Tag: Bathrooms

Bathroom Design Plans
“This will be quick and easy,” she thought.

I went into this project thinking that this wouldn’t be too difficult. New wallpaper, a fresh coat of paint, a new window shade, and a change of lighting. That’s it! It has taken some time though, as these things often do when you’re doing all of the work yourself and fitting it in around other work and life in general.

The bathroom on the first floor had a lot going for it that I liked. It’s small by modern standards, but perfectly sized to me. The beadboard is charming, the wood floor keeps continuity with the rest of the house, and the leaded glass window offers privacy. The antique console sink is adorable! The separate hot and cold taps are not ideal, but we’re used to them (we had separate taps at our old house too). I also like the antique toilet and its wooden tank. The photos below are from the bathroom as it was when we first moved in.

Hello, inspiration. And wallpaper.

I swapped the wooden toilet seat for a black one years ago and I think that for a toilet, it’s really good looking. Other than that, we hadn’t done anything in the bathroom because while it wasn’t anything I had chosen, I thought it all looked rather nice. But it was time for a change! I found this snakes wallpaper and felt inspired. I know it’s not for everyone, but I’m excited and it’s going to be so good in the bathroom.

Big Cabinet of Natural Curiosities vibes. ↓

This pandemic year has been weirdly great for my creativity, and then completely zonking my energy level and sense of time passing. But hey, who came up with a plan to affordably refresh a good portion of the first floor so that it all feels fresh and works together and looks amazing? This lady.

Kitchen plans on the blog to come! I’m always more up to date in sharing on Instagram these days, especially in Stories, so I’d love to have you follow along there if you’re not already.

Lighting

OK, we’ve got the main jumping off point, the snakes wallpaper. The tiled shower is not changing, and the fixtures are staying. What can go though are those old Guillermo del Toro sconces.

These Sculptural Glass Ribbed Pendant and matching Sculptural Glass Ribbed Sconce are from West Elm. I like the look of them on their own, but also appreciate that they reference the ribbed Victorian glass shades that were in the room before, with a definite Noguchi Akari influence. And they are damp-rated, which is something to pay attention to when selecting fixtures for a bathroom.

The lights have been here for a while but I held one of the sconces over a light bulb the other day and it was beautiful when lit up!

There’s a junction box in the ceiling and what seems to be a corresponding light switch. I’ve already taken the cover plate off and the wires inside look to be newer than some of the horrors I’ve uncovered in this house. Will it work when I hook up a light? Let’s hope! Otherwise, that’s a job for an electrician. I am doing all of this work myself and I can swap out light fixtures, but I don’t feel confident in DIY troubleshooting of electrical issues.

Fabric

I liked the roman shade that was here with its etching-style illustrations of birds and tassel fringe, but it doesn’t go with the new design. My first thought for a new fabric was to go with stripes, but between the fabric, ribbed glass shades, and beadboard, it would have been too much. If I were going to choose a solid color, I’d match the ivory linen of our shower curtain. Nice and easy. But we never ever do nothing nice and easy.

It’s between these two Sister Parish fabrics (Burma in red and Cecil Stripe in dark brown). There was a flash sale and I got such a good price that I ordered both.

Paint

So easy. Our dining room is pink with a red ceiling. The kitchen and it’s little hallway/storage area will be, essentially, Caca Dauphin. (Did you know that story!?) The bathroom is between these two saturated, colorful spaces.

I am not painting the quarter sawn oak on the first floor, but everything else was fir or pine, and I am completely fine with painting that. The doors on the second and third floor are all black, and now the bathroom door is as well. The door trim, window trim, and medicine cabinet have all been sanded and primed, and I’ve given them and the beadboard all a matching coat of satin paint in Benjamin Moore’s Bare Essence. It’s a warm neutral, and a match for Farrow & Ball’s Joa’s White. It’s also a near match for the existing shower tile and looks great with the new wallpaper.

The Bathroom Design

All together now!
The painting is just about done — I need to do one more coat on the window and medicine cabinet. Then it’s a coat of wallpaper primer on the walls (Shieldz) before I can hang wallpaper and finally install the sconces. Roman shades are not the easiest to make, but I’ve gotten a little experience with them now and feel good about my window treatment skills. Slithering along.
March 11, 2021
Tiling with Cement Board Instead of Ditra

This bathroom renovation is sponsored by Lowe’s. Thank you for making this project possible!

I want my bathroom tile to have longevity. I’m using porcelain (wonderfully durable), and have been taking care to do the job right from the prep work through to completion. I’ll share more in an upcoming post about the tile installation, but first I want to point out a big mistake that I almost made (and how I fixed it).

I had been planning all along to lay my tile on top of Ditra. It’s an uncoupling membrane that isolates movement between the subfloor and finished tile, preventing cracks over time. It’s also a waterproofing layer. All good things!

