My son is what some might call “change resistant”. A few years ago I decided it was time to make some small changes in his bedroom since he had pretty much all of the same decor (vintage golf themed) from when he was a baby. He came home from school, walked into his room and saw that the little round rug was gone (actually just rolled up and stored under his bed) and immediately burst into tears!
I should have remembered that moment when I tackled my budget friendly makeover on the upstairs bathroom.
But, I didn’t.
Oh sure, he did pretty well when we painted the walls…
And he (and his sister!) loved the budget friendly bathroom wall art I made.
But when it came time to make the ceramic fish tile disappear by covering it up with bead board…well…that’s where I lost him.
Or actually, that’s where he lost it.
See, he had been eagerly helping us measure the bead board, watched as we cut it and carried it upstairs to attach to the ceramic tile using Power Grab All Purpose Interior Construction Adhesive and was excited to see what was going to happen.
But, the moment came when those little fish (which he had loved so much when we first moved into the house…when he was 4) were covered up by the bead board he got very quiet….stepped back a bit…and then we saw the tears flowing.
“I like those fish”, he said.
And my heart broke a little.
I didn’t realize how attached he had become to them. He and I had the exact opposite feelings about those fish. I was totally OVER them and ready for something fresh and light and not a weird color combination. But, he was not.
So, we hugged for awhile and talked about how the fishy tile would still be there underneath the bead board. Because, after all this was a budget friendly makeover. We could just think that the fish taking a loooooooonnnng nap, right?
He wiped his eyes (and I wiped mine) and we continued with the project. Whew! Crisis averted.
And now, he’s completely on board with the transformation. I mean, how could you not be on board with it when it goes from looking like this…
To THIS!!!
The bead board on the walls was a project we had tackled last year but the new paint color (Dutch Boy Colonial Cobblestone) just really makes it pop!
And using bead board on the back splash (behind which the fish are still peacefully resting) really ties it all together. I made sure to put a coat of polyurethane on it to protect it from any splashing that might occur.
The ceramic tile on the edge of the counter caused me the most angst. I considered adding wood trim over it but then there would have been a ‘lip’ where it met up with the counter top.
So, I painted it. I used a heavy duty primer designated for ceramic and then painted over that and then added several coats of polyurethane over that. So far it has held up really well and looks fantastic!
Then came the fun part…accessorizing!
New rugs add a pop of color against all the white.
And I created a simple gallery wall using letters (kids initials), their framed handprints and these faux milk glass sconces from Linley House.
A beach-y vignette was added over the commode (that sounds so much more fancy than toilet, doesn’t it?).
And very simple, inexpensive accessories were added around the rest of the room. The black wood lamp that was already in here was given a fresh makeover with yellow paint. The shower curtain was $14,99 from TJ Maxx and all the other decorative items total (including wall art) came in at around $50.
And since my youngest still needs a stool to wash her hand/brush her teeth, the little red stool got it’s own makeover as well.
When I look at this room I seriously can’t believe how such simple changes could make such a big impact.
And I learned something during the process of tackling this budget friendly bathroom makeover.
It’s going to be a long time until I can convince my son to let me paint the walls in his room a different color!
But, that’s ok…because, well, his mommy understands.
Change can be hard.
And when you’re 10 years old and you are kind of caught between two worlds…sometimes little kid…sometimes big kid…it’s important to have things you can count on.
Like the same paint color you chose for your room when you were 5.
And fishy tile.
Thanks so much for joining me at the fence today,
Sharing this here:
Grace at Home
I love the redo, so fun and so pretty. Bless his heart, I do understand. Hugs, Marty
I love it, it looks so fresh and pretty. What does your son think about the floral shower curtain? 😉
He didn’t even notice or comment on it Kelly! 🙂
Love the makeover and love the story! I’m working on our small bathroom remodel post, but I have to tell you it redefines the word SMALL!
Looks very feminine. Sorry, but my boys would not have gone for a flowered curtain. Sharing with sister? a stripe or a block anything but flowers. I would have left the fish tile and added plain rugs. j
Hi Judy! The funny thing is that my son didn’t even notice or comment on the flower shower curtain. LOL! This bathroom is used by him and his sister as well as guests and I love having spaces that aren’t so specific to gender and can grow up right along with our family. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Vanessa
Oh, I LOVE it and I LOVE that the little fish are resting nicely behind a Beautiful Bead Board Cover. The before and after is great. Makes me want to come over and use your bathroom.. To wash my hands, that is 😉
xoxo
Love love love it!!
Such a nice redo!!! Seems so light and bright! I was right there with ya when you had to handle the fish tile change and the tears! My 24 yr old daughter was the same way when I finally changed the color of her room! Beautiful job!~~Angela
Vanessa, it is so cute and I love the new colors. Poor little fellow. Glad he is o.k. with it now.
The bathroom is adorable!!! I love all the updates and those carpets are so pretty! Grayson does the same thing, when i moved one of their dressers downstairs he cried and cried over it….I just want it back mommy…..I felt so bad.
XO
Kristin
Awesome bathroom reno – I love that you were able to change a few things (like letting the little fishies “rest” behind the beadboard), and completely change the room. Oh the wonders of paint and a little ingenuity.
I love this makeover. I think I’ll do something similar in my kids bathroom. The bright white is just so wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
My son is the same way…even now and he is 19. If I want to initiate a change in his room – he has to be involved. I learned that the hard way back when he was about 7 and he came home from school to find his room had been re-arranged. He was so stressed he couldn’t sleep that night…from then on I made sure to involve him in every change I made to his room – he even helped re-arrange the furniture.
