Wednesday Workdays

DIY ... saved!

When last we left our intrepid DIY'ers they - ok, I - was in the middle of painting the bathroom a disgusting shade of brown.  Lovingly referred to as BSB, and definitely not at all what was desired.

After weeks of planning, this was not the plan.  To throw blame in every possible direction ... this is the first time since we moved into this house that Mitchell has not had a hand in the planning.  From the outset, he said "do whatever you want."  We  should have discussed it - thoroughly.

But time had come to woman-up, admit defeat and seek a second opinion. It was clear neither of us was advocating to keep this color.

So off to the paint store to look at new samples and to look for new rugs - gone are the purple, as pretty as they are!  And, then home again to prime over the brown paint.  The man at the paint store, suggested, "Ma'am, sometimes you just need to walk away for a while."

And, walk away I did.  Overnight. 

But the final product was worth the work.  A soft green with just a drop or two of blue in it.  Looks great with the honey color in the new shower walls and the white trim and towels just pop.

So, gone are the rugs, and the pretty fabric [we are re-using the valance we had], and the little frames that I painted to match.  Gone, too, the gray accessories.  But in their place is a warm, welcoming bath with a shiny new shower that we really enjoy.  It was worth all the time and effort.  

 

Absolutely. 

 Now, for the irony.  Here's the new color for the bath.  It's the darker one - Venetian Dew.  But you have not really seen the original color.  Well, that's easy ... it's the lighter one Fountain Mist.  All that work and I'm one whole shade darker than I started!

 

Picasso? I think not.

This is a tale of DIY run amok.

Once upon a time there was a nice couple - let's call them Mitchell and webb - who bought a house to spend the rest of their lives in.  Over the years they did a little of this or that to make it nicer, and this year - thanks to a larger than anticipated tax refund - they decided to replace their tub with shower unit with a walk-in shower.

They had a nice bath - double vanity, plenty of room - but it could be nicer. 

How can only two people have that much junk on the vanity.  Tub/shower reflected in the mirror.

Contractors were interviewed, proposals weighed, plans made and the project moved ahead.  They had a new favorite set of bathroom rugs, so webb decided to plan the color scheme around them  A nice soft gray for the walls with white white trim and touches of the magenta.  A bit more sophisticated than before.  New trashcans were bought, along with soap dishes, toothbrush holders, cups - you name it - all ready for the new look.  New lights were installed.  Life was good.

Wouldn't this have made a nice valance board?

Finally, the big day arrived.  A truck full of pieces parts arrived in the driveway.  The noise of destruction rang out.  The tub disappeared and new plumbing appeared in its place.  And then disaster struck.

When the new walls started going up, it was clear that the "off white" they had chosen was a warm, honey-tone - not a cool gray tone to match all the purchases.  A small melt down ensured.

Another trip for color samples.  Perhaps victory could still be ripped from the jaws of defeat!  A new wall color was chosen - a "graige" that had enough yellow in it to go well with the majenta (opposite sides of the color wheel - right?) and also match one of the colors in the walls.  Off to the store to pick it up and the project rolled on.  By the weekend, the shower was installed and ready to go.  Only a bit of paint was lacking.

Now the new lights above the vanity are reflected in the glass doors!

Ceiling white - check.  Trim white - check.  And then she started painting the walls.  OMG!  If one were charitable one could describe the color as "cappuccino", if one were not, one could - as Mitchell did - describe it as "baby s**t brown".  Actually, BSB it was.

 

To be continued ....