The Big Sur House

mini bathroom refresh

May 8, 2020

While we are thrilled that The Big Sur House has two full bathrooms (helpful when family and friends visit), one of them I have fondly dubbed “the cave”. There are no windows and the back wall is actually cement built into the slope of the back yard. Yep, it’s dark, cool, and just a little bit scary.

When we first bought the house, we knew redoing the bathroom wasn’t in the budget and not a priority. It consisted of a tub/shower combo with (thankfully) white square tiles.

The Big Sur House
Thank goodness the tile is neutral!

A saltillo tile floor, a small pedestal sink (definitely not functional), a toilet, two nightstands and a tall bookcase/cabinet for storage rounded out the rest of what we had to work with.

On a positive note, I ended up using the nightstands in the guest bedroom. And how convenient to be able to reach everything right from the toilet! I’m kidding of course…we donated the bookcase to a friend.

We replaced the pedestal sink with a vanity from Ikea which has four lovely large drawers for storage. We went with the single Odensvik Ikea sink to allow for plenty of counter space. The black faucet I purchased on Amazon. We changed out the door hardware to inexpensive black pieces from Home Depot. The mirror is from Wayfair and is sadly no longer available. The light fixture was an Etsy find that even my electrician was very impressed with it’s quality!

The Big Sur House
A piece of art from the Phoenix shop at Nepenthe and a vintage bench from Porch were fun finds.

I’ve been wanting to do something to spruce up this bathroom for a while. Something that wouldn’t require construction or a lot of money! Being quarantined here seemed like the perfect timing to make a change. And with soaring temperatures this week, this cave-like bathroom is the coolest place to be!

I love the power of paint to transform a space. Anyone who knows me, also knows I’m a lover of white paint on everything! But even white paint can’t brighten a cave. I already had spruce green towels and loved the warmth they brought to the space, so I thought why not paint the vanity wall a deep dark green to play off the white walls and the wood mirror and ceiling. While I knew I would like it, I had no idea how much I would LOVE it! Who knew painting one little wall could be so transformative?

The Big Sur House
CB2 has cool matte black bathroom accessories. An amber bottle from Target’s Hearth & Hand line (wish I could find it again!) is the perfect vase for some white viburnum.
The Big Sur House
I love the combination of white, black, and the green of Benjamin Moore “Backwoods” paint color
The Big Sur House
Art doesn’t have to be expensive to be meaningful and attractive. I spotted these vintage looking postcards at Nepenthe, bought an inexpensive frame on Amazon, and instant art!

Don’t be afraid to go for it! It’s only paint and you just may love the change. Now what else can I paint green…

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  • Reba May 10, 2020 at 10:44 pm

    I love the transformation! The pop of dark green made such a huge difference.
    Great use of the old postcards!
    I always enjoy your pictures.
    Hope you’ve had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

  • Elizabeth May 11, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    Hi Reba
    Thank you! Yes, I’m loving the green. A small change with big impact. I hope you had a lovely Mother’s Day!
    Best,
    Elizabeth