Blog readers and people with style outside of my limited abilities, PLEASE HELP!
The upstairs of our home includes two bedrooms connected by a very long bathroom. Unlike a "normal" Jack and Jill bathroom, this one steps it up a level. The boys side includes its own sink and shower as well as their closet. The girls side includes a double vanity and their closet as well. Then, in the middle, the two "sides" share a toilet and bathtub/shower.
Here are some photos I took which attempt to share the scope of the bathroom:
In this photo, I am standing in the boys room. Ahead on left is a single vanity and shower. On the left is the boys closet. Then, in the middle section, is a toilet and tub/shower. The third section is a double vanity with closet that connects to the girls room. (You can just make out Hannah's crib at the very end of the photo.)
Here is a sneak peak into the girls side which includes the double vanity. Their closet is opposite the vanity.
The tile is not what I would have picked, but it is in great shape, and I actually don't mind it. So it is staying. The question is, however, what DO I do with this space without spending much money? More specifically:
- Do I paint it? And if I paint it, do I paint the different sections different colors?
- There are SO many doors in this space. Six actually! We already removed the doors to the closets. Should I take off any other doors?
- Do I do a separate "theme" for the boys side and girls side? And if so, then what do I do for the section in the middle?
Your help would be incredibly appreciated!
5 comments:
I am strongly opposed to "girl colors" and "boy colors" and "girl themes" and "boy themes" for various reasons. However, part of me also thinks they can be so darn cute! Giving into that latter instinct, one way that you could do a theme is to have the middle shared area be fish and undersea sorts of things. Then, in the boys' side you could focus on sharks, while on the girls' side you could do something with mermaids.
With all those doors separating each section, I think separate themes would totally work. Though I would personally lean toward some type of unifying theme. I love Anonymous's idea of the ocean/sea theme. As far as the tile, you can basically treat it like a neutral and add any colors you want.
Take off doors that will be annoying. As they turn into school age, replace doors to be appropriate for boy/girl privacy. I'd paint a sage green or greenish color. Find a shower curtain you love. I like target or kohls with coupons. Pick a green from it to match a paint color. Then you can find wall art/stickers/to put up to decorate. I used coupons for our bathroom from kohls. Our kids bathroom is done this way and it's a woodland creatures shower curtain. It's cute but not all one sided boyish.
If it were me, I'd carry the same theme throughout all three spaces to keep costs down. I would play up the tile floor to make it all look intentional. Perhaps a soda shop them: mint green walls, vinyl records as cheap wall decor that will withstand moisture, keep the cabinets but maybe switch the countert tops to a stainless steel (easy clean up for kids and often cheaper than other types). I wouldn't take down the doors besides the closets; it makes it so different kids can use different parts at the same time. I would disable the locks though.
Assuming I understand the layout correctly, I would consider removing the doors between the bedrooms and the vanity areas (the outer two sections of the bathroom), but leave the two doors from each side into the bathing / toilet area of the bathroom. I would assume that the doors annoy you or are in the way since you asked the question, but if they aren't, obviously you can leave them.
I would also consider one wall color, mainly to save money, and maybe even time and patience. I think I would leave it a lighter color, as the outer rooms seem a little dark as it is. As others have said, you can decorate with shower curtains, towels, stuff on the wall, or other accessories. And this will make it adaptable to change as the kids get older, too, without having to worry about repainting, which could bring out the word "no!". Haha! But that way, you have neutral walls, and the boys and girls can help decide how they want to decorate it. And how fun would it be to get the four of them to come to a consensus about how to decorate the middle area?! Haha... just kidding. You could leave that neutral as well, or just pick something you know they all like. I like the idea of letting the kids have different themes in their own areas!
Ultimately, I say keep it simple, but have fun with it! Especially the two sink areas... seem small enough that decorating it wouldn't be that big of a deal. When the towels get worn out, pick another theme!
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