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Dated Bathroom Ideas

This post for dated bathroom ideas is sponsored by Lowe's. 
All opinions are my own.

I know I've talked about it for a bit, but our master bathroom renovation is well underway, now. I've compiled a complete tour of all of its before state below. I'm also including loads of bathroom ideas that we're implementing for this dated space...while still holding on to some of its vintage charm and basic footprint.

Bathroom Ideas
Our master bathroom is always the highlight of the home tour when friends and family want to see our place. I mean...that tub, y'all. It gets a lot of "wow" reactions (and I can never tell if those are good or bad wows). But, yeah...wow. Truthfully, that tub was a toughie for us at first, too. We nicknamed it Dracula's Coffin from the get-go, due to its unique shape. But over the past three years, this weird little space has kind of captured our hearts. While most folks may take a sledge hammer to the entire space, we're going about this renovation a bit differently. See what is staying and what is going...along with all of our bathroom ideas below.

Dated Bathroom Ideas

Our bathroom ideas involve keeping the integrity of this space...we love the layout and don't hate the quirks. But, it is dated, and in some places...falling a part. So, it is definitely due for an update. I've always shied away from sharing a lot of photos of this space, because not everyone gets it (and a lot of friends have asked us when we're bringing in the bulldozer). But, I think I'm past that. I don't hate it and am actually quite tickled to give you this little tour of sorts today, along with share all of the new bathroom ideas we're implementing. 

Sea Salt Bedroom
To give you an idea of the layout, these are the two bathroom entrances from the master bedroom. On the left is my husband's vanity area and closet and on the right is mine (they basically mirror one another, but are separated with a wall).

1970s Bathroom
I'm starting on my side of the bathroom. The uniqueness of this space is that it is a horseshoe shape of sorts. Having my own little vanity room has been a dream, y'all. In our previous homes, we always shared a bathroom, and most often, one sink. And y'all...I'm a product person. I think I drove him crazy with the countertop clutter I often generated. He, literally, never has to even come in this side of the bathroom.  

Brass Light Fixture
We truly haven't changed a thing in this space since we moved in...including all of the fixtures. I don't hate brass, but I'm not crazy about the shape or style of this fixture. 

Brass Hardware
The hardware has seen its day. 

Soap Ledge Sink
And the ledges in the sinks drive me crazy...they basically just collect water and get dirty quickly. And if you use the intended bar soap on them, it gets gummy and yucky rather quickly. I'm happy to report, these are already removed. 

Bathroom Dressing Area
As I mentioned, my husband's vanity area mirrors mine exactly. I had originally wanted to relocate the sinks to the middles of the vanities, but that would have required all new cabinets and re-doing the plumbing, etc. So, they're staying in place.  Plus, the cabinets aren't in bad shape. I'm giving them a fresh coat of paint and new hardware and calling it good.

Walk-Around Bathtub
This tub is such a prominent feature of the space that it deserved two photos in this post. When we originally saw the photos of this house in its MLS listing three years ago, whoever photographed it did a pretty poor job. This room looked like something out of a horror movie. They photographed it in a manner that didn't let on there was a window in the space (I think it must have been at night) and then they blew the whole thing out with their flash. It was scary. So, we were pleasantly (well, you know) surprised at how not horror-movie this turned out to be. Dated? Yes. Masked-murderer-ish? Not really. And once we moved in and used the tub, we kind of loved it. It's a long, cast-iron tub that is ridiculously comfortable. And then there's the whole "walk all around the whole thing" feature. Not only is it unique, it makes bathing the dog a breeze. All of the tiles here will now be gloss white and the tub itself is getting refinished. The wallpaper is having to leave, too (I don't hate the pattern...but it's in really bad shape).

Green Bathroom Tiles
I really like the curves and angles and vintage-ness of the tiles. I can't wait to see how the space looks in all white! 

Wallpapered Bathroom
Directly in front of the tub are a bank of linen cabinets. And then off to the sides are the toilet room and shower. We are keeping the flooring...we just put it all in when we moved in and it's still in good shape. Giving the cabinetry a fresh coat of paint and hardware. The entire house had this quirky middle-of-the-cabinet placement for all of the hardware. Room by room, we've been changing it out (filling the holes, sanding, repainting). We will do the same in here, too.

Green Tiled Shower
On the other side is the shower. This is where we've put the bulk of the budget. It's being completely ripped out and the ceiling will be raised about a foot (almost to the height of the bathroom ceiling). I have details below on the tiles for this space...although the main white tiles will match the ones on the tub. We're also adding two niche areas for products. The new door will be a clear, frameless one. We're also moving the light to directly over the shower and changing it into a canned one.

Dated Yellow Tiles
Thought I'd share a close up of the tile and wallpaper. 

Popcorn Ceiling
And, as you can see, it's in rough shape. There are areas where it is, literally, taped to the wall. It's had a good run, y'all, but the time has come. Plus, I've never been completely convinced that it actually matches the tile. I mean...it's a stretch, at best.

1970s Bathroom Layout
On either side of that linen cabinet are the doorways (with handy pocket doors) into our separate vanity and closet areas. Also, why did people do away with these kinds of built-in hampers (on our linen cabinets)? I grew up with these and we love the heck out of them. My husband had never heard of them, but he's definitely a convert. 

