Dramatic Bathroom Makeover

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Today’s guest post is about a bathroom and time travel.  It’s the story of how a designer took a bathroom that was stuck in the 1970′s for a ride into the new millenium.  Gas up the DeLorean, and join me for a blast into the past and back to the future with this bathroom renovation. 

There are so many great things about this bathroom, but one impressive difference was the tile work.  I don’t know if you can see it in the photos above, but the original bathroom had some CRazy tile work going on.  You’ll see more of the nicely tiled bathtub as you read the guest post, but in the meantime just trust me—the new tile makes a huge difference!  I’ve done a bit of tiling myself, recently, and I have to admit that the work of laying tile always pays off, in the end.

Here are some gorgeous examples of what tile can do in a bathroom.  (Just about everything except floss!)

1. Apartment Therapy | 2. Bryn Alexandra | 3. Houzz  | 4. Indulgy | 5. Simplify by Camille Roskelley | 6. House and Home | 7. New Ravenna Mosaics | 8. Houzz

Does that get you excited to see what today’s guest blogger and designer did with tile in a bathroom renovation?  Great!  Let’s hear from Tracy, now.

Submitted by: Soul Style

Hello!  I’m Tracy from Soul Style.  I’m an Interior Decorator, with an uncompromising belief that creating beauty in your home has nothing to do with the money you spend.  I work with my clients vision and functional needs for a space, and guide them in bringing that space to life.  A space that is reflective of who they are.  Today I’m going to give you a tour of a bathroom renovation.

My clients live in a beautiful, sprawling bungalow, circa 1978.  The circa ’78 style brings with it many very cool features – vaulted ceilings, a floor to ceiling stone fireplace, a gorgeous brick wall in the dining room.  Think Brady Bunch main floor and you’re on the right track.

But it also brings circa ’78 bathrooms….not so very cool.  Aside from the baffling belief in the 70’s that carpet was a good idea in bathrooms, there was also a love for a brown, avocado & wood combination that is incredibly depressing.

What is great about this main/family bathroom is the layout.  Those cats in the 70’s got it right with layout – separating the water closet & vanity space is so practical for a large, busy family.

Here’s a couple ‘Before & After’’s  of the Vanity room:

And the Water Closet:

This bathroom was completely gutted; we maintained the existing footprint (meaning we made no changes to plumbing or structure), but some simple but practical modifications were done.   For example, the regular swing door between the vanity & water closet was replaced with a pocket door, creating more space in the water closet.

In designing the new vanity, I proposed a deeper vanity, with 2 doors and 6 drawers instead of all doors.  If you take a look at the countertop in the ‘before & after’ shots, you may notice that there was a need for more practical storage solutions.  A girl after my own heart in her love of beauty products.  Each end door has a 6″deep pull out drawer behind it at the top – perfect for make up & small items.  The 2 top drawers are non-functional to accommodate sinks/plumbing, but the other 4 deep, wide drawers hold a Sephora’s worth of product, and all of it easy to reach and easy to find.

The entire space was updated with a beautiful deep taupe & charcoal porcelain floor tile, and kept light & bright with both the white vanity & the 8”x16” matte white tiles in the tub surround.  A glass mosaic tile was used in the tub niches (soap & shampoo storage), and then repeated beside the niches to create 4 equal squares centered on the back wall.

Caesarstone countertops and brushed nickel fixtures keep the overall scheme simple and classic.  The large, black iron cabinet hardware is a bit unexpected, and combined with the  3″ feet give the vanity more of a furniture feel.

Light doses of bright turquoise in the artwork & accessories add some fun – this is a family space, after all.  Taking the mirror right to the ceiling expands the room.  Mirror mounted sconces are a must for perfect application of all those beauty products.

Now this bathroom is as awesome as the rest of the retro-cool Brady house.  And most importantly, it’s practical and functional.  When planning a renovation, determine your practical needs first, then plan ways to meet those needs in a beautiful and dynamic way. That’s a well designed space.

General Contractor Extraordinaires : The Gatti Group

Wall Color : BM Silver Fox 2108-50 

What a beautiful transformation, Tracy!  If you’d like to look at some more bathroom makeovers involving tile, feel free to click on the links below to view other Remodelaholic projects.

Wood Grain Tile |  Master Bathroom Tile |  Inlaid Tile Rug