It's been so fun ooh-ing and aah-ing over all the amazing kitchen and bath re-dos this month. This latest one comes from a Seattle reader, Lauren Zerbey, who was inspired by Kitchen and Bath Month to send us her dramatic bathroom transformation. Check out the results after the jump!
Lauren and her husband, Kyle, both architects, have been keeping a blog, Chez Zerbey, to chronicle the unbelievably thorough DIY renovation of their adorable 1910-built bungalow in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. For renovation junkies, and for other ambitious remodelers looking for inspiration and helpful advice (with photos!), Chez Zerbey is a must-read.
And the bathroom... WOW. It was pretty bad before. A tiny little tub, bad floral wallpaper, fake marble tile. They basically ripped it down to the studs and added all kinds of fun features like a radiant-heated floor and a hacked Ikea vanity. Here's a nice little summary of the project, in Lauren's words:
With the exception of the drywall mud and tape, we did all the work ourselves. We were working with a tight budget, but didn't want to skimp on quality where it mattered. For us, this meant spending a bit more on plumbing fixtures, the tub, toilet and floor tile while saving money on the vanity, wall tile, lighting and accessories. To give our IKEA vanity a more finished look, we wrapped the top and side with pre-finished teak plywood. We also slipped a leftover piece of teak over the IKEA towel rack to hide the exposed fasteners and give it a bit more oomph. For easy storage space in the shower, we installed a solid teak shelf that is easy to reach whether you're taking a shower or bath. We also vaulted the ceiling above the shower and installed a skylight, which provides additional daylight and reduces our need to turn the lights on.
Inspired by this post from Ohdeedoh, Lauren and Kyle made this wall sculpture out of toilet paper rolls. Love the idea of hanging it in the bathroom! It's very "meta."
We also love the blue towel color paired with the deep red-brown of the wood paneling on the vanity. Nice choices! The bathroom has a clean, modern aesthetic without feeling sterile or impersonal.
For many, many more photos of the bathroom before and in progress, as well as detailed information about the remodel and the design, visit Chez Zerbey. Thanks for sharing, Lauren!
(Images: Lauren Zerbey)
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interesting idea with the toilet paper rolls. hope the room has good ventilation or they're going to start getting mushy from all those hot showers!
Beautiful job!
lovely, especially the teak plywood venity.
Maybe by the time the wall thing gets moldy they'll have enough empty rolls to make a new one.
WOW! I am both impressed by the transformation and in love with the results. I love the simple combination of white, wood, and blue.
PS I live in Seattle. Can you come renovate my bathroom? :)
Yes we have a 80cfm panasonic ventilation fan that's hidden above the shower in the vaulted ceiling space. The vault over the shower traps most of the moisture laden air which then gets sucked out by the fan. We also coated the toilet paper rolls with 3 coats of clear polyurethane. We'll see how long it lasts:) thanks for the comments!
Beautiful space! I can't believe the amount of work that went in to it (or, well, really, I can believe the work, I CAN'T believe that you did it all yourselves, that's amazing!). You should be proud of yourselves. From the window to the tub surround, all your alterations are fantastic!
The only concern/questions I have are thus: a) where did you get teak plywood? (I didn't know it even existed) and b) did you treat it beyond the natural water-resistance of teak? I've seen what water does to plywood over time, you'll want to make sure (particularly with your sunken sink) that it is well-sealed.
It is a phenomenal transformation.
I love that countertop. How did you finish the teak to protect it?
Well, I feel sad that all the 1910 qualities of the bathroom have been obliterated. Of course, people can do what they like and enjoy, but please, consider that your house will be here long after you are gone. The teak bathroom is very pretty, just not what I would think is sympathetic to the bungalow roots.
wow! what a great remodel! i am inspired by this.
as for the 1910 roots....the before bathroom doesn't exactly look straight out of 1910....looks like it was completely built in the 80s or sth?
I LOVE IT!!!!!
You did the bathroom and house a big favor.
BRAVO!
Beautiful! I absolutely love this bathroom...simple, chic, and clean! I love the warmth of the wood they used. Looks perfectly functional as well! <3
I love your bathroom! It looks like a Euro style toilet with the small or big flush option??? If so, bravo... that is one thing that should be an option in homes in the USA that would save SO much water.
a beautiful remodel. but i can't help thinking the layout of the first one was nicer.. I don't like toilets right up next to the bathtub (makes taking a bath less pleasurable for me) and I hate to see a window made smaller. I would have left the toilet where it was (as far from the bathtub as possible) and moved the door over a foot or so, so it didn't open directly on the toilet. And left the big window with counterspace/storage below it. but not trying to be critical, just thinking of how I might like it better. love the wood and blue and tolietroll art!
