We've been following along as Dana and her husband sold their old house, moved into an apartment, and rebuilt a small house — all while also welcoming their third child. I'm sure this master bathroom update is a great indication of how the rest of the house has come together.
Dana and her handy hubby, Steve, worked with what they've got in this small bathroom. Instead of making this master bath larger, they've made the most of the tiny space by keeping everything light and shiny.
Of course the first thing to improve this space was removing the mismsatched everything. Pink tile, green bathtub, ugly old sink? They all had to go. In their place, the couple chose a white tile with a dimpled texture that catches the light brilliantly. To make the space feel larger, they installed the tile all the way up to the ceiling. The ugly old vanity was replaced with a modern floating sink and drawer unit in a cool, high gloss gray. The two drawers will help keep the space tidy and the lacquered finish will help the room feel bright. The only thing that remains is the toilet, cleaned up and good as new.
Read all about the bathroom makeover project (and also find a complete resource list!) on Dana's blog: House*Tweaking.
Take a house tour of Dana & Steve's old house: Dana's DIY Modern Casual Home.
(Images: House*Tweaking)
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Wonderful job! I like that floating vanity. I have a similar bathroom with a window placed curiously in the middle of the shower. And naturally, that window faces the street. When we redid our bathroom we put up privacy glass which helps. My home was built in 1959 - maybe they enjoyed giving the neighbors a show back then? The window-in-the-shower thing makes no sense to me.
So much better! Very smart choices in materials; love the mirror.
What kind of tiles are those in the shower... They look like they have some texture? I dig it, but how are they to clean I wonder?
We just installed that same tub - Kohler Archer - and love it. It has the greatest soak depth of a tub that size. Luxurious!
Wow ! Nice ! I have the exact same bathroom in the house that we just bought last month. It's really ugly right now and this gives me hope that it can look fantastic !
And yes, ELANEB : I don't get the window in the shower as well :) I guess I'll have to put privacy glass too ! lol ! It's facing a street that is pretty busy and I really don't want to be offering a peep show lol !
No joke, this bathroom before looks EXACTLY like an apartment I had in Dayton. Everything about it is the same. I had to do a double take and see if it was the same place! The after looks amazing!
@ MARY JOS - I ordered a new window from Home Depot with privacy glass - cost about $80 total and it was installed by our contractor. The old window with wood trim had rotted over 60 years so we put a tile window sill around the new window. The glass works better in the daytime because you can almost make out a fuzzy silhouette if you shower at night - and not the kind of silhouette you want the neighbors to see. Good luck with your bathroom reno!
I love that the before and after photos are of the same view!
I love the material choices. Looks great.
But where do you put towels? :)
Can you use window film on a window that's in the shower or would it peel off when it got wet?
WHOA! VERY NICE. I actually like the window in the shower. I have NO windows in my current bathroom and it's very dark without one. Having a window means you can go in without turning on the lights and very cost effective. Of course, the privacy window surly would come into play.
Regardless, this was a super renovation.
Love the floating vanity and the mirror. So cool!
her blog is amazing. thanks for reminding me of it!
I love my pink and gray '50s bathroom...
I live in a brand new apartment (constructed in 2011) and I have a large window in my shower as well, so it's not just an old trend. I actually like it because I like the ventilation and light it provides, as well as a place to put all my stuff. I'm on the 4th floor and look out over a side street, so I definitely wanted some privacy but without trying to install some ugly curtain or shade.
I put some window film on the bottom half (I'm high enough up that only the bottom half needed to be covered) that resembles frosted glass and it works really well. It's been on there for about 9 months now and no peeling whatsoever. It had a lot of bubbles in it when I first applied it (I think it's really a two-person job), but I was too lazy to take it off an start over, so I just left it as-is. Thankfully, after about a week, every last one of the bubbles worked its way ou and now it is perfectly smooth.
Since they had a grey tub and went with an all white and grey color scheme, it would have been cool to see them leave the tub as a nod to the mid-century house. But some people love all new stuff.
Love your blog, Dana !!!
That is really beautiful! I don't know that I would have the heart to rip out the 50's pink tiles though...I love them.
Nice work. My hall bath is about the same size as yours with a similar layout. I think you and I have the same tub and floating vanity. Check it out here.
http://www.whatupgoingon.com/2012/03/17/bathroom-renovation-part-deux/
Oh let's try a clickable link: http://www.whatupgoingon.com/2012/03/17/bathroom-renovation-part-deux/
I would LOVE to have a window in the shower, whether anyone sees me or not. I'd finally have adequate light for shaving my legs! Plus, a window is great for letting out all that moisture before it causes mildew everywhere. My current apartment doesn't even have a vented bathroom fan.
Re: the changes -- all that white is a bit plain and stark for my liking, but probably the shower curtain or door will make a huge difference in the overall look.
I have a bathroom that is so similar (but yellow tile with black trim and a white tub) - the property was built in 1949. It's smaller though but I can live with that.
