Before and After: This New Bathroom is for ‘Crazy Dog People’
The biggest issue with this master bathroom appears to be a possible overabundance of beige, but the real problems were smelly and—literally—shocking.
Since this website somehow still doesn’t have scratch-n-sniff capability, let’s let reader Lisa Carolla give us a bit more insight into what this bathroom was really like:
You had to squint really hard to see the potential in our master bath, but it was there. The room always smelled of mildew, and a defunct, brown jacuzzi tub that created an electrical liability kept us from using this bathroom for nearly two years after we moved in! TWO YEARS! But every so often, we’d go in there just to dream about what it could be.
Did that dream come true?
Yes, and gloriously so. This is so luxe, and every detail is fabulous. Look at those handles (from Anthropologie) on the gorgeous vanity! Check out the super-indulgent theirs-n-theirs showers, each with its own cubby for shower essentials. Admire the way the sophisticated black elements—backsplash tile, shower hardware, floor tiles, shower wall frame, ceiling paint—are woven throughout the room, uniting the room.
We see a decent amount of totally DIY-ed bathrooms, but I think many of us would be absolutely terrified to tackle anything involving plumbing and water. Lisa has a ton of DIY experience, but decided to bring in professional help just for this room:
We’ve renovated our house from top to bottom, and this is one of the only projects where we decided to bring in a contractor. It was 100 percent worth it in this case. After working on our own for so long we struggled to be clients of someone else and we’re very involved in every detail . . . much to our contractor’s dismay.
We took our time and did all our own research. We used our contractor to figure out the “how,” but we were 100 percent responsible for the “what.”
I’m so happy that decision paid off for them, and that it enabled them to get the bathroom they’d dreamed of for so long.
Here we can see that the black floor and ceiling create a sort of frame for the room, causing everything on the white background to really pop. All the shapes—square window, oval mirror, round lights, rectangular backsplash and vanity—stand out in such a cool way and play against each other well. The ornate wool rug pairs nicely with the intense whorls in the wood of the vanity, but it could also be swapped out with something perhaps white and black for a lighter, summery look. Also, shoutout to the absolutely beautiful bench/stool in the shower, which honestly could just be a sculpture, but it would also come in handy for sitting and/or leg shaving. Turns out the shower isn’t just amazing for humans:
We love having two shower heads! Each has its own plumbing (not just a diverter), so we have great water pressure and steady temperatures. We’re crazy dog people, so we hung our wand low and went with a curbless entry to make pup washing a breeze. It has changed everything! Sandy beach dogs? No problem. We also used IKEA kitchen cabinets for our vanity with Semihandmade doors and are very happy with the setup, but we chose a pullout drawer setup that doesn’t allow us to stay very organized.
I was already incredibly envious of this dreamy shower; even the splurge-y fixtures—Brizo, Jason Wu Collection—are superb. But now that I know it’s perfect for bathing dogs? And that it’s more accessible than most showers for both dogs and humans? Well played, Lisa.
Thank you, Lisa!