The Fundamental Things Apply

When we decided to start the renovations on the house, the bathroom was pushed to the back burner. We figured we would wait to save money at the present moment and complete it at a later date. However, as we started getting into the demolition we quickly realized it was something that had to be done now otherwise we would be living in a war zone. Boy am I glad we did. The bathroom is one of the fundamental rooms in the home. Being without it for any period of time would have proven to be very difficult and stressful. 


The original bathroom, which claimed to be updated, was a lovely shade of nicotine yellow. It held a very large jacuzzi tub leaving very little space to move around, let alone use the facilities. Just as we did in the kitchen, we stripped the walls completely to the studs. We tore out all of the furnishings and decided to start from scratch. 

To start, we rebuilt the outer wall and moved the door frame into the middle of the wall. Doing so allowed us to move the location of the vanity. We also figured it would be best to eliminate a tub all together. Instead we installed a stand up corner shower. This opened up the room substantially. In order to keep plumbing to a minimum, we were able to keep the toilet in its original position. 

I was very lucky to find a very nice vanity at Home Depot on Black Friday at an amazing price. It was so good, I actually bought two with plans to put the other one in the upstairs half bath. Unfortunately, this vanity was too large to fit in the half bath. Instead I gave it to our friend who was also renovating. The stand up shower and new toilet were purchased at Grossman's, a local home improvement wholesaler. Finding these deals allowed us to keep costs low for this particular room renovation. 

In terms of color and decor, this all fell into place. My good friend Tara is an interior designer. She put together some color swatches for me and I was able to design the house off of her samples. I chose a light grey-blue paint for walls. This was going to work well with the dark vanity and shelving I purchased. Last piece of the puzzle was flooring. We decided that we would put the same flooring in the bathroom right into the entry way and kitchen. I knew I wanted a dark floor, especially with the furry beast walking in and out of the house. We settled on a dark grey tile which helped tie the whole room together. 

I added a few small touches to spruce up the room. Being that the space is small, storage is limited. By displaying the folded crisp white towels, I was able to do double duty of storage and decor. I added in two baskets to hold various items in as well. I also printed one of Nick's photograph's of a favorite childhood vacation spot and framed it over the toilet. Lastly, I chose to use brushed nickel finishes to go with the vanity. I am very pleased with how the bathroom turned out. It is very spacious and soothing. The colors and open storage give it a spa-like feel that I have grown to love. 

My recommendations for a bathroom renovation are as follows. First and foremost, try to complete it sooner rather than later if possible. You also want to be sure that once you start your project be sure that you have time to complete. You do not want to be living in the house with one bathroom that is completely torn apart.  Secondly, go with your gut. I did not really go into the room with a plan. I knew I wanted a lighter wall color to open up the space more. After finding the vanity at Home Depot for such a good price, everything else pretty much fell into place. Lastly, have fun with it. You are indeed renovating your own bathroom. Do not be afraid to try new colors or designs. You can always repaint!