IÂ should have taken more before pictures.
You see, a marketing genius and I were talking recently and she told me I need “before pictures”.Â
Why oh why didn’t I take more?
Before I lifted a paint brush or a roller or a sander, I should have lifted my camera.
I have a few pictures. They don’t really do the guest bathroom justice.
Why didn’t I zoom in on that shell toilet seat?
Why didn’t I know that I would have a blog and that before pictures were essential?
Really.Â
I mean you barely see the wallpaper….and the sink….and the faux brass towel rings. This is not an accurate representation.
I feel like I have let us all down.
Why didn’t I take more time with the before?
Maybe because I was too focused on the after.
I wanted clean and light and bright.
So instead of photographing terrible before shots, I painted the walls.
Instead of photographing the process and journey….I hunted high and low for the perfect baskets on clearance and filled them with tea-stained flowers.
Instead of creating tutorials and step-by-step instructions, I just painted signs.
Next time I will know.Â
Next time I won’t be so unbelievably careless.
You can count on me.
NOTE TO SELF:Â When starting a project…..
Take a plenty of before pictures of this….
…..before it turns into this.
If you want to see more before and after click here.
Thank goodness for next time!
PS I am linking up to Funky Junk Interiors and Beneath My Heart.
Thistlewoodfarm 
I love this!! It’s so pretty! 🙂
Befores disappear into the sunset when you have such fabulous afters. ♥
Do you think you’ll ever have a project as big as this house again?
Still laughing here. When I clicked on “marketing genius” I expected to end up on some Wikipedia definitions page 🙂 And your “befores” do paint a picture …
… and the afters are too die for! I see many pins and (dare I say) link party features in your future …
WOW! It looks fabulous!
This is a fantastic transformation, I bet you smile every time you walk by your new bath.
I agree – a picture is worth … you know! Love comparing the befores to the amazing afters! Makes us appreciate it all the more!
Kelly
i am totally drooling over here… wow!!!!!!!!
Your bath is sooo magazine worthy.
Speaking of magazines…I still have the one your sis was in. Where is she now and is she blogging?
well, the after is so gorgeous, who cares about the before 🙂
one more thing, what color is on the walls?
WOW! It is stunning!
This seems to be a problem for many of us! But, if we didn’t focus on our vision of the finished product, we probably wouldn’t be blogging or doing the home improvements we blog about anyway! I guess it’s an occupational hazard. Your bathroom looks great! Love all your personal touches. 🙂
-Revi
Your bathroom is gorgeous….. love the baskets on the shelf and the cute little brush and floss signs!!!!!! I always forget to take before pics too so people never really get the full effect of just how disgusting some of the spaces in our house really were! LOL
~Des
Wow! What a transformation! I don’t know why you didn’t keep that toilet seat! Ha! Ha! I love the before and afters! Your bath is lovely! A perfect place to soak away the day’s stresses! Thanks for sharing your lovely home with us!
oh, so, beautiful!! i just LOVE your tub:)
OMG your transformation looks amazing! great re-do!
WOW!!! Your bathroom is gorgeous. I love every single item that you have placed in there. Tell me about the grate looking things over the shelf of baskets. Those are wonderful. You did a magnificent after!!!!
I am in love! Makes me want to start a nice hot bath and relax. Beautiful! But I do think the shell toilet seat would have been a nice touch though. (lol…just kidding!)
What a great “after’! I love the vintage style of it.
Your before pics are fine….really! LOVE the tub. A beautiful after for sure.
OH…this is really a wonderful transformation! Beautiful! I love your style…
Just beautiful….It’s amazing what paint can do….
It turned out BEAUTIFULLY!!! I certainly don’t blame you for focusing on the “after” pics!
I think you did just fine! We all get the gist of what the before looked like and I’d much rather see a whole bunch of the “afters”. Great job and I love the paint color you chose!
I KNOW your pain. We didn’t take *any* at ALL of our whole house, except the ones my parents took when they toured the house for us before we moved here. If only we could figure out time travel…
Your bathroom is *stunning.*
Oh my GOODNESS! This is beyond gorgeous. I love it!
WOW, it looks beautiful! Love the colors that you picked!
aren’t you sure you want a “next time”???? the signs just send it right over the top! gorgeous!
I hear ya, sister! Before shots bare your soul and sometimes that can be embarrassing. We’re currently re-doing our bathroom and I didn’t take a single before shot, knowing I’d regret it. At least you got a couple picks of your shell toilet seat. {smile} No one will lay eyes on my broken, wooden toilet seat, cobbled together with glue … you have to sit on it a certain way to avoid any splinters! That’s about to change soon.
