It’s time for the hall bathroom refresh. We’re planning several phases of updates and this is phase one. For a while we’ve been hiding something in the hall bathroom — that big empty frame above the toilet wasn’t just decorative. There was more going on behind it.
To explain the mystery of the shelf-like skeleton above the toilet, I’ll point to a post Sherry wrote about 20 months ago called “Sometimes I Go Crazy.” She describes tearing out some excessive towel bars that were poorly placed and unnecessary in our hall bathroom.
We successfully covered the resulting tile damage in that spot with trim, so that fix worked out fine.
Not as successful was Sherry’s attempt to remove a weird soap dish mounted above the toilet. We’ve lived with that craggy eyesore for nearly two years, and kept telling ourselves we’d one day cut a tile out and replace it — like we did previously here.
Eventually we came up with a better idea: something both functional and decorative to cover the lumpy mess. We decided to make a chunky floating shelf to hold art, toiletries, and small items. Form + function + hiding the ugly = win.
Note: I accidentally deleted some early photos from this project, so I’ll explain the steps as clearly as possible even without every visual. Yes, I know — deleting photos is a blogging sin. Moving on.
Covering the damaged tile required drilling some pilot holes to mount our homemade shelf, which created a bit more work but made the end result worth it.
We based the shelf on a floating-shelf approach similar to a plan Ana White shared on our blog for recreating the floating shelves from our old dining room. The idea is to build a “sleeve” attached to the wall, over which a box-style shelf slips so it appears to float. Because this shelf won’t hold much weight, I simplified the construction compared to the original plans.
The shelf itself was built from inexpensive craft pine from Home Depot — the wood cost about eight dollars. The top was a thin leftover piece from Clara’s dollhouse. I used a Kreg Jig to assemble the plank and to create the sleeve, which I anchored into the tile using a masonry bit. The box portion was assembled the same way you’d make a simple box. The finished shelf measures roughly 6″ tall, 21″ long, and 3″ deep.
There’s no bottom on the shelf since it won’t be seen under normal use — unless you’re looking from inside the toilet tank, which would suggest other problems entirely.
The shelf slides over the sleeve and completely hides the damaged tile. We placed a $30 fish print that Sherry found to add a pop of color; it fits nicely with the mirror and helps balance the wall composition. The fish — affectionately named Bubbles — now has a proper place to rest.
We debated whether to paint or stain the shelf. Since we haven’t decided on a wall color yet and plan to introduce other colorful elements (like a bright window shade and accessories), we chose a subtle whitewash. Sherry dampened the wood first so paint would spread evenly, then wiped on a light gray wash using a paper towel. The color was Collingwood by Benjamin Moore from a leftover test pot. She worked it until the finish was uniform and softly lightened the wood without becoming blotchy.
The whitewashed result retained some wood grain texture but lost the original orange tone that looked out of place in our black-and-white bathroom. The shelf now complements the fish print without competing with future color plans.
Right now the shelf looks simple, but it’s only the first of many updates we have planned: bold wall color, a patterned shade, window trim, and brighter hardware for the vanity are all on the list. This is step one of about a dozen — it might feel understated now, but the pieces will come together as we continue.
This homemade shelf is far more useful than the old soap dish — modern toothbrushes wouldn’t even fit in those anymore — and it gave us the push to finally start painting the walls (we’ve already begun). I’ll be more careful with photos going forward, and if the earlier images turn up I’ll add them to this post retroactively. For now, it’s a fish on a shelf hiding broken tile — just another ordinary day here.
How was your weekend? Any projects or cover-ups happening at your place?
Psst — we’ve been in NY, CT, and NJ the past few days and saw the damage from Sandy firsthand. It’s severe in many areas. Sherry’s grandma still has no heat or power, fuel is scarce, and coastal communities were hit hardest. We’re sending love to everyone affected and will share more when we post a tour update later this week.