A Simply Beautiful Bathroom Makeover

I’m not sure what’s wrong with me but I did it again. Did what?

ANOTHER RENOVATION.

I told myself (and Steve) that the kitchen renovation was the last thing I will EVER do in the house. Well folks, don’t ever believe what you hear out of my mouth because clearly I change my mind like the weather.

Last winter, I decided that I couldn’t stand looking at our tired old basement anymore. We basically tore it to shreds and installed new flooring throughout and a feature prop room to store all the “stuff” I have accumulated over the past four years with Simply Beautiful Eating.

As if that wasn’t enough, I had a couple more “projects” in mind. These had nothing to do with my dear, patient husband who is wonderful with renovations. If I wanted our marriage to survive, there was only one other choice and that was to hire a contractor (who conveniently happens to be Steve’s brother). Once he tackled the basement, we set a date to completely gut the upstairs bathroom (formerly known as the place that my three boys were raised in from birth). I don’t think I need to go into visual details as to what transpires when boys use a lavatory). It’s self explanatory and it isn’t very pretty.

Here’s a photo of what the bathroom looked like before we went to town with the sledge hammer. I mean, it’s clean but it desperately needed a makeover.

I had a plan in place once I purchased the key piece of furniture for that room. HomeSense Canada always has the most amazing finds and I was lucky enough to fall upon this beauty. It was sold as an entertainment stand, and ended up as our vanity. Do you hear the sound of harps playing right now? I do, because this is heavenly.

With a few holes drilled here and there, you can transform just about anything into a unit of your dreams. Made from reclaimed wood, it is reminiscent of all my furniture that I have on the main floor. It was a perfect starting piece to build a decor plan around.

With the warmth of the vanity, I choose to accent the room with another favourite thing of mine – satin brass taps and shower hardware from Newport Brass. My pick was the Chesterfield collection – traditional with a touch of old world charm. I kept the theme consistent with these accents throughout the entire house.

I’m absolutely IN LOVE with the look of the warm gold/brass colour and I added accent pieces like my mirrors, soap dispenser and toilet tissue roll holder to blend in with the look.

As well, I love the look of fresh flowers and plants in a bathroom. How great do these look in the green glass vase I found at HomeSense Canada?

It’s all about the glass enclosure. I researched and met with two different companies for this very integral part of the shower area. We had one of the best experiences ever with the company that installed our glass shower door, walls and hardware. If you are looking for excellent and precise work, Mel with DevTech is your man. He specializes in store front glass installations – some of his recent work can be seen at the Louis Vuitton and other fine stores throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Let’s talk about another obsession of mine. The floor tiles! I found them online at the Cement Tile Shop and went nuts for the patterns they have in their vast collection. This stunner is the Leon I and was my absolute favourite pick. It’s a white and grey pattern that I couldn’t resist. I’m so happy with their amazing customer service and the quality of their product. This floor is definitely a winner and I highly recommend the Cement Tile Shop for your next makeover or renovation project.

I even added a shower nook for shampoo and soap with the same cement tile pattern.

Speaking of tiles, I have always been a huge fan of marble. I returned to my favourite local tile store here in Toronto – Sarana Tile. After searching for the perfect shower wall tile, I went with a classic white dolomite with touches of light grey scattered naturally throughout the marble. With the floor tiles being white with a grey accent, I went with a dark grey (iron) coloured grout to make them pop and give the bathroom a bit of a “farmhouse vibe”.

Can we talk about these walls? I chose to go with pre-painted shiplap everywhere. I went with Metrie for this project and I can’t even explain how fabulous this product is to install and then stand back and swoon over. Painting your own shiplap is always an option, but why fuss around when Metrie makes it so simple for you? These walls are bright, fresh and will never go out of style. A classic, easy and affordable choice. You won’t be disappointed. Trust me.

When the majority of the bathroom was completed, I scored another signature accent piece for the ceiling. This light was another “fab find” at HomeSense Canada and I couldn’t have imagined anything better for this area.

Lastly, I chose a very elegant but rustic look for the window treatments. Monaco Interiors matched a  soft white linen fabric banded with the same grey as my floor tiles. Perfection.

To sum it up, I’m so excited to have a new look on the upper floor. If you’re wondering if I have taken a shower in here yet, the answer is NO. I want to just stop and stare at this everyday without messing it up.

Oh and one more thing…..was this the end of the renovation train? The answer yet again is NO. Along with the bathroom, I decided it was time to create a unique space in the room the belonged to my youngest son. The second he moved out I called dibs on my new walk-in closet. Wait for it. It’s coming up next.

Thank you so much to all my partners for this project. You made my bathroom dream a reality.

HomeSense Canada

Metrie

The Cement Tile Shop

Sarana Tile

Newport Brass

DevTech

Monaco Interiors