This post is long overdue – but after four months of living in our new home (two of which the project has been complete) I am thrilled to finally reveal our Master Bathroom Before & After Gut Renovation! Read on for photos and details!
We searched for the perfect home for a whole year – and as it typically goes when house hunting, there’s always a “but” or an “if only” and rarely (if ever) did we find a home that was TOTALLY PERFECT as-is. I wanted a big, bright kitchen and a large master with a bathroom and closet space that would act as a perfect, functional retreat for mom & dad. If we found the master of our dreams, the rest of the house was lacking – and vice versa. We ultimately chose a home that is big, bright, and airy – knowing that we needed to totally transform the primary suite. And we are so happy that we did! Our home was initially renovated and expanded in the year 2000, so a lot of the design aspects were over two decades old and although it was kept in immaculate condition, we changed pretty much all of the paint, hardware, and other decorative features like doorknobs, mirrors, towel racks, etc. throughout the entire home. The master bedroom is modest in size but it had this HUGE bathroom and closet that had a less than ideal layout. The door to enter was narrow, it had one little window letting in a very small amount of natural light, and carpet in the closet. If the rest of the house weren’t so picture perfect, it would have been a huge NO from me – but I had a vision and I knew that, if we could handle it financially, I’d be able to make this suite feel a whole lot bigger, lighter, and better.
In an effort to let in more of that precious natural light, we started by installing a skylight window! We also ran all new electric and added extra hi-hats for added light. The door to enter was expanded to be wider, and to open inward so that it wasn’t taking up space in the bedroom. We rearranged the whole room – putting the vanity in the entryway and a massive shower around the corner (the existing shower was MAYBE 4×4? Stephen could barely even fit!) We exposed the toilet which was formerly behind a privacy door, and then installed a standalone soaking tub – acting as the only bathtub in the whole house! I don’t know how it’s possible that the house didn’t have a single one, and with two little kids it was an absolute necessity for me – not only to bathe them, but for my own relaxation purposes!!!
We opened up the space further by replacing the french doors to the closet with clear glass doors and continuing the statement tile all the way through to create a nice flow. I even added some custom wood handles made by our contractor! Which brings me to the decor… my favorite part! All the hardware throughout is Matte Black, from either Kohler or Moen. I purchased pretty much everything from General Plumbing Supply in Orange, NJ. I worked with a lovely woman named Ada, who was very helpful. The vanity can be found HERE – it was a steal, all things considered, and makes a beautiful statement right in the entryway. Everything in the space is black & white, so bringing in warm wood elements helped give the space more of a grounded, earthy feel – even despite using a busy and bold statement tile!
I have an arch mirror over my dresser in the bedroom so I continued that theme into the bathroom by adding two arch mirrors above each vanity station. When it came to the art on the walls, I had the hardest time deciding what I wanted – hence why this blog post took so long to finally get live! Ultimately, I wound up sticking to black & white line art, but I intentionally chose pieces that had a lot of black negative space. I feel it tones down the floor tile just enough to have something on the walls that is much less busy. I found these on Society6! Here’s a link to the piece above the toilet – and here’s a link to the piece beside the tub. When it came to the other accessories in the room, I was sure to continue incorporating warm wood. Some of these pieces include: my tub caddy from Magnolia Home, a miniature stool found at Target for beside the bathtub (no longer available), a bamboo hamper from The Container Store, which I placed beneath some basic wooden floating shelves. I also threw warm wood tones in the closet via my floor mirror, which I found at Urban Outfitters. And finally, what’s a bathroom without a little fresh greenery? This faux eucalyptus tree behind the tub is giving me serious spa vibes with zero maintenance. I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the leaves!
You can check out the BEFORE pictures here:
And finally, the AFTER photos! I needed to make sure every little tiny detail was in place before I shot them but I really am so proud of every inch of this space, which I designed on my own! This was so much fun it’s got me tempted to do our hall bath next!!! – Check out the results:
I mean really – how gorgeous did this space come out?! I was hesitant to use a busy tile in such a sprawling space, but in the end I wound up being very happy with my choice. This room is most definitely an oasis – and the renovation was worth every minute and every penny! From dark and dreary to light and cheery! Head over to my Instagram to see the cool reel that I put together with all these photos – it’s a great way to feel the wow factor of such a drastic upgrade!
