Are your bathroom cabinets low and feeling all bad about themselves compared to the new 42 inch cabs in all the newer houses? This photo is from my old nest and my poor midget cabinets were in need of either a makeover or counseling. I think the counter top reached just above my husbands knees. I don't have a real before photo so the top one is the "in progress" photo. It's obvious where the cabs used to stop.
When we got ready to put it on the market I can remember sitting in the bathroom discussing how we could make it appear more up to date with just a little cash. My husband suggested just removing the counter, building up the cabs and then adding fake drawer fronts and slapping that old counter right back where it started, only higher. It worked! Then I painted the entire cabinet white. We replace the old faucet with new hardware that I purchased for $30 each. And don't ask me what is going on with that cord. Really, don't ask.
This is another example of when we finished an easy project in order to sell our house and I wanted to kick myself because we didn't do it for us but for whoever would buy our house. Why, oh WHY did I wait? Why wasn't it ok to just update what I had? All those years I guess I was holding out for gutting the bathroom and starting fresh. What a waste. This really was a lesson in the fact that it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
edited to add: want to see more painted wood? visit life in grace for a wood painted party!
High Heels for the Bathroom
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98 comments:
What an awesome idea!! It never occured to me to just adjust the height of the cabinet we already own. I'm SO DOING THIS in my master bathroom!! Well, my husband is. :o) We had taller cabinets in our old house and going back to the short ones is hard on your back. Beautiful bathroom, by the way. Like I have to tell YOU that!! :o)
Wow! What a difference!!!! You and your Hub are quite the team!!!
I recently took your advice and did some kitchen work NOW instead of waiting for the presell fix up. We may decide to stay in this house and there I would be, ten years later, still with an avacado sink! (Gasp! The HORROR!!!) So thanks for the push! I needed it.
Good luck getting back on the school year horse! It's a real kicker.
That really is such a fabulous idea - and one I never would've thought of. I'd still be sitting there worrying about my poor little cabinets. I really need a lesson in thinking outside the box.
Aside from that being an awesome and innovative idea, I actually love the title of this post even BETTER!! High heels for the Bathroom - priceless! Is it a coincidence that the color of the walls looks like iced coffee?
What a huge difference! I just might try that in my bathroom. Too bad you hadn't thought about it sooner so you could enjoy it a little bit longer!
Great idea! I had my DH rip down a hunk of kitchen lighting nastiness this weekend and plan to paint the cabinets at some point in the next few months (I'm sure you remember decorating with a newborn and toddler). I have one question about the bathroom... Where did you shower or do you just not need a curtain if you have a big enough tub area?
Oh, what a fabulous idea! And I love the title...you are so clever. I would LOVE to do that in our hall bath! I agree that we should do it for ourselves, not the people buying the house! Good post!
Hi, I just jumped over from Simple Mom last week. You have a lovely home. I noticed that you like to decorate with plates. Where do you find them? I have wanted to use plates over our headboard and I am not sure where to start looking. Thanks.
That is what I always tell my husband. I don't want to 'fix' this house for someone else, I want to 'fix' it for us! When/if we ever sell it, let them fix it for themselves. Who knows, if we do a good enough job, they may not have to and we can get top $$$. (raised cocked eyebrow.)
I love this idea! I am not that tall but I still feel like the sink is so far away when I am brushing my teeth. Forget about when one of the boys doesn't wipe the counter and you get a wet line across the front of your pants. I would love to do this. I have a question for you. I think my cabinets are mdf with a veneer on them. Do you paint them as though they were real wood cabinets? Or do you have to do something special to them? Could I just use Kilz?
WOW! What a fabulous idea! Y'all are genius...I know I've said it before, but this time, I'm including your husband, too. ;o) And I love the name of this post...hehe!
Great idea and it looks fantastic!
Great idea, so clever! And what a huge difference it made. You are so right about not waiting forever for perfect. *smiles*
This. idea. is. fabulouso.
(I cannot more simply state it! :o)
i looove this! i am holding out for gutting my bathroom, too. i don't think there's anything that simple in our bathroom that i could do to fix it up. i'm just hoping we can redo our bathroom before it's time for us to move. i hate the idea of fixing it up for someone else!! i completely understand where you're coming from. love the plates and cabinet above the bath tub. looks great.
FABULOUS...and if someone wants to get fixated on that cord then shame on them. I would love to put plates or something above the bathtub but its tile (and not pretty tile...just WHITE). You certainly do inspire though.
Oh my goodness...I know the man has a lot of great ideas, but did he truly come up with this? You must have definitely rubbed off on him. :)
This is besides the point, but Do you remember what the paint color was in your bathroom? I love it!
Amazing ideas run in your family. Looks so good, minus the funky cord!
