Things are moving along over here at project #aedesignsherown and we are slated to start demo on MONDAY YAY!!!! I cannot wait to see this place get torn apart 🙂 The transformation is going to be really something. I have been plugging away at finalizing my designs, picking finishes etc and trying really really hard not to change my mind a million times. The problem is I am endlessly finding new images of spaces that inspire me to come up with a new design, so I am trying my best to go with my gut and stick with what I like the first time around, because that usually works out best for me.
I have been focusing a lot of time on master bath because that is a) a seriously important room b) the second biggest renovation after the kitchen. Here are some before shots – brace yourself:
Obviously, we are keeping nothing. We are changing around the layout because the giant tub and vanity in the middle of the room are ridiculous. We are even losing the french doors (and the balcony it leads to) as well as the transom windows (so 80s).
I wasn’t sure which direction I was going to go in at all for this room, I didn’t have a vision for it like I did the kitchen. So I decided to start tile shopping for some inspiration and I came across this magnificent beauty:
This is a marble mosaic from Artistic Tile and I saw it installed in a tile showroom near my current house. I fell in love with it immediately (the grey stones, not the black and white, although I love that too!). Its different and unique but also feels classic and like I wont get sick of it anytime soon. It also reminds me a lot of my grandmother, who loved her penny tile and had it all over her kitchen and laundry room:
Wasn’t her kitchen fab? I love the all white everything with those crazy tiles.
Once I decided on that tile for the floors, it made everything pretty easy. When you have such a bold pattern somewhere in the room, its best to balance it out with complimentary, subdued pieces. I found a lot of inspirational bathroom designs that have the serene yet interesting vibe I am looking to accomplish:
I love how these bathrooms feel contemporary and unique yet also so soft and classic. I particularly love the bottom image by Kate Marker Interiors with the natural oak vanity which I also think we will be doing. The wood feels softer than lacquer going against the patterned floors. I love this vanity from Restoration Hardware and will probably use it as inspiration when designing my own:
I haven’t gotten to picking out fixtures, hardware, mirrors, & sconces yet, although that is really the best part because it is like jewelry for the room. I will likely stick with polished chrome fixtures (like in above image) and mix up the metals for the hardware.
I’ve also been focusing a lot on shower doors – we are doing a BIG walk-in shower (no tub) and a built-in bench. At first, I was all set on doing something like this:
I love the windowpane design and how the black steel works with the patterned floor. Alas, my contractor told me doing something like that would basically bankrupt me, so I am thinking of compromising and doing a more simple black metal frame:
The other big ticket item in the bathroom is storage! Luckily we have the space to add a linen closet and shelving in the room to store things like extra towels & toiletries, and we are going to include a pull-out hamper which is a lifelong dream of mine! Hampers can be such eye sores, so I am excited to have ours hidden. Our storage will be between the shower and the toilet area and be vertical like these images:
Super cool laundry contraption there. Next week I will be scouring the stone & tile stores in the Valley hoping to score a sweet deal and basically beg on my hands and knees for good pricing so I can afford that master bath mosaic!! Will keep posting updates, especially of me with my hammer next week (just kidding, I will be supervising, I’m not allowed near tools). xo, AE
