D.I.Y. BATHROOM RENO
I may be just.. I don't know, many months late to this blogpost.. but better late than never? Haha.
Now, if you've been following my instagram stories.. you may already know how impulsive I can be when it comes to home projects. I might have an entire list of things to-do, but that doesn't stop me from waking up one day saying "let's rip up the bathroom" even though that clearly was not on my to-do list, haha. This was one of those times. 5 days before we decided to throw a party for my fiancé's birthday. Ambitious? Sure. Crazy? Definitely lol. We didn't have the expectation that we'd finish everything within that timeframe but we at least hoped to have a good foundation down and a working sink.
Because of how last minute everything was, we started off by demoing with no official plan. I decided to do what I do best and pick everything as I go. I may have lost A LOT of sleep searching endlessly for the perfect hardware or lighting. No doubt we had to return more than a handful of items that didn't work (thank goodness for amazon's ease of returns). In the end, everything came together beautifully!
Presenting to you (in case you missed the reveal on my instagram post) our finished bathroom!
We're so happy with every single detail of this space. It's even more rewarding knowing we did everything ourselves! From our custom-built wood fluted vanity to the soft, dreamy tile. The stunning wall-mounted gold faucet to that incredible travertine vessel sink. That unique, asymmetrical mirror with the elegant sconces. I honestly cannot choose my favorite detail.
Let's start with the unique mirror. Most people love the fun shape! Only a few people have commented that they wouldn't be able to have such an asymmetrical piece (as they might feel unbalanced) but there is so much beauty in imperfection. The curvy nature has this sculptural, artsy feel. What's most important is that I love it and that it feels right for my home. This piece was my first ever in this sort of fun style and I literally have 6 now. Haha! It actually was created & shipped from Turkey by this Etsy shop. The quality of the product, customer service, packaging and fast shipment is out of this world amazing. The seller is so personable and I've actually had the honor to build a fun partnership with him. Love being able to support small businesses, too!
This sink was actually our plan B - however, I'm so glad it worked out this way. The original sink I ordered was a rectangular travertine vessel sink that somehow got lost in shipping. Everything happens for a reason though & this one just belongs! I didn't realize how beautiful this shape would look against all the other details. It softens all the linear details of this room, and the rectangular one would've ended up looking too boxy. The natural organic material, curved shape & texture really makes you feel like you're on a retreat with my final option!
I'm a sucker for golds paired with creams. So, this wall-mounted gold faucet + travertine sink combination = the perfect match! I honestly never thought to have a setup such as this, but my fiancé made such a great point. We won't ever have any water pooling up near the faucet/handles like we used to. It was always a pain to clean!
You might have noticed that the antique ball knobs on the vanity is not the same color as the gold faucet. I decided on these because of the antique hooks on the wall. I bought these some time ago while antique shopping and thought it'd be a fun touch to hang hand towels on. Adding knobs with the same finish as the hooks creates cohesiveness while letting that beautiful, gold faucet really shine.
One of the things that I always find difficult? Matching up gold finishes. I don't need everything to be *exact* depending on what it is so I try not to stress it. Mixing metals is something that I've actually enjoyed doing as it keeps things more interesting and keeps your design from falling flat. I love adding black metal into the mix for added contrast. Black details help ground your space and truly elevates your look.
I absolutely love the creamy, warm aesthetic. Bathrooms can sometimes come across as looking "cold" but this one surely isn't! Are cozy bathrooms a thing? Because it is here!
I decided on a light wood-toned vanity because honestly, I wouldn't have to worry about any paint chipping. We made sure to seal the Poplar wood in order to protect it from water + it makes it extra durable. I can scrub this thing without dealing with the hassle of touching up paint! Of course, I had to add the fluted detail to the drawer fronts. It's just another textural element that ties this bathroom in with the rest of my house.
We decided to make 5 full drawers for the best storage. The top-middle is actually a tip-out door (that we haven't finished because 95% club). I'd have to say, I'm pretty impressed with my fiancé's ability to build drawers these days. It was never his favorite thing to do in the past but he's gotten a lot more comfortable with it! Anyway, I started utilizing the storage almost immediately and I don't ever want to go back to having normal cabinets with shelves anymore. There was so much wasted space in our previous bathroom vanity. Drawers are a must-have!
The tile. Oh man, the first thing I was so sure of. Zellige tiles have become quite popular lately. I don't believe these are handmade like some of the tiles from other brands, however, given the beauty & availability of these.. they made them a great choice. I'm in love with the simplicity and subtleness of the neutral tones of each tile. It looks so dreamy and soft! Not only are they stunning now but I have a feeling I'll never get tired of them in the future (even if they aren't "trendy" later on).
The bathroom accessories are all from Target! I like to mix a little bit of everything (instead of buying all from the same collection) to keep things more interesting with the variety of textures and materials.
BEHIND THE SCENES
We started this project off by removing everything including the original board & batten. The first thing I wanted to do was get that entire wall tiled while my fiancé worked on the plumbing for the faucet. It was a bit tricky having to work around the section where the faucet was since we had to guess the placement of everything based off of measurements.
I used this tile here. They have so much variation of tones throughout which is what I'm absolutely obsessed with!
I think this part is what took the longest. We definitely had leaks mixed with frustration the first time or two. I'm glad he was able to figure it all out! Don't ask me how he knows how to do any of that stuff. Maybe in another universe, he's a plumber lol.
Smooth sailing after the faucet was successfully installed!
In the photo above, you can see that I started grouting the tile. I used the color "biscuit" by Mapei. It's a warm, creamy beige that is subtle enough that it doesn't take away the focus from the beautiful tiles. While I worked on the grout, my fiancé worked on building the vanity. Since we were installing a vessel sink, we configured the vanity to be on the shorter side so it would be more comfortable. I think vessel sinks get a bad reputation for being "too high" - which shouldn't be the case if you just adjust the height of the vanity/faucet accordingly.
He was successful in his drawer making! For the best functionality, I had him build a total of 5 drawers. *Notice our placeholder vessel sink? Due to our original one getting lost in shipment.
Roman helping mom paint wash the fluted pieces for the doors!
I made sure the extra extra seal the all the wood to protect it from water. I usually like to use polycrylic with a brush.
Drilling holes for the cabinet hinges. Rome always being the best helper by vacuuming all the sawdust.
My poor fiancé. He's incredible for being so patient and supportive of me and all my changes. My original design idea was to go with just one sconce hanging off one side of the mirror. Of course, we hated it. SO my fiancé got to redo the electrical twice.
Sooooooo happy with how it's turning out at this point. Wow.
He got this bright idea to skim coat the ceiling to get rid of the texture. Not the most thrilling project ever especially because he remembered how much he hated doing that lol. Plus your neck hurts after awhile!
We wanted the baseboard of the bathroom to look really good. So my fiancé took the extra time to make all these fancy cuts for the vent cover to fit into. His skills are always improving and impressing.
The final piece of jewelry for this bathroom. I ordered 4 different light fixtures before finally ending with this one. Sometimes, (a lot of times) I don't get it right the first time. It takes seeing things visually in front of me along side all of the other elements to really make a concrete decision. I love the classic style of these. They feel cohesive with the rest of the fixtures that I have installed in the rest of the house.
My mock up of the bathroom! We built the vanity to our own custom likings but I'd say we did a pretty incredible job at making our very on-a-whim vision come to life.
I'm going to keep this simple: thank you for being here & I hope you enjoyed (reliving) our bathroom reno with us!
