Update Your Bathroom for Under 4K

In this blog post, I'll share with you how I pulled together the design for my first personal bath remodel, the online source where I found all of the materials, and how it all came together for under 4K.

But first, a little details, please. There are only 2 bathrooms at Hembree House. That is almost unimaginable these days. However, this home was built in 1976 and features were very practical 45 years ago. (If you want a really good laugh, you should see the closet sizes!)

Just as when I meet with my clients, I asked myself, "what design needs have to be met?". My design needs were: a focus on quality products with a sophisticated black, white and gold theme. Also, I wanted a European, French-y feel, so on I went, searching for products that met that criteria.

This was a photo that inspired me with the white tiles, marble, gold fixtures and black vanity.

Isn't it lovely?

A fellow designer friend had mentioned the website Build.com for my products. I spent a few days browsing their online catalog and here is the Idea Board I created for the bathroom.

Clockwise from left:

Kohler Portrait Comfort Height Toilet

Hudson Valley 3 Light Bathroom Vanity Light

Kohler Purist Widespread Faucet

Miseno 36" Free Standing Vanity Set with Cabinet, Marble Top and Undermount Sink

York Wallcoverings - Serendipity - Unpasted Non-Woven Wallpaper

Dal-Tile Marble Collection - 6" x 3" Rectangle, Tumbled Marble

Emtek Hampton Crystal Knobset wih Brass Rosette (bronze shown)

Not featured in the board but added: Kohler Purist Single Post Tissue Holder, Kohler Purist Open Square Towel Ring and Kohler Purist 24" Towel Bar. I also had to order a gold finish Actuator Lift Knob for the toilet since it came standard with nickel.

I attended a learning seminar on new tile ideas at ADAC in Atlanta. Here is the owner from the Renaissance Tile Showroom. Look at these beautiful samples! I could have stayed hours and hours touching each and every one. (I also could have stayed for hours and looked at him, but that's neither here nor there.) Anyway, I especially love the metal infused tiles and marble.

Here is the before photo of the bathroom, pre-renovation. I did the best I could with this busy wallpaper. I LOVE wallpaper; just not this wallpaper.

The bathroom boasted the original vanity from 1976, a decent but lackluster faucet and outdated tile. You can even see a note on the toilet lid that says "Do Not Use. Out of Order," which was a common occurence.

Here is a close up view of the tile. The honeycomb design is very popular today, just not in yellow.

There was no plan to take out the bathtub and redo the tile. The white tile was in perfect condition so I didn't see a need to spend the extra money.

Here are some progress photos:

Old sink and toilet in the front yard. Looks like a scene from The Help.

Tumbled marble laid in a subway pattern on the bathroom floor

Miseno vanity in place with Kohler Purist wide set faucet. York "Serendipity" wallpaper added.

Jax has to Star in every photo shoot!

Do you like shower curtains? I just love them. I enjoy the privacy they offer, especially in a bathroom that is the main bathroom/guest bathroom. As much as I enjoy the beauty of a seamless shower, I think of the poor guest who fails to lock the door entirely and has that genuine look of horror when barged in on MID-SCRUB. Also, I prefer all the shampoo bottles hidden behind a veil. Just my preference.

To create a new shower curtain look, I ordered a pair of Pottery Barn Emery Linen Panels in 96" and created a tub entry with panels flanking each side. Each panel is 50" wide so it gathers very nicely on the ends. Behind each panel is a vinyl curtain liner. I attached both the curtain liners and the linen panels together with 1.25" cast iron rings from Pottery Barn.

I used ceiling rods instead of a traditional tension rod to hold the curtains. Tension rods have a tendancy to fall and mark up the walls. These ceiling rods are actually for dividing rooms, but I used them in this bathroom installation. They are screwed in tight from above. In this photo you can see the white bath tiles. Again, they're in great shape so why rip them out?

The rods can be found at Room Dividers Now. Here is the link. I've had several people ask how I did this, so it seemed to be an alternative to tension rods people were interested in! They are 1" in diameter.

Kohler Purist widespread faucet

The curvaceous mirror above the sink has been in my collection for 18 years. She's still holding her own despite trend changes. Here is another oval mirror that is very similar. The Dorgali Oval Mirror by Uttermost. This would be lovely in a blue themed bathroom.

Here is the final, finished bathroom. We did this update a year ago and it's holding up beautifully. One thing I did notice is how dusty the lower shelf on the vanity gets, so I don't put towels down there anymore. Also, the marble top did get a mark on it when someone set a Coke can down. The condensation left a circle. Let your guests and family be aware!

Thank you for reading this post!

xoxo,

Traci

Hembree House Interiors

Follow me on Instagram!

@hembreehouse