This bathroom is like, really pretty.

My First and Favorite Transformation

This project was the first one I completed in the house and the one that made me realize I could do this.

Meh…

At first glance, this bathroom isn't so bad. Hexagon floor tiles (*swoon*), black marble wall tiles and a large enough vanity. But let's take a closer look...why does the vanity only have one sink? Why is the toilet so close to the vanity? Why do these marble tiles feel like plastic? Upon closer investigation it looks like this bathroom was remodeled at some point, likely in the 80's. The original built-in medicine cabinet was covered up with a giant frame-less mirror, the tiles are actually plastic (who knew they even made those), and the hexagon tiles are cracking because they were laid over BEAUTIFUL hardwood floors.

0 to 100

I wish I had captured the moment I realized there were original pine floors underneath the hexagon tiles, because the only thing better than original hexagon floor tiles is original hardwood floors in a practically preserved condition. I cried real (happy) tears and went from "I'm just going to paint the vanity and walls, reglaze the tiles, and update the fixtures" to "let's rip this room apart" in about 60 seconds.

The Learning Curve

It didn't take long for me to make plans for this room; they definitely came to me the easiest of all of the projects I've done. The plan was white subway tile, mid-century credenza as a vanity, and brass and black accents and fixtures. For some reason, I decided tiling the ENTIRE vanity wall would be a great idea (I hadn't tiled anything at all up to this point). I had the delusional idea that I could get it done in one weekend and 2 MONTHS later I realized I might have misjudged my first-time tiling abilities. But, I did everything myself, with the exception of the rough-in plumbing, so I cut myself a little slack. I’m happy to say my second tiling job in the kitchen only took me one weekend, so the trial and error in this room clearly paid off!

Was it worth it?

This project took forever to complete (164 days and 302 hours to be exact), but it was so worth it. The days were long and hard, but along the way I learned how to tile (with a few failed attempts first), install recessed lighting (thanks Dad!), and some very necessary plumbing skills. After all was said and done, the project came to a total of $4,411.20 including plumbing, fixtures and décor. From beast to beauty, this bathroom is one of my favorite projects to date! Enjoy!