ADDING cabinet KNOBS & A WINDOW-FROSTING video

We wish we had a giant bathroom update to share, but we’re at that phase of the project where some of the bigger things have been checked off (building a shelf, painting the walls) and a few little mid-point upgrades are on the agenda since we’ve been flying around a lot lately (10 flights in 11 days!!). but now that we’re back home, the next bathroom installment will be bigger (either framing out the mirror and making a shade from some amazingly bold fabric that I’m obsessed with) so hopefully this tides you guys over. and since I hate to mention “amazingly bold fabric that I’m obsessed with” without showing it to you… behold:

Remember it from back here? I snatched it up for $16 a yard at Mary Jos (it’s called Ubud by Iman Home/Waverly and it can sell for up to $27 in other places). I think it’s going to be the perfect punch-in-the-face-of-color that the mostly white (and slightly plummy-gray) bathroom needs. but since that has yet to jump off the counter and make itself into a window shade (boo inanimate fabric!) while we hit up seven cities in the past week, I’ll get back to the completed updates at hand. The first one is new knobs… because these country looking painted wood ones just weren’t doing it for us…

These new guys hail from hobby Lobby and were just $2.49 thanks to a 50% off knob sale. quick tip:never buy anything there that’s not 50% off there since the sales just seem to alternate by a week- so if the item you want isn’t on sale, wait a week and try again. 

I love that they’re irregular, sort of like green jade or even some sort of dyed bone. and the gem-like shape is faceted and pretty without being too long and pointy (the counter’s edge extends nearly the same distance as the knobs – and they’re about the same depth as the previous white painted wood ones – so there are no worries of knocking knees).

I love how they mimic the little pops of dark tone in the floor tile and carry them up to the vanity. and I totally want to get one more for the false drawer over the sink – they just didn’t have anymore the day I picked them up, so I’ll have to check again the next time we’re there.

We’ve been asked by more than a few folks if we’re thinking about painting the vanity a darker color (charcoal, black, etc) and we’re definitely thinking about it but not 100% sold yet, so we’re waiting for more of the room to come together (we’ll revisit the possibility after we add the shade, frame out the mirror, etc). Our reason for not immediately painting the vanity darker (which we think could look awesome with the dark tile that we’re working with) is because the room is smaller than it looks in photos, so we like how the white wall tile, vanity, and tub all feel balanced and light- and we worry that one dark object on one side of the room might feel side-heavy and cramped). but either way, we’ll just wait it out and see where we end up. You know we’ll keep you posted!

Oh and in keeping it real news, guess who popped up when I was shooting the pic above? #Clarabomb

The other upgrade we squeezed in there between all of our flights and marathon Clara and Burger smooching when we were reunited (yeah, we overdid it but we couldn’t help ourselves) was that we frosted the window. Buh-bye old paper-ish accordion shade (which we always had to keep closed to maintain privacy since this room can be viewed from the deck)…

… and hello modern frosted window that’s crisp and private (even with the lights on in the bathroom on a dark night you can’t see anything from the deck except for vague shadows – nothing graphic at all). here I am in my pajama pants getting my frost on. #morekeepingitreal

As for how we applied it, we took the process pic above, but this post and this post have the best specific instructions for applying it, so hopefully those help. and since we’ve never posted a video, here’s that for ya below – or you can watch it on YouTube. We thought maybe seeing it “in 3-D” (well not really but you know what I mean) might help:

So that’s where we are. Don’t mind that brassy old knob. Haha. just added that to the list!

Speaking of the hall bathroom list, here it is:

rehang a shower curtain at ceiling height

trim out the unbalanced window (more on that here)

switch out the light fixture (more on that here)

add some meaningful art (more on that here)

build in a shelf over the toilet for some leaning art (more on that here)

paint the walls a fresher color to help the original tile pop (more on that here)

upgrade the vanity hardware

frost the window

frame out the mirror over the vanity for a less builder-basic look

ORB/upgrade that brassy gold doorknob

make a bold fabric shade for the window

possibly paint the vanity (we’re still mulling it over – but we promise we’ll keep you posted)

add finishing touches/accessories and dish out a budget breakdown for you guys

Can’t wait to cross more off! and in the meantime let’s circle back to my fabric obsession. Doesn’t it look great with the new knobs and the fish canvas? #everybathroomneedsafishcanvas

What were you guys up to this weekend? any small mid-point upgrades or bigger fun ones that made all the difference? It’s so funny how sometimes giant things like hanging curtains or painting the walls can make for a giant change and sometimes it really is the details (like hardware) that finally make a room feel special, like it’s all yours.

Psst- We’re finally sharing Clara’s hidden talent with the world over on young house Life. Does name That tune have a toddler edition?

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