Our bathroom had hardwood flooring, and you can’t lay Ditra directly on top because solid wood shrinks and swells with temperature and humidity changes. I could have added a more dimensionally stable subfloor (OSB, plywood, or cement board) on top of the hardwood. It would have added more weight to the floor, but more concerning was the additional height. When I had the cast iron radiator removed temporarily, I was advised to keep the connections at the same place. There is some give in the pipes, but not a lot. Same with the tub drain and toilet stack. I started to worry that in hopes of saving myself a little time by not ripping out the wood floor, I would be creating costly plumbing fixes in my near future when it came time to reattach everything.

I decided to demo the floor. It added more time to my project, but it was the right thing to do. I had to use my Dremel Multi-Max Saw in a couple of places, but most of the wood came up easily with the combination of a pry bar, wrecking bar, and claw hammer. Safety glasses and gloves are a good idea too.

Next I set about getting the floor ready from there. The plywood subfloor beneath the wood was mostly in good shape. There was some water damage beneath the toilet, but that was easily cut out and replaced.

At this point, I was still planning to use Ditra with my tile, but the finished floor would have now been too low, so I opted to lay OSB on top of my plywood to add thickness. Two 4’x8′ sheets cost less than $20. They’re big and heavy and hard to maneuver, but I got them cut to size, carried them up to the second floor, cut my openings for pipes, fine tuned the fit, and screwed the OSB into place (6″ spacing around the perimeter, 12″ grid spacing within). Hooray! I finished just before midnight, tired and sweaty, but feeling good about my progress.

There are different instructions for Ditra installation based on the type of subfloor you have, so I looked up that information the next morning. The OSB wasn’t the issue I ran into, it was the tile size. “The tile format should always be greater than 2” x 2” (5cm x 5cm).” Hi, I would be using 1” square mosaics! Oh no.

I was basically back to where I was when the hardwood flooring had still been in place. Cement board over top, or rip out what I had just finished and put cement board directly over the plywood subfloor? Out with the OSB. I went back to Lowe’s and picked up DUROCK cement backer board instead, plus thinset, the proper screws, and alkali-resistant fiberglass mesh tape.

Cement board can be scored with a razor blade and then snapped for a clean edge. A saw will cut it too, but produces silica dust particles — a razor blade is the better choice. Screws (8″ apart) hold the cement board in place, but thinset between it and the subfloor ensure there are no springy weak spots and make the floor behave as if it were one solid slab. Taping the joints and filling the gaps with thinset (be sure to smooth the top) also adds to the stability.

I added two coats of Mapai Aquadefense for waterproofing as well. I don’t think this was strictly necessary (this is a bathroom floor, not a shower or wet room), but I’m looking at it as a bit of added insurance. Porcelain tile doesn’t absorb much water and cement backer board is water-resistant, but neither is waterproof.

My mistake put me behind schedule, but lessons have been learned. May they spare you from a similar mistake!

I shared all of this on Instagram Stories as I realized what I had done, and very quickly, the worried messages started coming in. People had either installed Schluter Systems Ditra themselves beneath small tile, or had hired a professional that did. What now!?

You will probably be fine. Probably! The problem though is that Ditra has a waffle texture and where the small tiles overlap in a way that they’re not fully supported, there is a possibility that they’ll pop up or break, or the grout will crack over time (the very thing an uncoupling membrane is supposed to prevent). I’ve seen recommendations for filling the waffle voids completely, letting that dry, and then proceeding to tile. The job would not be covered by the Schluter’s warranty, but if the openings were all filled to the top it should stand up to normal traffic.

TL;DR A high heel putting pressure on a tile is one thing — I had been planning on putting our claw foot tub back in. That much weight focused on four points made me nervous, and since I realized my oversight before it would have been terribly difficult to reverse course, I opted to change my installation method.

August 29, 2019
The Bathroom Design Plan
This bathroom renovation is sponsored by Lowe’s. Thank you for making this project possible!

I’ve been working away on our second floor bathroom, clearing everything out and prepping for what’s to come. Let me show you what that is, exactly!
1. Pendant Light (Similar)
2. Birds!
3. Hallway Wallpaper
4. Existing Vintage Sconces
5. Wall Color TBD
6. Kohler Bancroft Pedestal Sink
7. Rohl Country Bath Brass Sink Faucet
8. Beadboard Color TBD
9. Kohler Elongated Comfort Height Toilet with Black Toilet Seat
10. Existing Hooks (About Those…)
11. Cast Iron Radiator and Existing Brass Hardware
12. Existing Clawfoot Tub, Painted (Color TBD)
13. Barclay Brass Bath Faucet with Hand Shower
14. Framed Kid’s Drawing
15. Existing Trash Can
16. 1″ Square Tile (Black, Lemon Chiffon, Cappuccino, and Biscuit) and Hexagon Tile (Biscuit)
The tub and many existing elements will stay, and all supplies (we’ll get into that in a separate post) and new pieces are from Lowe’s. There are a few variables to finalize, namely paint and the tile border design, but the overall plan is solid.

