Big Change For A Small Bathroom

Oasis. Retreat. Sanctuary. This is the biggest request I get from clients when they ask for a new master bathroom. We all want this, don’t we? Somewhere we can escape to. A place to renew each day. And lock the door!

Even small spaces can be transformed. They may not have started out that way, but with a simple color palette, even the most dated & dysfunctional space can become a space you yearn for.

This bathroom had, let’s say, a very “royal” look but I don’t think you’d feel like the Queen or King of your own kingdom in this master bathroom. The wallpaper was roman urns in a toile kind of look, the cabinets were oak, the curtains were crimson swags, and the hardware was all brass. Quadruple ick! On top of all this dated formality, storage was a real issue.

Check out the Before Picture Below…

We tackled this bathroom at the same time as the adjoining master bedroom (see the details here) and that helped launch our color palette. It’s not a big space and we need to make it feel bigger and modernize it at the same time. Going with whites, grays, and smoky taupes will accomplish all that.

SMALL BATHROOM MAKEOVER TASK LIST:

1. Remove the wallpaper. Duh! It has got to go!
2. Remove the window treatments. Replace with a Bamboo Roman Shade.
3. Tear out the shower and expand it. This is really the only place we can add space in this bathroom. The shower can be redone to the edge of the bathtub knee wall and add in built in cubbies to hold shampoo, conditioner, and all the usual bath goodies.
4. Pull up the tile on the floor. Replace with a modern tile in a brick lay pattern.
5. Paint the walls and cabinetry. An airy gray and white base cabinets will completely change the room.
6. Add new chrome faucets and lighting.
7. Add a seamless glass shower enclosure and a brighter light over the shower.
8. Redo the master closet shelving and expand for clothes, linens, jewelry, shoes, and handbags.
9. Update the lighting in the water closet and add a over the toilet wall cabinet to store toilet paper and surplus toiletries.
10. Keep the wall tiles light and the floor darker.
11. Add art work, bath accessories, bath rugs and décor.

We expanded the shower to the depth of the knee wall. I found a great pebble-like tile for the floor that was flat, not bumpy like actual pebbles. Found at Floor & Décor.

The shower walls are Grecian white marble in 6″x6″ from Home Depot. A great chevron white & taupe tile, bordered with a marble pencil add a modern twist on a classic white marble shower.

The cubby is framed with a marble ogee and backed with the same chevron tile. The sides of the cubby match the tile from the bathroom floor. We also added 2 marble shelves for additional storage.

I extend the same tile theme across the soaker/garden tub and continue running the chevron detail along the backsplash under the windows. Think through the tile layout well, especially the endpoints. Our pencil fully frames out the Chevron accent tile. A pretty silver leaf coral nestles in one corner and a boxwood in the other.

The floor tile for this master bathroom is an 18″x24″ smoky taupe porcelain with a very pretty grain. We have it laid in a brick lay pattern to stagger the joints and elongate the room.  The darker color anchors all the white in the room.

The old oak cabinets are painted the same semi-gloss white as the trim in the rest of the house. Shiny new hardware on freshly painted cabinets are an inexpensive way to refresh the room. New granite countertops are the crowning jewel.

Now come the finishing touches: Artwork, soap dispensers, toothbrush holders, glass jars, towels, greenery, etc. It’s the little details that give the space some life!

SMALL BATHROOM REMODEL DONE!