So, our guest bathroom makeover is moving right along.  We’ve had a little faucet snafu that still needs to be squared away, and then I’ll be ready to post some reveal pics.   In the meantime, I’ve been working on some of the smaller details.  And as I installed them, I realized that hanging them posed a few minor challenges.  So, I thought I’d post about how I dealt with them.  Again, I’m no professional (clearly… keep reading), but it ended up working out in the end.

First, our towel hooks.  We went with the Blecka hooks from Ikea because they’re modern and simple.  

I wanted to hang them side by side, which meant that they needed to be perfectly level and straight or else they’d look slightly off thanks to their linear shape.   I started by using a level to make two marks on the wall with a pencil to ensure that my top screws were inserted at exactly the same height.

Then, I held the level perpendicular to my first pencil marks and basically drew a” T” shape…

The top hole in my hook would be mounted at the cross of my “T”…

Now, I’m fully aware that I take the long route when installing anchors… I screw the nail in and unscrew it, leaving my pilot hole (I know, I know.  Just use a drill, right?  I think about it every time. But. never. do. it. Don’t ask me why.).

In this case, once I had my pilot hole created for the top screw, I laid my hook over it with the bottom hole lined up with the bottom line of my “T”.  I marked it with a pencil and created my bottom pilot hole.   I forgot to take pictures of this whole part.  I was way too enthusiastic about this project apparently.  Next, I screwed in my anchors into my pilot holes…

And after lining up my hook, I installed my screws into my anchors…

Tah-dah!   The lighting and angle of this shot makes them look a little off, but they’re actually straight and even.

I also changed out this more ornate toilet paper dispenser….

…with the Grundtal model from Ikea for a sleeker vibe.  The challenge I faced here was this…

The previous toilet paper dispenser left quite the impression.   I simply used our Minwax Ebony stain pen (which I posted an ode to here), to cover up the blemishes….

Which left this…

Then, I lined up the new dispenser over the existing holes, drilled pilot holes for my screws (See?? I’ll do it here, but not for an anchor.  I’m so weird.) and screwed this puppy in place….

Easy fix.  The new dispenser completely hides the holes and looks like it’s always been there.

Lastly, I purchased a little wall rack from the kitchen section of Ikea to hang next to the sink.  It’s the Grundtal rail, Grundtal S hooks and Bygel wire basket.  Joey was sleeping when I wanted to install it and I was impatient and wanted it done since I was on a roll.  So, I used thumbtacks and my camera to determine placement all on my lonesome.   I know this method isn’t for everyone since it requires putting holes in the wall.  But, they’re small holes.  And I already had a few holes to patch and touch up anyways, so I figured, “Hey, what’s a few more?”

I wanted to figure out a good height and whether to center the rack on the wall, or on the countertop.  So, I played.  And used my pictures as a guide to determine what I liked best.

Higher…

But this was at face level (for me) and felt too cluttered.  Lower, centered on the counter…

This was okay.  Lower, centered-ish on the wall…

But, I realized with this placement that I couldn’t completely center the rack on the wall without crowding the light switch.  And if the rack couldn’t be perfectly centered on the wall, I might as well center it with the counter.   So, lower, centered on the counter won out.   And you’ll see the final result in my reveal post.  🙂

So, there you have three smaller installation projects.   I’m crossing my fingers that the part that we’re waiting on for the faucet arrives soon so I can show ya’ll the entire room.   Soon.