Before & After: An “Odd Space” Opens Up
Our 1925 Craftsman had a number of unique features, some of which we preserved, and some which had to go. The Master Bathroom was one that had to be completely renovated, down to the studs. It was such an odd space before. It was essentially a Jack-and-Jill bathroom, but the pass-through from one side to the other was the shower! I’ve never seen anything like it, nor had our contractor.
The room had a nice-sized footprint, but it was broken up into two tiny powder rooms (with 2 separate small vanities and toilets), then a large (and ugly) tiled shower in between. No tub, and just one small window, which let in very little natural light.
I saw an image of this style shower on another home blog years ago and knew if I ever had the chance to do a full-scale bathroom renovation, this was what I wanted. Unfortunately I ran into dead end after dead end trying to bring this style to Nebraska. None of the local fabricators wanted to even attempt to create it for me, and I heard a lot of “we don’t do that.” I finally found a fabulous local company willing to figure it out, and a few short months later, I had my shower surround.
I also significantly brightened up the room by using Benjamin Moore Simply White on the walls and trim, white subway tiles with charcoal grey grout, super white quartzite on top of the vanity, and oversized carrara marble floor tiles. To ground all the lightness, I opted to have the custom vanity, tub surround, and storage cabinet painted in gloss Benjamin Moore Onyx. I mixed fixture finishes, using shiny chrome for the faucets on the double vanity and the shower, with brushed brass hardware. I love how it looks and like having a mix of different metals for interest.
Looking at the before and after photos, it’s almost hard for me to believe this is the same room!
Thank you, Jennifer! You can see more of Jennifer’s bathroom transformation on her blog Little Brick Lane.