(Welcome to Bathroom Month! We're taking inspiring bathroom submissions from our readers and giving gifts in return. Join us. All info is here.)
Welcome to Leah and Nick in Oakland, veterans of three bathroom remodels, all of which were done in the last two years! We're posting the first one today: check back tomorrow and Monday for others.
Leah says: The biggest project was the (only) bathroom in our house in Oakland. The house was built in 1941, but the bathroom had been redone in 1962 and the results were not pretty.
For the remodel, we aimed to return the bathroom to a classic, period style -- something not unlike the bathroom may have looked when the house was built, but with warm, updated colors and a clean, simple sensibility. [before pics and a slideshow after the jump]
We gutted the entire space and started from scratch.
We had the original tub reglazed; put in white subway tile with a glass mosaic border in the shower; added new, reproduction art-deco-style nickel fixtures; laid a caramel-colored Marmoleum floor; installed a salvaged, circa-1941 sink-and-toilet suite we found at Ohmega Salvage; used a reproduction recessed, wood-trimmed medicine cabinet and porcelain sconces from Rejuvenation Hardware as well as an original porcelain over-cabinet light I found on eBay; painted the walls a rich camel with crisp white trim; and finally brought in a freestanding, glass-doored cabinet from Restoration Hardware for towel and toiletry storage.
We were really pleased with the results, and bummed that we only got to enjoy our new (old) bathroom for a couple of months before we wound up moving to a bigger house a few blocks away and selling this house, our first.
Thanks Leah!
Gorgeous. Very nice. Looks spacious too.
Very nice. Fixing to redo my bath. Would love to see more on bathrooms. :)
Clean and serene... Lovely colour!
Hi all,
Just wanted to add that while we designed the new bathroom and chose everything in it, Oakland-based contractor extraordinaire Karen DiNardo (karen@dinardoconstruction.com) and her crew did all the actual work.
Best,
Leah
Very nice. What is that paint color?
Hi Janice,
The paint color is Benjamin Moore's Monroe Bisque (HC-26). It's a nice, warm, rich, versitile neutral that's not too blah or beige-y.
Leah
HI I love your sink may I ask where it is from,the rough dimensions and was it really pricey?. we have a small bathroom and the shelf area seems really practical. Everything else also looks great!
Leah, I have a circa-1939 bath and I have the option of putting that exact sink back in! My only concern is the integrated spout. Does the spout being so close to the back of the sink make it difficult to use?
thanks, Christine
Hi Just Me and Christine,
We got the vintage sink and toilet set from Ohmega Salvage in Berkeley. I think it was about $200 for both of them (plus $50 for the vintage chrome sink legs), then we paid a plumber another $100 to rebuild the guts of the toilet and install the set.
The integrated spout on the sink works just fine for brushing teeth and washing hands. It may not be so great for washing your hair in the sink, but we never tried that.
All the best,
Leah