I love your bathroom! I always wonder however with photos where the waste basket has no bag – does that work? If we didn’t use a bag grody stuff like contact lenses, dirty snotty tissues, used q-tips etc would stick to the side of the basket forcing the owner to pick them out on trash day.. ick. Not to mention bottles that you toss that could leak and ruin the woven material.

So glad I read to the end or I’d have missed the gem about your penis. Hilarious – I do love kids! And I love a window in a shower/bath – we did it again with this bathroom which I have finally finished painting and might actually blog about this week! Gasp! Love the tiny floor tile – do you find it a pain to clean though? So much grout?!? Xxx

The grout hasn’t been a problem at all! It probably helps that it’s close to the color of dirt. We sealed it, too, so when one of the kids drops toothpaste or something it’s easy to wipe up. I can’t wait to see your bathroom! LOVED reading about your plans to add on. xo

I keep a smaller, metal can inside the woven trash can. I use a plastic liner / bag in the metal can. For photos, I usually remove the metal can since no one wants to see a bunch of groty bathroom trash. That’s my secret!

OB-SESSED with this bathroom. The neutral colors make it so warm and inviting. I am inspired to try this in my own! I commend you on making it through 2+ years with one bathroom! My Dad grew up in a house of 6 with one bathroom and I really can’t imagine what the mornings were like there. I think the only saving grace was that out of the 6, 5 of them were male so their time in front of the mirror was probably minimum!

I think this us my response to all your posts, but I will say it again. Simply lovely! Thanks for the inspiration.

LOL. Love this post today, Dana! Especially the penis part :)

OMG Dana. What happened to your penis?! BAHAHAHAHA You can’t just non-nonchalantly throw that in as the last line of something so light and simple and expect me to not spit up my coffee. Oh, man.

Your bathroom makeover is beautiful.

This is probably one of my favorite rooms in your house [although it would be hard to choose]. All that texture and light!

… but really, what happened to your penis?

I’m dying!

Yikes! I wasn’t even aware that floor tile could contain asbestos! How did you know to test it? My fiancé and I are planning on buying an older, fixer-upper next year and it would be great to know what to look for so we don’t run into this. Beautiful bathroom!

I’m going to be remodeling my bathroom during he next year and might end up moving my tub/shower so that it’s under a window like yours is. It would result in a much better organized bathroom with more storage space, but I’ve been a bit reluctant to make that decision for a couple of reasons: privacy and light. I grew up with a window in my shower and my mom always had really ugly vinyl curtains for privacy–no thank you! I like the privacy window you have–but does it really give enough privacy? I can see my neighbor’s kitchen window from my bathroom window and I’m a bit worried that it wouldn’t be so private in evening when it’s dark outside and the light is on in my bathroom. I’m also a little worried about blocking sunlight from the window by closing it up behind the shower curtain. Your bathroom looks lovely and light–do you find having a window behind the shower curtain blocks the natural light? Sorry to write such a long comment but I was happy to hear you say that you love having a window in the shower!

Your posts are so timely and inspiring! Your original master bath reminds me of the bathroom that we’re in the process of renovating (pink, dated, lacking proper ventilation, etc.). Curious…did you have any leveling issues to deal with? Great transformation.

I love the new space and have immense jealousy! My bathroom in my current apartment looks eerily similar to your before, and unfortunately I’m stuck with it. Enjoy the luxury of a fan – my bathroom is sweltering and humid all summer long!

Thanks for the laugh today! And your bathroom turned out great.

The “before” looks just like my bathroom, which is now being gutted. Love that sparkly tile but is it hard to keep clean?

where do you keep all the kids bath items and have been hang their towels to dry if you only have two wall hooks?

I almost spit my coffee onto my keyboard at your last statement. Too funny… boys are hysterical. I think the bathroom looks great. One question about the penny tile, I have a kitchen that is very similar to yours (black ikea lower cabinets, white counter, and open shelving up top) and I was considering penny tile similar to those floors. Just in your opinion (I think you have GREAT interior decorating taste) how do you think that type of tile would look as a backsplash in a kitchen?

