uncomplified

The following is a guest post from my dear friend Ellen who blogs at Sweetwater.  She’s of the many people I met online first, then an in person friendship grew. Plus–she’s the person who introduced me to Pinterest years ago! Ellen’s home inspires me, she is younger than me but wiser than me and she has style to die for. I hope you enjoy this post about her four year postponed bathroom makeover, I first read about her bathroom at her blog and it spoke deeply to me about how we view our homes, I could so relate–so I asked her to guest post and she said yes!

***

Four years ago our family moved into a sweet little parsonage. We had lived in four homes before this one. I decided we would really live here. I wanted it to feel like a home and not just a place for stopping over.

Except for the downstairs bathroom.

We lived with our bathroom like this-peeling wallpaper, dark walls, the whole shebang-for four years.

bathbefore

I was letting some complifications get in the way of loving this very small room. I felt tired. It felt like it would be more work than I had the energy to do. I was confused about which way to go. I read go dark! I read go light! We didn’t have a large budget. I worried that I couldn’t get what I wanted without the right amount of money.

Until I just got tired of being tired.

bathinprocess

So. We stripped the wallpaper down. It was work but what I saw with bare walls made me hopeful. I picked white paint because I knew that I just really love natural light and I wanted the room to feel bigger and brighter. I searched our house for little things that didn’t have a home. I stole from other rooms.

And we ended up with this. We didn’t have to pay for the paint since we live in a parsonage but even if we included the cost of the paint we spent very little. I have a hunter gatherer type husband so there is a plethora of antler paraphernalia around here. I used some thrift store prints and needlepoints, some old cards, an old paint by number and (my favorite!) a triptych type project that my girl worked on in art.

bathroomafter2

bathroommirrorwall

bathroomlittletable2

I bought two letterpress prints from Linsday Letters and a shower curtain and doily looking bathmat from World Market. The little table was a happy find at one of my favorite thrift stores. It. Is. Metal. And also cute.

It’s not totally done. I still want to paint the cabinet part of the vanity. And there is no fabric situation on the window so I’ll need to address that.

But.

I love this room.

I walk by it on purpose.

I smile.

I feel silly for stalling for four years.

***

take hope

Ellen is writing her own 31 Day Series called Take Hope. It’s encouraging and reading it will make you want to be her best friend. Thanks so much for sharing your writing with us Ellen!