It's in bad condition though. The tub is very stained. My dilemma is this - do I restore it or start from scratch? Being such a small space it would be wonderful to start over (though more expensive) but I'm more inclined to restore it to its former glory. What do you think?
@marycooksalot You can totally use window film. That's what I did in my basement suite, and it worked incredibly well. Try it out :) Cheaper than a new window.
I love my pink bathroom. Wish you had loved yours, too.
Amaranta, having just totally demolished the bathroom and replaced the tub in a bathroom very much like the one featured (pink with a window in the shower), I can tell you that at first I considered refinishing options. They are not cheap either for a professional to do it, and the at-home kits often result in a peeling finish. My brother and I tackled the reno ourselves but ran into plumbing irregularities with a fiberglass tub. Also, keep in mind removing the tub means knocking out the tiling surrounding it too, and unless the original homeowners kept extras, you might end up needing to rip out everything around the tub or end up with non-matching tiles. It was really the chipped and rusting old bathtub that made me need to rip it all out, I couldn't peaceably soak in that thing from 1950. The original finish was baked on enamel. If yours is similar and in bad shape, best to get a quote from a professional refinisher. Then compare that with how much it will cost you to redo it all. My cost so far is about $300 for new tub, tiles, compound. Labor not included. It's harder to preserve parts of a bathroom than one might expect. I managed to salvage the floor by careful cutting.
The before reminds me of my parent's bathroom... it really had to go. The space doesn't look finished yet, but with a shower curtain and a few bath towels to add some softness, it'll be perfect !
As for the window, I'd add film for privacy if you have close neighbors, but I also love having a window in my shower. We even installed one, but it's so high on the wall that you can only see our heads (my hair, I'm short) when we are showering, and the bathroom overlooks the garden, so no peeping tom.
We too have a window in the shower of our 1890’s Victorian (which we replaced with privacy glass). At first I disliked it, but now that I’ve gotten used to it, I LOVE it. Especially in the summer—like an outdoor shower.
The light is fantastic, and it makes the space seem twice as large. If you have the room for it, installing a luxury-edge tub will put you a little further from the window… which helps with splashing and the feeling that you’re showering right next to an open window.
Our 1890 Victorian Bath Renovation
@AMARANTA - I got a quote $600 quote to re-glaze our tub and was told that it would only last about six years. Re-glazing also involves a lot chemicals. I got a new tub for half the price. For me, ripping the stuff out was the cheapest option. Our tiles were also falling off of the shower wall so we didn't have much of a choice.
As for windows in showers, I wouldn't mind so much if our window-in-the-shower wasn't on the ground floor, chest height, and facing the street. Thankfully, the privacy glass (similar to what this lovely bathroom has) works. If given the choice, I'd take a window in the shower over no window at all but I still find it quite odd to put a window in a place where you'll be standing naked and soaping yourself up.
I would have at least kept the grey tub! It was really nice... Great textured tile though.
I actually like the old medicine cabinet and the pink tile, but the after is pretty darn nice.
But you could have saved the pink bathroom! And the mirror!
There were so many more creative options than simply ripping everything out and replacing it with white.
Simple and elegant! The vanity is BEAUTIFUL! And anyone can do this in their own home.
I like everything but the mirror. I mean I like the mirror but not in that bathroom. Personally, I would prefer a larger mirror and a frame that blends more in. But that's just me.
Also, as a woman, I would probably want to extend both vanity and the counter (i.e.no gap between the wall and the vanity) as my bathroom counter is never pristine and there is usually a few items on it.
Ok. If that pink tile is anything like the pink tile in MY 1920s house then it must have been a nightmare to remove. I cringe thinking about it. Nice work on the reno!
I liked the pink, and I second the recommendation to go to RetroRenovation.com for an appreciation of saving the pink bathrooms
What I find amusing is that AT criticizes the "before" because everything is "mismatched," yet one of the other big decorating no-nos is the sin of being "matchy-matchy." The only safe solution -- and boy, is it safe -- is to stick to a bunch of neutrals that match everything and yet nothing. Then you are allowed a "pop of color."
That said, I love everything these folks have done so far in their "after." It's clean, relaxing, functional, and professional looking, and some towels and a shower curtain will brighten it right up and make it more warm and human. But I'd like it more if I weren't missing the personality of the pink version. Really, what is so wrong about having two colors of porcelain? What is so wrong about being "outdated"? But I do agree that the "before" vanity is a horror and must be destroyed.
@MSPICKY @ELANEB Thanks!
Save the pink bathrooms!
For the pink bathroom loving people - have you ever actually seen or smelled what 50+ year-old tile and fixtures look like? Cracks, worn off glaze, mold, chips, lime stains, rust, and all? It is cute to criticize others for renovating their own homes but have you actually tried to shower in or clean a venerated pink bathroom? It is not very fun. (My avocado bathroom is next!)
