So after much contemplation, David and I have decided to redo our master bathroom. We’ve considered it for a long time now and are ready to take the plunge. The idea of having to make so many design decisions and having people in my house for 6-8 weeks while they tear it apart and put it back together is slightly overwhelming to me, but I know the end results will be incredible.
I’ll show you some detailed pictures of its current state once I have a chance to clean it up a bit, but the process is really just getting started. Our designer/contractor told us that step one is picking out our new look, so we were excited to find a Tuesday morning that allowed us both to go check out all things cabinetry, tile and fixture.
Two eggs on a spelt wrap with fresh salsa and avocado. Lumi’s carrot mango juice on the side.
With our sitter with the girls, we grabbed hot drinks and were giddy about the idea of a morning date!
Sadly, about 10 minutes later our car overheated and we spent the next hour filling the radiator up with water, letting a nice gentleman with a leaf blower help cool it off and slowly making our way to the car shop. Whomp whomp.
Though it ate into our morning a bit, our contractor was kind enough to pick us up and soon enough we were tile hunting.
I know most women are giddy at the idea of designing from scratch, but along with the fashion gene, I’m missing the home design gene in a major away. I know what I like (neutral, traditional, clean), but have a hard time piecing it together. Thank goodness for guided help.
I know grays are in in a major way, and I LOVE some of the pictures I’ve seen of them, but we’re sticking to a color pallet like the one above-ish. It goes well with our house and David and I fully embrace that we both are about traditional as traditional can get. I’m so excited!
Next it was fixtures and my goodness, who knew there were so many to choose from?!
I was almost ready to hyperventilate, but we narrowed down the options rather quickly, then stopped to check out the sweet light fixtures too. Since we are putting in a pedestal tub, we are considering a fun light element to hang above it.
I’m so out of my element, but still so excited.
The rest of the day was quite nice. I snagged some leftover ginger kale, mushroom and beef stirfry for lunch and after I put the girls down, I kicked my feet up with Cameron for a bit.
I got in line for The Body Book months ago through the library (love that you can borrow e-books!) and it finally became available. So far I really like it!
Once Kaitlyn was up, we relaxed on the porch for a bit…
then kicked it up a notch with a serious workout with my friend Susan.
I came home, muscles shaking, and snagged a section of the girls’ dinner to snack on.
We ate out on the porch because, need I say it again? 70 and sunny.
Once the girls went to bed, David and I took a silly number of trips through the pre-dinner assembly line…
and finished it off with a fajita salad.
It was a pretty great (WIAW) day and I look forward to sharing more of our renovation… if you care to see it?
If you could redesign your bathroom, what is one thing you would change or one thing you would love to have?
What makes or breaks a bathroom for you?
Any ideas/tips that I should consider?
Heather @fitncookies says
Oh how fun! I can’t wait to see the before and after. We need our bathroom done, too. It’s very tiny but pretty gross from the previous owners. Hoping this summer we can start on that!
Megan says
I would love to design a bathroom from scratch, but being a military wife, I have had to move every three years into a variety of rentals, so I have been stuck with what I get ha. I love the cream tile in your pic. I would choose a classic / traditional look with a clean modern edge. Something that would age well. Go on pinterest, ha! Or should I say, don’t go, it will be impossible to make up your mind. 😉
Andrea says
I am dying to tear into our master bath. It has a corner whirlpool tub that we never use because (1) it’s too big for one person but not big enough for two and (2) the previous owner installed it and didn’t put an access panel to the plumbing in and used a 1.8gpm kitchen faucet instead of an 18gpm tub faucet. The darn thing takes 45 minutes to fill up!! But the time it’s ready I’ve already given up and taken a shower.
We have a hot tub which gets used almost daily (even in our northern winters!). So my plan one day is to take out the tub completely, use that space for a double vanity and take out the single size shower stall and put in a giant shower area with multiple shower heads. A girl can dream!!
Stephanie says
I totally hear you on the overwhelming design thing! I’m the same way! We’re currently DIY reno’ing our ONLY bathroom (yeah… it’s a mess) and this weekend we got to the point of needing to pick out fixtures, tile, paint colors, etc. and it was just SO overwhelming staring at all the options! I know what I like (similar to you, just want basic, classic, clean, etc.) but it’s hard to pull that together when you have so many choices! Anyway, we’re working on it 🙂 I really envy people who have an eye for design, I certainly do not!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Wile my kitchen would take the #1 spot on my want-to-renovate list…our master bath would be my second! I would LOVE to upgrade to the taller vanities. My husband and I are both tall, so it would be nice to not have to bend down so far.
Plus, I would LOVE some upgraded tile. We just have the plain white builder grade stuff, and I would love something a little more visually interesting.
Brynn says
the thought of custom designing a house is so exciting but I would also have a panic attack. That’s a lot of decisions. I’m better with someone drafting an idea and then reacting to it.
Beth says
A private potty is the best feature you can have in a master bath in my opinion. Houzz and Pinterest are both great places to look for inspiration.
Christina says
How fun! I would love to hear more about your renovation! We recently finished our basement and as part of that, added a full bathroom. The bathroom is pretty small (just a shower stall, pedestal sink, and toilet) and I was still overwhelmed with all the choices. We ended up going with white subway tile in the shower, but we chose small colored glass tiles for the shower niche (where the shampoo bottles go) to give it some pizazz. We splurged on Carerra marble (sp??) for the floor, and that’s definitely my favorite feature. I’m ready to move on to our kitchen next, but my responsible husband says we need to wait a couple more years 🙂
Monica says
To be perfectly honest, the thought of having to make all those design decisions would probably keep my in my old, outdated bathroom forever. Luckily, my husband works for a high-end home construction company, so he’s the decision maker for any updates we make, since he’s had years of working with designers and has picked up all the tricks and ideas. Good luck!
