Master Bath Transformation - Before and After

It's been a long stretch since I stopped in here for an update, so I figured I'd bring you up to speed on our bathroom redo.  When we moved into our house, I had a long list of "I'd like to change that." Our master bathroom, however, fell more under the S.O.S. category.  Still, I think there's benefit to living with a space, no matter how discouraging, for a while to really get a sense of what works, what doesn't, and why.  About six months ago, we decided to lift the quarantine.
Before I jar you with the "before" images, let's cleanse the palate and see what I envisioned for the renovation.

Now, brace yourselves for the "before"

(image from the MLS listing when we bought the house)

I like to call it:  the Mid 70s Builder-grade special.  With a splash of hospital. 

Original mauve tile, with walls painted to match.  Original vanity, which was curiously squat - even for a short stack like me.  Needless to say, there wasn't anything worth salvaging.

I use the word "master" bath loosely because, although it is ensuite, it is tiny.  Yes, it would be lovely to have dual sinks, but we actually don't overlap too much in terms of use.  We also didn't have much option to expand the space without creating a weird jut into our bedroom, or taking up valuable closet space.  So, the footprint had to stay.
The good news was that having a small footprint meant I could go a little more luxe in terms of finishes.  More than anything, I wanted to brighten it up, and try to expand the space visually.
I believe we accomplished that.

The design plan was pretty straight forward - I wanted marble subway tile to the ceiling in the shower, then to wrap around the other walls at a half-wall height.  The floor tile needed to have a higher grout-to-tile ratio to prevent slipping, so I opted for a small marble herringbone mosaic.  I carried the same tile from the vanity area into the shower to continue the visual line - another trick to make the space seem larger.  We designed a small vertical panel of the mosaic in the facing wall, because, hey, I couldn't get enough of it.  We were able to keep the lines all nice and clean by tucking two shampoo niches into the back wall.   So again, not an inch larger, but it feels soooo much more open!

P.S. - Artwork by my daughter and I (yay for freebies!)

I went with brass fixtures to warm up the color scheme, but mixed in polished nickel for the towel bar and tp holder to keep it from feeling too Liberace.

The other major component to visually enlarging the space was to mirror that baby up!  It was tricky, but I had plate mirrors cut for the dimensions of a mirrored medicine cabinet.  It's a nice, layered finish, and bounces tons of light.

The vanity base ended up giving me a bad case of the willies.  I envisioned converting an antique cabinet into a vanity, and searched for something with the perfect dimensions (we had no wiggle room), that would still function like a true vanity - to no avail.  Having a custom vanity built was out of budget, so I had to go with a standard vanity base.  Little disclaimer:  Unless you can't tell the difference, I'm not a fan of using Big Box store items for renovations, and I really felt like I was selling out, design-wise to use one, but I held my nose and did it. By topping it with a custom volakas marble top, though, I think I'm at least somewhat redeemed. ;)  It also meant there was room to splurge on the radiant floor heat, which. is. a. game changer.  Toasty toes instead of frozen-stuck-to-the-marble feet is a huge luxury in my boat!

I think it's fair to say the space was completely transformed.  Before, it was painful to see.  Now, it's a  pleasure to use. 

Sources:
Marble Subway Tile  ~ Marble pencil trim  ~  Herringbone mosaic tile (similar to)  ~  Shower fixture  (similar to) ~  Basin fixture  (similar to) ~  Vanity base (similar to, but think ours was more, and is nicer)  ~  Vanity top  ~  Mirrored Medicine Cabinet 

Inspired Spaces: White walls + Old Leather + rich wood = Luxe

Have ya'll seen the space put together by Will Kopelman (aka Mr. Drew Barrymore) in the latest AD?  It's the most anti-man cave, beautiful man-space I've ever seen.  In fact, I don't see any reason to designate it a "man space," as I'd move in in a heartbeat.

I'm generally a color gal, but throw in a neutral palette with some roughed up leather, and you'll get me every time.  Besides, the home office has enough suggestion of color with the enormous John Singer Sargent reproduction (Will's an art adviser - nice work if you can get it)  What I really love is the not-in-your-face luxe of it all.  From the rich polished wood paired with the contemporary pieces to the men's suiting fabric that makes the window treatments - all against the perfectly-white background.  As Ferris Bueller once said, "It is so choice."

Moving on to the bath and dressing room portion of the program, Will turns the tables and goes dark and rich.  The dressing room in black lacquer with hits of wood and brass still serves to scratch my itch for dark, high gloss rooms.

It also serves to remind me that rooms with drastically different feels can exist beautifully as neighbors - they key is the streamlined palette, and shared materials.

The bathroom is just - wow.  It's a lot, and I'm not sure I could deal with this much going on on a daily basis, but I LOVE that he went for it.  Like all-out, gentleman's glam.  I admire a man who knows his style and rocks it to the last detail.  Drew says she cried when she first saw the space - because it made her bathroom look downright granny.

I've had this white walls, rich wood, worn leather, mix of modern soup in my brain so much, I decided to use it to put together a design scheme for a class project.  My assignment is to design a Living/Dining room space.  I put more of a feminine twist on my interpretation, and the items I sourced would be filed under a budget known as...uh, dreamy, but here ya go.

In this room, every hour would feel like martini hour.   {sly grin}

Staging a blog comeback: The Ick Master Bathroom

So, new year, new me.  As 'muricans, we all love a good comeback, so I'm attempting to make this mine.  Attempt being the key word.  We've done a lot of renovating over the last year and a half, and I've been a total slacker about documenting it.  So, I hope to catch up somewhat with that, but really, I just want to get back to the reason I ever blogged to begin with.  To give voice to my inner monologue, the heavy emphasis being on interiors, and to plan and organize decorating projects.

