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How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

Are you wondering how our master bathroom remodel turned out? (If you missed the before pictures and my vision for the bathroom, check it here.) I hope you love it as much as we do.

Now I’m ready to show you how we remodeled our master bathroom – the after.

How We remodeled our Master Bathroom ! the After

Just a heads up: this is a long post, so pour yourself a glass of sweet iced tea, a cup of coffee, or a glass of wine and join me.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

All resources are listed at the end of the post.

I do have to say that Sweet Shark left most of the choices up to me.  I visited local bath showrooms, spent hours on Houzz, and bought every bath magazine I could find.  This was before I’d ever heard of Pinterest.

After I found the items I liked, I brought him into the process. I have to say the man has good taste: he agreed with everything I liked.

I made lists and more lists. A bathroom, like a kitchen, is expensive to remodel so I didn’t want to make any mistakes – but we did make one – which I’ll share with you later.

After we gutted the bathroom, removing all the existing cabinets, tile, mirrors, fixtures and plumbing, we had a clean slate to work with. We added crown molding and put in new recessed LED lights.

The Vanity

Here is Sweet Shark’s side. In the space where we removed the built-in shelves, we placed this antique cabinet that we bought 15 years ago when we were remodeling our previous home. I read once that every bathroom should have a piece of furniture and I tried to follow that suggestion. The cabinet holds extra towels. The TV was a Christmas present from my kids a few years ago. I can watch Fox News from the shower!

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

I found the print and the frame at a garage sale. I painted the frame with chalk paint in a soft grey blue. Then I used Silver Gilding Wax on top. We bought the Waterford lamp at one of the kids’ school auctions years ago.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

We asked the cabinet maker to give us some deep and shallow drawers.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

And here is mine. The marble on the countertops is called Crema Marfil.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After
How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

The Shower and Bathtub

Across the room from the vanities are the shower and tub. We have great light coming in through the window.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

On our wish list was a rain shower head. We had our first experience with this type of showerhead in Tuscany and then again in Mexico.

We just fell in love with it. If you are planning a master bath remodel, I highly recommend it. Here was the one oops we made.

When the shower head was first installed, it was a foot lower than it is now. When I came over to look at it, I knew something was wrong. Neither Sweet Shark nor I are tall people; in fact, we are definitely on the short side. But there was no getting around the height of the shower head.  That little oops cost about $500 to fix. I know Joanna would have agreed that it had to be done.

In this picture, you can see the marble that we chose for the floor and shower. It’s called White Cliffs. I loved its lightness with a touch of grey running through it. We also used it as base molding throughout the bathroom. The band of horizontal tiles breaks up the expanse of marble. Originally, I selected a blue-green tile, but I got outvoted and the brown tile went in.  I wish I’d stuck to my first choice.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

The Bathtub

O.K., I’m not a big bath person, but I knew that a free-standing tub was the right choice here. Without a built-in tub, the room seems bigger and more open.

I bought our bathtub, sinks and toilet at Build.com and I couldn’t be more pleased with the products (all are Kohler) and the service. And shipping is free which is important when you are buying a bathtub that weighs a ton. All the appliances and plumbing fixtures were stored in the garage during the remodel.

The garage looked like a mini-Home Depot.

How We remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After 

The Fixtures

I worked with one of our great local resources, Nob Hill, a hardware and plumbing store, to select the fixtures for the sinks, the bathtub, and shower. Their motto is “jewelry for the house.”

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After
How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

The Hardware

I chose our drawer pulls and knobs from Restoration Hardware. (I used the same ones for our master closet.) Since I bought these during Partner’s Card (20% off) in October and the construction didn’t start until November 1st, I estimated the number I would need.  I did have to reorder but they were sweet and gave me the same price.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After
How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After
How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

The Mirrors

Pam (my decorator) and I went to the Dallas Market Center and found these beautiful mirrors with a mercury glass frame and a vintage feel. I love the oval shape. In this picture you can also see the crystal and chrome sconces we chose – the story behind those is below.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

The painting that hangs between Sweet Shark’s side and my side was in the entry in our previous home, but I think it fits here beautifully. I love the colors and the Venice setting. I did tone down the gold frame with some Silver Gilding Wax. You can see the sconces on each side of the mirrors.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

The Lighting

Lighting is so important in a bathroom. It should be functional and pretty.

We replaced the outdated recessed lighting in the ceiling with new LED lighting and lots of natural light. I’m not a “bling” person, but I wanted a little bling in the bathroom, and we got that with our decorative sconces and chandelier.

Here’s the story of our bathroom lighting:

We found the source for the lighting on the way home from a weekend trip to Austin, Texas, in the summer of 2012. At the time, we were living in an apartment between houses and trying to work out the details of buying our house. (It was a soap opera experience – it wasn’t us, but a reluctant seller.)