Work on the floor and prepping for paint has kept me busy, and I’ll choose the paint color towards the end. If I had to pick right now, it would be a match to the color of this dress. I’ve already painted the door (and every door on the second and third floor) black, the hallway right outside the bathroom has pink wallpaper. The plumbing fixtures are white, hardware is brass, and the floor tile will have a bit of ochre and tan. There’s a lot of room to play with colors from there!
June 26, 2019
The Bathroom Renovation Begins

This bathroom renovation is sponsored by Lowe’s. Thank you for making this project possible!

Oh, the plumbing issues we’ve had. At first, we thought that the trouble was limited to the drainage pipe from the bathtub on the third floor. I remember being all the way upstairs cleaning and emptying a bucket of dirty water into the tub, followed by Eleanor calling out from below “Mom, it’s raining in the bathroom!” We had to rip out the beadboard ceiling to access the pipes and fix them from below, and thought we were good. I was planning to start on this bathroom a year ago! Then plumbing problem number two hit. This one was far worse.

We were starting to notice a discolored spot at the foundation line near the back door, then discovered a puddle of water in the basement at the bottom of the plumbing stack. I thought it was an unresolved issue related to the third floor again, but the plumbers we called in explained it as an overflow issue from below. There was a hole in the ancient cast iron stack that had been slowly forming, and had the water not had that escape route it would have backed up out of the shower and out into the main floor. So yay for that not happening? The whole thing was a MESS in every sense.

Walls and ceilings were opened from the basement through the third floor. The stairway needed to be patched up. All three bathrooms are in need of some level of repair, but the second floor is taking priority. Here she is in happier times.

We’ve fixed the ceiling and the layout works well, but I’m taking the opportunity to address some of the issues that had been bugging us. The antique toilet is out and a new toilet is going in. I never loved the old one, and we especially didn’t love climbing up to fiddle with the tank every few days to keep it working (and even then, the toilet was always running).

We’re also swapping out the marble console sink. It’s so pretty, but a new pedestal sink (one with hot and cold water coming out of a single faucet and an easier surface to clean) is going to be far more practical with three kids. We’ll store the antique sink in the basement for now.

The new toilet and sink will be white with brass fixtures, and I’m thinking the walls will either be painted the same color as the wood trim and beadboard, or a shade or two lighter. I mentioned on Instagram that I was considering brown, and people balked at it being a bit… “biological.” (I think it could be amazing.)

Our antique tub is staying. It needed to scoot out temporarily so I can tile the floor, but it will go right back in with a new paint job on the outside and a new faucet. I was more nervous about moving the tub than anything else, but it came out pretty easily!

The wood floor has not fared well and I’m ready to replace it with tile. I have a mix of biscuit-colored hexagon tile and four colors of 1″ square tile for a border design. Something like so?

I’ll be sharing in real-time on Instagram as I go, especially in Stories, and of course will document everything here on the blog. I can’t wait to show you more! And my family can’t wait for me to get this thing done so we’ll have a working bathroom on the second floor again.

June 17, 2019
A Serpentine Bathroom
I’m fully embracing my witchy goth past today, you guys. Mix that with my present love of pink, and I’ve got a good bathroom design to share for Halloween (but it’s one that I totally want in my house year-round).

It all started with the Serpentine wallpaper — a new design from House of Hackney that’s available for pre-order. This would work well with the Coven Wallpaper that I love too.
1. Tim Lamp Pendant, Rejuvenation
  Tim, as in inspired by Tim Burton. I always feel like this one doesn’t look as impressive online as it does in person. It is huge, handblown, and amazing.
2. Tripod Mirror, Anthropologie
  Looks like it could come to life at night and walk around.
3. Tile (Sand Dune), Fireclay Tile
  A quiet counterpoint to the paper with a pinkish tone and lovely crackle finish.
4. Serpentis Wallpaper (Black), House of Hackney
  There are subtle flower motifs hidden behind the snakes. This is beautiful.
5. Hudson Valley Royale Polished Nickel LED Sconce, Bellacor
  These come in brass as well, and for my house that’s what I’d pick. I was pushing myself to use nickel instead here though. A classic metal finish to temper the Halloweenish vibe.
6. Vintage Fixed Mirror (Polished Nickel), Pottery Barn
  The regular size would be plenty big over the sink. (The mirror, sconces, and vanity are roughly in scale with each other above.)
7. Agneta Shower Curtain, Anthropologie
  Florals that aren’t too twee to go with the snakes.
8. Maison Single Extra-Wide Vanity (Antiqued Black), Restoration Hardware
  Pretty French details keep it feminine.
9. PB Organic Bath Towels, Pottery Barn
  Pink. ‘Cause I love it. Ivory or white would be nice, too.
10. Textured Organic Bath Rug (Soft Rose), Pottery Barn
  Yep, more pink!
Another look at that Serpentine Wallpaper. (OH MY, YES.)

