Welcome to the before and after of my home office bath. This bathroom had 3 phases before I finally called it completed. The goal for this room was to feel like you are at a fun restaurant. Although this is an en suite bathroom within my home office, it is also a guest bathroom when we are hosting.
The bathroom had faux travertine porcelain tile on the vanity floor area and shower walls. The shower floor was a stone mosaic that I didn’t mind that much. However, the walls also had porcelain wainscot height tile surrounding all four sides and a rustic chiseled edge wall mirror that covered the back wall and part of the left side of the sink. This bathroom definitely needed a refresh!
Phase One:
We started our initial renovation before we moved in. So it was important to keep at least one bathroom functional, while the other three were undergoing full renovations. During the first phase we gutted the bedrooms and main floors, installed engineer hardwood flooring, skimmed coated the walls, added can lighting throughout, remade the staircase steps and risers and of course added a fresh new coat of paint everywhere. This process took 3 weeks. Then another month to complete our other bathrooms. Did I mention the kitchen took 4.5 months to complete because of shipping delays on appliances and cabinets?
During phase one we made sure to remove the wainscot wall tile and wall mirror. This allowed the drywall sub to install new drywall and finish out the skim coat process on the walls. We had to take out the original plumbing during this part, but thankfully the plumbers were able to move and reinstall the sink and toilet to get the bathroom function for the time being.
We waited 3 months to start the next phase. Frustratingly, I ended up getting covid and then had to wait another 1.5-2 months to get back on the schedule for all the sub contractors to come back. I wish I would have received that HGTV magic, where the whole renovation is completed in one episode!
Phase 2:
Designing my office bath I already knew I wanted to use Arizona Tile’s Reverie porcelain tile collection. I ended up going with their gris and noir colors to create a checkerboard pattern. This floor pattern had been stuck in my head since we lived in Los Angeles. The inspiration came from a restaurant we used to frequent named, Zinque, in West Hollywood. Again, I wanted my office bath to be a moody restaurant vibe. A space that makes you feel somewhere else.
For the shower wall tile I wanted to bring in a natural stone that had variation, texture and a vintage vibe to help offset the floor style. I ended up finding a cost effective 3x6 subway marble from Floor & Decor that was luckily in stock and ready to go!
The plumbing was next. It was very difficult to find a freestanding sink with the specifications that I needed. The sink needed to have a one hole faucet and deck mount installation.. For additional cost savings I was able to find a sink that included the vanity legs and built-in sink basin with a small countertop ledge in the back. This bathroom as you can see is on the smaller end, so I needed to make sure the countertop space had room to hold soap and any other accessories in the future. With this freestanding vanity/sink, the bottom section is exposed which helps the space feel more open. Since the p-trap is exposed, I purchased a decorative p-trap to match the stainless steel faucet finish.
Phase 3:
Time to create drama! My favorite color is green, so naturally this was my chance to paint the walls a bold color of my choice. The mild designer diva and artsy side in me craved a super challenging DIY project. To make things more difficult, I decided to elevate the aesthetic of the space by using Portola Roman Clay paint. You can order samples through their showroom, so I studied several colors from the paint swatches. I ended up going with a darker green color way, Nitty Gritty. I ordered enough material to paint the walls, ceiling and baseboard. After psyching myself up for 2 weeks, I finally landed on a weekend to paint. This DIY took so much longer to do than expected. I think it took me a total of 3 days to complete… just the walls.. The roman clay paint is a material you apply with a metal trowel. Then you sand the walls after each coat and finally apply a sealer after the final coat since it’s a bathroom. After so much work, I love the way the walls turned out! The dark green provides such a nice moody ambience. My back and wrists however were in severe pain for about a week! I now have an even deeper appreciation for the professionals or anyone who loves to paint. After this I vowed to hire out the paint labor next time.
Phase 4:
I lied. My OCD and creative mind craved even more drama! For months I would stare at this space from my desk and knew what was missing. I knew I had to paint the baseboards and ceiling to complete the space. UGH! The torture I put myself through to muster up the gumption to just do it. Goodness… painting the ceiling nearly wrecked me. My traps still feel the pain when I look up at the ceiling.
However, the final result was all worth it! Trusting the process and forcing myself to listen to my gut paid off.
During my time and travels to Houston, I was able to source vintage artwork and take the time to curate fun accessories to play tribute of our Houston residency. While this space took almost a year a half to complete, it’s hands down my favorite bathroom in our home.
Stay tuned for the next blog post for all the product links.
-SAS
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