Oh, I almost forgot. Your bathroom is just beautiful! Love the clawfoot tub and baskets of flowers.
Beautiful bathroom! Who needs more befores… when the afters are stunning!
dee dee
you were just busy leading a normal non-blogger life, that’s why there were so few “befores”! 😉
the “after” is so pretty, I just love it all…vintage bathrooms are my fave! great work on the painted signs and i adore the trio of flower baskets.
OH! What an awesome post!!!!!
You truly wowed us, for sure!
That transformation is stunning!
I just love the way you write! You make me smile big time!
What a gorgeous bathroom.
You know what? I can get a complete idea of the before as well. The transformation is so radical that its hard to miss the change. Its beautiful. Love them baskets on the shelf!
I knew there was a reason I liked you so much! Is that a Ky map on your pillow girl~ I am going to email you~ I am a KY girl, northern Ky girl that is ( as I typed that the Beverly Hillbillies was in my mind:) Love the bathroom! Did you make the pillow, if so where did you get the graphics?
Bristol
What a gorgeous bathroom! If you make more of those signs PLEASE do a tutorial!!
Wow! I the the simplicity of this look! You are very talented!
an amazing bathroom my friend! i have to say though the before pictures did not look that bad at all : ) thanks for sharing your incredible home and talents with us! sending hugs…
i didn’t take many before photos of our house that was stuck in the 70s when we purchased it. crazy. your bathroom is amazing. i love that kentucky pillow.
LOVE your bathroom transformation!!! What paint color did you go with on the walls?
That is such a sweet makeover! What a lovely little room that bathroom now is. Congrats! Rachel @ suitsandaprons.wordpress.com
WOW! Your bathroom is now gorgeous!!! You have done an amazing job, girl. It’s beautiful! I love all of it, the floor, the walls, the shelf on the wall and the sweet sink and new toilet seat. I’m sure you are loving it.
Hugs, Cindy
Oh I think we are all *guilty* of not taking enough “before” pics. After all, we are doing a project, because we no longer resonate with the “before look.” And we aren’t too keen on preserving it, in photos.
But…… Now you do have a blog….. Now you know about the *Rules Of Blogging.* -grin- How we must-must-must take “before” Pics. When we are going to eventually show “after” ones. ,-))))))))))
“It’s so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn’t it?”
Anne Shirley/L.M. Montgomery
Oh my, how awesome is this bathroom! I love everything about it. You will be posting tutorials for those signs right?!?! So perfectly pretty!
ohmygosh! I saw these come through on Pinterest, but I honestly just assumed you’d found them in a magazine or something. Great job on everything! It is beautiful and I am so impressed!
Your bathroom is beautiful !!
Kathy
What a breath of fresh air this is! I just adore all the chippy painted elements and your “brush” “& floss” signs are so much fun! I’m loving your blue Kentucky pillow too, as I once lived there and our daughter and grandkids still do. It is so amazing to see the difference in that room. It turned out so gorgeous. ~Lili
You are so right! Sometimes we can get so excited about a project we just start right in without even thinking about photos! I confess I’m guilty! What an improvement! It turned out amazing! Love all the changes and details you put into it!
Rebecca
I love the way your bathroom turned out!! I’m a huge fan of any blue room :).
Oh…my gosh your bathroom turned out so beautiful! I’d love it if you linked it up at my Mod Mix Monday linky party next week. This is the prettiest bathroom I’ve seen in a long time.
That’s quite a transformation! Beautiful, lovely, clean, and fresh. Love it!
What a beautiful bathroom! I think I could relax in there for hours! I especially love those baskets over the tub~so cute!!! You did a great job!
What a beautiful bathroom!!! Well done =)
Hi Kari,
Beautiful bathroom, love the paint colour…
The sink is gorgeous as well as the tub!
Good for you!
All the Best,
Christine
What a gorgeous transformation! I can still appreciate the massive change just with seeing those few “befores”!
Wow! Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!!! So light and bright and clean and airy!!! GREAT job!!!! 🙂
xoxo laurie
I’m so happy you came to visit my blog. I have been sitting here just awestruck over your home. I hope someday my home can look as beautiful as yours. Just Wow!
WOW…what a beautiful makeover!!
Loving the color…all the white pops!
Your choice of accessories are perfect!