Elizabeth Evans says
I would pick out dark grout so it would be easier to clean (i.e. hide the dirt). I like glass tile because it’s classic and adds a little sparkle.
The cabinet color looks awesome!
Joanna @Makingmine says
I have some renovations I’d like to do around our house, but I’m like you – not sure how to put everything together. I guess I just need to dive in and get some help!
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
David and I are in the middle of a DIY bathroom makeover. We’d love to renovate it and move things around but we can’t afford it at this time. So, in the meantime, we’re trying to update it on our own. We’ve painted the walls, painted the cabinets a navy blue, added stainless steel hardware, installed new faucets (Moen Oxby! Love them), hung new mirrors, a light, and finished up grouting in vinyl tiles last weekend. Last things are to add the baseboards, toilet, and towel racks. Can’t believe it’s coming to an end! So happy. I hope to show a before an after. The bathroom was a 1986 original — haha! I’m with you and really don’t like making design decisions. I think I’d like it a lot more if there were way less choices! It’s just SO overwhelming.
Sabrina says
My biggest tip is to be aware of how you’re going to clean it all once you’re living with it. I love the scroll tile detail, but how are you going to clean all those nooks and crannies? My biggest mistake in redoing our bathrooms at our old condo was not considering the cleaning aspect.
Best of luck and have so much fun designing!
Paulina says
We renovated our bathroom 2 years ago and my favorite thing about it is the new tiles. The original tile (from the 1960’s) were small squares that covered the floor, counters, bath/shower interior and went halfway up the walls. There was a lot of grout lines to clean. We chose the largest size tiles for both the floor and shower walls. It looks great and is much easier to keep clean. Another tip is to maximize storage space. We paid for a custom built vanity to allow for extra cabinets which means that the counter isn’t cluttered with all our stuff anymore. Worth every cent! One more thing…my aunt works for an upscale plumbing supplier and told me that the bath tubs with textured/non-slip bottoms are notoriously difficult to keep clean. Enjoy the process! I hope your contractor stays on schedule!
Heather says
Our current master bath is lacking a bathtub, so one day I will have my big soaking tub. Also, better lighting. Our bathroom does not have nearly enough lighting or space. I’m going to be make double-sinks a must in our next house. My dream bathroom is something simple and spa-like.
Char says
I care to see it!! The before and the after!! I hope the process goes fast, but that really is exciting; especially to plan it exactly how you want!
I love white and I really am horrible at design beyond that haha. I think that’s maybe why I love HGTV with a passion because I’m like ooooo, so that’s how a house can look nice! haha
How’s the body book so far? I’ve had it on my iPad for a while now and just skimmed the first few pages! I also really would love a book reader (vs. using the iPad – first would problems, right??)
Love the deck pics. I can’t wait until we’re out of condo living and can enjoy a backyard!!
Kat @ Where the Sidewalk Ends says
Anthony and I are really excited to (one day) redo our bathroom ourselves. Anthony is an amazing woodworker, and I am a stellar youtuber (actually, not so much, but worth trying!) We just redid our fireplace in the livingroom with a combination of us and professionals doing the labor, and holy cannoli it changed the whole room. I can’t imagine how different it would be to redo a whole room!!
Irina S. says
I don’t own my own home, but, if I could have a fantasy bathroom, it would include two sinks instead of one, as well as a larger tub/shower.
Amanda says
I live in Huntersville and love your blog! 🙂 we are considering doing our master bath and I would LOVE to know the designer/contractor you’re using and to hear your opinion as the process goes down. I am struggling to find someone. Can’t wait to see the end result!
Lauren Brennan says
Oooooooooooh! So exciting! Can’t wait to see before/after photos!
We bought our house almost a year ago, and although I love it, the one thing I’m not so thrilled about is the master bathroom. It only has one sink and is quite small! I would love to do a rehab at some point. I’ll live vicariously through you until then!
Laura @FitMamaLove says
I cannot even look at all those bathroom pictures because that has been my life the last few months! We added on a master bedroom and bathroom to our house and have been picking everything out for awhile now. It is SOOO overwhelming! It took us forever to even find a bathroom that we actually liked and it turned out to be something I would’ve never thought we’d pick initially–subway tile! We’re coming to the end of our project now and I cannot wait to see the finished version. I know it will be a long while before we have everything decorated, so I’ll probably post after pictures when it’s as done as it’s going to be for awhile.
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
Ohh I love home renovations! I can’t wait to see yours!
Julie says
I’m just like you regarding home improvements. Love the idea, but can easily get overwhelmed. We completely remodeled a house we bought last yr so I know what you’re going thru. Love the tile you picked! It’s almost exactly what we picked for our master shower.
Lisa says
I thought about this a lot. If I could make changes to our current bathroom I would add a skylight over the bathtub. In addition to that I would place a gas fireplace in the wall between our bathroom and our bedroom so we could enjoy it all the time. We would also add a towel warmer and heat the floors. Good luck with your remodel- so exciting!
John.Smith @ Luxiobath.com says
Hey Brittany,
You have a great Blog! Seriously.
And i just love your image quality. ( Although not related but what camera do you use )
Thanks
John
Veronica Marks says
I really like the colors you’ve chosen for your bathroom! I am like you and tend toward the traditional instead of trendy. For me, what makes or breaks a bathroom is the shower. I need to have a large shower with a great shower head (preferably a rain one!). Hopefully I’ll be able to incorporate one in my dream bathroom someday!