Handy Hubby was busy laboring over the Labor Day weekend. Busy gutting this bathroom over at the Underdog…
The black mold we discovered behind the original 50’s shower tile surround prompted the tear out.
{kitchen side of the bathroom wall}
While we got rid of the mold’s appearance by treating it with chlorine, we soon discovered {thanks to some very smart readers and good ol’ research} that the mold wasn’t really gone.
Even though we couldn’t see any mold with our naked eyes anymore, the spores were still there. Since we’ve already found a knowledgable and reliable plumber who has been working to update our Underdog’s plumbing AND since one wall of the bathroom was already opened up from behind because of the kitchen renovation, we bit the bullet and decided to go ahead and tackle the bathroom renovation before moving in.
HH talked to our plumber and he said he could work on the bathroom’s plumbing but we really need to choose fixtures soon to get the process going. Picture me wide-eyed. I’d been holding off on dreaming up a bathroom makeover since I figured it wouldn’t happen for a while. Plus, I tend to get a little scatter-brained if I’m thinking about too much at once. You know…kitchen, living room, mudroom/dining room, etc. Well, bring on the scatter-braininess.
To focus, I set to work coming up with a general feel for the bathroom. This particular bathroom {one of two full baths in the Underdog…no, we haven’t even investigated the other one yet} will function as our kids’ and guests’ bathroom. It’s located right off the hallway to the bedrooms, near the great room.
As I revealed last week, I’m leaning towards a more masculine feel for this house. That’s not to say I want it to look like a bachelor pad, but I’m really drawn to light-dark contrast, neutrals, and textural accents versus colorful ones. Taking that into consideration, I put together a very elementary mood board. Elementary as in I’m not sure that each item I’ve shown is available or within our budget but I like the overall feel. Creating a mood board always helps me nail down a mood and feel that I can tweak as I go.
Primarily, this bathroom will function as our kids’ bathroom. When we have guests, they will use this bathroom too. I absolutely don’t want a kid theme going on. I want it to be relevant now and in 10 years when our boys are teenagers.
1 – I’d love to add an industrial, rustic touch with a barn light like this one.
2 – Ever since Victoria painted her bedroom in Benjamin Moore’s gravel gray, I’ve been itching to try it somewhere. Maybe on the outside of a claw foot tub or above white subway tile for contrast in the bathroom?
3 – I’d love to DIY a white subway tile floor-to-ceiling shower/tub surround and then continue the subway tile halfway up the walls in the rest of the bathroom. It’d really keep the small bathroom feeling light and airy.
4 – For the floor, I want to keep it light but add some texture and pattern with smaller tiles…possibly marble hexagons?
5 – A long, textured shower curtain encloses the tub. Nothing too frilly for the kids.
6 – A hand towel decked in broad gray and white stripes goes along well with the masculine feel.
7 – A simple round mirror above the vanity softens all the hard lines and surfaces of the utilitarian room.
8 – I’ve got a thing for vanities that are open below the sink. I think it gives them more of a furniture {versus cabinet} feel and takes up less visual space. I like the fact that this one has a drawer at the bottom for storage. I found this vanity in stock at our local Home Depot a few weeks ago.
9 – Back in the spring I visited a reclaimed housewares outlet in Cincy and so began my claw foot tub obsession. If at all possible, I want to squeeze a claw foot tub into the bathroom. I had one as a little kid and remember it fondly. It felt like I was in a big boat. For practicality, I’d add a shower fixture/sprayer attachment so guests and our grown kiddos {later…not now} could take showers if they wanted. And as I suggested above, the tub could provide a strong contrast to all that white if I painted the exterior in BM gravel gray. HINT: We’re off to check out a craigslisted claw foot tub tonight!
10 – Obviously, this bullrush basket is way outta my league. $375!!! I think I should be able to find something similar {and cheaper!} in texture to act as a catchall for kids’ dirty clothes and towels.
I’m diggin’ the overall look and feel of the mood board. Here’s hoping we can tweak it a bit and bring it to life!
images: 1-3) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking 4) Polyvore collage by Dana Miller…images linked to above
DIY, inspiration, kid-friendly