Hi, I thought I would answer a few questions.
fallentree and superbeetle: The teak plywood came from Crosscut Hardwoods in Seattle. It's an exterior grade plywood with teak veneer. So the glues used to hold the plys together are waterproof. We also finished all the teak with 6 coats of Daly's teak oil. The solid teak shelf in the bath gets the most abuse and needs to be refinished every 18 months or so. It's due for its first refinish of teak oil! The undermount sink has an additional 4 coats of clear polyurethane finish over the exposed inside edge and we applied a bead of clear silicone caulk between it and the sink.
laurainalameda: Unfortunately any of the original qualities were long gone before we bought the house (in fact, we're not even sure there *was* a bathroom when the house was built!). The house was "remuddled" some time in the 50's and then again in the 60's or 70's. We have taken a lot of care to do a full craftsman restoration to the exterior of the house (http://chezerbey.com/exterior) but the inside just didn't have enough of anything to save. Actually, we think our house may have been built as a worker's cottage (our neighborhood used to be home to a large cedar mill) and so it never really had the built-ins and details that other houses from that era have.
djt54: Yes it's a dual flush toilet. It's the Toto Aquia and it's awesome. The bottom has a smooth cover so it's super easy to clean and it's water efficient! It seems like they are becoming more and more common in the U.S.
jag80: Yeah, when we take baths I find that we pull the shower curtain to create a partial separation between the toilet and tub. As for the layout, we actually moved the whole bathroom over 5' so the old window is actually where our new back door is. Even though our new window is smaller, we installed a skylight over the shower so the natural light is really great.
Thanks all!
hi lauren, LOVE the remodel! great job. hey, how did you post the tube "leaves" on your wall? i'd love to do that in my classroom. thanks!
I love what you've done. We are embarking a very similar reno and I was curious what bath tub and shower system those are? thanks.
jillmcarlisle: the wall art is actually very light so we just hung it on the wall with 5-6 straight pins (and held it off the wall a little bit to create interesting shadows). If you look closely at the detail photo, you can see the white heads. You could use push pins too.
macc9093: The tub is a Kohler "tea-for-two" (we got an amazing deal on craigslist) and all the shower/bath components are Kohler "purist" with the exception of the temperature/control valve and handshower sliding bar which are both Hansgrohe. We're really happy with everything so far!
I'd love a full picture of the toilet-roll artwork! The bathroom is lovely.
Big yuck to the toilet paper rolls art - its just going to get all damp and moldy. I swear people don't think before they do something like this...or mold is just something they think will add resale to their house....?
Wow Chrisgal, is your bathroom an underground cave or something? If you have enough dampness in your bathroom, along with an environment to support mold, then you have other issues because mold should NOT be growing on anything (yes, even paper) in a bathroom with proper ventilation .
My bathroom is only slightly humid about 15-20 min a day. Somehow I've had the same roll of paper towels on the sink for months and it's still fresh as a daisy. I swear people jump to conclusions without rationale. If there's still a bug up your butt I'm sure a quick spray of mold-resistant lacquer or sealant (on the sculpture) will put things in order
Love your toilet-role art fixture
Hi Lauren--
Just wondering about the flooring--could you let us know the source?
Thank you!
Wow, GREAT reno!!! It looks fabulous.
laurainalameda: wow, get off your high horse. If you knew what you were talking about you'd know that there is absolutely NOTHING 1910's about that bathroom. That's more of an institutionalized looking 70's 80's bathroom. Definitely NOT worth keeping. It would have been a travesty for them NOT to renovate away that mess.
Absolutely gorgeous, and the layout is so similar to mine (minus the window) I am filing it in my Reno Inspiration folder.
I LOVE this bathroom. Definitely will be my inspiration when we redo our bathroom :)
missCanary: here is a post that shows more views of the wall art: http://chezerbey.com/2010/02/08/bathroom-wall-art/
Chrisgal: Yup, we thought about the moisture issues and in addition to an 80 CFM fan, we treated the cardboard. So far, so good!
kt598: Our floor tile is from Pental in Seattle. I believe it's called "Technoline".
Can't get over how cool the teak counter top is...
In your experience, would you recommend this application for people with kids ? (small kids - kids who can barely remember to wipe their bums much less a counter top).
thanks!
hmmm, not sure about the teak veneer plywood for kids. You could definitely do solid teak boards that are joined together. We also don't have a backsplash which is fine for us but not for kiddos who like to splash! it's been an experiment for us.
