Fall 2017 One Room Challenge Master Bathroom Reno Plans | Week Two
Welcome back to week 2 of the Fall 2017 One Room Challenge. This week, I will be walking you through my plans and share details on some of the materials that I chose for this makeover.Starting with the entry to the bathroom area. As I had mentioned in Week 1, my vanity area is outside of the wet area and is carpeted. If you've never had carpet in your bathroom area, trust me, it is NOT the material of choice. Builders do it because it's inexpensive and it's a quick process, but IT IS NOT what you want to replicate. At least it wasn't carpeted into the wet area. Trust me, carpet around a toilet is an absolute FAIL on every level and outside of a tub/shower is not the way to go either. Just imagine the mold concerns...gross!!!So, I am keeping the carpet in the adjoining master bedroom, but installing tile from the vanity area into the wet area. I've been coveting the black and white hex for quite some time and even toyed with the idea of all black hex (pricey!), but after careful consideration, I decided to go with a dark charcoal 18x18 porcelain tile. I think having the large scale tile will make the space feel much bigger and the dark tile will also ground this space. I'm just beyond excited for an easy to maintain surface that can withstand water, lotion spills, hair product residue and so on. Just a quick mop and we're all good!
Now, onto the work horses of the wet area. The wimpy tub will be replaced with a nice, deep soaker tub that has been generously donated by eFaucets.com. My daughter is excited to finally enjoy a bath and use her many bath bombs...this is a gymnast's dream!The towel rod will be removed as it is fairly useless. I hang my shower cap on it because it's convenient, but I can use a hook for that. I also think it's time to update the art. I framed one of Alexa's preschool art masterpieces many years ago. I'm sure she'll be fine with something more current.Let's talk toilets shall we? Every chance I get, I opt for a one piece toilet with a concealed trap, meaning the unit is one continuous piece with no seams and the skirt of the toilet is smooth and you don't see the guts of the toilet. This makes it so much easier to clean with less crevices for dust and other dirt to settle into. I'm very grateful to the folks at Gerber for sponsoring my One Room Challenge Renovation and donating a toilet and many other items to this makeover. Gerber has two concealed trap toilets. Unfortunately, my first choice (pictured on the left) is backordered and won't be available in time for the reveal so I opted for the other unit (pictured on the right). It's also a very nice unit, I just liked the lines of the other one a little better. Regardless, it'll look great in the finished space!
As you can see, my current shower experience is nothing to brag about. Very builder basic tub spout and control valve and a simple handheld which is an absolute must! I'm thrilled to be upleveling this entire shower configuration with the generous donations from Danze and Pulse Showerspas. I opted for a chrome finish on all my fixtures because I'm choosing rather subdued materials and wanted the luster on the fixtures to pop. I love the clean modern lines of the temperature control valve and isn't that a sleek tub spout? and I will be replacing the stationary shower head with the shower spa that I have installed in every one of my client bathroom renovations over the past 2-3 years. I'm so excited that Pulse donated a unit for me to personally enjoy ...can't wait to share more about that in a few weeks! Learn about how to get a luxe shower experience on a budget here. 
I've been struggling with the tile design in the shower area. I have always loved subway tile and this is what I'll most likely use, but I haven't committed to a design yet. I love a herringbone pattern and LOVED the one with the gray border but when I put a gray tile next to the white tile in real life, I didn't love it as much. I definitely think the longer subway tiles create a nicer finished herringbone pattern than the small tiles. As you can see from one of the examples below, the small tile just looks too busy. I'm also seriously considering just going with a traditional brick pattern...it's classic and it's a clean look that you won't tire of. Stay tuned to see what I end up going with...which do you prefer?
The vanity is going to be a centerpiece in this bath. Since it's the first thing you really see, it's got to be a star! My wood specialist has graciously donated a custom piece for this makeover. He is custom making this for me and sent me the picture of the wood door as seen below. I love the continuous grain pattern. I decided to go with a floating vanity to give the illusion of a bigger space. Having open flooring underneath will visually expand the square footage.
Here are some inspiration photos for the vanity area. As you can see, these are contemporary, wood floating vanities. The beauty of the wood grain is the star attraction. I have requested a wood with a nice linear grain. Everything else is very simple. I have some leftover white quartz countertop from my last ORC powder room makeover which will be used here. I haven't quite decided whether I want to go with a large scale framed mirror or a sheet mirror like in these examples. I love the idea of the wall sconces installed on top of the mirror, but I also love the hanging pendants. I am opting for a single recessed light to shine down at the sink area. I just haven't decided on the accent lighting. Which do you prefer? Wall sconces or pendants?
I'd love to hear your thoughts so please leave me a comment below. Demo starts tomorrow so I hope to have lots of progress to share with you next week. See you then!!!