On a side-note, if you’re still featuring ikea kitchens on the blog whenever mine is finished (we’re 1+years into it already) I’d love to share mine :)

Thanks for mentioning the issue of asbestos. We’re struggling with it in our house too. There is old linoleum all over the basement slab which we need to cut into to deal with some plumbing issues so we’ll likely have to remove them (haven’t yet confirmed asbestos with a test, but we’re pretty sure it’s likely)… and none of the design blogs seem to mention what they did to address this. I love that you always keep it real for us. We had a “professional” asbestos removal contractor do a pretty poor job removing some vermiculite insulation from our attic when we first moved in, so we’re thinking about tackling the job ourselves using all the best measures for protection. I suspect that many of the so call professional firms hire unskilled labourers and don’t always ensure that their workers follow best practice during removal which could actually make things worse so… I dunno. ugh.

Anyway I love this, like everything else you’ve done with the house, and I’m dying to follow a similar colour scheme (grey, white, penny round!, dark grout) in the basement bathroom when we finally get there!

Thanks again for the realness and inspiration!

I’ve been a reader/fan for awhile, but I’m not a big commenter on blogs. However, as the Mom of two boys, I’ve been asked the same thing while sharing our little one bathroom home! Kids!!! Your home is lovely and I love the way I hear “your voice” when you write. I’m sure others have said the same thing, but we all feel like we know you and are your friend. Thanks for a smile to start the day!

What’s your secret to keeping your tub and shower clean with FIVE people using it?! I recently put a new tub, faucets, and tile (sealed it) in my shower and struggle to keep it clean! I try to use vinegar and water mixtures and stay clear of tough bleaches and mold removers.

Love your house – quick question about your towels. Do you still like them / are they holding up? Just curious on your feedback – what etsy shop did you purchase them from? Thanks for sharing –

I love your bathroom! I read your post about peshtemals a while ago and bought some before our vacation at the beach (=island of Majorca, Spain) and we came to really love them. They didn’t require a lot of space in the suitcases (a lot less than conventional terry cloth towels!!), they were versatile (we sat on them at the beach, we wrapped in them after swimming, we used them to protect us from the sun). And they dried very quickly and were ready to be used again very soon. We love them and I plan on replacing more of our conventional towels with peshtemals (or hammam towels, as they are called here). Thanks!!
Jule

Still love the towels! Some of the fringed ends have come unknotted from washing / drying but there’s no unraveling.

Loving the fiddler photo bomb in the last pic! My husband works for a restoration company that deals with asbestos and it is serious business. We’re remodeling our 50 yr old house and I’m so glad he deals with this stuff all the time cuz it’s saved us a lot of money! Plus you convinced me to go with a floating vanity and now a medicine cabinet with a plug. I pitched the idea to my husband and he loved it! So 2 marriages saved.

I think the biggest help has been using The Honest Co.’s shampoo + bath wash in one – for everyone in our family. (This isn’t a plug and The Honest Co. has never sponsored anything on House*Tweaking.) Other soaps and shampoos tend to leave residues in the shower / tub and on the curtain that mold and bacteria feed on. I use Mrs. Meyer’s clean day all purpose cleaner for weekly cleanings and less frequently I will use a little CLR if necessary. We have a water softener and I think that helps, too. There is a corner of caulk between the tub and shower tile where mildew tends to accumulate. Every once in a while I’ll put a little bleach on a cotton ball and stick it in the corner for 30-60 minutes but I only do that maybe once or twice a year. Hope that helps!

Aw, thanks. Glad to know I’m not the only one missing a penis ;)

I think the penny tile wold make an awesome, textured backsplash! Young House Love used the penny rounds as a kitchen backsplash in their previous home. It was more of an all-white kitchen with pops of happy color but I could definitely see it working in a kitchen with dark lowers and open shelving. One thing I wouldn’t recommend is white grout, though. That’s a lot of grout to keep clean. Try a light gray or sandy colored grout. CanNOT wait to see your kitchen!

The boys take showers and aren’t really interested in bath toys. Mabrey plays with a little cup that I use to rinse her hair. It’s usually hanging upside down on a hook on the shower caddy but I removed it for the picture because it’s orange ;) #cheater Honestly, we don’t have room for a bunch of bath toys and the kids don’t seem to mind. They’re happy to splash and sing.

As for towels…Mabrey has her own towel that hangs on a hook in her room. Steve and I have been sharing two towels (not always the same two towels) with the boys. The boys and I don’t shower daily but Steve usually does. Our showers are staggered so it’s kinda worked out where we don’t have a soggy towel waiting for us on the hook. I hang up clean towels twice a week. That being said, I am very much looking forward to NOT sharing my towel one day!

Nope, not at all! It’s textured but polished and cleans up nicely.

Sooo pretty! I love, love, love the tile in your shower! We have a 1950s colonial with all original tile and while I kinda love the crazy green in our master bath, I fear what’s lurking behind the cracked tiles. Hopefully in a few years we’ll be able to renovate it and I’m definitely pinning your pics for inspiration!

