The Bathroom: After

So, my bathroom is now complete and, overall, I am very happy with it. It has the classic romantic look that I was going for. Despite the fact that it was supposed to be finished early on in my renovation, it ended up being the final project my contractor completed.

Here is the bathroom before:

And here it is now:

I replaced the old laminate hollow core door with a beautiful five panel wood door. My only issue with this door is that I painted it myself and just can't get a good finish (I can't seem to paint it fast enough and it goes all funny where my brush strokes meet at the vertical and horizonal junctions). I am going to try one more time!

The old tub was removed and replaced with this beautiful soaker tub by Hytec from Kohler. I knew exactly what I wanted for a tub and it took a while to track this one down. Persistence pays off!

Large subway tiles were used for the tub surround and I also added an accent band of recycled glass tiles. I love these and wish I had gone for a wider band. They were ridiculously expensive though!

For the vanity, I wanted something that looks like furniture so I tracked down this piece from American Standard. It is a bit large for the space (actually it is the same size as the old vanity, but couldn't be tucked into the corner due to an angled wall) and I think it overpowers the space a bit, but I still love the piece and it gives lots of storage. I replaced the original drawer pulls with sparkly glass knobs. I love glass knobs.

The faucet I seleted is modern and I chose it for it's simple and clean lines. It is hard to find faucets without swirls and swoops.

And last, but not least, there is the floor. My beautiful floor! These lovely Carrera marble hex tiles set my bathroom remodel back by about 6 weeks. The original tile seller I selected was TERRIBLE and it we waited about two months before we finally gave up and bought them elsewhere. I almost gave up on these tiles a few times, but I am so glad I didn't.

I love them! I think that they are my favourite part of the whole renovation.

With my pretty new bathroom complete, I had to update my shower curtain as well. I originally bought this one in pink, but it was too much in both size and colour. So, I returned it to the store and begged the owner to order in this one for me instead (this took a bit of convincing, but now that she has seen it I think she will be carrying it at her store). It is so cute.

Overall, I love the materials, fixtures and furniture I selected for the bathroom. The tub, the vanity and the floor are exactly what I wanted. Things that I would do differently include:

(1) Think about the position of the vanity in comparison to the position of the lighting! Mine are a bit out of sync.

(2) I love my vanity, but I wish I had chosen something smaller. This time I chose the style of a single item over the space usage in the room. I think I would do the reverse in the future.

(3) It is hard to paint a flat ceiling! I don't know how to fix this so I am getting painters next time.

(4) Don't paint a small room white unless you have a window. I thought that white would keep my bathroom clean and fresh, but without a window, it feels a bit too sterile. I think a warm colour could help.

My last tasks are to (attempt to) repaint the door and find some art. Then I will take a nice long soak.