Our master bathroom is tiny, just a sink and toilet. Since we have such a small bathroom, an extra storage shelf is a must.
We tried putting the extra shelf above the doorway, but it always looked strange. The door to the bathroom from the master bedroom is usually open, and the wood shelf visually lowered the doorway, and it looked like something might fall on you if you walked through. So, I decided it was time for an upgrade.
The shelf before–not quite right.
I took the shelf down. It was an old shelf that had been in the garage when we moved in, so it was worn and beat up, but solid wood. I stained the wood ebony. We have a lingerie dresser just outside the bathroom door that has a beautiful ebony stain. We bought the dresser unfinished, and I stained it, so I still had some stain leftover. This would tie the bathroom with the bedroom a little better.
After I stained it, I let the wood soak the stain in and cure for several days.
Since the shelf had originally been in the garage, the hardware was rusty and worn looking. I thought a gold metal would look nice next to all the the gold hardware on my jewelry gallery wall, so I used an antique gold color of Rub N Buff. I knew that Rub n Buff works well on metal after using it to refinish our curtain hardware.
I just rubbed on a light coat of Rub N Buff to let the imperfections show through. I didn’t want it to look painted, just gold-colored. And, because I’m lazy, I just rubbed some on the screws too.
Paste wax was a perfect finish for the shelf. Just one coat was easy to apply and gave it a little protection and a finished look.
I mounted the shelf over the small window in the bathroom. I used wall anchors to hold the weight of the shelf. Then I added a little Rub N Buff to the new screws to make them goldish like the rest of the hardware.
It’s still out of the way, but no longer visible from the bedroom. The dark ebony also minimizes it, and at the same time, makes it look like a finished piece.
Now I can store all of my bathroom necessities, like toilet paper and hand towels, up and out of the way, but still within reach. Perfect for adding more storage to my little bathroom.
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This post was shared at some of my favorite link parties, and it was featured on Welcome Home Wednesday!