LittleMissSunshine - Showers themselves create condensation, which is damp - add in the stupid toilet paper rolls and you got a recipe for mold. BTW, I live on the second floor apartment - so my bathroom is also on the second floor.
ChrisGal, had you read the previous comments, you would have noticed that the toilet paper roll sculpture has been coated in three coats of polyurethane, thus rendering it (at least to a large extent) waterproof. On top of that, the bathroom is complete a with proper ventilation system (which is conveniently installed directly above that condensation creating shower you mentioned).
To the owner of this bathroom, the teak is especially lovely.
Great use of resources.
I'm a little confused by the strong comments on the toilet paper art. It’s an accessory made from items saved from the trash and attached to the wall with a few pins. I doubt it will affect the value of the home anymore than candles or decorative soap. I think it looks great.
I am also puzzled by the fixation on the toilet roll art. And as far as removing the 1910 qualities of the bathroom, A dinky pedestal sink is not functional for a modern day family. The home should serve the family, not the other way around. Great and very resourceful job!
very nice work throughout.
the plywood vanity top is a unique choice and it seems you've done all you can to waterproof it... this is definitely a cost-saver over stone and a lot nicer than laminate -- kudos for taking one for the team insofar as experimentation.
the drywall detail around the window is quite nice as well.
Lauren and Kyle -
Thank you for sharing your beautiful remodel. I love seeing IKEA pieces personalized and the teak plywood is a material I'm adding to my renovation file for later inspiration.
The TP roll wall art you created is a nice addition of whimsy and texture to the space as well.
Great eye, you two!
anning: we really like the wall mounted faucet and since the sink is used mainly for hand washing and teeth brushing, we haven't had any problems with splashing (and we find that the faucet itself stays cleaner). We definitely debated the backsplash issue and decided that we could always add one in the future if we needed to (especially when there are kiddos in the picture).
Thanks for all the comments!
Wow, people should really read the other comments before posting their own!
This is a lovely transformation...
I am always wary of wall mounted fixtures in a bathroom- especially far-extending ones like that... my husband refused to let me install them in our bath reno because he swears you bang your face when leaning over to spit while brushing your teeth...
after he mentioned it, I thought he may have a point...
I miss the old tub and wall tile. The bathroom looks institutional-like a hospital bathroom. I wonder on resale how potential buyers will weigh in...
Beautiful!! I love all the wood details.
We recently got the same bamboo bath mat for our bathroom. I am NEVER getting a cloth mat again! The bamboo mat works just as well, without getting dirty, damp or smelly from the humidity.
I looked up Pental Tehcnoline but it doesn't exist - Is it Technoquartz? And what size tiles? Thx. Great job!
I love this bathroom....it's very pretty. Some very negative remarks here so I'm happy the owners handled it with class (by ignoring them). I love the toilet paper art and am checking out the link on how to make one.
@ SJP, thanks for the support, I too am puzzled by some comments on our bathroom, our toilet paper art is still in the same shape as when we installed it over a year ago! If you're going to make one, I just picked up some spray cans of clear polyurethane sealer. Good luck!
Very cute renovation. Teak is very pretty. Good luck with the teak oil. Like the sinkcabinet as well. I like the wall faucet. I wanted to install one but started to think abut the leaks inside the wall so chose something else. How you keep the grout white? Did you use additives with grout? Nice clean look. My bathroom with two kids would not be so clean and white. Do you use the shower daily or is this a second bathroom?
I'm especially befuddled by the people who think the original bathroom was, original. It's exactly the fixtures I had in 3 different apartments and homes built between 1978 and 1985. And the fake marble tile! One of the places I was in had them in olive green, your grey ones were comparatively classy!
Yea I really doubt a bathroom in the early 1900's had burgundy and gray tiles, I don't think that was original. And the mold comments are a joke. That being said...
Fantastic remodel! I'm really digging the cabinet. Good choice in the white walls, it makes all the wood stand out.
what are the dimensions? 5' x5'?
thanks
@Malia0O0, the space is about 5'x10'.
@nilzed and Chris M, thanks for the support! Besides its ugliness, the bathroom had all sorts of "water-related" issues and sadly nothing could be salvaged.
@krisse, this is our only bathroom so we definitely use it everyday! I don't remember exactly which grout we used, but I don't think it was anything too fancy and we really don't have to clean it very often.
Like the vanity but not the toilet paper "art"