On a side note, I grew up in a house with 1.5 bathrooms and there were 6 of us. Funny thing is, we rarely used the 1st floor powder room so that meant 4 girls, plus my parents used that one bath/shower to get ready every day. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but I’m sure my older sisters (11 months apart) had a different perspective!

A few spots in the house (which is on a slab) required self-leveling concrete work. If I’m remembering correctly, there was a patch just outside the master bath in the bedroom but the other bathroom was worse. It took several self-leveling pours to get the floor level in the main / kids’ bathroom before we could tile. The joys of living on a slab…

Our bathroom window looks out onto our backyard. We have neighbors to the back who, within the last two years, installed a privacy fence. We have plenty of privacy but our neighbor’s home isn’t right on top of ours. I usually leave the shower curtain pulled open when not in use to allow light to stream in from the window.

Most of the floor tile used in midcentury homes in our area contain traces of asbestos. We had an outside company come in and test the entire house for lead, asbestos and radon since our kids would be living here for a while. There was no lead (yay!) but the floor tile did come back with trace amounts of asbestos and the house’s radon levels were above what’s recommended. We had a radon mitigation system installed to remedy the radon.

Thanks for the laughs sprinkled throughout, Dana, but heavens, a “protect your electronics” warning might be in order next time! The tea I spewed barely missed the keyboard. (You might appreciate this view from a household that was female-only at the time: When my daughter was ~3, we visited someone who displayed a photo of her husband and 2 grown sons. My daughter was transfixed by it. We couldn’t figure out why until she pointed to the photo and, with perfect diction, announced, “Too many penises!” We laughed til we collapsed, and then the homeowner replied, “I know what you mean.”)

I cannot get enough of this bathroom!! I fell in love with those glittery tiles way back when you posted the original mast bath reveal. I’ve been following your blog ever since and waiting for the day my husband and I bought out first home (and secretly hoping it would need a bath reno). We just bought a townhouse a couple months ago with only one full bath that needed gutted… and I was able to make my glittery tile dream come true! We absolutely love them- worth all the blood sweat and tears of DIY! We did everything ourselves and I could not agree more that The Tile Shop was super helpful every step of the way. Thanks so much for being such an inspiration!

I didn’t necessarily mean toys bit you know all the bath items like shampoos, soaps, loofahs etc. I’m sure it’s part of daily life bit of course you gotta remove that for the sake of staged blog photos. I did notice no bathmat is in place..we don’t use one either. Keepin it real we just toss that moments clothes on floor and use that to catch water then toss in hampers. No daily showers for yall? wow! at our house its a MUST..nothing like a daily showers especially during these dog days of summer to wash away the day’s events.

Oh my this is a beautiful space, and all if that stuff everyone else is saying – but what brought it all home for me was the penis comment! ;) I live with 4 boys/men at home and constantly get asked about that topic. So glad I am not the only one. ;) I always tell my husband that he needs to build me a bathroom in the backyard with a sign ‘No boys allowed’ – maybe you need one too! ;)

Let it be known my stuff takes up 1/2 of the the top drawer. The rest belongs to Dana. Just sayin’.
And also, I am missing a vagina.

Correction: my stuff takes up 1/2 of the bottom drawer. The rest is the kids’ and cleaning supplies. You also have the wall cabinet. Just sayin’. ;) love you.

I attribute my marriage success to separate toothpaste tubes (I’m the messy one) and a men’s nail grooming set that permanently lives in my husband’s nightstand for his exclusive use. Seriously, it’s the little things. :)

Oh, sorry!, I misunderstood. All five of us switched to The Honest Co. shampoo + body wash about a year ago. It’s awesome and *BONUS* only one bottle for everyone! I do keep a bottle of conditioner and some dandruff shampoo in the caddy, too, but they aren’t used regularly. We share loofahs but, hopefully, not for long.

I absolutely love this bathroom. We are moving out of a beautiful newer house to an older one (out of state) with a master too tiny for a bathtub so I am saying goodbye to my deep, oval, jetted soaker tub. It’s going to be a difficult breakup… I’ve been researching deeper tubs and came across the Kohler Archer tub that you have in your bathroom. I love soaking in a tub and was wondering if it really is deep enough with the higher overflow drain to actually soak in. I will not have enough room in the main bath to do a stand alone tub so this could really be the thing that saves my family from a very grumpy mom if unable to escape to the tub occasionally!

