Thursday, May 17, 2012

Bathroom Bliss

Who isn't a sucker for a beautiful bathroom? There is just something so dreamy about them. Maybe its the thought of blissfully soaking in a big beautiful tub full of bubbles and a glass of wine in hand.

Checkout these beautiful bathrooms. Aren't they dreamy?


A closet in the bathroom? Yes please!


I feel like this bathroom belongs in a beautiful French Chateau


A soak at the cottage


Is this tub calling you? Or is it just me?


However, for most of us...if you get to take a bath all by yourself with no interuptions, its a beautiful day! Last winter we decided to do a small bathroom reno. Ha! Small renos in these old houses tend to uncover many hidden surprises. When we moved into the house, the second floor bathroom (we call it the kids bathroom but its also used for guests as we dont have a powder room on the main floor) was circa 1985. Mauve, pink, grey and beige was the theme. We thought in the short term we would replace the tile, paint the walls and lay new flooring. Sounds easy? Maybe a weekend project for my hubby (Mr. Fix-it). Well, Mr. Fix-it took off the tile to find this...ROTTEN wood from the window.


Our reno went from mini to yikes! We started panicking that if the wood was rotten there, could it be all over that wall? Into the other rooms? Uh oh. I was starting to wish we hadn't even opened the wall. However...with the help of some of Mr. Fix-it's buddies, they found that the rot was contained and they could fix it. Phew! Turned out we couldn't really salvage anything, so full demolition went down...

This is Mr. Fix-it talking on the phone to me while I was away with the kids for the weekend. Just letting me know we had a slight problem with the bathroom ;)



Guess we're not keeping the tub


Carter helping Daddy out


Seeing how everything had to come out, it was a great opportunity to try to make the tiny space (7'X7') feel as big as it could. We had to deal with a heating vent that was at one end of the tub but instead of having the shelf up high, we made it wider and lowered it to almost tub level so that it fit all the kids bath toys, shampoo etc., and at a height they could reach.



Before the tiles were grouted


Initially I wanted to install wainscotting half way up the wall but with such little wall space, it felt much more airy by painting the walls a fresh colour. We chose Farrow & Ball - Borrowed Light.


Mirrors...a small room's best friend. By adding a full length mirror on one wall and a glass framed mirror directly opposite it made the bathroom feel more open.

Dont get too fussy with decor stuff in the bathroom. Keep it simple. Pretty baskets are a great way to keep your bathroom essentials organized and if you can fit a storage hutch in your bathroom...do it. Its a great way to organize, store your towels and looks lovely.

Towels are a lovely way to add colour or texture to your bathroom. Realistically, towels dont have the longest shelf life (even the really good ones) so switch it up now and then.

Pottery Barn has some beauties but so does HomeSense. Monogramming also adds a little extra special touch.


Lighting...can make or break a room. Take the time to find that perfect light fixture for your space. Bad "hag lighting" in a bathroom is bad news. I suggest puting your light fixture on a dimmer switch. Just like everyone looks great in candle light, your guests will thank you when they look fab in your dimmed bathroom. Because lighting is such an important element to designing a room I'll make sure to have a post dedicated to it.




Home renos can be scary and if you have a fantastic contractor, or not alot of time then full steam ahead. However, you too can take on the challenge if you're not in a huge rush and interested in learning a few new things. What's the worst that's going to happen...you need to call a contractor (which you likely were going to do at the beginning anyway). With so many online tutorials and books out there, I encourage you to take risks! You will learn alot along the way. With the help of Mr. Fix-it's buddies, they learned how to fix plumbing, install a tub, replace beams, master drywalling etc. You dont need to do everything, but I encourage you to take on something in your home you've never done before.

We did hire a fabulous tiler to lay the floor and install the tile surrounding the tub. If you are in Ottawa and need tiling done, just let me know.

Bathrooms and kitchens are the top selling features in a home. Whether you install a new bathroom or add new paint and a beautiful shower curtain, you can transform your space to be fresh.fabulous.sophisticated.

Keep it beautiful.

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