Oooh, pretty! I never would've thought to raise the vanity height like that. Very clever. -Julia
Nestor! Your ideas are wonderful and how wonderful of you to share with us. Will you please, please have budget decor camp where you take us all shopping at T J Max and Hobby Lobby and show us what is crappola and what is awesome? maybe you could do a reality show like Changing Rooms where the contestants have 60$ and an old sofa?
Michele
You amaze me. Really.
Wonderful idea! I, too, have been "holding out" to gut my master bathroom. In the meantime (five years so far now), it remains in bathroom purgatory. Even if I had tens of thousands of dollars "extra", I don't know if I could justify spending it on my bathroom.
So, I think I will begin lovin' up on what I already have, attempting to resuscitate it instead of completely killing it.
My 6'6" husband will be so grateful for the higher vanity ... but, he's not very handy with stuff like that, so we will have to find a handyman to help us. Still cheaper than a total gut, though!
Brilliant! Just Brilliant:)
Your bathroom turned out beautifully! Great idea to add extra height to the existing cabinet! We were fixing up our house in order to sell it, which really annoyed me because it was so much work that we wouldn't even be able to enjoy. But now we decided not to sell for at least a year, so it's great! I get to live in my own pretty house! I think I have hubby convinced that it's better to do it now than later.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I have been wanting back saver cabinets for so long and now thanks to you I can have them for a fraction of the cost! You have given so many great ideas, thank you!
Michelle
for those of you wondering--there is a separate shower that isn't in the photo! it's door opened right to the near side of the toilet.
I need to show this to my hubby. Our cabinet in the 1/2 bath is ridicuously low, this would definitely help!
Bella :)
MDF with veneer? ask at the home improvement store but I would bet that if you kilz them they would be fine!
wall color? guess. Tobacco Road!
Plates--I find them everywhere! dollar store, tj maxx, yard sales....
That is beyond fantastic! That is sheer brilliance! Adore you!
Stop by if you get a second. I have more porch curtains up today.
Oh great. Another wonderful blog that I am going to have to keep up with. When will I have time for the children, the house, the hubby?? Great blog. I will be back. Robin
http://www.itsacrazylifebutitsourlife.blogspot.com
What a gorgeous bathroom!
That was great idea your husband came up with. You two make an awesome team!
Looks beautiful! I think builders tend to make all cabinents for short(er) people (and fashion designers make all pants for people who are 7 feet tall... go figure). You did a great job at bringing some height to it.
That is the most awesomest idea ever!! I wonder if I can do this in the main bath???
Don't you hate it when you fix up your house for someone else? We spent all summer re-doing my Mom's house to sell, and I thought how sad that they hadn't done anything to the house in YEARS and couldn't enjoy an updated abode!
awesome idea! I may have to save that one to show my hubs. Our home is just a bit over 20 years old, but my hubby is 6ft 9 inches, I bet he's LOVE to raise the counters! Good thinkin' Nester! *bow to you*
What an ingenius idea! I know when I go to my mom's house everything feels miniature cause it is all old and old height and I am a lot taller (an older) than I used to be when I lived there. LOL Our vanity in our bathroom is way too high, our floor was unlevel when we did the demo and remodel and well things had to be shifted. Anyway, it makes me feel like a queen with this huge high counter and sink and mirror. Doesn't take much to make me feel royal I guess.
Such a good reminder to update & beautify our house for US & not wait until we are ready to sell. We've been in our home for 2 years & only the kitchen & my daughter's room are completely done. Everything else is bare-how sad! Love your blog!
what a cool idea and it turned out great! Jen R
Once again you amaze me! I will fly you to Texas (seriously) for the weekend if you would be willing to come and give me some tips! You rock!
Wow, that is really a fantastic idea. It just goes to show you that we should involve our husbands in the decorating because sometimes they have ideas like that! (And sometimes we have to gently tell them why their idea to put the foosball table in the family room is a bad one, but whatever...) Great job!!
-Carrie
Oh boy, no kidding. I have learned this lesson over and over and over as I learn the hard lesson of contentment. I'm trying to learn to just DO something. Anything. It will always bless my family and especially my husband when he knows I'm not wanting him only for the money he brings home or the remodeling we can afford (or not).
Love that vanity. Great stuff.
PLEASE tell me the secret of cabinet painting. Last time you showed cabinets you DID say just go to Lowe's and ask them the right finish. BUT....are we talking spray paint or a can of paint? Regular bristle brush or little roll on painter. See how slllloooowww I am. Are ya scared?
Teresa in VA
What a great solution! Definitely cheaper than buying a new cabinet. My husband's vanity is so tall it comes up to the top of my hips. I like them better taller too.
Have a great day!
Jenn
Preach on, sister! We never even hung curtains in our last house until we put the house on the market. Why do we wait?? I think you're right...do it now. It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful! I'll keep saying that to myself till I get those darn projects DONE! hehe :)
Blessings,
Stacey
Oh my goodness. I have never ever thought of this. Possibly one of the mot ingenious ideas ever! I'll be speaking with the dh very soon about this.
