Bathroom Renovation Part One — Seeing Spots

Hello again! It’s Jillian here with some more home changes for you. We just completed our third round of renovations since buying this house, and I am thrilled with the results! Two upstairs bathrooms, my daughter’s bedroom, and the foyer were all on the construction zone hit list this time. A special thanks to Laplante Construction for their timely and meticulous work. If you’ve been following us on Instagram, I gave a little sneak peak inside the kids’ bathroom renovations a few months back, but today I am going over the first part of this bathroom renovation. Next week I will present the finished product, so be sure to check back then too! Now on to the before photos, which show a cute-but-dated space. I couldn’t wait to give this bathroom some fresh, fun style, as well as make it more functional.

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First step for me was to pick the floor tile. I wanted something with variations of color because I planned to keep the simple cream-colored vanity top, and needed the tile on the floor to tie together the cream vanity top with the rest of the room. I tried many samples but this one below was always my favorite. I love the range of neutral shades in each tile, and the long, thin shape lent itself perfectly to a pleasing herringbone pattern. This tile size (3.5 x 14) was just right to achieve the herringbone pattern within the dimensions of the bathroom. Once I decided on the tile, I worked my bathroom decorating plan around it. See a sneak peak of that process below!

 

As I planned to have the vanity painted, I did extensive paint swatch sampling to figure out which direction I wanted to go. At first I wanted to do something bold and colorful like teal, but ultimately decided against it as it really didn’t work with the gray tones of the room, and I was worried that I might tire of it. I decided that if I wanted to bring bright color into this space, I could always accessorize with vibrant towels and a shower curtain, which would be much more low-risk. I have become a big wallpaper fan after incorporating it into my fall One Room Challenge project, and decided to bring some more wallpaper into my nest. But I wanted to find a wallpaper that was fun and playful as it is a bathroom for the children. I took one look at the Tanzania collection of wallpaper by Thibaut, and I instantly fell in love! The pattern kind of reminds me of my favorite spotted chair in my living room (see below). I was tempted to choose from one of the collection’s many bolder color options, but again decided against it as this bathroom is shared by my daughter and son (at least for now), and thought the dark gray spots were more gender neutral. Plus the gray spots on the wallpaper looked so fantastic with the floor tile.

  

Did you notice the new cool, sleek light fixture nestled among all those spots, which replaced the Hollywood strip lighting? It’s simple design is clean and modern, and I love it. I also have new woven wood blinds, which add some texture and warmth to the bathroom, while also helping to tie together the colors in the room. I will show you more of these beauties next week too. Some other treats I’m saving for next week are new open shelves, the painted vanity, and the new and improved shower/tub area. That’s all the fun for now! Come back next Thursday to see all the final details of this glorious spotted bathroom!