Bedrooms and Bathroom get a Makeover

While the open floor plan with the high ceilings looks very current in the main living area, you quickly realize this is a 1950's ranch as you step into the hallway of the original house. The original rooms were on the small side with small windows.  And while we didn't make major changes to the original bedrooms,  they did get some nice updates.  And the bathroom?  Well that got a pretty major overhaul.

Remember this little homemade ship that we found behind the basement staircase?  Well it became the centerpiece of the smallest bedroom.

The room started with one small window, that didn't meet fire code.  And another 'window' that was the frame from the original house, that got covered over when the addition was built in 1972,  We decided that a window made of stick on mirror tiles probably wasn't a design element to keep.  So we opted to enlarge the real window to meet code and cover the fake one up.  That provided a nice wall for furnishings.

Oh, and we replaced that ceiling fan with something a bit better proportioned!!!  I love this fixture!  We used it in all 3 bedrooms.

The duvet and pillow sham are perfect for Maine, where the working waterfront is part of our daily experience.  We have cargo ships coming and going all the time.  And once cruise ships start sailing again, we see them on a regular basis as well.  Oh, and isn't the sea captain pretty cute?

This little bookcase gets used in almost every staging project - it's perfect for creating a little reading nook with kids books.

The front bedroom also had larger windows installed, which made a dramatic difference in brightness (as well as getting rid of the non-functional roller shades!!  And again, the super low ceiling fan had to go!).  There was an odd boxed area on the far wall - we think it was once used for an air conditioner, but we quickly learned it was an entrance for a huge wasp nest.  We got rid of that and closed the whole thing in.  So much better!  

  

Before:  the day we bought the house

I made the cute window treatments and with an antique headboard, it's a pretty sweet room.

The bathroom got a big update.  At some point, the original bathtub was taken out of the house and replaced with a too-wide shower.  There was only 18 inches to squeeze past the sink on your way to the toilet - way too narrow!

 

That's not real tile above the bathroom sink - some sort of stick on sheet.  Needless to say, we changed that.  But I did like the look of the bead board wainscoting.  So we kept that idea - but replaced it with a wider, more contemporary version when we did the update.  

We opted to go back to a standard tub/shower combo, providing so much more space.  And with the odd leftover space at the back of the tub, we built a pony wall and topped it with Carrara marble.  So now there is a lot of room for shampoo and such!

I fell in love with this tile the moment I saw it.   The blue pattern is a bit of a wow and I love the color with the Carrera on the countertop and the basketweave floor.  

That completes the before and after photos of the first floor.  Stay tuned for the basement.  It got a big, big upgrade!

  

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