Our bathroom renovation started in a way I did not expect at all.
Originally, I thought I was just going to buy a new vanity and paint the bathroom. The vanity had been broken for years and I finally ordered a new one that I loved. It felt like a simple update that would make the space feel fresh again.
But once we started opening things up, it quickly turned into a much bigger project.
When the contractors removed the old tile around the tub, they unfortunately found some mold behind it. The tile was over 60 years old and hadn’t been sealed properly, so moisture had slowly gotten in over time. Our contractor said this actually happens all the time in older bathrooms. They ended up finding mold pretty much everywhere along with a cracked drain pipe.
So what started as a simple refresh turned into a full bathroom renovation!
Since the ceiling already had to come out, we decided to vault it.
That decision ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire project. The bathroom had always felt a little dark and closed in, so opening the ceiling up immediately made the space feel bigger.
We also installed skylights, which completely changed the room. Being able to see the sky from the bathroom is honestly one of my favorite details.
The bathtub ended up being the most expensive item I purchased for the bathroom.
I knew I wanted a cast iron tub, and I also wanted it to be drop-in so we could surround it with marble. That combination made it a little harder to find, but I loved the look and it felt worth it.
One of the details I was most excited about was adding marble around the tub!
I actually went to a local stone yard to look through scrap pieces of marble so we could find something that worked for the space. It was surprisingly easy…I found the perfect piece in about ten minutes!
We used the marble around the edge of the tub and also added marble shelves in the shower.
For the shower tile, I wanted the overall look to feel warm and soft.
I chose a grout color called Pergamon, which is slightly warmer than a traditional bright white grout. I loved how it softened the tile and kept the space from feeling too cool.
The warmer tone made the tile feel a little more classic and cozy, which was exactly what I was hoping for.
We installed paneling on the walls to add some texture and character. Once it was installed, we painted the paneling Swiss Coffee, which felt like the perfect warm white for the space.
I also decided to continue the paneling onto the ceiling and paint it white. With the skylights above, the whole room felt light, simple, and airy.
I found a beautiful wood and metal casement window secondhand that we installed in the bathroom. I had actually found two of them over a year earlier and had been saving them for the right project. The second one will eventually go into our other bathroom.
For storage, I also found a magnolia wood shelf on Facebook Marketplace for $150. I had originally linked it before finding it secondhand, so it felt like a sign when it popped up locally.
I ordered a new vanity for the bathroom along with classic brass fixtures. I had actually used the same faucet style in two previous bathrooms, so I knew it was something I loved and trusted.
We also swapped out the toilet flusher for a brass one, which was a tiny change but made a surprisingly big difference.