Jumping right in...Our master* bath.  It's en suite to our room, but otherwise, there's nothing master about it.  It is wee.  Eight by five feet, to be exact.  Anyway, it's next on our project list.

Behold.

 It's charming in that hospital-grade kind of way, right?

Original vanity that is super low, even for a shortstack like me.

 New tile, but I just can't deal.

I feel like I just stood in front of you naked.

For the record, it came to us this way.  The tile in the shower, and the vanity are the original 1970s builder-grade selections.  The previous owners installed new floor tile, and put a fresh coat of the oh-so-flattering mauve (flat finish, btw) paint and called it a day.
In the time we've lived here, the lack of an exhaust fan caused the ceiling paint to chip, and the sheetrock to bubble/chip.  Most of the walls also have water lines from condensation.  We've since installed an exhaust fan, but the damage was done.
We've been focusing our time/money/effort on other rooms the whole family enjoys, and I've been putting off the decision-making, but now it's time to bite this bullet.  Truth is, though I may not have run out of designing steam, our checkbook might've, so my original plans to make this a tiny but luxe bath have scaled back.

And that's where I'm at:  redesigning.

As a visual, my first thoughts were to brighten it all up (obvs), add a lot of reflective and light surfaces to bounce light, and address the seriously-lacking storage situation.  Something marbly and mirror-y like these would make me happy.

via

BUT, after crunching some numbers, and really thinking about elements I love, I'm pulling more in a mixed materials/textures direction.

Still on the white marble train, but instead of a lot of white/light gray cabinets, walls, etc,  I'm planning to mix in some med-dark wood tones with brass to keep the color palette a little warm.  We live in a traditional Colonial, so keeping some wood tones suits the home, too.
Heading somewhere like

via indigo ochre

I would love to reclaim an old chest for a vanity, and have done some searching, but our very specific space requirements have made it tough to find the right piece.  I'll probably end up with a ready-made vanity (boo!), and will instead focus on the preeeeetty marble herringbone mosaic that'll cover the floor.

So , I have some design-boarding to do, but at least I can think New Year, New Bath!

Gradeschool Crush

I have a crush on these gradeschool-reminiscent trough sinks that are popping up all over the place. If I were working with someone redoing a shared, sibling bathroom, I'd be all over it like white on rice. Ditto for envisioning a bath for my own girls.

Turns out that its pedigree isn't all that lofty - it's a Kohler model, the Brockway, offered by Home Depot. The arched, showerhead-looking faucet is the Cannock. The three-faucet model, plus faucets and accessories like the soapdish will set you back nearly 2Gs - bummer - but I'd argue the classic and whimsical style is worth the heavier price tag.

Obviously, you can take the style all-out Cottage...

...but, I tend to like where this vintage-with-a-twist look is going.

Clearly a no-brainer for kids who need as much area to catch splashes as they can get.

Mom and Dad could use a sleeker, more Victorian version...

Wonder who gets to use the mirror?

Potty Time

Please tell me I'm not the only person who takes pictures of interesting public restrooms...

Brazilians tend to be very imaginative and detail-oriented when it comes to restrooms - especially with basins, and I dig that about them! (I also dig that said restrooms are typically spotless, and there's nearly always a pint-sized version for kiddos)

Speaking of kiddos - we're hosting Isla's 1st birthday festa this weekend. She actually turns one next week *sniff, sniff*, but we're extending the celebration a bit. Undoubtedly, there will be pics next week.
Potty on, Stalkers!

Short and Sweet

Taking the Columbus day holiday to hang with the Fam, but had to share my latest love: Mirrors in front of Windows - where feasible, it's WONDEY-full!

via Coastal Living

Ya lookin' for me?

I'll be hiding out here. Taking a long soak, then lounging on that flokati with my bestest read. Shhhh....

B&A Ecstacy!

A little over a year ago, my good friend Carrie said they were ready to take on the redo of their master bath. A pic I'd seen in Coastal Living struck me as something they might like, and sure enough, it served as a stepping off point for the bath remodel.

Over the course of the year, Carrie and her hubster, Scott, added a third son to their family, studied for work promotions, and nursed another kiddo's broken leg ALL while Scott gutted the bathroom. As Carrie has proudly said, this project has taken Scott well-beyond simple "handyman" status as he did all the work himself.

I know you all like a good B&A, so here ya go - feast your eyes on this transformation!

Standard, 80's builder-grade vanity and garden tub

Replaced with a rustic Craigslist console-turned-vanity, vessel sinks, and modern cultured marble counter that does a stunning job of mimicking Carrara.

Oh, and gorgeous wall-mounted gooseneck faucets!

The most challenging aspect of the project was Scott's plan to reverse the shower stall and tub placement, to take advantage of unused space in the tub's window seat.

Where the old shower stood, there's now an inviting claw-foot tub.

Would you believe it's fiberglass?


Eye candy for a fixture junkie like me!

And, where the garden tub made inefficient use of space, there's now a multi-spray shower with plenty of room for a built-in seat. I can't say what I love more: the river stone floor, or the showerhead combo!

Crazy gorgeous, my friends! (Um, can I use your bath next time we visit? ;)

Oh so duuuurty!

I don't know about you, but great design before and afters are like my porn... Especially when we're talkin' carrara marble subway and hex tiles. Polished Nickel hardware and (original) claw foot tubs...

Here's the (fairly grotesque) before shot.

Images borrowed (without permission -tsk tsk) from A Brooklyn Limestone - where I can't get enough of her (I'm living vicariously) reno.