The remodel of the upstairs bathroom in 2021 was so extensive the sink area of the two-section bathroom is just now being shared. After thirty-three years the bathroom needed renovating to become more ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliant, to replace worn out fixtures, and to add more French Country style. 

The after photo of the section of the bathroom with the sink has elements of French Country style I love. Over the years French Country style was added little by little throughout the whole house with each new change in the house. Whether it was new furniture, upholstery, light fixtures, decor, flooring, or wall treatments, I always looked for ways to incorporate French Country. Naturally when it came time to remodel the upstairs bathroom, I added more French Country there, too. 

The French Country distressed green and gold wood mirror was added to the bathroom several years ago and is one of the few things kept the same in the bathroom remodel.

Upstairs Bathroom Remodel | Lighting

Lighting is more exciting than plumbing, the last post about the remodeled upstairs bathroom. Remodeling the upstairs bathroom in our post and beam house was a good time to update the lighting to provide more light for the section of the bathroom with the new shower. There have been several previous posts about the renovation of the bathroom since so much work was done. This post is all about lighting in the bathroom. 

 

Once we decided the leaking bathtub faucet, leaking floor drain, and crumbling grout in the tiles surrounding the bathtub needed work, we decided to do a complete job of replacing everything that needed work instead of doing patch jobs. The bathroom was over thirty-five years old, original to when the house was built. The lighting in the bathtub and toilet section never provided enough light. 

The new triple light fixture mounted to the beam above the outside of the new shower provides great light to the room and to the inside of the shower. The photo was taken before all the work was finished. There are bits of blue painter's tape on the left wall where the paint needed touch ups and the tile floor still needed its final cleaning.  

Upstairs Bathroom Remodel | Plumbing

Plumbing is not an exciting topic, but was a primary and unique part of our upstairs bathroom remodel in 2021. This post shows the plumbing challenges we faced going into the remodel and the solutions we found to those challenges. 

Before delving into the plumbing details, look at the finished shower that replaced an old tub in the same place. The new shower features ADA compliant grab bars, handheld shower head, safe ceramic tile floor, and easy to step in design. 

Upstairs Bathroom Remodel | Shower

Replacing an original raised tub with a walk-in shower was the most important part of the 2021 update of our upstairs bathroom. Indeed, installing an American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant shower was what started the update. 

The after photo of the upstairs bathroom remodel is the walk-in shower with handheld shower head and grab bars inside and outside the shower. 

Begun in July 2021, the project was completed in November 2021. A professional contractor did 95% of the project. We only did a little demolition work at the beginning of the work. Like most construction projects, we had a series of issues that caused set backs from the very beginning through the end of the project.

There was so much work done, there is too much to include in a single article. Individual posts will focus on different parts of the remodel. 

Mirror Updates to French Country

Homes change over the years due to routine maintenance, upgrading appliances, freshening paint, changing tastes, and finding what you have been wanting for years. The mirror in my half-bath powder room started as American Country style that eventually was replaced with a new French Country style mirror. 

After years of searching and intermediate changes along the way, the half-bath has a French Country mirror I love. This post is for all of you who still long for changes in your home. Don't give up. The journey may take turns and twists, but little-by-little you can achieve the home you dream.  

Take a look at my journey from American Country mirror to the French Country mirror shown above. I've tried to include photos with the same views into the half-bath so you can see how the mirror changes over the years looked in the bathroom from the same perspectives. 

French Country Christmas Guest Bath

Often the French Country style guest bathroom in my house is one of the first rooms decorated for Christmas each year. A small room needs only a few additions to change everyday decor to holiday decor. 

and... 

Voilà 

Christmas magically appears! 

Well, not magically... it does take a little effort... but the results bring such a magical feeling. 

Smiles and dancing eyes beholding beautiful sights. 

Add a fresh evergreen wreath, a vase filled with flowers, a set of Christmas-y towels, and a seasonal print on the wall, and the guest bathroom is ready for the holidays.   

Here's how my French Country bathroom is decorated for Christmas. 

Christmas Red French Country Bathroom

Nothing says Christmas like RED! Add a touch of red color and instantly everyday decor becomes beautiful Christmas decor. By changing two items in my French Country inspired bathroom and adding red French Country decor, my bathroom is now decorated for Christmas. 

Four red Christmas items grouped together make a bigger impact than scattering the four items around a room. Having all four red items together creates a focal point that draws everyone's eyes directly to the window area of the bathroom, including from the adjoining bedroom. Only later does anyone notice another spot of red... 

Bathroom | New French Hardwood Flooring

New French Oak Light House hardwood flooring in the bedroom and adjoining bathroom made a beautiful change to how the bathroom looks. I am already starting to decorate the bathroom for Christmas, but realized there should be a post showing the bathroom with its new solid oak French floor before sharing the holiday decorations. 

The new flooring flows seamlessly between the bathroom and the bedroom with no raised door thresholds. Nothing on which to stumble in the middle of the night trips to the bathroom. 

French Country Chandelier for 8 Foot Ceiling

For those of us who love French Country style, but live in houses with 8 foot ceilings, chandeliers are mostly a dream instead of a reality. If you long for a French Country chandelier in your standard 8 foot ceiling height home, take heart. I found a chandelier for my very small guest bathroom which may also work in your home. 

Not only did I find a mini chandelier, I also found a carved wood art medallion to use as a ceiling rose above the new chandelier. 

French Country Mirror Makeover

A new reproduction French Country mirror was too rustic for my style. With a lot of sanding, new white paint, and a little antique gold wax the mirror was transformed. 

