We “lived” with a leak in our upstairs bathroom that found its way down to the kitchen for many years.  We did everything possible to fix the leak ourselves; we hired someone to fix it, but in the end they didn’t (frustrating); and we ultimately put a board up over the “hole” for years until we could attend to the frustration.  After many years, here is the result of patience, or insanity! 🙂

Before Pictures

I am not a professional home decorator, so picking out tile, colors, and a theme was difficult because I’m very practical; yet, there is a whimsical side to me as well.  We bought our tile from Mosaic Tile Company 10911 Trade Rd, Richmond, VA 23236; (804) 794-2700.

Because of the blue floor tile, I felt beholding to that color scheme.  I began picking out blue shades when my daughter announced that was boring, and I should try something exciting!  I looked to my left on the counter and saw a beautiful orchid with the colors of purple (flower) and green (the leaves).  Nothing is more exotic than an orchid!  I told the clerk I wanted this color scheme found in nature!

I happened home one day to check on the contractors and asked to see the tile.  I wanted to make sure that what I ordered was what he had in his van. I’m a re-checker to a fault, but this time the re-check proved important.  They had the wrong tile and color! Mosaic Tile graciously admitted their mistake and fixed the error in a timely fashion.

The Work Begins:

We used Knickerbocker Contractors (http://knickerbockercontractors.com/)

They used a special pan that is guaranteed. I highly recommend them!

Getting ready for the new tile…

All Done!

Once they were completed with the shower, we went to work on stripping wall paper.

This took weeks here and there because of jobs and other commitments.  We had to work on the walls a bit because of the length of time the wall paper was on the walls, and the high quality installation of the paper–lots of glue!  There are many products out there that will help you with this task.  Lowe’s will have them.  Also, you must get a steamer to remove the paper.  I can’t imagine doing it by hand without the steamer.  If you can afford it, it’s best to have multiple folks working and steaming.

This became a family project.  Valentina picked out many color combinations and brought them home for Vivian to have the final say.  So my colors are from the girls, which I love.  The orchid was from my oldest, and prior to the work she gave me a white vase of lavender for “inspiration”, she said.  That was so precious to me.  I’ve always loved lavender and green together. And, of course, lavender is one of my favorite scents and soothing aromas.

Once the walls were all done,

we began to decorate.  I decided to research on Amazon and Google unique items.  It’s amazing what you can find if you type in the right words for a Google search, like “unique knobs for the bathroom”, or “unique light switch plates”.  I also utilized Great Big Canvas (http://www.greatbigcanvas.com/) to purchase a wall peel of lavender.  It goes on the wall easy, and when you are tired of it, you can peel it off to save.  No glue, no mess, no trouble.

What to do with the floor?  We could not afford to redo the tile on the floor, so we decided to add pretty rugs from Kohl’s and Tuesday Morning.

A little busy perhaps, but that is my whimsical side.

Victoria found on Pinterest an excellent use of an old door for shelving and decoration. We had old doors from my grandmother’s home place.  Parish took the time to make my shelving utilizing the idea from Pinterest.  The hardware was purchased from Lowe’s, and due to the door’s weight, we had to purchase special hanging equipment.  That, too, was purchased at Lowe’s.

There are treasures from friends and family on my shelf.  I also went to World Market (http://www.worldmarket.com/) in the Short Pump area to purchase some treasures.

I wanted a special place for my lavender robe.

The window treatment was my last decision.  The curtain was from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and I ordered them online!  The curtain is called “Chelsea Window Curtain”. Bed, Bath, and Beyond often sends members great coupons for ordering online.  I took advantage of the coupon.

Our contractor for the job was Charles Felts, Jr.  He oversaw many necessary projects completed during this time.  We highly recommend him for his professionalism, efficiency, and most of all trustworthiness.  With any project, challenges occur; however, Charles and his crew were always professional and filled with joy.  I never saw Charles that I did not see a patient and joyful expression on his face.