Pick Your Poison

Our house was built in the early 90s. That being the case, it had some totally 90s design choices. Most of them have since been updated, but I'll occasionally spy an old paint color or scrap of wallpaper peeking out from behind a fixture. Despite the fact that our house has changed hands a surprising number of times in its 25-year existence, and has undergone who knows how many design changes, one upstairs bathroom remained untouched. It still featured its totally 90s peach and green wallpaper, and builder basic oak cabinets.

I'm really bad about before pictures,

so just imagine a whole room of this

Mesmerizing, isn't it...

I'm not sure why this bathroom never got a makeover. I don't think it was because all 7 previous owners loved the wallpaper so much that they couldn't bear to take it down. Maybe it was because they knew what a complete pain in the butt it would be to rip down that stubborn old paper, and they just couldn't get the motivation to tackle it? Who knows? Whatever the reason, that monument of 90s style had to go- mostly because that tiny repeating print was giving me vertigo every time I passed by it.

So about four months ago (or five, or six), I decided the day had come and the wallpaper was coming down. I set to work, and promptly destroyed the drywall. I scored it, I used hot water to loosen the glue- I did all the things you're supposed to do, but that paper had been on that wall for 25 years, and it wasn't coming off without a fight. Once I saw what an epic disaster I had made of the walls, I gave up. I couldn't even think about the work that it would take to fix them, and I spent the next four months averting my eyes when I walked past.

Then we were forced into renovations by ToiletFlood 2017. Since almost everything else upstairs was getting a facelift, I decided it was high time I returned my attention to that poor, ravaged bathroom. Or, more accurately, paid someone else to do it. As my dear friend's very wise mother once told me, "Sometimes you just have to call the man." This was one of those times. So I took GiGi's advice, and let the pros handle the damage I had inflicted on the walls. And then I did nothing for another two months. They sat there, patched, but naked.

That was because I had only destroyed the part of the bathroom that held the sink. The other part with the shower and toilet, still had that stupid paper hanging, mocking me, daring me to try to remove it. The day came that I was finally ready to do battle. I had been planning to leave the wallpaper, and just prime over it with oil-based Kilz. (a horrible job in and of itself) But as I was cleaning it to prepare it for the primer, it seemed to be loosening, and I started to think, "I bet I can get it off...."

You can guess what happened next. Yup. Destroyed those walls too. But this time Matt decided he could handle it. He was fresh off his popcorn ceiling semi-victory, and figured he was up to the task. And he was! Sort of. I mean, he's not giving up the IT world to become a fulltime drywaller, but it was good enough for a bathroom used only by an almost-teenager.

With the walls in okay-ish shape, it was finally time for paint!!! But what color?? I had already decided that I wanted to go with a great indigo blue on the cabinets- especially after I found this snazzy shower curtain. (It also helped that I had a half a can of indigo paint leftover from a previous door project!)

lovely shower curtain inspiration

But what color to complement it? It needed to be bright because that bathroom doesn't get much natural light. And it's a small space, so I didn't want to go too saturated. I thought about white, but it's a bathroom used by boys, so I nixed that quickly. Then I pondered yellow, but I wasn't loving it. Then I got the "pops of color" issue of HGTV magazine, and found what I was looking for- beautiful, bright pear green.

I found just what I had in mind at Sherwin Williams. I was so sure, in fact, that I bought a gallon without so much as bringing home a color card to test it. I was stillsure as I started putting it on the walls. I wasn't quite so sure when I got that first coat on, and stepped back, and went, "hmmmmm." My gorgeous green (Gleeful by SW) was looking a bit more poison than pear. But dangit, paint is expensive, and I just wasn't willing to throw in the towel yet.

I kept going, and it started to grow on me. It also helped when I changed out the ugly yellow bulbs on our totally 90s stripper-dressing-room light fixture. Changing the dusty old clear bulbs for some frosted white ones softened the light and brought the beautiful juicy pear out of the murk. Before long, I loved it! It's a bold color, and I know it might not be for everyone, but it tickled my fancy.  And it met with my son's approval, so success!! New towels, new art, and new 98- cent knobs for the vanity, we were done!

At least, done-ish. I'd love to someday change the faucets, the fixtures, the tile, the toilet, the tub insert, the stupid carpet in a stupid bathroom!!!! But that's going to have to wait a while. It's as done as it's going to get for a while. So I'll leave you with pictures and you can decide for yourself if it's poisonous, or "pear-fect." Either way, it's better than 90s wallpaper, or mangled drywall.

And for your bonus listening pleasure, here's the song I was singing the whole time I was painting. Much like the color, it might not be for everyone, but once you get used to it, you'll love it!!