Before & After: A Boring Bathroom Gets a Luxurious New Look

Bathroom renovations are one of those projects that are easy to keep putting off, until you come up against a real, hard deadline. For Jenna and her husband, who had lived with the less-than-ideal bathrooms and kitchen in their Chelsea apartment, that deadline came in the form of a very small person. A few months before their baby was born, they decided it was time to bite the bullet and overhaul their kitchen and bathrooms. The long-anticipated renovation has dramatically transformed their space — just in time for the new arrival.

For the home’s main bathroom, Jenna wanted the feel of “a luxurious hotel bathroom” — a little retreat in the middle of her apartment. So the old, dingy square floor tiles were out, replaced with an intricately patterned marble mosaic that gives the bathroom a luxurious and classic look. A smaller mirror is illuminated by sconces on either side, which results in a much softer light.

The beveled marble tile on the bathroom wall and the shower surround adds a bit of dimension and a touch of luxury. It also matches the marble vanity top, cut in a custom shape to stretch over the toilet. The new vanity, from IKEA, has drawers for easily accessible storage (and a couple of baskets to take advantage of the space underneath).

Jenna hates the look of soap bottles sitting around, so she had her contractor build four shelves into the shower wall, which provide plenty of space for everyone’s toiletries — so shower clutter is a thing of the past. It’s little touches like this that make the new bathroom both pretty and practical, a little place to escape from the cares of the world, if only for a few minutes.

Jenna and her husband found their contractor on Sweeten, a free service matching homeowners with local general contractors. You can read more about the project, see more photos, and find sources on the Sweeten blog.