Woman Vs. Bathroom Remodel: Round 1

I have been putting off this bathroom remodel for about 6 months. The main reason was that I knew it would take a long time...and I will admit that the sheer enormity of the task scared me. I was afraid I would be bathroom-less forever. I finally got up the nerve to this lovely 3-day weekend because, well...it was about damn time. Here is what the old bathroom looked like:

Left side - notice the ugly shell sink and the broken hot water knob

This is the right side - yes, that is an ugly green CARPET

So, along with the 80's feel of the bathroom, the horrible green carpet and equally disgusting green paint, it just looked dingy all the time. It needed a major facelift, and I was prepared. Or so I thought. 

Saturday morning I woke up full of energy and hope. I began demo work and it was not as therapeutic as I have been led to believe. This could be because I was trying to cause as little damage as necessary to the walls, or because it took almost all day. 

Behind the mirror were some bits and pieces of wallpaper from a long lost era and honestly, if it had been in better shape, I might have kept it. Trends always come back and I believe we are in another wallpaper craze right now. Alas, no wallpaper for me this time. 

Once I had removed everything from the bathroom (with a little help from boyfriend, who helped carry the obnoxiously heavy countertop downstairs), it was pretty much the end of the day and I was done. Done for the day. I wanted to paint, but just couldn't talk myself into it. 

Nevertheless, I got it done! 

So, first thing Sunday morning, I wake up and pick up the paintbrush, even before I make a pot of coffee. That's dedication, folks. It took about an hour and a half to paint everything (I also tackled the other side of the bathroom where the toilet and bathtub reside). The color I "chose" is called Antique Silver and I say "chose" because it was left over paint from my kitchen, and hey...why not? Anything is better than that green. 

I installed the vanity that I had bought 6 months ago, it came already assembled, so it was simply a matter of securing it to the wall with a few screws. Next came the countertop and faucet. I chose to install the faucet first because it was easier while the sink was not connected to the vanity. This was not that difficult, except that I could not find my instructions, so I had to wing it. Everything seems to work right and I did not end up with extra pieces. :)

Next, I had to move the junction box for the light fixture since I planned on putting in shelving to the right of the vanity and had to recenter the light over the new vanity. Not very difficult really, but it did require patch work on the wall. It was worth it though, because I love the new light! 

I cheated on the shelves and made a trip to IKEA instead of building my own. Hey, it was already Monday and I was tired. Still had the plumbing to work out and I needed a win. The shelves were easy to put together and look beautiful. Though there is still the little problem of flooring to be done and finishing touches here and there...it is coming along quite nicely.

What do you think? I think it is a great improvement already and cannot wait for it to be finished! Let me know what you think of the medicine cabinet. I kind of want to keep it and make it my shrine to OPI to display my crazy nail polish obsession, but not quite sure. I am open to suggestions, too, so just let me know!