Sunday, August 1, 2010

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.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Try a small roller on the door - one of the 4" or 6" ones. That should give a better finish!

Looks great and I love the floor.

Judy @ A Meek Perspective said...

I popped over from your link on The Lettered Cottage to see you bathroom because we have an equally tiny bathroom just.like.yours! I am wanting to redo it and keep thinking and thinking and thinking about it and changing my mind. Your redo is beautiful and simple and I think that is what a small bathroom like ours needs. Just wanted to say I thought you did a great job!

Leen said...

Beautiful room! I absolutely adore the glass tiles and the five panel door but I agree with you that the floor is the very best part.

Nice job :)

Anonymous said...

Can you give any more info on the floor tiles? Name, color, website, etc?

I love it!

RubberChickenGirl

Unknown said...

OMG this is beautiful! Was it hard finding the right contractor? I so want to do this in our baths!! You did a great job...love all the items you chose.

Melissa said...

Thank you everyone! I am really happy with the end product.

The tiles are 1" Carrera marble hex tiles. I am afraid I can't give you much more information than that as tracking down the tiles was a bit of a nightmare and I think I have blocked everything out. I had 2" tiles in mind to start, but my contractor ended up finding these ones at Decora Tile in Victoria, BC.

My contractor was recommended by a friend at work and it worked out pretty well. I just wish I had enough money to do a few more renos!