Oh WOW! I love it! 🙂
Your bathroom is everything a bathroom should be: calm, relaxing space, that you want to be in! It is gorgeous! I agree with you on the whole before pictures, I tend to get to excited to start the project asap, so I usually forget to grab the camera until after it is done! I need to learn! Visiting from Between u & me, I’m your newest follower.
Wonderful! I love the brush and floss signs and the baskets.
I have always been terrible at remembering to take the ‘before’ pics… and haven’t improved as much as I’d like since I started blogging. If I remember them, I forget somewhere else along the way…
Wow! Your after is pretty darn fabulous!
Just amazing!!!
Oh can I please come take a bath? What a beautiful bathroom–and my favorite dream tub!!!
If you get a chance please join me in my new blog party—new recipe Sunday!
Beautiful! What is the paint color?
XOXO
Stacie
Stacie, It’s SW Gris. BTW….I linked to you on the Impossibilities post today! blessings, karianne
one of the prettiest bathrooms I’ve ever seen – you had me sucked in with the white beadboard! and a claw foot tub – what I wouldn’t give for a tub like that!
What a absolutely wonderful job your did with your bathroom. This is the look I would have if I could!!! Definitely pinned!!!
It turned out so beautiful! Great job! Visiting from Not Just a Housewife!
Such a beautiful bathroom! I love what you did. You created such a calm space. My favorite detail is the Kentucky pillow. I just moved to Oklahoma from Kentucky and I get so homesick. I’d love to have a pillow like that. Did you make it yourself?
Love it! Where did you get the curved towel rack under the pedestal sink? It is just what I need in my guest bathroom!
i always love seeing the after pictures more anyways! Looks fantastic – so fresh and clean feeling which is great for a bathroom! I’d love to see a post on those fabulous Brush & Floss boards, unless I just haven’t found it yet!
where did you find that sink with the exposed pipe towel rack, we have a small bathroom and that would be perfect. Thanks
What a beautiful bathroom, before pics or no before pics! Love it. Found you via Whisperwood Cottage…
Rhonda @ home.made.
Oooo….I. just. love. it. all.!:)…And your after pictures are stunning! Great job. (I, too, am discovering you through WhisperWood Cottage).
Gorgeous bathroom! Even without a lot of before pics we can still see the dramatic changes!
It looks SO MUCH BETTER! I love it. So, tell me, how difficult was it to paint over that dark stain? I have almost that exact color on our beadboard/chair rail/baseboards/crown- LOTS of it in one big room in our house. Yes, it’s in one room, doesn’t match the rest of the house. I have wanted to paint it for FOREVER, but my man likes it…ugh.
I adore your bathroom. You did an amazing job with all the details. On to check out the rest of your blog!
take that, Apartment Therapy readers! so happy to see your bathroom was nominated at Whisperwood Cottage for the Cottages and Bungalows feature!!!
You know I love u and all u do ….
🙂
Linda
Completely agree with Stacey! Congrats on the top 12!
a big congrats to you, karianne, on your top 12!! and ditto what stacey said:)
i know i already told you i love this, but congrats again! 🙂
Geez – I swear I left a comment because I thought this was stunning! You did an amazing job at making it fresh and pretty! I don’t see my comment though! I must have gotten distracted. But popping over now to tell you CONGRATULATIONS! 🙂
Congratulations on making the top 12 at Whisperwood Cottage! I keep looking at this bathroom redo and am finding more and more inspiring things! I love the brush & floss signs!
Congratulations on making the top 12! What an amazing makeover!!!! I am inspired to get to work on my guest bath!! Good luck!
I also wanted to know what color you used on the wall? Can you let us know. I have saved this blog and looked at it over and over, we are buying a new home and in the wait process of paperwork, the bathroom has the lower wood baseboard and a clawfoot tub, and I can see these colors going perfectly! Thank you for the inspiration!
absolutely stunning!!
only found you today – crazy – what log have I been hiding under??!!!!!
look forward to seeing more.
cheryl xox.
So pretty! I wish my bathroom looked that good!
Following you now via linkys.
SO beautiful!
Sally
Oh wow… this is one absolutely gorgeous room… I could stare at it all day. You’ve done an amazing job! So inspiring.
Shared on FJI Facebook and pinned for SNS 127. 🙂
Donna
oops I logged in the wrong way… I’m at: http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.ca/
Oh wow you did such a wonderful job on your bathroom! I love the color you used! I think I could just move in this room and be perfectly happy 🙂 Great job!
Looks AMAZING, great job!!