Oh, this bathroom makes me smile. It also makes me super excited to get to work on our bathrooms. We’ve got a builder basic (ready in September) and I’m already planning all my tweaks!
For a quick, cost effective update (until we can afford a full blown reno) I’m planning to simply replace the hardware with some awesome crystal knobs I found at Home Goods – pack of 6 for 14.99. Can’t go wrong!

I love the basket on the back of the toilet!!! I have been looking for something like that for that very purpose. Where did you get it?

I adore this bathroom! My husband and I live in small brick ranch from the 50’s, so our main bathroom (mostly still in it’s original style) is very similar to the previous version of yours. We did luck out with a white tub and gray tile with a maroon border. It’s not my favorite, but I keep reminding myself it’s not pink, green or yellow.

Also, the house I grew up in only had 1 bathroom, just slightly bigger than this one. There were 5 of us and we rarely had problems. One year we hosted an exchange student, so there were 6 of us using one bathroom! I feel spoiled having two full bathrooms in mine and my husband’s house!

I love everything about your house! The penis comment made me laugh out loud! I have three little boys and I never imagined I would have to have conversations related to that so frequently!

I’m very interested in this as well, as I have been looking at the Kohler Archer bathtub.

I found it several years ago at Kroger of all places!

Yes, I LOVE this tub! And you can definitely soak in it. I’m a shower person myself but I did manage one (you read that right, ONE) soak when Mabrey was a newborn. It’s a great, smaller alternative to the traditional soaking or whirlpool tub.

Oops, sorry! I’m glad no electronics were harmed.

Thanks for the reply. Now all I have to do is talk DH into moving the tub so it is under the window… :o)

can i tell you that i would have probably lived with that bathroom for years. i wish i had an eye to see the potential in homes like you do!

Ha! That Steve is hilarious….im missing a vagina! You guys are the best:)

Love this space Dana. I think its such a great use of the limited area you have. We just went from 3 bathrooms to one! Eek. I’m a little worried. Weve been in an apartment that only has one while weve been in escrow, and that has really helped us get accustomed to only having one. I love the floating vanity.

Always have loved this bathroom. :) Can you comment on the light fixture?–do you think it gives off enough light for makeup, etc. if you didn’t have a window in there? I love the style but am hesitant to add one into our space for reasoning of possibly not having enough light?!

Love your bathroom Dana. Your penis comment reminded me of when my boys were little and we lived in a one bathroom house. My 3 year old asked me one day “Mommy, is your penis underneath all of that fur you have.” Still makes me laugh.

When we moved from our interim apartment (900 sq ft) to this downsized house (1,600 sq ft) it felt like we were moving into a mansion! And we ended up selling or donating most of the stuff that sat in storage during the renovation after we realized we could live without it.

So this particular sconce will accept one 100W bulb. It’s plenty for the vanity area but we do have a can light in the shower area that turns on when the bathroom light switch is flipped on. Together, the two artificial light sources provide enough light for our ~5’x 8′ bathroom – even during dark winter mornings and at bedtime. A bunch of people warned us of shadows on our faces from the downlight sconce but I think our vanity is deep enough that it isn’t a problem. When we’re at the sink we aren’t standing directly beneath the light. I almost bought a cheaper version of the sconce at Lowe’s but it wouldn’t support as much wattage. I think anything less than 100W wouldn’t suffice.

Do you use a brush to scrub the tile, or are you able to wipe it with a sponge? I’m picturing it ripping up a sponge, but maybe it’s smoothing in person than it looks in the close-up photo? Thanks!

The tile is bumpy but not rough…if that makes any sense. It has a polished finish so I wouldn’t use an abrasive brush on it. I wipe it down with a microfiber cloth.

Thank you for the information. It’s so lovely! It’s great to know it’s not too difficult to clean.

Your bathroom is fantastic! You deserve a medal for 5 people sharing a bathroom. I have two little boys and have very little bathroom privacy. The last line of your post cracked me up. I get a lot of “where is your hidden pee pee?” or “ha ha pee is coming out of your butt!” comments.

Love the wall cabinet with hidden charging station! As soon as we finally buy our own place, we are doing something like this for my husband’s electric toothbrush and razor. I love it.

Thanks for the info! We’ll keep that in mind when we start house hunting.

I just have to tell you that I’m in love with every square inch of your home! It’s amazing what you’ve done with everything! I’m inspired how you’ve downsized and made this home ultra functional and stunning. (ps – I have had many amusing body part conversations with my little guy too, cracks me up!)