We stopped in Lorena, Texas, just south of Waco (Does that ring a bell, all you Fixer Upper fans?) and discovered Village Lamplighters, a family-owned business that specializes in custom-made lighting, mostly chandeliers.

We spent a good hour+ with Bruce, the owner, took pictures and left, determined that we would include their lighting in our home. A day trip back to Lorena, many phone calls and an exchange of pictures, in March, 2013 right after we moved in, Bruce delivered our sconces and chandeliers. (We also had him design and build one for our dining room.) I think that they add just the right amount of formality (They are all on dimmers.) and I got my bling.

TIP: Add dimmers to every light fixture in your home. They add a wonderful ambiance to all your living spaces. The price is minimal and you’ll be so glad you did.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

The Accessories

It’s often the accessories that give a room character and personality.

I found this table at a local antique mall the month before we moved into the house. I knew it would be perfect next to the bathtub. I didn’t have to do a thing to it. It holds my Waterford candle “lamp” and my Laura Mercier bath products – love those!). I made the green moss ball. There’s just enough room on the table for a glass of wine.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After
How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

The bottom shelf holds a vintage bowl, soaps I bought in New Orleans, milk bath from San Diego, and a candle that was a gift from a friend.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

On my vanity, I placed my new make-up mirror – I’d always wanted one of those. I wrapped the string of pearls around it just for fun.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

I’ve had the vintage glass holder for Q-Tips for years. The mercury glass box is from Anthropologie, the Le Bain cup is from the Ballard Outlet in Atlanta, and the face cloths are from Home Goods.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

On the other side of my sink, I have hand soap in a glass pump jar that belonged to my mom. The Tiffany clock was a company Christmas gift when I worked in sales years ago. The pearl beaded box was a Christmas gift from my girls; it’s from Anthropologie.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

In the center of the vanity below the painting is my DIY tray – it was a frame with a picture in it that I bought at a garage sale. I painted it blue topped with Silver Gilding Wax. I bought the 2 perfume containers at a flea market. They are empty, but I just love them.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

This one is Lalique and it has the mark on the bottom – you have to use a magnifying glass to see it.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

I don’t know what this one is made from, but I think it’s really cool.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

I love having a green plant in the bathroom. Sweet Shark is in charge of all our house plants. Usually, he has an orchid in the mercury glass planter, but right now it’s a bromeliad.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

I bought the tissue box on Sweet Shark’s side and the matching wastebasket on the floor in our “open” area at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. One day I hope to have a vanity stool there.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

Monogrammed hand towels drape the bathtub and bath towels on the rod above the tub.  Sweet Shark and I have the same initials – how convenient.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

The bath mats were inspired by a tour I took of the Dallas home of renowned interior designer Betty Lou Phillips. In one of her guest baths, these words were inlaid into the tile. Bain means bath in French.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

I made this little shelf from two corbels and a piece of wood.  It’s also blue with Silver Gilding Wax. I can’t believe how curly my hair was when I was a kid. I’m glad my hair got straighter the older I got. Isn’t Sweet Shark cute?

I haven’t said anything about our wallpaper yet. I wanted a little bit of wallpaper in the bathroom. I saw this wallpaper in an article in Veranda Magazine and showed it to my decorator Pam. She ordered a sample and I just loved it – a bit modern, but based on an 18th-century pattern, and the color – soft blue on a white background with hints of silver – was perfect for our color palette. The wallpaper is on the wall behind the tub and in the toilet closet.

How We Remodeled our Master Bathroom ~ the After

Have you finished your sweet iced tea, your cup of coffee or your glass of wine? If you have, the tour is over. I hope you think our master bedroom is as pretty and relaxing as we do. Did you get some ideas for your bath remodel? Have you finished a remodel recently? How did yours turn out?

I think Joanna would be proud of our fixer-upper.  I know we are.

Resources

Kohler bathtub, sinks, commode @ Build.com

plumbing fixtures purchased @ Nob Hill in Dallas

shower head @ Grohe

bathtub faucet @ Victoria+Albert

hardware knobs and pulls @ Restoration Hardware

shower tile, floor and vanity marble  @ Daltile

paint color @ Benjamin Moore Harbor Haze

mirrors @ Rutherford’s

sconces and chandelier @ Village Lamplighters in Lorena, Texas

bath towels ~ Hotel Collection @ Macy’s

hand towels @ Home Goods

accessories @ Anthropologie

wallpaper @ Veranda Historic Collection (no longer available)

I hope that you will PIN this post for bathroom inspiration.

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12 Comments

    1. I’m so happy you liked our master bathroom remodel. It was well worth our efforts. Thanks for visiting Bluesky Kitchen.

    1. Christy, I take it as high praise from you. Love the other designs at the link party. Be sure to drop into Your Inspired Design tomorrow at 6:50 CST.

    1. Cecilia, thanks for the compliments. I do love the chandelier and our sconces. It was serendipity that we found Village Lamplighters in a little town in the middle of Texas.