REALLY smart of you guys! Great job.
We're flipping a house right now and put kitchen cabinets in the bathroom just for the height. It does look so much better.
Congrats on your tassles being carried in that fabulous store!
You have inspired me so much! I just did a bunch of mistreatments in my house and you inspired all of them. I was going to e-mail you, but I couldn't find your addy on your profile anywhere. You can check out my blog to see today's post devoted to you and my projects! You rock!
So, I guess this is why YOUR the Nester and I'm not - seriously! Fabulous idea....thank you so much for sharing this. Genius!
So smart!
I love this idea! Simple easy and to back saving for us tall people!
This is beautiful. Obviously Mr. Nester is quite handy!! What a great idea.
This is the first house we lived in (also our 4th) where I've finally made changes and made it the way I like it for ME not a buyer. It is really nice to actually live with something we've fixed, made over, or beautified!!
I know, I know, we always do the same thing...wait until we're about to sell it to fix the things we've hated for years! However, I'm getting better at inviting friends over for dinner and knowing that will get at least a few of those unfinished projects completed before the dinner date!
~audrey
We built all of our cabinets with high heels, kitchen and baths included. We love it that way!! Those short cabinets just won't do for my 5 foot 8 self and hubs 6 foot 4 frame. Check out my blog today. I think you'll like what you see!!!
You never cease to amaze me:)
Love that cabinet idea! Very clever.
I think that cord's sister is at my house--with all it's redneck cousins.
Sweetly awesome idea. Another one of those ones that's so obviusly simple and do-able that I can't BELIEVE I didn't think of it already.
I LOVE this idea!! Wish I'd thought of it myself:) The bathroom cabinets at our house were not made for people over 5' tall! It's almost funny. I'm definitely keeping this in mind for a future project.
I have the tall cabinets and it's been such an adjustment to get used to! Water always runs down (up?) my arms as I wash my face. :) Now that I'm used to them, I can't imagine going back to the short ones. This is a fantastic idea, I'll have to remember it!
I love the pictures of your home and all your neat ideas! I've been lurking around your site for a while, trying to decide if I want to mistreat anything in my house. (After reading that, it could totally be misconstrued - I'm talking about windows, that's all!) So far, I don't have the nerve yet, but I'm getting closer!
Thanks for the inspiration!
The bathroom is gorgeous. I LOVE your style. But I have a question for you Nester: can you elaborate on painting cabinets/furniture? I am SUPER scared to do this, but think I would be able to if I had a little more info. I have a cedar chest I would love to paint black, but I just get caught up in: do you sand it, strip it, what kind of paint, do you seal it, etc. etc. and thus is sits an ugly oak color with missing 70's look hardware! Anyway, if you could share your methods of painting I would greatly appreciate it.
I think about "fixing" up my house all the time and have grand plans but can't decide what to do, and since I am cheap and poor I feel like I better LOVE it before I do anything, which means I usually do nothing. But I totally agree about not waiting to fix your house up so the new owners can enjoy the fruit of your labor, so I'm trying to stop thinking and start doing something about it!
your hubby is just as crafty as you! what a great match you make!
I love the 'after' shots- you would never know! thanks for sharing!
Beautiful bathroom! So luxurious :) Thanks for the hot tip! I think I am going to be redoing some cabinets in my house...lol!
Hi Nester! I'am a new blogger and have become a HUGE fan of yours! I love all your ideas and think you are so fun!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing all of your projects!
What a great idea! You really do think of everything don't you?! We have an older home and our bathroom cabinet is very low, just like how yours used to be. I never would have thought to build up! Thanks for the idea!
I love your designs, they are AWESOME!
Please come to my house and sprinkle that design creativity my way!!!!!
I just showed this post to my hubby. I love the fact that you can take what you have and make it work!!! You are so creative.
Nester you are so smart! I too, would like to know the DIY's of the cabinet painting. Are you rolling or spraying? Kilz first? If you are spraying, how do you avoid those weird areas that are matte then shiny? Does that make sense??
LOVE this idea!!! I, too, kicked myself in our first home for doing all the things i always wanted to just to sell it. never again!!! in our second house, i did EVERYTHING when we first moved in. xoxo
Well, arent you somethin? I think that very well might be the trickiest cheap remodel for a stunted depressed down in the mouth bath vanity I have EVA seen.
such a sassy new look! Bravo, girlfriend, bravo~
Lisa
coastal nest
a newbie..glad to find ya.
Dang it! You need to be on the show, Designed to SELL!!! Clivey could be your man du jour...and you'd have many a happy homeowner at your feet after making over their funky spaces for pennies! Love the work and the sharing you showed today!
i definitelylike the painted look, neat idea!
