Okay, so maybe the red bathroom Melissa and Ian inherited with their house isn’t bad enough to deserve a nod to The Shining, but it was pretty killer on the eyes. Fortunately they remedied things with an awesome redo that they sent our way. Here’s their letter:
Hi John and Sherry! We bought our second home up north in good ‘ole Canada in April of 2011 and started our DIY magic – or whatever you wanna call it ;) So far we’ve done 2 bathrooms, an office, a guest room, and our bedroom and I still feel like we have tons to do (I’m sure you know the feeling). However, we’re really happy with how our bathroom turned out. Let’s start at the beginning. Here is what we had to work with:
Where to begin? The pink floors? The vanity that was about as tall as my lower thighs? I was barely able to wash my face without sitting on the floor.
The room looked a bit like a rainbow exploded in it. We don’t do rainbow guts.
In all reality there were no words. We just knew we wanted to change the ENTIRE thing. I had been saving up tons of ideas and we pretty much knew what we wanted: a ‘spa’ feel with light, bright colours, and a clean look. We also really wanted to incorporate a little bit of architectural detail somehow. We had seen paneling done in a variety of different forms, and we figured this might be a good place to try it out. We ended up choosing picture frame style wainscoting. Overall, this process wasn’t as difficult as it sounds.
Sooooo… here it is: our pride and joy!
We did a lot of other things besides the wainscoting ourselves – just to stick to our tight budget – like doing the shower tile pattern ourselves, making our own curtains, and searching high and low for the best priced materials and fixtures (the tub is from Costco and the mirrors over the vanity are from HomeSense – which is also known as HomeGoods in the states).
Thanks again for being a huge inspiration for a young couple like ourselves. All the best, Melissa and Ian (oh and Clover, our 85 pound golden doodle who thinks of herself as an 8 pound chihuahua).
Oh to have a bathroom that large and that gorgeous! Nicely done Melissa and Ian (and Burger gives two paws up to Clover, to whom he gives all the credit). You can see more photos of their beautiful bathroom on their blog, where they’ve also got a full source list as well as a breakdown of projects like the paneling and the curtains.
Psst- Got a before and after of your own that you’d like to submit? Send your best pictures, links to any blog posts, and brief description to [email protected].
Psssst- We’re sharing our latest Clara-conversations over on Young House Life (she’s definitely the comedian of this family).
Amy says
gorgeous!
Erin says
Oh, heavens. That tub. I want to go to there.
Ali says
What she said.
Alison says
Super gorgeous! Nice work guys!
Janelle D says
What a beautiful, fresh, relaxing bathroom. I am not really a tub person, but I could be if I had that one to lounge in… Thank you for sharing!
Sarah says
That first after photo took my breath away. Gorgeous!
Jen @ Jen Spends says
Wow, what a stunning transformation! Dark colors+warm, moist bathrooms=eww.
Lindsay says
Love the shower and vanity but can’t say I like the tub. I would have kept the original one :)
Michelle says
Great makeover! I absolutely love the colors.
You have a type in the last paragraph though. You call Melissa – Michelle. I noticed because I’m Michelle and people have called me Melissa by mistake a few times in my life!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! All fixed!
xo,
s
Taylor says
OMG, this is so stunning. This is exactly what we wanted to do with our bathroom – put in a freestanding tub. Did you have to do any extra plumbing to replace the existing tub with the freestanding tub?
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone have info or tips for Taylor?
xo,
s
Melissa and Ian @ Living Beautifully says
Hi Taylor!
Thanks for your comment!
We kept the tub in the same place as the original so we didn’t need to move that much around, but there was a bit of work. We did have to replace part of the drain pipe. You may need to do this since your new tub might not line up with where your old tub was. When we pulled our old tub out, the drain pipe wouldn’t detach from the old tub, so we had to cut it. Since we installed a freestanding tub, when the plumber was attaching the drain pipe to the new tub, he had to do it from underneath, so we had to cut out a hole in our kitchen ceiling. Sounds like a lot, but it wasn’t that bad, and I LOVE the new tub, so it was definitely worth it ;) Hope that helps!
Melissa :)
Emily A says
Lovely! YHL is a great provider of inspiration/motivation. Having just bought a house with a mint kitchen, little storage, and a bathroom of pale yellow and black trim tile ( painted bright yellow!), this site has been a great resource to get my DIY gears spinning and I hope to have a trasformation worthy of a feature someday! Keep up the great work in love and life and have a great weekend!
And of course kudos again to Melissa and Ian!
Jayme says
That bathtub!! OMG! The whole room is beautiful!
Shannon says
Holy crap, THIS IS STUNNING! I am so impressed and absolutely love every choice they made. I feel like you can never go wrong with a clean, mostly-white pallet.
Michelle says
What a HUGE difference!! Their bathroom turned out great :-)
By the way, there might be a mistake in the last paragraph of this post when you refer to her as “Michelle”…Her name is Melissa, right? Both are lovely names, if I do say so myself :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Michelle- all fixed!
xo,
s
Melissa says
Amazing what a serene and relaxing bathroom!
Karla@{TheClassyWoman} says
Their bathroom is totally pin-worthy!! I love it, light and airy is always what I want in a bathroom-especially one with a deep soaker tub!! :) They did an awesome job!
Sarah says
That’s amazing! Insanely dramatic difference! bathtub – stunning! Great job!
Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says
Still picking my jaw up of the floor. Just beautiful!
Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says
P.S. – I want that tub!