New Bathroom Ideas and Finishes

While we're keeping some of the features, a lot is definitely changing. And honestly, as I'm typing this out, we've already had a fabulous crew here for a week working on this space...we're well on our way.
White Penny Tiles
I'm very thankful for a contractor who has really taken the time to work with us on this project. Quality Contracting out of Belton, Texas has been wonderful. Our lead guy, Steven, has even taken a trip to Lowe's with me to pick out all of our finishes. I highly recommend visiting your local Lowe's for ideas. Online shopping is great, but seeing things in person is super helpful. When we found the above penny tiles, we knew we had a foundation for the design of the space. We're using the penny tiles on the floor of the shower, along with the backs of the niches. It will be set off with a light grey grout. We're using the white gloss tiles everywhere else in the space.

Other Bathroom Fixtures

Besides all of the new tiled areas and countertops, the fixtures are all getting a major update, as well. I'm continuing my polished nickel/chrome look that is making its way through the rest of the house.

Chrome Bathroom Fixtures
From left to right (above): 
  • Over the tub, we'll be using this Warehouse of Tiffany 6-Light Chrome Transitional Drum Chandelier.
  • Over the vanities, we're installing these Allen+Roth Chrome fixtures.
  • I'm in love with the new Delta faucets we're using. Our contractor saved us a lot by making sure we used Delta fixtures since that's what all the previous fixtures were...it makes the fittings simpler without a ton of replacing and ripping out behind the walls. We're using this Delta Linden Chrome WaterSense Bathroom Sink Faucet. Going with one handle and a centerset fixture means it's so much easier to clean. I put something similar into our half bath and love it. The one in our kids' bath is super detailed (two handles, loads of chrome, etc.) and it is a job to clean all the little nooks and crannies. 
  • Our shower and tub areas will have the Delta Linden Chrome Shower Faucet.
  • I'm still making decisions on cabinet hardware...but I have about a day or two before I need to get there! Nothing like the last minute, huh?

Bathroom Paint Colors 

I've gone round and round on this one. For the past few years, our bedroom has been Sea Salt. While it's lovely, I'm ready for something a bit more bold. Whatever we do in the bedroom, we'll be carrying it into the bathroom, too, since it joins up. 
Waverly Drapes
These are the draperies I made for our bedroom (see their tutorial here). I'm using the same fabric for my bathroom drapes. I have about settled on a fun coral color...pulled directly from the drapery print. I found these two at Lowe's and love them:

Coral Paint Colors

Vanity Space
UPDATE: The bathroom makeover is FINISHED. Click here to tour our new space. 




20 comments:

  1. maybe try a gray paint for the walls maybe a light confederate gray to match the beautiful drapes you made try to pull a different color from the drapes just to see how it would look

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    1. That is a nice idea...I have a lot of "putty" colored paint in our hallways and such, so my only worry is that I may need more of a greige than grey to get it to coordinate. Thank you so much, Jen! xoxo

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  2. I love everything about it. I like vintage and my husband doesn't so this will still give a vintage feel with a crisp clean look!! It will be awesome. I like the paint on the right!!

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    1. Thank you so much, Terri! I really appreciate it. Yes, it can be hard to marry two people's styles sometimes, for sure. But, I'm with you...love me some vintage. Appreciate your comment. xoxo

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  3. I had the avacado green tiles in our bathroom reglazed pure white and added board and batten on the lower third. Painted the walls a lighter blue. It was gorgeous.

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    1. That sounds absolutely lovely, Karin! It's amazing what they can do these days to tiles. And I certainly love a good board and batten treatment. Thanks so much for stopping by! xoxo

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  4. Call me crazy, but I love the uniqueness of this bathroom. And as I was touring through your blog post, I was thinking about the handiness of many of the features! I am so excited for it to get a facelift while keeping a lot of the basic footprint. I cannot wait to see it finished!

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    1. Hey, Dawn! Always love your comments, friend. Yes, it's super unique, but we like that, too. I'm super excited with how it's coming along, too. Thank you so much for stopping by. Hoping 2019 is treating you well! xoxo

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  5. I rather love the tub. Can't wait to see the after pics. Have fun!!!

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    1. Thank you so much...it's truly been a fun process for sure (good contractors make all the difference!). We love that tub, too...couldn't bring ourselves to part with it. Thank you so much for stopping by! xoxo

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  6. I was thinking of using Gray instead of White on the cabinets as white is so easy to get dirty and smudge. And also dull. Plus the gray would bring out the coral of the bedroom and bring out color of the curtains

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    1. It would be fun to have a unique color on the cabinets...something to think on for sure! Thank you so much for stopping by. xoxo

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  7. Loks like a fun albiet challenging project, love the lighting and fixtures you have chosen. While I am not a fan or orange tones, the fabric and lighter color of coral is lovely. Good Luck!

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    1. Thank you so much, Jean! I'm definitely new to the world of coral, but excited to see how it goes. Appreciate you stopping by. xoxo

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  8. It is going to be gorgeous! I love big roomy houses (ours in the UK is sooooo small!) and it sounds like the layout works for you. Once it is all freshened up it will be wonderful!

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    1. Hi Deborah! Thank you so much. Yes, we can't wait to see how it all comes together. I do love a big house, but man...the cleaning! LOL! ;) xoxo

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  9. I love the changes you are making.Are you having the tile on the wall replaced? If so, will the drywall have to be replaced too?

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    1. Thank you so much. We have had the cast iron tub refinished (in order to keep it). Because of this and not wanting to damage the surface of it, we were able to have the tiles refinished as well (to match the new shower tiles perfectly). The contractors are actually on the last phase of the refinishing part this afternoon. We hope it will all be done at the end of the week...yay! Thanks so much for stopping by! xoxo

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  10. Any updates on the renovation?

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    1. Hey there! I just posted the big reveal here: https://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2019/03/master-bath-makeover.html

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