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.

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

Rustic/industrial/farmhouse kitchen makeover

I am super excited to say that we are going ahead with our rustic/industrial/farmhouse cottage kitchen update this fall…wow that was a mouthful. I’ve been such a busy bee getting all the items chosen, sourced and ordered that I haven’t even had any time to blog!

It’s so exciting! I’ve been dreaming of redoing this kitchen ever since I saw it.  This is how it looked when we originally purchased the home. (This is the realtor photo)

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And how the kitchen looks now:

DSC_0194So you can see that I painted the side panel in blackboard paint (which I love and I’m leaving as is). I added the hanging pendants, due entirely to my hubby’s cleverness.  The white knobs were exchanged for the black square knobs and cup handles.  And the wood shutters were removed from the windows, they banged into the cupboards and generally, just drove me crazy.

Now, we will be doing a much bigger change to the kitchen, but it is still not a total gut.  We are leaving the footprint the same, since it’s a log home, any floor plan or lighting changes are a challenge.  I’m okay with the layout, so I’m just doing some fine tuning.  But, can I tell you how happy I am to be finally rid of those white track lights, they are definitely on their way out! More on the layout and all the details in another post.

But I will leave you with the kitchen’s mood board.  As you can see it has a rustic/industrial/farm house aesthetic together with some blue, of course!

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Stay tuned for progress reports!

Lisa