What is the best thing to motivate a total bathroom renovation you ask? For me it was when water began pouring through the ceiling of the first floor, and the culprit was the master bathroom shower above. My crazy brain tells me if you are going to rip out a shower to get to the pipes you might as well design and renovate the entire bathroom. So with that mode of thinking this project began.
This beauty down below was what greeted us every morning after waking up.... Those gold mirrors seemed to put a spin of elegance on my bed head and sleep wrinkles. The coral made me feel ALIVE... Slight sarcasm noted...
All in all the bathroom was functional except for the leaking shower, but I was excited to make the vision in my head come to life. I wanted a sanctuary for bubble baths and relaxation. However, when it comes to renovations we usually fix it up just in time for the next move, and I never get to enjoy. But I enjoy it in my head...
The hard part about a shower leak is often the pipes are not accessible, so you have to do a lot of demo to get to them. This was the case here too. Have I mentioned I love demo and a hammer!! It is a very therapeutic. However, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Unless you are ready to gut your bathroom of course. That is what ensued during and after the above picture. We tore out the garden tub, shower, and vanity and all the tile everywhere. Let me tell you those little white tiles add up. I think I started hallucinating halfway through and saw those little goblins from Pac-Man in the tiles.... Anyways, if anything it made me move faster! Then we began framing out the walk in shower! I wanted to incorporate a step down wall to keep the space from feeling closed in, and to show case the awesome shower I had in mind.
After the shower was drywalled and we put in a water-proof shower system, I had a plumber run the pipes for the tub and the vanity through the floor. Then I laid my backer board over the subfloor. Then the tiling began. Here at Iron Space Desings, tiling is one of my favorite finishing jobs. It adds so much character to a room wether it is the floor or a backsplash or shower. There is so much to choose from with color and texture. I ended up using porcelain tile that looks like hardwood. I LOVE THIS TILE!! These tiles were 4 feet long which made it easy to lay, and they were beautiful. The funniest part is when people would ask why I laid hardwood in a bathroom (because of the water worry). That is when a conversation would begin about this awesome tile! After the tiling was finished I was ready to put in the tub and vanity.
This tub above was a dream to order from Vintage Tub & Bath; however, getting it to the 2nd floor was another story. It weighed a ton!!! Good thing I work out! I just strapped that thing to my back and carried it up! Just kidding.... I took me and 3 other buff guys to carry it up the stairs! Was it worth it?
Here it sits in all its beauty! I hear it calling to me.....Relax! I built this adorable tub tray to hold all my books and tea during baths. Still only in my head. The awesome vintage faucet I also got from Vintage Tub & Bath!
David outdid himself with this custom built farmhouse vanity. I found these mirrors at Kimberton Glass in Phoenixville. That place is full of treasure just waiting to be used and refinished for something just like this. The farmhouse style lights I got at Lowes. The sinks were another find from Vintage Tub & Bath.
I added bead board and thick trim all around the bathroom. I found the shutters on the wall also at Kimberton Glass and David turned it into an amazing towel holder with his welding skills.
David also created this mason jar light from a vision in my head. I love the metal accents and the light reflected through the vintage jars.
Here is the toilet room in which I had David make another one of those adorable cabinets (plans by Shanty2Chic). Why not duplicate a great thing!!
Overall, this project came together the way I had hoped. Often in any renovation you run into hurdles which we did. But our team here always puts our brains together to make a space transformation amazing and complete! What do you think?