Before and After: A Glam, Eclectic Redo Makes This Boring Bathroom Unrecognizable
If you live in a home built in the 1980s or 1990s, there are some bathroom features that likely look familiar to you, like faded laminate counters and basic square floor tile, for starters. That was what designer Arianna Danielson was dealing with in her own home. “The before was a super dated and blah bathroom,” Arianna says. “This is the main bathroom in our home and it was such an embarrassment sending our friends and family in here!”
None of the home’s three bathrooms had been renovated since Arianna’s family — her, husband Nate, and two kids — had moved in. “We were desperate for a finished and updated bathroom in the home, and chose this as opposed to our master bathroom just because it’s the most used,” Arianna says.
They figured there were some things that they could save, like the vanity and tub, but everything else had to go, Arianna says.
Arianna and Nate DIYed everything in the new bathroom, from demoing the space — ripping out tile, old lighting, counters, sinks, and drywall — to plumbing, electrical, and tiling. They kept the vanity in place, but refaced the front to make it look like a trendy fluted wood piece. “We decided to keep it because there was almost no point in wasting it just to replace it with something the same size,” Arianna says. She chose a sweet periwinkle blue paint color (Valspar’s Blue Galaxy) to finish off the look.
Nate also replaced the old laminate counter with a burl wood one he DIYed, and installed a single new vessel sink (which frees up lots more counter space).
Instead of the rickety medicine cabinet, Arianna chose and intricate gold filigree mirror; in place of the old plain tile floor, she used dramatic black terrazzo tiles.
A lot changed overhead, too, including swapping out the old chunky fluorescent light fixture for a multi-head semi-flushmount design with mid-century vibes. Arianna and Nate also covered the ceiling in birdseye maple wood panels; once finished, they take on a golden, glowy hue. Crown molding all around the room gives it an extra glam edge.
Finally, to help the old tub look brand new, the couple tiled the walls around it in a pink marble herringbone mosaic. Along with a new shower head and a luxe-looking glass door, the tub’s unrecognizable.
Finishing touches include some fresh DIY artwork (a Goodwill canvas plus drywall compound and paint), as well as shelves above the toilet to display vases, dried flowers, and more.
The project took a total of 15 weeks, which was a bit longer than anticipated. “I think we were most surprised at how tedious the work was,” Arianna says. “It’s such a small space I figured it would be easier, but it was almost harder!”
In the end, though, the glam-yet-eclectic bathroom is exactly what Arianna had envisioned. “I love every single thing about this space!” she says. “I love how it truly embodies my brand and vibe but was also a really big design collaboration with my husband!”
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