I dig the shower tiles :)
Oh noooo! I love avocado. :(
Windows in the shower provide great natural light....I'd go with privacy film or change to glass block! Beautiful makeover!
I'm keeping my eye on this to see if anyone else has advice or thoughts about whether I should renovate or start again. When I moved in here, I renovated the kitchen, which was original 1949. I'm a bit picky about kitchens and it had dead cockroaches in the cupboards that were probably also MCM.
I also had wooden flooring laid on top of the original (but damaged) Cuban tile. So I feel as though I've messed with the place enough and should restore the bathroom rather than start from scratch. Is this a tad sentimental? Or stupid???
It depends on what you value. Do you want to preserve an aesthetic and the original stuff, just the aesthetic (redo with a newer version of the older style) or do something new?
Personally I wouldn't put in something that clashes with the style of the house (Rococo bathroom in a MCM house...) but I see little value in preserving simply for its own sake, other than the environmental factor. If it doesn't work, do something that works better..
the rococo reference is a stretch, but you get the point i'm sure :)
Amaranta - I don't think it's sentimental or stupid.
My current house (rented) has the original 1940's bathroom; the fixtures are white, but the doors are pink and the floor is peppermint-green-and-black-flecked polished concrete. The cabinet has frosted-glass pictures of fish on it. Sounds hideous, but I actually love it. It fits the style of the house, and if I owned the place, I would renovate around these features rather than ripping them out.
In my case, it's a moot point, since the owners are bulldozing it soon to build their dream McMansion. :(
So sad! Save the pink bathrooms!!
I once had a pink bathroom including pink toilet, etc. in a rental (as well as a pink refrigerator - ugh) and simply hated it. Love this redo - well done!
My reason for the redo, other than the very damaged tub, was that the previous place I rented in the same neighborhood had the pink tile too. I decided to keep it. Then I realized that I hated being in it, using it, etc. It surprised me because I love retro, and generally prefer to preserve and reuse rather than destroy. I decided this time not to let sentimentality overcome common sense. I too got the $600 quote for refinishing the tub (to last maybe another 6 yrs). Look if you actually LIKE your bathroom, then keep it, being mindful of the cost-benefit. If you don't like it, you are the only one who has to be in it day after day. Let the naysayers preserve their own bathroom museums.
HOLY TOLITO that bathroom shower/coloring is identical to ours!!!!! Weird.
@Cremedela- A bathroom either has to have a vent fan OR a window for ventilation. It is illegal to not have one of those things. If I were you, I'd be calling some code violation on your landlord ASAP!
Save The Pink Bathrooms! http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/
I have a 1952 ranch with gray tile and mint green tub/commode in the full bath and gray tile with a pink commode in the half bath. So yes I have cleaned it and it's not that hard. I just redid the tiled wall behind the shower fixtures per a broken pipe but we saved most of the tile and used a few new ones that the original home owner had stashed. I find it weird that people buy period homes then totally take the personality out of them. In ten years your new bathroom will also be "dated" and will look like everyone else's updated baths. Your new bath is nice but has no personality. I hope you were able to preserve some of your period bath fixtures and at least donated them to Habitat for Humanity's Restore or to Goodwill. My biggest pet peeves are the DIY show's where they go in with a maillot and glee and destroy perfectly good items that could have been reused.
The vanity was horrible, but I loved the darling pink tile and the gray tub. Sad to see that go. All it really needed as a new shower curtain and a cute little vintage sink with chrome legs.
@ jacque12860:
I agree 100%! If you can't live with something, at least PLEASE allow it to remain intact for someone who might treasure it and be grateful to get a bargain.
I dunno, to me it looks like a prison cell.
Windows in bathrooms are great, they give light and air. I hate bathrooms without. While I prefer it not in the shower, sometimes that is the only place it could go. I lived in a rental with one once, first floor of a house. Because the wood trim and original wood window were still there, I knew I had to protect them from shower water. I bought two shower curtain rods, and installed them on either side of the tub. Then I added clear vinyl shower curtains with a textured pattern. The one on the window side functioned as a clear window curtain, so it let light into the room, while the textured pattern acted as privacy glass. Keeping it closed when I showered protected the wood, but because the curtain was on a full length curtain rod, I could also slide it fully to one side to open the window, and to see out the window glass. Of course, if I were to renovate the bath I would have finished the window frame with marble or tile, and replaced the wood window, so as to make a curtain on the window side unnecessary, but I found my solution worked nicely with an old wood window and frame. Of course, my landlord didn't realize how lucky he was, that I did this! The younger folks upstairs did no such thing...I once saw shower water coming out of the window above my bath and running down the back of the house, and my wet and moulding bathroom ceiling needed to be replaced, no surprise
Yeah, I get the prison comment on those square floating vanities! For a vanity, I'd go to the floor, so I wouldn't have to clean under it, and so I'd have more storage. If I could forego the storage, or in a small space where I needed to see more floor visually, then I'd much prefer a pedestal sink to this.