Rub a Dub, Dub - How to Redo Our Tub???

We have been patiently putting off any upgrades in our master bath all year... mostly because Mr. C & I both agreed the first floor should take top priority and secondly - our bathroom isn't too shabby as is. The good thing about waiting before renovating is that it allows one to really mull over any potentially big decorating decisions....before say, throwing caution to the wind and painting the bathroom bright purple. Okay, I'm exaggerating. Our purple master bath isn't blindingly bright...and at night the color is actually very calming and soothing - spa-like, even.....but during the day it can totally take on the resemblance of a pastel-painted Easter egg. And I'm not saying that just because Easter is around the corner.

We painted the master bath right before we moved in (along with every other room in the house), because I felt like we needed to get this done before moving in all of our furniture. While it was much easier to paint in an empty house, especially with Mr. C's large family all kindly pitching in to help.....we didn't have much time to get 'er done, as we were still living in a different state when we first bought our house. Yep, those were a looooong couple of weekends - puttin in a full day's work on Friday, then driving up to Boston from NYC....to paint all day Saturday and Sunday....then drive back down to NYC. That obviously got old fast, so we tried to do the painting as quickly as possible, hence we picked our paint colors as quickly as possible.

So what is the point of all this paint rambling and rehashing, you ask?  Well, now that we are soon approaching the end of our first year in our new home, we are starting to talk about updating our master bath....and we are considering lots of different ideas before making any rash (aka purple) decisions. And if there's one thing I've learned from all that painting - it's to take your time and make sure it's what you realllllly want before picking up a purple covered paint brush or taking a sledge hammer to the tiled bathroom floor.  (Interesting and relevant side note - always pick a shade lighter than what you actually want on the paint deck. Colors always intensify once applied to walls).

Because we are taking this project slowly to ensure we make the most informed and thought out decisions, I am only going to focus on only one project at a time. The focus of this post will be on how we can spruce up our perfectly functional existing tub:

I don't <3 the white and gray checkered tile backsplash around the tub. But, she's got good bones and I do love everything else about that tub - especially those jacuzzi jets. So, I am looking for a way to inexpensively facelift the tub in a style that is very elegant yet neutral for when we plan to sell our home. Here are some of the options we are considering after we have bid adios to the white/gray checkered tile:

Option #1: Install a white tile backsplash with a small accent of carrara mosaic tile, kind of like these pics:



Aubrey & Lindsay's Blog



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Source Unknown

Option #2: Just add paint - nothing else. Hang framed art and/or a long shelf over the tub, like the shelf shown below:


August Fields

Option #3: Add an accent wall of tiles:

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 Option #4: Add a large mirror over the tub and forgo any backsplash:

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We have a large mirror similar in scale to the version above. It would need to be repainted, though.

We also currently have a much smaller (and I'm betting much less expensive) Ikea version of the round mirror in the picture below (we actually have two of them!):

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We could also hang a round mirror like this (I don't own any mirrors like this one, though, so it wouldn't be free like the mirror options above):  

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Option #5: Add a larger-scale carrara tiled backsplash:

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Houzz

Option #6: Stencil above the tub. This idea scares me for potential resale purposes, though:

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Option #7: A combo of #'s 5 & 6 - Do a carrara tile backsplash and stenciling:



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 Option #8: Add beadboard around the tub base and the bathroom walls, like this:


My Home Ideas

 



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Inspiring Interiors

I am really drawn to the option #4 bathroom containing the large, round beveled mirror over the sink (of course I am, it's a Sarah Richardson bathroom). I also like the idea of adding a small row of carrara mosaic backsplash (as seen in the option #2 bathroom)....and I like both of them together best of all!!!! Decisions, decisions. Speaking of which, I would greatly appreciate any and all input as we slowly but surely plan to make the decision. Thanks in advance, friends!!!