair washing easy and tub cleaning fast and simple |
There is a small nook about 31" wide and 12" deep on the left side, that
allows this 4 1/2' tub to fit. How perfect it worked out. I have a few
inches to spare back there, and use that space to store my toilet brush and some bathroom
items. Again, when you only have 42 sq ft' to work with, every single inch is
important and useful.
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| A vintage nightgown with lacework hangs behind the tub |
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| Proper placement of mirrors helps to reflect light in tiny spaces |
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| Using hooks allows me to switch up my decor on a whim |
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| I painted the ceiling trim grey and did a white dry brush treatment on top |
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| A wreath of roses adds a romantic touch over the tub |
I use small shelves and also hooks throughout my home. They allow me
to change things up by adding, removing or hanging different items in just a few minutes. That way, I avoid hunting for a hammer and nails. Most importantly, I avoid lots of holes in the plank walls from pounding nails in them. That's.important for a
person like me who gets bored and likes to change and switch things up ...as the mood strikes. If I want a picture or new painting on my wall, I just set it on the shelf instead of adding nails and screws all over the room.
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| A small wall shelf, where sweet things rest |
Below, you will notice the vintage (once gold) frame I shared in a prior post. I gave a whopping $3.00 for it at a thrift shop. It now has a new life after several layers of chalk paint, crackle glaze. and dark wax. It's new job is to surround a piece of rusty iron (love birds) art work that I picked up at a flea market.
I purchased this old chippy coat hanger because it had such character. I especially like that it has really deep hooks that allow me to hang towels or some of my vintage items on it. I can change things out really fast and so at $9.00 it was a must have. I like the options that hooks and shelves provide both for practical (what's that?) items or fancy impracticable but pretty (must have) finds.
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| I have a thing for old wooden hangers that can do double duty. I use them to hold jewelry, towels and pretties in my bathroom |
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| "T" for TRUMP !!! embroidered towel. |
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| Vintage lace, wood and pearls |
I choose wood plank flooring for the bathroom. Actually, I first did a special order for the tongue and groove type at a big box store, all against Mountain Man's (my carpenter, friend) recommendations. He installed them anyway and it turned out that I was a few planks short. I didn't have time to wait for a special order for just a few more planks and remembered that Mountain Man told me from the very beginning to buy the cheaper NON tongue and groove planks. He was right, I was wrong, I admit that here to the world, or the few who read this. The cheaper ones actually had straighter edges and Mountain Man fit those babies together like a puzzle on my floor. They were way better than the tongue and groove flooring. Keep in mind he is the guy who on purpose cut some wood into like three thousand pieces, stained them different shades and then inlaid them in an amazing artistic pattern on his OWN floor. So, I should of went with his suggestion to purchase the less expensive boards for my flooring. Lesson learned.
I used. two coats of Min wax stain on the floor boards for the base coat and then I used a white paint dry brushing technique on top of them, before I sanded and sealed them with a Min wax product topcoat. Before the stain products, I think I was right around $93.00 for flooring.
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| If you have a boxy room adding circular or oval shapes helps to soften the space |
In
a wee little loo such as this one you have to get creative in finding
ways to store your stuff. I definitely am on a journey to downsize but I
have not fully embraced that concept, quite yet. I am a bit of a prepper
and that can be a drawback to, or incompatible with small space living. At this time I only
have two dresser drawers under the sink, a deep medicine cabinet and the vintage pieces above, which sit on the floor and hold my necessities (and then some). I do have plans to increase my storage space in this tiny bathroom in the near future. More about that in a later post.
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| The galvanized box is an old milk man deliver box |
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| A tiny vintage suitcase holds my cosmetics |
Below is my beloved 1918 (see the last post for details and before photos) medicine chest. She went from being a brunette to being a blonde. I really wanted to keep her original patina, but the old white Annie Sloan chalk paint transformed her into a softer more feminine lady. She went from being brown to being a white girl. Calm down,- Nancy Pelosi and other liberals. White is beautiful too !!!!
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| From brunette to blonde with Annie Sloan Old White chalk paint |
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| Hearts appear in all the rooms of my home |
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| Great storage for Chinese medicine, herbal tinctures, and homeopathic remedies. |
I have always had a great fondness for vintage architectural pieces. I have several salvaged Victorian gingerbread pieces that I won't ever part with. From old doors, windows, corbels, columns and more....well - I adore them all. So naturally, I had to incorporate a few pieces into this bathrooms decor. Below, you can see the vintage window that I rescued from a dumpster. I used chippy old legs salvaged from a vintage baby's crib to flank the freebie dumpster window and then I dressed her in a .25 cent vintage doily and topped her with a rusty iron crown, that was purchased at a flea market.
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| A perfect little cubby for my toilet paper |
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| The vintage window that I scored from a dumpster |
At my request, Mountain Man made me a double decker toilet paper cubby. A second roll of toilet paper can be stored in this recessed nook. However, in my world cute over rules practical. Why waste a perfectly good space on toilet paper when it can be used for a crowned bird and a tiny nest? I plan to add a tiny mirror or maybe wallpaper it's upper section. Why do I adore tiny spaces so much? I do not like to see appliances, so I hung a ceiling tin to hide the wall heater just under the window. Easily removed when it is in use.
