Bathroom storage secrets

If you are thinking of a bathroom renovation and space is at a premium, this is an attractive vanity and coordinating mirror with a couple of storage secrets!

Bathroom storage vanity & mirror

Not one but two hidden storage areas!

Bathroom storage vanity & mirror

How clever is this! A secret drawer in the vanity, that looks like it is just the cabinet’s baseboard with a toe kick. Instead it hides a large storage drawer, perfect for a small bathroom or for someone like me with lots of extra items to store.

The mirror door also cantilevers upwards to offer even more storage, this is especially perfect if you don’t have room for a medicine cabinet door swing.

I used the double sink version of this vanity in a recent client bathroom renovation and they are loving the extra storage room. I’m hoping to be able to take some proper photos soon but here’s a little sneak peek of the space. A total refresh from their previous master bath.

Client bath reno - sneak peek

Lisa

Bright and Fresh Guest bath

Before and After

Before and after bath

BEFORES

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AFTERS

After full view bath vanity view shower curtain, vanity and toilet view close up of vanity shower tile, curtain horizontal shower tile,

This guest bath renovation was pretty quick and easy. All the plumbing was kept in the same place and the tub was kept.  We just retiled the tub area with large scale, slightly etched, glossy tiles in a graphic and modern grid pattern.  We kept things neutral with a medium grey porcelain 12 x 24 floor tile.  An updated vanity, sink, counter, faucet and toilet were all added. The graphic black and white shower curtain and the client’s own snazzy mirror make this a bath any guest would be happy to use.

ENSUITE BATH RENOVATION – FROM DARK AND DRAB TO BRIGHT AND PRETTY

BEFORE

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AFTER

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This bath was dramatically transformed from dark and drab to bright and pretty. The walk in shower was removed and a free standing tub was put in it’s place. It was made bright by using porcelain tile that mimics carrera marble in feel and durability. A soft pearlescent hexagon accent tile was used to reflect light and add a touch of sparkle to the tub area. The vanity was repurposed with a new quartz countertop, sink and faucet.

Bright and fresh guest bath

Before and after bath

I’m sharing a before and after of a small guest bath that was completed recently.  As you can see, it is now bright and fresh and ready for some Christmas guests.

A few befores. removing the bulkhead made such a huge difference.

Before bath before bath Before

This was a budget makeover as it is a little used bathroom and my clients just wanted to bring it up to date and make it fresh and clean.  We shopped big box stores and used budget friendly pieces wherever we could.

shower curtain, vanity and toilet view

We did a solid rectangular grey tile on the floor and a simple grey vanity from a big box store.  The client had purchased the mirror a few years prior and was itching to use it in the space. It adds a nice dose of personality to the room.

shower tile, curtain

The large scale white horizontal tile with strie detail are absolutely stunning in real life.  It’s a little hard to see the detail in a picture but trust me they are spectacular! And the graphic black and white shower curtain, just adds the right amount of pop.

horizontal shower tile,

You can see them a little better in the above photo and we laid them in a grid pattern so that it the horizontal lines were unbroken, also 2 tiles fit the length of the tub and 1 worked for the depth…perfectly. Little to no cutting involved!  When does that ever happen???

Here’s a good look at the vanity and the mirror.  I pulled the blue out of the mirror for the towels but you could use any of the accent colours in the mirror to change it up.

vanity view

We painted the walls in white that matched the shower tiles, to make it feel bigger, as there’s no demarcation line between the tiles and the walls.

shower curtain, vanity and toilet view

My clients also picked up a new low-flow toilet that is a higher more comfortable height.

close up of vanity

graphic shower curtain, toilet, flooring

A better look at the floor tile that were done in a grid pattern.

After full view bath

And if you look really close in the far left corner, you’ll see that even Phoebe approves.

Sources: Wall and floor tile – Ceragres, paint – Benjamin Moore, vanity, shelf, toilet – Home Depot, Mirror, artwork – client’s own,  faucets – Delta, shower curtain – Bed, bath and beyond

Lisa

 

From dark and drab to bright and pretty

Well, I can definitely smell fall in the air.  Makes me want to get all my cosy sweaters, leggings, tall boots and chai pumpkin tea out. It really is my favourite season, cool, sunny and not too hot.

As promised I thought I’d catch you up on some design projects that I worked on this past winter/spring.  And this ensuite bath renovation definitely brings to mind a fresh, bright, spring day.

Quite a bit of work has been done on this client’s home, as the previous owner used a wheelchair and there was some retrofitting that needed to be done for my client.  High up on the wish list, was her dark, brown and dreary ensuite bathroom.

Here’s the befores and I apologize for the absolutely terrible before pics. In my defence, it’s a small bath so it is very hard to get some good pictures but I think I accidentally deleted a few that actually were better than theses (shakes head).

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My client explained that she really wanted a white, clean, spare, spa bath with a freestanding tub and no shower (there’s one in the basement).

So, first up was removing the large brown walk-in shower.  I gave my client the exact measurements she’d need for a tub that would fit into small alcove (where the shower had been) and she was off shopping.  It was very important that she tried out the tub herself and made sure it was comfortable for her, tubs are like mattresses and seating, everyone fits in them differently.

And happily, she found the perfect one, modern, clean, oval and exactly the right size for our space.

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Vanico Maronyx – Vesso

Isn’t she pretty?

Now it was time to find tiles. She loved the look of marble but with budget being an issue, I found some marble lookalike, large scale porcelain tile which fit the look and budget perfectly. We used them on the floor and then ran them up the wall about a third of the way, but just around the tub.

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Ceragres Anima & Onix Nature

When I came upon this pretty matte and  iridescence mini hexagon tile border, I had an aha moment. However, the large scale tile and the border tile were different thicknesses, but after adding in the chair rail moulding tile and pencil tile, it will never be noticed.

Due to budget constraints we decided to keep the existing white vanity.

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Caesarstone Organic white quartz

But upgraded to a new Caesarstone’s Organic White quartz countertop (above). Together with a simple white square undermount sink, shiny new Moen faucets and hardware you’d never guess it was the same cabinet. Feminine and sparkly!

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Moen Weymouth

We added the matching two handle tub filer from Moen, which really makes a statement in the small bath.

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Moen Weymouth

Again, excuse the photos, I haven’t had it professionally photographed yet, or even photographed by me properly, but here’s a few iPhone pics of the after.  And yes we were still waiting for the new handles to be installed in this pic as well as for a small shelf above the toilet.

White. grey and yellow master bath

White, grey and yellow master bath tub

White, grey and yellow master bath detail

Quite a difference from the previous space, wouldn’t you say?  Bright and pretty, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy a nice soak.

Lisa