Steph says
Oh my gosh, that tub. I am so, so jealous. It looks like something you’d find in a fancy hotel room! I would love soaking in that with a glass of wine after a long day :)
Meg @18 Preston says
WOW this is just amazing!
Jenny A. says
Wow, that is just stunning!
Katharine says
What a beautiful bathroom!! The layout was already great, but the trasnformation they made is incredible. Looks like the perfect place to relax :)
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
I want to get in that tub!
Melissa says
Gorgeous room!
Oh, and an editing note: you referred to Melissa as Michelle in your last paragraph…as a Melissa who’s been called Michelle by random people since about 4th grade, I picked up on it immediately.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- thanks Melissa! So sorry, my head is not in the game today!
xo,
s
Michelle says
ha! see, it’s a thing! Melissa: I hear you :) And John: you won’t be the first, or the last!
KLL says
The before pictures are sort of terrifying. I mean…someone CHOSE those circus-worthy curtains and they probably didn’t choose them ironically. Holy. Cow.
Michelle says
Just wanted to point out that you accidentally called Melissa ‘Michelle’ – I only point this out because my name is Michelle and people ALWAYS mistake me for a Melissa! It’s a thing, I swear.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Michelle! All fixed. No idea how I missed that when I proofed it!
xo,
s
Stephanie says
That shower and tub are sexy. I have no other way to describe them.
Karen F says
Wow, that is gorgeous!!
Melissa says
Glad I’m not the only one who’s been a victim of the Melissa/Michelle switch! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- this is hilarious! The funniest thing is I get Sharon or Shari all the time (instead of Sherry) – I wonder if every name has an easily-mistaken-for other name?! The funniest one is John Petersik (he gets called Peter all the time, which makes me giggle).
xo,
s
Stephanie says
I get Tiffany sometimes if people mishear my name. But the worst offense for me is all the million ways people spell Stephanie wrong.
I bet it happens to everyone!
Melissa and Ian @ Living Beautifully says
Ive been reading all these comments on the name, and it honestly happens all the time! Thanks so much for fixing it Sherry, although I might not have even noticed! lol!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Melissa! You’re so sweet.
xo,
s
Meredith says
My last name is also a girl’s first name (Leigh) and to make things MORE confusing, my work e-mail is leighmeredith, so people always think I’m Leigh or Meredith Leigh (one name, like MaryAnne) and then ask what my last name is. I feel John’s pain!
KLL says
I’m Kristie, which messes everyone up because my name contains neither a Ch or a Y. I get Kristen, Chrissy, Christina, etc. Drives me bonkers.
Nicole says
LOVE that tub! The whole thing is beautiful!
Megan Circelli says
Yay for Canadian makeovers! This made my day!
Kelly says
It’s BEAUTIFUL! But that chandelier over the tub makes me uneasy even though it’s beautiful where it is.
Jenn Leigh says
They did such a good job!
FYI – Joss & Main has a Greyhound statue in their Urban Trends collection!
Have a good weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo,
s
[email protected] says
Wowza! We ate building and at times I’ve wished I’d planned for a stand alone tub. This is one of those times!
Sabrina says
That bathroom is beyond gorgeous. We are doing tiny repairs to ours (we are selling soon) we need to retile our shower and I am scared because I have the distinct feeling they tiled over paneling. I am def reading your guys bathroom demo entries. I am still scared *hides from moldy cracked shower tiles*
victoria says
totally unrelated comment, but target has ceramic owls in the dollar section right now for $2.50. super cute and totally your style. check ’em out!
YoungHouseLove says
Fun!!
xo,
s
Sabrina says
They have a lot of ceramic animals in the dollar bins. I thought of you when I bought ceramic horsehead salt and pepper shakers! lol
YoungHouseLove says
Cute!
xo,
s
Jenelle Ricci @ Del Mar Designs says
That bathroom is absolutely beautiful! I am definitely taking notes for when I one day will have to do new home remodels!
Jill Stigs says
Speechless and drooling here. The after is so gorgeous, Love EVERYTHING about it. They did a great job!
Melissa Breau says
LOVING those curtains and I have a serious crush on the tile in that shower. Gorgeous!
Jamie says
I have a bad case of bathtub envy!
Beautiful job!
Jodi T. says
I just drooled a little when I saw that bathtub, and those colors ARE GORGEOUS.
Stephanie says
Um, okay, when did Candice Olson start sending you her redesigns?! This is pure awesomeness!!!!!! Just beautiful!!!
Mellissa says
The before and after is so dramatic. But the before? Who would have thought that was ever a good style decision? Ick. As a Mellissa I have been called Michelle at least once a week my entire life!
Terravita says
Wow, this is truly breathtaking!
Kim says
WOW!! I think this is the best reader redesign ever!
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh says
Absolutely breathtaking!
Katy says
Clearly this is beyond lovely. It would be my pride and joy as well were it not for the skimpy curtain panels. As a fabri-holic I notice things like this. I know it is petty, but I am weak. Sorry pretty bath people!
Hannah says
What a stunning transformation. Huge Kudos!!
And thanks so much for the tub tip. We are building adn I have been covetting a japanese soaking tub but at $3-5k we thought we would wait and just have an empty spot for a while BUT Costco – how fab. For $1k a gorgeous, simple lined japanese soaking tub. I am in love, thanks so much for the resource….Yeh!!!
Julia @ Life on Churchill says
the bathtub’s lines are gorgeous, and with that vanity + flooring….dreamy!
SingleMama says
This is absolutely stunning! My favorite room yet!
Janine says
can’t get over the difference!! I think for sure you could give the Shining a nod ,”REDRUM” remember?! scaaaaary…