Bathroom Remodel For Less

Hi friends!  I’ve got ants in my pants excitement about the beach cottage bathroom renovations!  If you’re new to the blog, you can read about and see the pre-renovated bathrooms here, and you can also see the cottage home tour here.  I have to say that designing these rooms have been a little challenging when I’m over 3,000 miles away!  It’s not like I can hop in the car and toodle on over through Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, all the way down to southern Florida. Oh goodness, I may have hopped over a state!  You get the idea!  So, I’m in Colorado consulting with the contractor in Florida and keeping my fingers {and toes} crossed that all is going well!  The bathrooms have been gutted to the studs and now the fun is ready to begin!

Here’s the deal, I must keep reminding myself that this is only our getaway home.  I’m not splurging on my design choices, yet I want that luxurious and cottage feel.  Can the two go together??  I think so!  I LOVE carrera marble!! Who doesn’t? It’s gorgeous, yet timeless.  I also love gold!!  Girl has got plenty of love for GOLD!  But it’s a cottage…does it really need carerra and gold??  Ummm….let me think on that for a second…YES!  Why the heck not? So I found a way to incorporate the look for cheap.  I created a design board to see the elements together and am pretty happy so far!

I like the cheaper deal like no other. Problem is that 9 times out of 10, I gravitate toward the most expensive piece when designing a room.  Not intentional!  I can’t help myself, really!  I blame it on genetics.  My southern, classy grandma always had a beautiful home with exquisite taste.  I would spend summers there just dreaming of a home like hers. My reality was if you want high end, you’ll have no cash for anything else.  Not an option for me.  Hence, the bargain shopper was born in me. I may have crushing, big heart eyes for a gorgeous piece of furniture or fixture, but I will search high and low for the more affordable option.  That doesn’t mean that cheaper cost = cheaper quality. Believe me, I’ve paid the pretty penny for a coveted item for my home in the past to be sadly disappointed with the quality and money thrown away.  I’ve learned that there is always a cheaper version out there that I will be just as happy with!  It’s like a game for me to see just how much of a bargain I can get.  Honestly, this is why design decisions take me A DECADE, because I’ve got to do so much hunting.  Well worth it in the end.  So let’s compare:

These two vanities are practically identical and looky there!  Do I spy some marble??

The Kohler Purist line is like the gold medal at the Olympics!  Everyone wants the gold medal, but I say the bronze metal is equally as beautiful and not such a stress on budget.  I love the new Delta Champagne Bronze line because it’s not too gold.  Definitely softer in appearance, but still has that wow factor!!

I love these vintage looking outdoor sconces to bring in the charm.  I actually have this Lowes outdoor sconce in my Colorado powder bathroom and love it!  Why not have it in both homes and for that price!! Don’t need to twist my arm.

I just booked my flight back to the cottage to see the progress of the remodel!  I actually have to stay in a hotel since the cottage bathrooms are “out of service”… so I will be sad not to sleep in the house, but probably better off since it’s most likely a big dusty mess from all the demo and my OCD would just go into overdrive making me want to mop and dust.  Who has time for that! I’ll keep you posted!

xo,

Shauna