Your bathroom looks great!
Such a sweet makeover… I love it! That shower curtain is just beautiful, too! Hope you are well!
Take care,
Trish
So, let me get this straight: You “deep-sixed” the fish and did a reverse Jonah and the whale. The fish now reside in the “belly of the bathroom.” (You and your sister need to discuss with Mom about not allowing me access to “Reply.”) Love, Dad PS: Tell my boy that there is one change he doesn’t ever need to worry about; he will always be Poppa’s “Bucko!”
Look amazing Vanessa!
What a sweet boy. It looks fantastic!
Oh how I love this story…and to think that he actually cares about how the bathroom looks and he being so very sentimental….just love that…and the beadboard does look fantastic…I love the makeover Vanessa…just beautiful!
Aw, poor guy :/ Some of my kids are pretty resistant to change, too. On the up side-it’s beautiful! Amazing what a difference fresh and pretty details can make. Lots of great ideas, Vanessa!
Jeanette
Awwww….this is such a sweet story! You can tell him that I like fishy tile, too! Love the changes in the bathroom….such a great idea!
Happy day to you!
karianne
What a neat story! My boys used to have a fishy bathroom too, and they’re both resistant to change. LOL! You did a great job on the re-do! It looks beautiful! I’m visiting from Grace At Home. Have a wonderful weekend!
Super cute Vanessa~ love the bead board and new color scheme!!
Nice change! I’ve been thinking about putting beadboard over the tile back-splash in our kitchen and am curious…how did you attach the beadboard to the tile? (Or does the trim just hold it in place?) Thanks!
Hi Denise! I used an industrial strength adhesive that was indicated for use on ceramic tile. I found it in the painting/caulk section of the hardware store and had researched it a bit ahead of time so I knew that was the best way to attach it to the tile. So far so good! 🙂
Oh Vanessa… the entire room looks so good!!! I really liked the shower curtain, then I saw the rest. WOW. Really. I know that fishy tile was touch-and-go, but it looks brand new. What a super-smart fix. It’s perfect.
Wow, that’s amazing! It doesn’t even look like the same bathroom, great job!
Looks awesome!~ Your boy will forget about the fish in no time. I love your vintage touches too. What a pretty shower curtain. Very different!~
I love the bathroom makeover. What a huge improvement without breaking the bank. Very impressive. The shower curtain is beautiful.
Glad he came to peace about his fishies taking a long nap! And glad that YOU got the bathroom you wanted. A win-win, right?
The room looks wonderful! I’ll be interested to hear how the painted tile holds up over time. And the beadboard looks great. Great job on all the accessories, too!
Time flies, doesn’t it? (That was the subject of my post earlier this week; your post here is a great example!)
Love love love the makeover!!! I’m going to be painting some tile soon (all the tile in our new house is PINK) so I might give you a call!
Anna 🙂
Oh, poor little guy but good for you for persevering! The bathroom looks great!! I’ve been thinking of adding some beadboard to my daughter’s bathroom – glad to know it’s doing well in your room!
Love your beadboard and the pretty gallery wall — I’d love to add both to my bathroom!
Such a sweet story. I’m sure it broke your heart to cover up those fish tiles, but the transformation is amazing.
Such a bright and fresh room.
I have a God-awful mural in our master bathroom (not my doing), and I’m dying to paint over it. But my 6-year-old doesn’t want me to. Funny how differently kids see things than we do.
Thanks so much for linking up to Home{work} Wednesday. Can’t wait to meet you at Haven and to see your awesome sister again.
Vanessa I really love this bathroom. I will be featuring it tomorrow night at my Sizzle into Summer party. Please stop by and grab an I’ve Been Featured button. Thanks and great job again!!
Awwww…thanks so much Judy!! I really appreciate it my friend! 🙂
Hello, so nice to meet you. We love your new bathroom! Please stop by our Brag About It Tuesday Linky Party and share other great ideas with us. Link and Hop with BeBetsy
~~ Thanks, Sharon & Denise BeBetsy
Such a great bathroom! Love the little pops of colors you added.
I love the finishing touches you put in there like the beach vignette. The entire room looks fresh and clean. Great job!
Looks great, but I would have left the fish for my little guy!
My wife and I are looking to redecorate our bathroom for a while now. The blue against the white is very striking and creates a certain ambiance that looks quite relaxing. I should show this to her, she’s the more creative one.
I love this makeover. Can I ask… Did you extend the beadboard into the shower area? My husband and I are currently adding a bathroom in our master bedroom and I love e idea of beadboard for a cottage-y look but not sure what to do about the shower area. If I can’t extend into that area, I’m afraid the look will be dis-jointed. Thanks in advance for your response. Ps… I baked a batch of your Grandma’s molasses cookies for Christmas and the family loved them.
Hi Tami! Oh that just made my day hearing that you baked my Grandma’s molasses cookies! 🙂 So, the beadboard was used along the wall and went right up to the point where the shower/bath tub surround starts. We have one of those shower/tub combos in there which you can’t see in the photos because of the curtain in front of it. Does that answer your question? Please let me know if I can provide more details!
Happy New Year!
Vanessa
Hi! Thanks for the response. It was very
Helpful. Happy New Year!
The bathroom looks fantastic! I love the beadboard, the colors and all the accessories in the room. Nice job!
When my son was 10 we moved to a new house. The whole house was painted Sherwin Williams Echelon Ecru. When Spencer walked in the first time, he threw a fit (which he never did) and said it was yellow! We told him the name of the color and he insisted that was just a fancy name for yellow. We won him over eventually but it was rocky. 🙂