PROJECT WATERTON BATHROOM REVEALS - INTERIOR PART 2
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As promised, here's the behind-the-scenes look at the bathroom renovations of the Waterton project. Let's start with a quick look at the BEFORE of each space. Are you ready? Here is the original Hall Bath in all its Liberace inspired glory. Fancy right? Original pink and brown tile, original bathtub, wallpaper, jabot window coverings with tassel trim (do you see that?!). Despite it's dated look, the previous owner kept it in excellent condition. Unfortunately, the floorplan was awkward. The vanity had a bump out that the space could not really afford, and the tub also had a bump out and it was very low. The only light source was the 3 light bath bar above the vanity and the only ventilation was the double hung window
Okay, ready for the Master Bathroom? Here she is...original stall shower (the tomb or cubicle style) - my least favorite kind. It was narrow and had a drop ceiling and it was dark...not an inviting experience at all. Let's try to set the scene here...this is the view from the door looking to the left and directly across from this itty bitty vanity was the toilet...that was it. 3 piece bath in its most basic form. Not much of a master bath to brag about!
Truth be told, when I first took on this project, one of the biggest wish lists was to reconfigure the bathrooms. However, after reviewing the existing floor plans and coming up with different options, based on the budget and my estimated costs to complete this very ambitious and extensive renovation on a very tight budget, my recommendation was to keep the floor plans as is and just update the finishes. This would keep the construction expenses to a minimum - not just labor, but also permit costs as well as keep our timeline in check because keeping the floor plans the same allows us to pull permits over the counter vs. drawing up plans and waiting for the City's approval. Well, let's just say that didn't go over well. So, back to the drawing board and this is what we came up with. See the existing floor plans on top and the proposed on the bottom which is what we ended up going with...
What we basically did was combine the square footage of the two spaces and cut it in half. They were essentially the same bath configurations except the hall bath got a bath tub while the master bath got a shower. Since a standard tub is 60"W, the hall bath is a bit little wider. I love demo...out with the old and usually ugly...so we can starting creating something fresh and modern or updated, if you will.
And by the following week we had the framing, plumbing, and electrical done which is very exciting because you can start seeing how the new spaces will function.
From there we have drywall installation and the finishes. This is when the bathrooms are really taking shape and starts to feel more personal.
So let me give you a brief overview of what we did in each bath. If I went into too much detail about the process, this blog post would be a mile long so here goes...In the Hall Bath, we replaced the double hung window with a frosted picture window, installed a 12x24 white wave porcelain tile in a glossy finish from the top of the tub deck to the ceiling, installed a recessed light above the vanity (the homeowners decided against a light fixture above the vanity)and above the tub and installed a fan/light/heater in the middle of the room to provide ventilation, light and a source of heat for those cold weather months. This is a really nice feature, especially when you have young children. It keeps them cozy after bath time. The new tub is nice and deep at 19.5"H which allows the kids to splash as aggressively as they want without the wet mess that a low tub can't combat. The light grey 12x24 porcelain tile on the floors were installed in a straight stack pattern since they were going for a very modern aesthetic. I chose to run the tile along with the width of the tub for two reasons, 1) it follows the pattern of the tile on the tub surround and 2) it gives the illusion of a wider room. If I would have ran the tile the opposite direction towards the tub, it would create a longer, narrower look. We chose a floating vanity to allow this small room to have more floor space and had the sheet mirror custom made to run from the top of the backsplash to the ceiling. This also gives the illusion of a taller space that a smaller mirror would not have afforded us. As you can see our bath fixtures and even door fixtures all have a very simple, modern aesthetic. It's important to keep everything consistent throughout the house to achieve the best overall result.
Here's an up close look at the shampoo niche...I love installing these in baths as it is so functional. The upper portion is for shampoo and body wash while the bottom is perfect for soap and razors. Keeps the mess in the tub/shower areas to a minimum.
And here's the side-by-side comparison of the before and after of the hall bath...
Onto the Master Bath...this room, although not large, feels so much more spacious than the original and has a ton of storage with this floor to ceiling custom linen cabinet installed into the niche where the old vanity used to be. We also went with a floating vanity here and installed a 3 panel recessed medicine cabinet to maximize the storage options for toiletries. A recessed light was installed above the vanity in lieu of a bath bar, another light in the shower and the same fan/light/heater as the hall bath provides the additional light, ventilation and comfort for the masters of the home. We installed the same 12x24 marble tiles on the floor and floor to ceiling on the shower surround walls. On the shower floor we went with a coordinating hexagon marble mosaic. The white really stands out against the gray walls and the chrome finishes really pop against the white. The natural veining in the marble pulls the two colors together and gives the room the dimension it needs to keep from being too sterile. Such a fresh, modern space don't you agree? As a side note, the homeowner originally wanted to install the tile around the entire perimeter of the bath which I discouraged for a couple of reasons. It would impact the budget with additional outlay of funds for materials and labor to install it and I felt like the room was so small, it would be overwhelming to have all this tile surrounding the space. I'm really glad we didn't line the walls with tile. I think it would have significantly detracted from the overall result...do you agree?
And here's one more look at the before and after...
What do you think of the transformations? Would love your feedback. Would you have configured the space differently? Let me know in the comments below...Come back for more on the fireplace and open floor plan transformation - coming soon!
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