My Dad’s Bathroom Makeover

As most of you probably know, I have been on a mission to help redesign my childhood home for my Dad. After losing my mom three years ago to early onset Alzheimer’s, our childhood home was left exactly the way that she decorated it. Now that my dad is remarried and has a new family, having a new and fresh space is very important for my dad and his new journey. And now, I’m so excited to help him with this bathroom makeover!

Next room on the list is this bathroom. This little room is adjacent to my childhood bedroom. They are the two smallest and crooked rooms of the house. Crooked is an understatement. This room slant about 4 inches from one corner to the opposite. This bathroom was originally a bedroom in this 1850 colonial!

Here’s my mood board for this space!

During my childhood, my sister and I remember watching our parents restore this beautiful home, including turning this tiny room into a bathroom. But since it’s so crooked, my dad had to build platforms for the sink, toilet, and bathtub to make it level. I remember many late nights of my dad working on this bathroom right next to my room – listening to music, cutting trim, and trips back-and-forth to Lowe’s!

Fast-forward 20 years later, and now my dad and I have been working on renovating this bathroom again, but together, and also sponsored by Lowe’s. What a dream!

Bead Board & Measurements

I really wanted to keep the charm and stay true to the historic design. I decided to cover all of the walls in bead board. This was our first task, along with wiring some additional lighting. Unfortunately for us, this task was way more involved than we thought it would be. Since there wasn’t a level line in sight, we had to draw a pencil line (vertical and horizontal) level on the wall, and base our measurements off of that while also also cutting out un-level windows in each un-level panel of bead board. With lots of brain, power, geometry, and the help of this little cut off tool, we were able to knock it out!

Paint

We caulked all the seams and filled holes, and my sister helped me use a tiny piece of trim to cover up all of the gaps between the ceiling and baseboard trim! I then painted all of the walls and trim in Ancient Marble by Sherwin-Williams.

Furniture & Fixtures

I found this pine hutch for $75 on Facebook marketplace! It was the perfect size to fit in this corner where there was an antique (pie safe.??. It created so much more storage and warmth to the room!

My sister helped me to remove the old toilet and replace it with this beauty. This is my favorite toilet and I’ve even installed it in our home. When my mom originally decorated this room, there was a wooden toilet seat. However, after years it started to become damaged so it was replaced with a plain white seat. I decided to bring back the wood toilet seat in honor of her. She would definitely appreciate it. 🥰

I picked this beautiful vanity from Lowe’s. They only had a pedestal sink here before, so adding storage was a must! I did decide to paint the vanity because I felt like a creamy white would suit the space better. I used my favorite primer and the Valspar cabinet enamel and Creamy White by Sherwin-Williams. Also, I swapped out the hardware and installed these beautiful sconces that I’m actually so obsessed with.

My dad installed this cast-iron tub when converting this room into a bathroom 20 years ago. The original outside color was black, and he painted it white. I originally planned to rest resort to its original color for contrast, but then decided to change that plan to a deep olive to complement the paint color of the walls. We also swapped out the faucet fixture on the tub to keep it’s charm! This paint color is Garden Gate by Sherwin-Williams.

I decided to hang some pretty tie top curtains for a little added drama, and then found a home on the wall for this vintage tennis man painting that I found at our local thrift store years ago. I’ve been saving it for its perfect home and I’m so excited that this is it!

And here’s how it looks! Truly, so happy with this transformation. It feels so charming, inviting, and fresh. My dad and Gigi love this bathroom and it also offers so much more function for them now.

A few months back, my sister and I helped my dad and Gigi redo their dining room and it turned out so so beautiful. You can see that makeover here in this blog post! These designs are amazing because they keep the colonial-charm of the home while giving it a fresh, modern feel. I’m so excited to help my dad with more rooms here!

Here’s everything I used for my dad’s bathroom makeover!