Beach Cottage Project

Our cottage bathroom is everything I just wouldn't do in a bathroom if I was designing it myself.  No tub, corner shower (I absolutely hate corner things), a vinyl floor and new white sink unit with integrated sink, plus all the walls have been covered in a vinyl "faux tile" product.  The ceiling has a shiny white vinyl.  I would love to rip it out however, I have decided not to for the following reasons.

• 
  
  It is fairly new and clean and fresh
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  The workmanship is good
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  The materials are good quality
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  It is practical, easy to clean and tidy.  I don't want renters to have to worry about what cleaners to use on the tiles.
• 
  
  I don't want to toss it all into a landfill.  My rule for this cottage is ReUse, ReCycle.
• 
  
  Not in the budget

So, I am going to live with it and embrace its good qualities, adding a few vintage touches here and there. We really needed more hooks to hang beach towels and jammies and things, so I took on a little project using this old window shutter to make a peg board.

I was inspired by Lori's post at Frugal Farmhouse Design where she aged a gorgeous table.

Here's what I did.

I started with an  dirty old brown shutter. $10.00 thrift shop. After a good scrubbing I gave it a very rough coat of Farrow and Ball's Arsenic. (I bought the little sample sizes of Farrow and Ball.  They are a good size and you only need a little)  I Love that for a paint name.  I knew one day, I would have to use Aresnic, solely because of the name.

The Arsenic was applied in patchy areas.(left).  I then applied a 4-1 water to paint mix of

 Cornforth White and splashed it on all over, front and back.

After the white paint was dry I rubbed it down with sand paper to reveal the green and the underlying wood.

On the left is the finished shutter.  However when I hung it, I found it too light and not enough weight against the wall.  So I "Grubbied" it up a bit.  I dry brushed on some Tanners Brown to make the exposed wood darker.  Then a quick very thin dry brush of Green Blue.  You can add more, rub more off and play around until you like the finish.

Once I was happy with the finish, I added a few very simple, inexpensive wardrobe hooks.....

I left on the original Shutter hardware for extra hooks.

Now there's lots of room for towels and Bits................

I am participating in Metamorphis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.