And an alternative choice: Coven Wallpaper. I think everything except that Tim pendant is working here. I’d probably swap it for something a little more branching, like so.
October 31, 2017
Our Bathroom with the Hand-Painted Floor
Paint went a very long way in the bathroom on the third floor. The biggest change was the tumbling blocks pattern that I painted onto the wood floor, but I also changed out hardware and fixtures while the major pieces remained the same.

The ceiling, walls, and floor were all white before, and the door, dresser, window frame, and toilet seat were oak. The ceiling and walls got a fresh coat of white paint, and I painted the floor pattern in shades of pink and red. I painted the door black, left the dresser as-is, painted the window white, and swapped the toilet seat for a black one with a piano finish.

I also switched up the art just outside the bathroom. From the hallway, it all works together.

Between the floor and the paintings in the hall, I thought any art in the bathroom itself ought to be subtle. I printed out and traced an old illustration of tassels, but wanted to stack two frames on top of one another. I kept thinking to myself “I don’t know what to put here.” So I fancied up the text and wrote it in French, bien sûr.

Everyone wants to know about the vases. They are the cutest! They are also way sold out! Sorry. They were from West Elm, but the artist responsible for the collaboration creates and sells other styles on Atelier Stella. And more recently I picked up these ceramic boxes with a bauhaus influence that are on sale and will surely be gone soon as well. Hurry if you like them.

The door knobs on the entire third floor were switched out to uniform egg & dart knobs that better fit with the original details elsewhere in the Victorian during a round of the One Room Challenge. I also added brass Eastlake hooks to the back of the door for all of the nonexistent towels to hang after all of the nonexistent showers and baths we take in this bathroom. (It function as a powder room for us.) That key is the working key for the lock!

The antique dresser is only 17.5″ deep (most bathroom vanities are 21-24″). It is showing its age and has definitely been secured in place, so removing the top and replacing the counter and sink weren’t options I was interested in. That meant I would be using a centerset faucet with the existing sink and I went with this vintage-style brass faucet.

After all that brass? Black! I replaced the dresser handles with simple Emtek black porcelain cabinet knobs. This meant there were holes to fill and you’ll find them if you’re really looking, but otherwise it’s not noticeable.

I used 12″ Drawer Pull as towel bar along the side of the dresser. I had the hardest time figuring out where to put the dang towel in this room! Above the toilet? Eh, not all that great. On the wall to the left of the mirror? Tried it with a towel ring. It was OK, but it bugged me and limited my flower-arranging-space (so important, you know). The adjacent wall would have been good, but the light switch is there. The side of the dresser seemed like the best place, even if it’s not ideal.

An aside: Magazines are notorious for editing/cropping out the towel! You don’t always realize it until you start looking specifically for ideas on placement and realize that very often, there’s no way to dry your hands. Use your shirt, I guess!

Happy to call this tiny bathroom done. It’s in a dormer popped out of the roofline in our finished attic and I can touch the ceiling with ease, but my it’s cute.

Get the Look
- PAINT COLORS
  • Walls and Ceiling: Simply White, Benjamin Moore
  • Door: Authentic Black, Dutch Boy
  • Floor: Crimson, Puppy Paws, and Odessa Pink, Benjamin Moore
- Hand-Painted Floor, Inspired by Encaustic Cement Tile from Mosaic House
- Antique Oval Mirror (similar), Chairish
- Vintage Floral Paintings, South Loop Loft
- Bette Portrait by Tali Yalonetzki, Artfully Walls
- Gallery Brass Frame, CB2
- Framed Card, People I’ve Loved
- Tassel Illustration, Wiktionary
- White 11×14 Picture Frames, Target
- Globe Table Lamp, West Elm
- Atelier Stella Vases, West Elm
- Mod Black + White Ceramic Boxes, West Elm
- Emtex Black Porcelain Knobs, Wayfair
- Brass Thurman Sconces, Rejuvenation
- 12″ Tolson Drawer Pull, Rejuvenation
- Murchison Hume Soap, Amazon
- Embroidered Stripe Towel, Pottery Barn
- Embroidered Hotel Shower Curtain, Pottery Barn
- Nostalgic Warehouse Egg & Dart Door Knobs, House of Antique Hardware
- Black Toilet Seat, Amazon
- Delta Victorian Brass Toilet Lever, Amazon
- Double Handle Centerset Brass Faucet, Wayfair
September 13, 2017