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| My toilet paper cubby |
This area below shows a tiny door build into the wall right next to my bathroom vanity / sink. Did you know that if you leave your toothbrush out in a holder sitting on your vanity you are essentially brushing your teeth with what ever bacteria floats in the room when you flush your toilet? Yeah, think about that one for awhile. It is VERY important to keep your toothbrush in good clean shape to do it's job of cleaning your teeth, instead of swooshing around toilet water ingredients and bacteria in your mouth.. So- get yourself a mountain man if need be to get your toothbrush in a good place to do a great job for your health and your smile. You don't have to have a room built just for your tooth brush, but you should never leave it exposed and open in the same room that you flush your toilet in. No charge for the tidbit. Here is my toothbrush cabinet with a sweet crystal knob for easy access.
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| My toothbrush has it's own room |
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| Inside my toothbrush cubby |
The wall light fixture (below) was purchased at a big box store. They didn't make a ceiling fixture to match. So, I made my own. I had a stash of IKEA electrical cords, where you can just add a bulb and a shade to quickly make a new light. I called the manufacturer of the wall light fixture and ordered a matching fluted glass shade to have an extra one on hand should I break one in the future. Won't tell you why I thought to do that. As it worked out they said that light fixture and it's shades were discontinued and they just happened to have one left in the warehouse (after I pestered them to death to please double check while I held on the line). Sure enough..very last one and a steal at $3.00 plus postage. I used that shade paired with electrical components from my stash, and Mountain Man installed it on a dimmer switch. I was so excited to create this (below) ceiling light for under $12.00.
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| These architectural pieces will eventually be used as brackets for an over the door shelf for bath towels |
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| Hand made ceiling light by yours truly |
And now... the other end of my 42 square foot tiny bathroom. If you remember this dresser/vanity was spray painted glossy black when I brought it home. It had a wormy chestnut topside which I really liked. I chalk painted the base grey and it was just to much grey for such a small space. Next, I painted the drawer fronts with Annie Sloan's 'Old White' and added new scroll work on the legs. I kept the same drawer pulls that it came with. Please note, - the pulls were removed at the time of these photos. I am considering doing some graphics on the front of it or adding french script across the front of the drawers. Not quite sure? Maybe I will just leave it be once the hardware is in place. I just realized that I do not have full frontal pictures of this vanity to share now.
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| A very heavy, and beveled edged mirror with a beautiful wood frame was a free find left behind in an old barn |
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| Fancy flower shaped soaps are for everyday use. Life is short - use the fancy stuff |
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| Chippy painted tin tiles work great as a back splash |
Below, (and also above) is a lamp base from the 40's. Once I laid eyes on this cast iron, heavy duty, chippy, gem - I claimed it as "mine". I like to re-purpose items for use in unconventional ways. This lamp base was naked (no lamp shade) or wiring and it's owner would NOT come down on the price, not even $1.00. I knew that this bad boy was still coming home with me, even after seeing the 'no bartering' note on it's price tag. Hey, I tried anyway. It would stand duty, as a towel holder in my bathroom. It set me back $45.00 but I was in love at first sight, well maybe it was lust.
I hunted for a tall scalloped shaped vintage lamp shade to top it off and finally found the perfect one for $3.00. Perfect. match. I promptly stripped the shade down to its metal bones. Just what any normal vintage, rustic, industrial, farmhouse, french style loving girl would do. right? Now the shade or what was left of it and the bad boy lamp base do duty as a vintage hand towel and jewelry holder. Perfectly shabby chic. Just how I like it.
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| Lamp base re-purposed as a towel holder |
I found this vintage reproduction enamel cup and holder (below) years ago. You may recognize it, as I have one just like it in my tiny (8'x18)' house Before I moved to NC I knew that I wanted to use one in my farmhouse bathroom and I searched online high and low to find another one. It seem to blend right into the wall when I hung it so I layered it onto a french chalk painted frame. It is filled with a hen shaped soap bar with tiny little egg shaped guest soaps. As you can see, I just add pieces of decor that I enjoy. NO RULES.
Whew.. I need to run some hot water, fill my tub and take a long bubble bath after this huge picture heavy post. I included FORTY TWO photos. One photo in honor of each square foot of my tiny bathroom. Yes, it is small, really small- as well as the rest of this farmhouse cottage. I intentionally created this type of lifestyle. ON purpose and with great thankfulness. I am blessed to have been able to create a mortgage free, sunny simple life style. I worked for it, it was not handed to me. I had to sacrifice many things to create this lifestyle. It was not an easy path but oh so worth it.to get to this place in life. I do not regret downsizing my last home and the lifestyle I had back then. The large mortgage, massive property taxes and huge utility bills over shadowed the few positives. And the rain, well that was definitely torture for me. And now I can look back and be thankful for the rain as it motivated me to change my life sooner than not.
I am such a low tech girl, it's been exhausting to sit at my computer and get these pictures posted. Much rather be doing hands on demo work and remodeling or a hundred other things than to sit in front of a computer this long. I realize all over again, how thankful I am that I don't have any use for a cell phone, never sent a text and don't pay to much attention to emails either. However, this blog remains a way for me to keep in touch with long distance friends and family and also stay in touch with those of you who take the time to visit here.
Life...for me is better lived in a small house. It is like being wrapped in a hug. Easier to buy, build or pay off, instead of being owned by your homes costs. I encourage those of you who have considered changing your lifestyle to go for it. Yes, it is a journey to downsize but a much easier road to travel IMO.
While I have less room it allows me to have much more freedom in so many other ways.
Life is so short, use the good dishes, use the fancy soaps, and remember that no matter your age, it is never to late to have a happy childhood. No matter your age find a way to play.
BLESSINGS,
Tonita
I shared this post with The Charm of Home blog. A wonderful blog where you can be inspired.
