For the first 50 years of my life, my perfectionist self mistakenly believed it was all about knowing more, getting it right, planning, attempting to prevent bad things from happening, and keeping all of my chicks in a row. It took me this long to discover that the JOURNEY is all that matters. This quote from Gilda Radner sums it all up:

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.
"


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Master Bath Renovation

Our master bath renovation is just about complete, and we are extremely happy with our new space! Built in the the 1980's, the master bath was very outdated and cluttered.  There was an old fiberglass shower stall with glass doors on a metal track.  A formica cabinet with a wall mirror and strip lights on the top.  Tile floor with dirty grout.  I had no desire to even clean it anymore!



We now have a 48" floating vanity made by Nutmeg Stairs and Cabinets.  The vanity top is quartz with an undermount sink by Ronbow.


I chose simple chrome drawer pulls on the cabinet.  The middle drawer is home to the garbage can so I don't have  to have one cluttering the floor.  There is an electrical outlet inside one of the drawers so we can keep the hair dryer plugged in, use it, and put it away.

And a Grohe faucet with soap dispenser.  The tile on the wall behind the sink is from Porcelanosa.




The medicine cabinet (Century) over the sink is 6 inches deep providing more storage room.
 There is a mirror on the inside of the medicine cabinet door, which also opens to almost 180 degrees.


 There is a double outlet inside the medicine cabinet so we can keep our electric toothbrushes charging out of sight! And the mirror has a heater so it will not fog up during those long, hot showers.


I love my make-up mirror with 5x magnification on one side.

Another BEFORE picture:


 We had a towel bar on the wall - the towels were never hanging straight, which bothered me!

The heater extended behind the toilet, which collected all kinds of dust and made it hard to clean.

There was a window shade over the window that collected hair spray and dust.


We have removed the heater from behind the toilet so we could have a beautiful skirted Toto one-piece toilet.

Instead of a towel bar, we now use two modern towel hooks (much neater and easier).
Spare towels are stored above the toilet on a modern train rack from Restoration Hardware.
The window no longer has a shade - nobody can see inside anyways! The white window trim was removed and the window was encased in tile instead.




BEFORE: The area behind the door housed a corner hamper for dirty clothes.  We could never open the door all the way because of the cramped space and the hamper wasn't big enough  - it was always overflowing onto the floor.


Now, there is no more hamper.  Just a stainless steel door in the wall.


On the other side of the wall is a closet with two large laundry bins!  (My idea!)


BEFORE: Molded fiberglass shower stall with sliding glass doors.



After removing the fiberglass enclosure, we were able to make the shower larger because there was empty space on one side of the enclosure.  We replaced it with a tiled shower with a white Synmar base.  There will be a frameless glass door in the opening - we are waiting for it to be made.

The tile is Shine Dark from Porcelanosa.  It is a mixture of browns and greys.


There is an accent strip of greys, whites and browns to break up the large tiles.


The accent tile is repeated in the cutout where the soap and shampoo are stored. (The tile looks more brown in this picture, but it is really mainly grey)


Part of the shower is behind a partial wall for privacy.  The water control was moved from under the shower head to the side wall so we don't have to get wet when we reach in to turn on the shower.  There are also two hooks on the side wall for washcloths.


A small piece of granite was installed in the corner so there is something to put my foot on when shaving my legs!

The floor tile is a matte gray - very plain so as not to take away from the beauty of the wall tile.
The white baseboard trim was replaced by a tile trim.


Instead of a cloth bath mat, I chose a mat made of wood (teak or bamboo) which stays on the floor all the time - no bath mat to hang to dry.


I am sooo happy with my new bathroom.  John Shea of JD Shea Home Improvements did all of the work, including the fantastic tile work.  The electrical was done by Tim Sawtelle of Constant  Power.
The bathroom sinks, medicine cabinets, toilets, faucets, and tub were purchased at Modern Plumbing in Newington.


The main bath is completed with the installation of the glass shower enclosure from CT Bath and Shower in West Hartford.


18 comments:

  1. I LOOOOVVVVVVEEEE your bathroom!! (both bathrooms!)
    It is so serene and peaceful and ZEN-like.
    You must be thrilled with how it turned out!

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  2. WOW!!! IT looks INCREDIBLE Mrs. S! I want to come over and use it :)

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  3. I think it looks fantastic. Very modern shade of white. Classy.

    -Long Island Shower Doors

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  4. Can you tell me who made the lights above the medicine cabinet? Love them!

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  5. When I read that it was built in the 1930's, I immediately agree that a renovation is the best solution to update your bathroom. And by the looks of it, you've succeeded in doing just that. You definitely made the best out of your bathroom. And it's a wise move to take out your window shade because you have such a lovely window. It's better to show it off and let the natural light came in.

    Lynne, Suburban Glass Service, Inc.

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  6. Stunning bathroom! The Shine Dark tile is gorgeous. I really like how you have added the Jersey Mix strip into the shower area, I have never seen that done before but it really works well. It's great to see such a beautiful transformation, thank you for sharing your bathroom

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  10. We are in the process of doing a new bathroom. And we are having a custom cabinet made, just like the one you have above the sink. So, where can I get lights that will provide enough lighting above the large, deep cabinet. The rest of my fixtures are Oil Rubbed Bronze. Thank you. Tracey traceyhofman@aol.com

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  11. What tiles did you use for your bathroom floor? Thanks!

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  12. What tiles did you use for your bathroom floor? Thanks!

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  13. What type of hinges did you use for the mirrored door? They must be heavy duty to support the weight? What are the dimensions of the master medicine cabinet?

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  14. Your blog about master bathroom renovation is so good and informative for me.thanks for sharing.
    Shower renovation Springfield va

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  15. Amazing. Absolutely gorgeous. thanks for sharing with us

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  16. I would very much like your bathroom, thanks for sharing

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