Love it all. What a great combination. I’m quite jealous as my bathrooms are all retro like your original. Pink and gray, baby blue and pink, and pink and metallic brown. The original owners REALLY liked the pink.

I love this bathroom. What are the dimensions? I’m trying to figure out if we could do a similar thing in our bathroom which has the exact same set-up as your 2nd bathroom. Door that opens to a toilet and sink on the right and tub straight ahead with a window.

I love the penny tile in bathrooms. I am trying to convince my husband that is the way to go. My favorite though is super expensive and the bathroom we are doing is quite large.

would you mind telling me if the vanity top on the godmorgan feels like plasticy?

No, the sink top is ceramic and feels like it!

Hi! Love this bathroom. Would you mind telling me the name of the grout you used for the penny round? Thank you!

It’s mobe pearl (a sandy color) from The Tile Shop!

Hi! I located the grout color that you used (mobe pearl) at The Tile Shop but they have two versions – sanded and unsanded. Could you tell me which you used in your master bath, please? Also, did you purchase your grout sealer from The Tile Shop?

Ask an employee to help you determine which version you need – sanded or unsanded. It depends on what size grout lines you will be incorporating. Typically, unsanded grout is for smaller grout lines.

I am in love with your home!
My husband and I are considering buying a fixer upper. We were wondering, if you don’t mind me asking, how much did it cost to entirely remodel your home? What is the square footage of your home? It can give us a better estimate of what we will be spending!

Wonderful bathroom! We just did a reno slightly similar to yours and love it! I just have a question about the toilet paper! lol! Do you only have it in the basket, or did you add a TP hanger to the wall somewhere? We have had our washroom completed for 6 months now and still can’t determine the best place to put it!!

Thanks!

We keep toilet paper in a basket on the tank. We didn’t want to drill into the vanity and we didn’t want to hang it on the wall below wet towels. We couldn’t decide where to hang it so we put it in the basket as a temporary fix but it stuck!

I’ve been curious to find out of you and your family are still enjoying those towels you bought off etsy a while ago. I can’t remember what kind they were, oops!

The peshtemals? (a.k.a turkish towels, foutas, etc.) YES! They took some getting used to but we LOVE them. They have only become more absorbent, softer with each wash. Terrycloth towels feel so itchy and heavy to us now.

Question for you: has it been a problem not having tile behind the vanity? I love the streamlined look of no tile, but wonder if lots of water splashes on your wall and you’ve had to re-paint. Thank you!

Not at all! We thought we could always add a backsplash if we needed to but it really hasn’t been an issue. We tend to splash the other way…towards ourselves vs. the walls.

Where did you find that amazing tile in your shower? I apologize if someone has asked already.

Please see the resources at the end of the post.

Hi Dana!
ADORE your blog…I see you have almost everything listed in this post for the original source..but what about the shower rod? Is it adjustable or fixed? Has it rusted on you? Thank you!

It’s just one of those cheap, adjustable rods. It has just started rusting so we’ll probably replace it with another adjustable version soon.

I know you listed where you got almost everything (which I appreciate and copy as much as possible – it’s the sincerest form of flattery, right?) but I cannot find a basket like the one you have the toilet paper in there – any tips on where to get that lovely thing would be very much appreciated!!

If I remember correctly, I found it at Kroger, a local grocery store of all places. Hope that helps!

I LOVE your blog! Just stumbled upon it while searching for IKEA kitchens. The tile in your bathroom is gorgous, could you confirm it is the penny round “MOSS” from The Tile Shop? It looks so much lighter in your photos – more like the MIST
https://www.tileshop.com/product/penny+round+moss+porcelain+mosaic+tile.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=Search

Thank you so much!

Yes, it is the moss! Looks different in person and in natural light which our bathroom has lots of.

I’ve been looking at the Archer tub for our shower/tub combo. Love that it’s deeper than a standard tub. Do you find it hard to step over for the shower? What about when bathing a little one?

Love the bathroom! Can you please tell me where you found the 3 pin cushion-like things hanging over the toilet?

I have been considering the same vanity/sink/faucet and am wondering years later how you are feeling about them? Do you still love them? Are they wearing well?

We’re looking to replace our tub. I’ve heard great things about this Kohler Archer tub. I have concerns about acrylic in regards to cleaning. Is it easy to clean? Does it scratch easily?

Also, do you find it’s too deep when used to bathe your kids or has that not been an issue?

Do you still love the tub?

Thanks.