The Cure: Taking on the Bathroom

I might not have been posting, but there sure has been a lot going on. First thing, I realized Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure is more about spring cleaning than about investigating spaces for (re)organization opportunities.

So, I’ve taken this time, before The Cure’s legitimate beginning to undertake all the home projects I want to do.

First up, the bathroom. I took pictures that give you a 360-degree feel of the room and space, but I didn’t take any inside the cabinets. Same with the kitchen.

Now, I’ve started to make some changes, and wish I could show you just how far I’ve come in this little bit of time.

Alas, lesson learned … be thorough with the before pictures.

Cluttered Bathroom.

That photograph is pretty low, and the ceiling’s pretty up there. One more to show you what I’m really working with.

Walking into the bathroom.

It’s amazing what you can do in one-hour when you set your mind to it … oh, and you have everything you need!

First, I took down the painting that hung over the toilet, even though I’m really fond of it.

On my lunch hour, I had purchased floating shelves in the same “Espresso” as the vanity’s cabinet.

Tonight, armed with my drill and Phillips head screwdriver, I installed them.

Something I learned from the packaging – a good way to “mark” where the holes should go. Not sure why I didn’t think of this myself, but it said to push a drill bit through the mounting holes to mark where to drill on the wall.

I tried it, and it works. I measured where I wanted the shelves … held up the mounting, pushed a drill bit through the holes, twisted against the wall to make a mark, did the same through the other hole, and … Voila! Accurate markings.

The best part, everything on the shelves comes from my great aunt’s house, which means everything is my great aunt’s or my great grandmother’s. The silhouettes, for instance, are confirmed as my great grandmother’s. Love them.

Vintage items from my family.

Finally, I’ll admit I didn’t do everything tonight. Actually, last night, I began working under the sink by putting up cup hooks.

Cup hooks for hangable "stuff".

My hair dryer, mirror, and brush all have ‘holes’ or loops by which they can be hung. So hang them, I say!

There’s almost negligible space between the right side of the cabinet and the plumbing. Certainly not enough for an over-priced sliding organizer.

But these items fit perfectly in that space. So I tapped a nail into the cabinet to get each cup hook started, then pushed and twisted the cup hooks into place.

The hook for the brush is askew on purpose. Why must they go up and down when it’s so much easier to hang and remove the brush with an angle to it?

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