Look! Over there! It’s a closet! It’s a bathroom! Wait, what? It’s a….closet-bathroom? That’s what I said out loud to the Mr. the very first time we saw what would become our master bathroom.
Have you ever had a home renovation project that has plaqued you or haunted you? It’s the large project that just sits in the back of your mind and you keep telling yourself, “Oh, we’ll get to it…eventually.” Well, that was our master bathroom. This eye sore (which is putting it mildly) has been a project that we have been putting off for about 6 years. The family that built our home in the early 1960’s, probably turned what was once a tiny closet into an even tinier bathroom. Don’t get me wrong…its was a great bathroom if you had a headache, a long day or even a hangover….as you could sit on the toilet and place rest your head on the cold, porcelain sink at the same time. But if you wanted to stand up, turn around or dare I say, move about….forget. Too small.
Here’s what it looked like for the past 50-some years. Pretty scary.
Unless, of course…speckled, stained, cracked and peeling tile is your thing…than, I guess that’s cool. Love that stained, filthy grout!
The sink was the original Kohler sink, but it desperately needed to be recoated and was just too large for the tiny, tiny room. It also reminded me of something you would see in Orange is the New Black TV series.
Beige, beige, everywhere beige. The towel bar was a real hoot for anyone who dared to empty the waste basket….as one would receive a mild concussion as you stood up and nearly knocked your block off as you smack the back of your cranium on the rickety towel bar.
Nothing like coming home from a long day at work and freshening up in your lovely lavatory. NOT.
And as small as this bathroom is, this was one of the longest ongoing renovation projects that we have ever done. All said and done, I think it took us from this past February to May of this year. There were some tricky plumbing issues, demo days, painting, tiling, electrical work and of course…searching for a new sink that would actually fit in the space.
We used leftover tile from our kitchen renovation project, so we were able to save some cash there. We decided to stick with the same theme throughout our home and go with classic white subway tile with a dark grey grout (all tile came from Best Tile). We decided to keep our original Kohler toilet and here’s why. When we renovated our full bathroom, we realized AFTER we threw away our toilet, that we needed a toilet that had historical home proportions due to the original radiators being located directly behind the toilet. Modern toilets have a fuller skirt and therefore the base of the newer toilets are too wide. So, again, we were able to save money by cleaning up our old toilet and installing some new plumbing. We repainted our radiator covers and VOILA! Good as new! Ain’t she pretty?
The largest task by far was removing, installing and shopping for a new sink. We ended up finding this little cutie at Ferguson’s showroom. You can find a similar one here for around $177. Words cannot express how much I love this little sink. It’s all you need to wash your hands and brush your teeth. And the fun, little oil rubbed bronze faucet is just the perfect way to top it off. Home Depot sells a similar Kohler model here for $109.
I wanted to continue my vintage theme with a schoolhouse inspired light fixture. However, finding one that would fit just above the original built-in medicine cabinet was a challenge. I ended up finding this one from Destination Lighting for only $49.95!! SCORE!! It gives off the perfect amount of light and also offers a nice glow.
So what went wrong with our little bathroom renovation project? As we were putting in the finishing touches to our project…the Mr. and I looked at each and other and realized….WHAT THE SHAZAM??!!!! WE FORGOT TO INSTALL A TOILET PAPER HOLDER!!! Geez Louise!! How on earth could we have overlooked that when we had the bathroom tile installed?! I immediately started combing the internet for the best deal I could find on a free-standing, oil rubbed bronze toilet paper holders. After reading several reviews, we landed on this one from Taymor and I couldn’t be happier. The color is dark and rich (doesn’t have a cheap, spray on paint color) and the weight of the stand is much heavier than I expected. And in the end, I really like being able to move it around the small room.
We can finally sit back and enjoy our little closet-bathroom, as well as thankfully scratch it off the to-do list! I’ve been bringing fresh roses from our garden into the home this spring…as I did here with a little mint green vintage vase and an old Fairmont’s cheese box (perfect for hiding jewelry or other small trinkets). Enjoy your spring!!
thesavvyseeker 