Before and After - the Ensuite

The previous owners did some renovations on our cottage and of course, it was to their taste. But you know, not so much to mine. You see, it's a bit TOO cottage-y. Especially in the ensuite. They were so smart to put IN an ensuite when they did the renovation but the fixtures? Well, let's just say that I don't really need to have an "H" or a "C" to know which tap is the hot and which tap is the cold. Don't hate me - I just don't like it.

I am not a big fan either of the laminate counters. I already redid the kitchen counters in caesarstone. And I am thinking of redoing the counters in this bathroom but am balking a bit. It's because the taps match the tap in the bathtub match the shower fixtures too. I like a more sleek modern look with an undermount sink. But it's a slippery slope. Suddenly we're opening up the subway tile bath surround and it's a major job.

Not so much in price but hassle and mess. Anything where there's tile and drywall? That dust gets EVERYWHERE.

And sometimes renos are like putting earrings on a monkey. Ever heard of that term? In other words, you don't wanna overspend for the value of your house. So I'm debating going any further right.now.

BUT there is something that I DID do. The previous owners picked the drawer knobs to match the fixtures. White ceramic. (At least they don't have a "K" on them to remind me that they are knobs. Or maybe a "P" for pull?)

I like a pull or a knob with a bit of heft to it. It's one of those things that you are touching many times in a day - I like to have something that feels good in the hand. Like a nice tap too.

I changed all of the drawer pulls in my old lake cottage. And I found THE best ones at Anthropologie. Different ones for each room/cupboard/dresser. Feeling nostalgic, I zoomed over there a couple of days ago and picked up some new ones. The exact same ones that I used on a dresser in that old lake cottage.

Aren't they pretty? Here's a tip too - if you are changing drawer pulls, take an old one along so that you can be sure that the width and length of the screw will work. Ones that you get at your big box builder store will be fine but the ones at Anthro are often imported from overseas and SOMETIMES don't always work in our sized cupboards and drawers. Speaking from experience. And not wanting you to go back to return/exchange things.

Here they are installed!

It's not a HUGE change but I like it. The bathroom was already repainted before we moved in last year - from yellow to my fave Benjamin Moore Cloud White (CC-40). A LITTLE bit more edge to it than before.

So you REALLY don't need to think BIG when you want to make a change in a room. Sometimes just a small accessory like drawer pulls can make all the difference.

Have you made any small changes with a big impact?