For several months the new French Country mirror hung in the entry way powder room half way through its transformation from too rustic to just-right patina. The monochromatic overall white paint was a big improvement to the original faux patina, but did nothing to enhance the beautiful carving at the top. The one-tone paint masked the intricate details of the mirror. 

French Country Leaf Scroll Wallpaper

New French Country leaf scroll wallpaper is up in the guest powder room in the entry. And, I love it! The bathroom has taken a giant leap in its renovation from American Country to French Country. 

Freshly hung just this morning, the paper is still drying. But, I couldn't wait until the paper was dry and the mirror, towel bar, light fixture, and prints were rehung to show the bathroom mini-makeover with its new wallpaper. 

How To Paint Over Wallpaper

Painting over old wallpaper requires special preparation to insure the finished paint job is smooth. Hanging new wallpaper over old wallpaper requires much of the same special preparation. Here are the steps we followed to prepare to paint over a wallpapered ceiling and to hang new wallpaper over existing wallpaper on the walls of the guest half-bath in the entry. 

Please PIN ⇑ to your Pinterest Boards for future reference 

Every house has its own peculiar quirks which means what works in one house may or may not work in another house. Please research wallpaper company sites for additional information since what I write is from personal experience, not professional advice. Nonetheless, you will get ideas about the overall process for painting and papering over old existing wallpaper. 

French Country Powder Room

While looking for new wallpaper for the upstairs bathroom renovation, I found a beautiful French-style scroll design perfect for the guest powder room downstairs. Which inspired more design ideas for a mini refresh for the powder room to add more distinctive French Country style. 

The guest powder room bathroom underwent a major renovation a couple of years ago which updated its style from American Country to French Country. At that time, I couldn't find a wallpaper with French flair that I liked. Nor could I decide to paint the walls instead of wallpapering. So, the old faded wallpaper remained... Until next week when the new blue and white French scroll wallpaper is being hung! 

French Finesse Bathroom | New White Paint

White paint works wonders as a way to brighten any space. While the French Finesse bathroom renovation has only just begun, wait until you see how much difference painting the wood bead board walls with white paint has made to the bathroom already.  

The narrow bathroom is so much brighter with the sunlight from the skylights reflecting against the white wood walls. The plank wood ceiling, massive structural beams, and roof rafters were already white before the renovation began. Now the bead board wood walls are the same white instead of the bright pink from before.  

French Quarter Finesse Bathroom Renovation | Before

After thirty-three years the upstairs bathroom needs renovating to become more ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliant, to replace worn out fixtures, and to add more French Country style. The first post published early this summer explained the overall design from the planning stage and the details about the new tile selection. 

Today's post is a look at how the bathroom looks now, before the renovation. 

F r e n c h  Q u a r t e r  

F i n e s s e 

Bathroom  Renovation 

No. 3

Existing Layout - The Before

SINK  AREA 

The current layout of the bathroom includes two small sections separated by a door (visible in the mirror). The first section is the sink area with storage cabinets and drawers under a long laminated counter with one white porcelain sink. 

Bulletin Board Inspiration No. 4 | French Finesse Bathroom

A Paper Series Post 

While the Bulletin Board Inspiration Series has previously focused on clippings to display in a beautiful artistic style, the July Bulletin Board Inspiration is a design project board for a French Finesse Bathroom.

One of the basic functions of design boards is to display materials and products in home projects. Today, project boards, commonly called MOOD BOARDS, are created and shared electronically by designers, bloggers, architects, and national brand companies. However, a good old-fashioned bulletin board is a perfect place to display a tactile MOOD BOARD. 

After more than thirty years, our upstairs bathroom needs a drastic renovation. This summer, we are renovating the upstairs bathroom to make it more ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) compliant, to replace worn out fixtures and plumbing, and to add more French Country style with the new upgrades. 

French Quarter Finesse Bathroom Renovation

Tile is the inspiration for a French Quarter Finesse design in the second floor bathroom renovation. After thirty-three years the bathroom needs updating to become more ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant, to replace worn out fixtures, and to add more French Country style. 

The actual work on the second floor bathroom renovation should begin this summer, and several posts with progress updates will follow periodically. This first post shows the overall design ideas from the planning stage and details about the tile selection. 

Winter Blue and White Bathroom

Decorating a blue and white bathroom for winter has its challenges, but deer and wreath decor works beyond the Christmas holiday as winter decor also.  

Wreaths are good decor any time of the year. As you step into my blue and white master bathroom from the bedroom you can spot four wreaths, and two of them stay out all year round. 

There is a fifth wreath on the wood panel sconce not visible from this angle, which makes three wreaths that are part of the bathroom's daily decor. 

Blue Silk Roman Shade Details

B L U E   S I L K   R O M A N   S H A D E 

for the master bathroom small window 

One more thing is accomplished on the master bathroom small vanity area to-do list. The changes to the small vanity area began in March of this year, almost four months ago. The original to-do list has been tweaked with new to-dos, but replacing the cotton balloon valance with a more French country look window treatment was one of the things on the original list. 

I bought the multi-blue and white striped silk fabric over ten years ago with the intentions of making a gathered skirt to wear to formal events, but no longer needed formal wear before the skirt was made. 

French Country Style For Bathrooms

Adding French Country to a bathroom can be as easy as adding accents. Ready for ideas about which accents/accessories will give your bathroom French style? It is easier than you may realize. 

Begin with one piece of French Country furniture to add instant French decor. A small chair or an ottoman gives you a place to sit near a bathroom's vanity, and either a chair or bench is an easy way to add French Country charm to any space. 

For small spaces like bathrooms, one small chair or bench makes a big impact in setting the room's style.