If you were here last week, you know about the Valentine’s Day drywall disaster, the bleeped-out video, and the infamous “Mike Maneuver.”
I would love to tell you that today we are officially out of the dust and fully into the “Pretty Phase,” but let’s be real. The drywall isn’t completely sealed, the board and batten isn’t entirely up yet, and the bathroom is still very much a construction zone.
And, among the chaos, I made another design pivot (I Switched Geers again).
Here is the candid DIY reality: I originally wanted board and batten on the bottom part of the wall and fun wallpaper on the top. (BTW, all of this was to avoid having to mud and sand drywall in a quality way 😉). But I got nervous about installing patterned wallpaper, so I found a textured wallpaper that was going to roll on nicely. It was white, but paintable.
As I looked at the wall I had already painted white, I could tell it was too much white. I tried some green, but I second-guessed that decision too. So I took a vote (thanks to those who responded!), and Sherwin Williams Lotus Flower pink won.
But here is the kicker: I bought that textured wallpaper originally thinking it would hide our inevitable drywall imperfections. But Mike put in the back-breaking, dusty work to mud and sand those walls until they were completely smooth. When it was time to put up the wallpaper, I just couldn’t do it. I kept making mistake after mistake, and covering up his smooth drywall masterpiece suddenly felt like a crime (and totally unnecessary extra work).
So we ditched the textured wallpaper! (Well, for now, because I keep changing my mind—poor Mike!)
Because we are still in the thick of the “ugly phase” of renovation, I desperately needed a visual morale boost. So, I did what any impatient DIYer would do: I prepped and painted just one wall so I could see our new vision come to life.
Here is the current plan:
1. The Color Below: Sherwin Williams Lotus Flower Instead of white board and batten, we are letting the paint steal the show. We wanted a color that felt warm, inviting, and a little bit nostalgic. Enter: Lotus Flower. Getting that first coat on my one “sneak peek” wall felt like a massive victory—but guess what? I’m second-guessing my decision again!
2. The Color Above: Sherwin Williams Pure White Since we ditched the wallpaper, we are keeping the top half of the walls crisp and clean with Pure White to balance everything out.
3. Texture & Trim: Classic Board and Batten To give the space that true, historic cabin feel without the wallpaper, we are installing classic board and batten on the lower half of the walls. It isn’t all up yet, but the pieces we do have installed ground the space perfectly.
4. The Functional Details: Vintage Towel Hooks I even went ahead and attached one of our heavy, vintage-inspired towel hooks to the fresh board and batten. In a small cabin bathroom, every detail matters. It looks incredible against the pink paint and proves that all this dusty prep work is actually going to be worth it. A green and white ticking striped shower curtain and a pink and white “My Magic Carpet by Genevieve Gorder” rug will look great!
The rest of the room might still be a dust and construction, but this one little corner is keeping me going! (But should I change the color? LOL – NO! 😉
Now I want to hear from you: Have you ever bought supplies for a DIY project and then completely changed your mind halfway through? Or have you ever painted just one corner of a room to give yourself a morale boost? Tell me in the comments below!