I love your idea! What a great way to update the cabinet without ripping out the entire think.
Now if I could just find someone to do this! LOL
diane
Genius. Our last house had miniature cabinets. And those houses that have master baths with one tall and one short? I have always told hubby that I would fight him for it.
Fantastic idea!
I know you keep saying ITHTBPTBB---but then you keep showing us all this stuff that looks pretty darn perfect to me ;)!
Great idea - I think a lot of people are faced with this problem.
Turned out beautiful.
I L-O-V-E your blog! Just found you from a link at Simple Mom's Weekly Link Round-Up (http://simplemom.net/), and I'm so glad I did! I will be back again and again, I can tell and can't wait until I really have some time to explore your plethora of posts! Thanks for all of the great ideas!
I hope my husband will implement this idea for our bathrooms...we are tall, so not only will it look great, but we could stop bending over!
You are a smart nester!
Yay for vertical space,
deb meyers
Seriously why are you doing this for free? I demand that HGTV give you your own show - or that you write a book. It would be a smash success - you are a GENIUS. I heart the Nester!!
OK Jill Jill Bo Bill sent me over your way. I need HELP! I, like you, have moved.. & moved & moved. I think we will finally be here for a while & I would like to make our house a home... But am clueless where to begin. I am so not crafty.. & live in Norway where everything is so expensive... need some of your wisdom!
Good grief girl. I wish you could just come to my house and be like,
"You need to do this, and this and this, and this."
That was smart thinking! Not to mention very attractive.
I love re-doing and re-using. It started out a matter of necessity, but now it just keeps us creative.
Thanks for sharing.
ConnieLaRayne
conniescapers.blogspot.com
What a fabulous idea! The last time we sold a house I was also kicking myself for not updating things for us to enjoy while we still lived there.
Love it...what a fabulous idea! Why is it we wait to do these things when we are SELLING instead of doing them so we can enjoy them?!?!?! LOL
~Des
What a great job! After eight moves, I understand that need to "gut" a bathroom or kitchen when it doesn't quite work or is outdated. We rarely had the money to revamp a home like this - it was always paint, a new floor, and faucet change outs! A few new towels, photos - it worked and we saved a bundle :) Thanks for sharing!
Hi there. It's me. #86! I love the idea. When we built our house, our cabinet lady suggested higher vanities because she saw that we're kinda tall. Otherwise, I would have been totally out of the loop! Great idea.
Fab-U-Lous idea!! Love it! Brilliant!
Nester-you always amaze me. I mean, really who woulda thought to build up a counter. You people are simply brillant. What on earth is in your water? Amazed. Woman you rock.
But really...whats with that cord?
Oh, I kid!
Puffy Heart the Nester.
Dear Nester,
I just wanted to thank you for sharing that info on Blissfully Domestic. I am going to be a contributor and am really looking forward to it. Love all your projects.
i don't know how i missed this posting, but wow, YOU and MR.YOU are brilliant!! what a cool solution. even makes up for the cord situation. cords need their own postings, right? will you do that for me, please? right now i use paper towel tubes to house the mess. not so pretty, possibly worse than the cord. just so much i can do, and there is SO MUCH TO BE DONE> isn't it great ?! jkj
love love love this idea!!!!
We are in the process of painting our bathroom so we can list the house next week (we've lived here 8 years with a bathroom that rivals the Holiday Inn look - I kid you not). The walls are brick red (and let me tell you it's a booger to cut in - and that is the job I've been assigned. Two words. Hate.it. The job - not the paint. I lurve the paint.
In addition to the Holiday Inn look, we're also curtainless and I've been telling dh that I just need to mistreat the windows - forget expensive curtains - we're moving for goodness sake!
I may try what you did in your sister's kitchen (I'm very nervous - I'm the type A gal/perfectionist that you described in another post - I just need to take a deep breath and dive in) but I'm also considering what might be done with inexpensive napkins (big size) from say...Kohl's? There must be something clever - and since I'm not the least bit creative (but an ace at copying), I was wondering if you had any thoughts. And if, per chance, you lived in Michigan? ::big toothy smile::
Great idea!
But being only 5 feet tall, I would LOVE shorter cabinets. All of mine are, well...tall! ;)
Thanks for sharing your creativity - my hubby and I just bought our first home, and boy howdy do we need decorating advice!
My house is for sale. Would you come work on my bathrooms?
I love what you did and I keep thinking the same thing. Maybe I will paint today and freshen the color.
You did an awesome job!
What a great idea!!
Love the color on the wall too.
Very cool idea!
Donna
We have the same faucets!!! I love your blog and am so excited to see that I do have good taste. Keep up the great work.
BTW. I just read your post about the foreclosure and am so happy that you found a better place! God bless.
Need I say brilliant???
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