DIY Grommet Curtains

When we were laying tile I linked to my Bathroom Inspiration Pinterest page.  I ended up selecting the Strada panels from ZGallerie (which, sadly, are no longer in stock!).  They were rod pocket panels, meaning the curtain rod slides through the entire top of the panel not showing any of the pretty bamboo, which isn't my favorite look.

As I mentioned, we ended up reusing our old bamboo rods, spraypainted silver, so we needed something that would easily slide over the uneven parts of the bamboo.  Enter: grommets.  Here are the supplies I used.

You can buy packages of grommets from any fabric or craft store.  I picked these up a Jo-Ann's, which I've used before and felt comfortable using again because they are so easy!  Included in the package is a little plastic guide that you use to trace an outline that you'll then cut around (I recommend small scissors for this part!).  

Let me just show you the steps, it is pretty self explanatory!

Once your circles are space out, drawn & cut, you just pop the back side of a grommet on the back side of the curtain, the front on the front & press them together - instant grommet!

 

Since these are essentially "dummy" panels - i.e. just there to make the bathroom look pretty - I only bought one panel and cut it in half.  A full panel on each side definitely would have been too much, but looking back I wish I had bought two and just trimmed off a few inches from each.  They are a bit narrow, but overall I am happy with the outcome!

You might notice we also installed a new vanity light fixture as well - it's peeking out from the upper right corer of this picture.  Good riddance, apartment standard, globe bulb, Hollywood makeup style lights!

Hello pretty, modern, cylinder lights!

There's only a couple of things left to do - new vanity & mirror (coming up next!) and ceiling light fixture (which we still haven't done).  

It's hard to believe that we started with this!

Bathroom Project, Part 6 - Small Updates

Even though we essentially did a full bathroom makeover with lots of big changes (like DIY Demolition, installing gorgeous marble floors, and painting wide stripes on the wall) it was the subtle small things that really completed the look.  We wanted to reuse as many things as possible in order to save money, and it really added up to a lot of savings!

First, we sanded and painted the baseboards and bamboo shower curtain rods.  We easily could have bought new for all of these things (the baseboards were pretty banged up & a plain silver rod would have been nice), but decided to fix them & make it work.  Plus, it meant that we didn't have to measure & mitre new baseboards which likely saved us  hours of work.

As always! Our project manager, Derby, was on top of things.

Once we hammered in the freshly painted baseboards, I ran a line of caulk around the top.  See what a difference it makes vs. no caulk?  Such an easy step that could be easily overlooked.

I am SO GLAD that we decided to prime & paint the bamboo rods.  They are unique and so much nicer than some of the cheap metal shower curtain rods out there.   

My next post will show the new rods in action...

We are seriously lacking in storage in our condo & have to have something for toiletries.  We've had this white, glass fronted cabinet for a few years & I didn't want to buy a new one.  I also didn't want to see all of the clutter inside, so I decided to cover a piece of foam core with decorative paper & install it inside the window.

SO much better!

And finally, le toilette.  I wanted to buy a new one & Mr. Q was adamant that we didn't.  We actually argued about the toilet (& we really do not argue that often)!  I Hate our low profile, low-flow toilets.  And the 90's wave on the lid was not helping things.  Realizing the tulip shaped commode that I wanted cost more than the marble tile, I decided to try out a new lid to see how I felt.  Well, it changed my mind!  

I couldn't find a before picture for this bathroom, but lucky us! The master bath has the same lid (which we promptly went out and bought another!).

Have you done small changes lately?

DIY Chandelier?

Our bathroom renovation is almost complete (I will share more pictures this week!)!  One thing that needs SERIOUS updating is the horrendous track lighting that takes outdoor flood lights.  

(don't worry - those dated globe bulbs are gone-zo!)

The door swings directly under the junction box to the fixture which means we only have around 7 1/2" of clearance for a ceiling fixture.  I really don't care for track lighting and would like something a little different.  Something crystal.

I would love something like this, but that something would be longer & narrow and NOT $1,500.

I have a ton of crystal chandelier strands leftover from our dining room fixture and think this is something that I could manage to DIY.  The biggest challenge will be finding/making a frame to hang the crystals from & I am not really sure where to start with that...

Research begins...NOW!

Bathroom Project, Parts 5 - Striped Walls

I've had this inspiration image in my mind for some time & kept picturing it with gray and white striped walls.  Gorgeous, no?

I still didn't have any idea how I was going to achieve the look, as this sink runs upwards of $1,600 and others similar are out of our budget as well.

First, Mini Quiche J and I had to sand and prime the walls.  When I painted the brown I used a cheap roller that shed all over the walls & was bad enough that you could actually see it every time you went in there.  

Lesson learned!  Spring for the roller that is $3 more & always use a fresh roller for each coat of paint.  It may seem a bit excessive, but it is worth it to not have to worry about roller lint on your freshly painted walls!

We ended up doing 2 coats of primer then painted the walls with the white color of the stripe, Benjamin Moore Snowfall White.  Then finally, I got to work striping the walls.  My mom & I (yes, I had to call her to figure this out) determined that 13" stripes fit perfectly from the ceiling to the top of the baseboards, and I started marking off & drawing lines with a long level.

I think it's important to note that I determined my lines by one mark on one wall, then running the level across the walls and drawing the line rather than marking 13" on each wall and snapping a chalk line.  It turned out that our ceilings are not exactly level, so the lines would have slanted.  Using the level ensures that the lines are straight across around the perimeter of the room.  Once that is done, it's time to tape off the stripes.

Another tip for painting stripes on the wall!  Once the tape is up, starting the painting process using a brush with a little bit of paint on the ends.  With the brush on top of the tape, brush over and away from the tape line.  What you are essentially doing is creating a seal where the edge of the tape meets the wall so that when you go back through with the roller, you don't have to worry about paint seeping under the tape.

Let the paint dry a bit before rolling.  You should be left with crisp, clean lines!

As I mentioned yesterday, the stripes are a bit more Rugby/Preppy than I originally wanted.  I thought about retaping and going over the gray with a lighter shade, but that seems like way too much work.  Once we measured the proper sink depth again, we realized that a smaller sink would fit much better in the space, especially once the door is rehung.  There really isn't much clearance, so we may embrace the more modern design and go with the smaller IKEA sink.

Don't worry, we (I) have also determined that a new mirror & lighting is a must...  

So, what do you think?

Quick Update, No Pictures

The bathroom project is coming along very, very well!  I am excited to share pictures with everyone, but I cannot find my camera!  Dang.  The floors are beautiful & the walls are striped.  I want to get some opinions on the stripes, as I feel they are leaning more towards Rugby Stripes and not as soft/feminine as I wanted.  

Will search for the camera after I am done meeting with clients today & have pictures for you tomorrow!

Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend!

~Kristin

ETA:
Okay, I can't have a post without any pictures, so I will leave you with this pathetic "pet me!" picture of Derby.  I mean, who doesn't love pictures of dogs?  Crazy people, that is who!

Yes, our black and white dog sheds her white fur all over our dark floors/furniture & her black fur all over our white/light stuff...sigh.