That awkward stage.

When we moved in, our bathroom was a sad, dark, brooding teenager unable to even glimpse its beautiful future. As the only bathroom in the house, it had a big responsibility to fulfill, but was not equipped with the necessary tools, leading to its feelings of self-doubt and shame.

When we first met the bathroom, its high points were a regular old bathtub (with drain!) and toilet that flushed. Among the low points: moss-colored carpet (likely mossy as well), peely floral wallpaper, dark brown wainscoting, a grossly ornate light fixture not centered over the sink (huh?), pink plastic tile bathtub surround painted marine blue, a sink with leaky squeaky faucets and no shower. So, so sad.

First order of business: add a shower. Next, we peeled off the wallpaper and painted the walls a cheery yellow and the wainscoting white. We got a new light fixture and, I know it’s pretty conventional, but we centered it over the sink. We replaced the disgusting carpet with cork floors. (I need say here how marvelous cork floors are. They are warm and comfortable to stand on in bare feet, even in the winter. And, they hide dirt really well.) The new sink faucets work better than ever.

The tile for the shower was one of our first big projects. We went to Brown’s Building Supply and found some old boxes of tile that we brought home and smashed into interested shapes that we then used to make a mosaic surround.

Now, the bathroom has color, character and the tools to become all it can. It is full of self-esteem and has become a fun young adult able to hold a witty conversation with a stranger. Sigh. We are so proud of how far it has come.

Look at how tall and slender she's become!