When we last updated you on our hall bathroom project, we had removed the old wallpaper and were left with tired, yellowed walls and a few other issues to tackle:
The walls clearly needed fresh paint, and the mirror was far too small. John couldn’t see his whole face in it—anything from the nose up was cut off—so while it still worked for quick checks, it wasn’t practical for getting ready. The light fixture also hung down about eight inches from its wall mount, which made it difficult to fit a larger mirror into that space without bumping into the fixture.
Our temporary fix was simple: we rotated the light fixture 180 degrees to flip it up and out of the way. It’s not permanent, but it cleared enough room to hang a much larger mirror we found at HomeGoods. We like the mirror’s shape and the slightly distressed silver frame; we may or may not paint it later, but for now it’s a huge improvement to be able to see full faces. Look how much more of John shows up standing in the same spot:
We also removed a bulky wooden toilet paper dispenser and plan to replace it with a simple oil-rubbed bronze holder to better suit the updated look.
Next up was tackling the blue trim that ran along the bottom of the room and around the door frame. We taped off the slate flooring to protect it before repainting the trim.
The trimming process took several coats—two of primer and then two coats of paint—to fully cover the blue. The photo below shows progress after primer coats were applied.
We also decided the vanity deserved a refresh. The wood was reddish, worn, and it held an odor we couldn’t eliminate with cleaning alone. An odor-blocking primer followed by paint seemed like the best fix. It was also a chance to add color to the room by painting the vanity a bright, cheerful hue while keeping the walls crisp and white.
We applied primer to the vanity (including two coats inside the cabinet to seal in any lingering smell) and then moved on to paint. For the walls and ceiling we chose Benjamin Moore’s Simply White (OC-117): semi-gloss for trim and shelving, and eggshell for the walls so the trim could read glossier by contrast. I cut in around edges and John rolled the larger areas.
After two coats and a day to dry, the room felt noticeably cleaner and brighter. Using white walls gives us a classic neutral backdrop and lets us bring in color through the vanity, artwork, and accessories instead of painting the walls loud hues.
Here’s the updated view after painting—still simple, but much fresher.
We’re happy with how the white walls and the idea of a colorful vanity play together. Longer-term changes may include swapping the light fixture and sink, adding a tiled accent wall, or trying grasscloth wallpaper for texture. For now this is Phase 1: a set of budget-friendly updates to make the space more livable until we can save for a deeper renovation.
It’s already a big improvement from where we started a few weeks ago.
We’ve also begun stripping wallpaper in the foyer and repainting the trim there, but that project is slow—there was a second layer of wallpaper hiding underneath and the trim requires multiple coats—so we’ll report back when we make more progress. In the meantime, we’re enjoying the brighter, cleaner hall bathroom and the small wins that make daily life better.
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P.S. I grabbed this quick Instagram shot on an evening walk that shows the green undertone in our teal door—sometimes a phone camera captures color more accurately than a fancy DSLR. #nofilter #instagrambeatsDSLR
