It’s not often that a before photo actually makes me laugh out loud. But I did so I’ll cop to it right now. Just check out the shower tile in Erin’s main bathroom for yourself. Thankfully the incredible overhaul that she and her husband did means that old tile is nothing but a (somewhat hilarious) memory. Here’s her letter:
Hi John & Sherry, we’ve been working on remodeling our foreclosure mess for just over a year now, and so far we’ve completed three bathroom remodels! I’m still doing a happy dance from how this last one turned out. This room started out as bad as it could get with dirty white tile & brown grout, a rain shower mural in the bathtub, and pink walls with a goopy, drippy texture applied to them.
Every time I used it I thought, “I can’t believe we bought this dump.” Note the rain shower mural in the tub.
We were going for a very modern and natural look – something that was minimal but not cold. The piece de resistance was a shoji style inspired sliding door that I custom built to fit the space (it slides to the right to close off the toilet/shower without blocking too much light). I’m still shocked that it fit and worked well in the space right away. Those moments when what you had in mind actually works out perfectly… yeah, those never happen to me, so score 1 point for the DIYers.
The best part is that doing all of our own labor and using affordable items like the Ikea vanity and mirror (along with clearance 12” x 24” floor tiles for just $1.22 a tile!) made this renovation incredibly affordable. The whole project was less than $2k.
We also added lighting underneath the floating vanity, which not only accentuates the open floor space down there but provides a really cool nightlight to the room.
The lights are plugged into an outlet directly under the vanity, and that outlet is controlled by a switch right at the door so it’s just a flick of the switch to turn them on. I hope you like it! -Erin
I just gotta give Erin another “bravo” for that door she built. I mean, the whole space makes me want to come over for a visit, but I’ve gotta hand over some serious props for making a door that fits on the first try. Erin’s got more photos (including a close up of that before shower!) on her blog, so be sure to check it out. Thanks so much for sharing your awesome bathroom, Erin! What do you guys think? Any favorite parts? Sherry’s obsessed with the mirror that also doubles as a shelf and of course that stripe of penny tile. As for me, you already know I’m crushing on that sliding door.
Psst- The latest round of Clara Conversations are up on Young House Life, including one exchange that’s probably our favorite of all time (it involves talk of a future sibling and what Clara hopes will come with the deal).
mack collier says
Like this kind of ceramic tile color and light, so feel the bathroom is very bright.
carol jane says
Awesome bathroom!!!! What color is that on the walls in the laundry room Thats pretty too!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s hoping she drops in with that info!
xo,
s
Erin @ One Project at a Time says
Thank you so much for the kind words! The paint in the Laundry is Martha Stewart’s Rainwater. Its one of the reasons the Laundry Room is one of my favorite rooms in the house.
Patti says
This re-do is an absolute winner, very scandinavian-spa-like…but my favorite thing is actually the rain shower mural!! I’ve never seen anything so hilarious in a bathroom!
P.S.: For those who may not know, Ikea is wonderful for small or odd-sized bathroom vanities, fixtures, etc. I have a tiny little bathroom and needed a sink/vanity and I found it there.
Anna S says
Wow, someone really thought that tile was a good idea. That’s kinda scary. I adore the after bathroom! And the under vanity lighting is genius (in my opinion)!
Elizabeth says
What a great bathroom, well done…and that door is swoon-worthy.
By the way, I just cracked open this month’s Redbook and was so excited to see your feature, got me psyched up for the book in a couple of weeks! What?!?
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoooooooo!
xo,
s
Mamaw says
Awesome job, Erin! Although, I just might miss the “grass” growing below the rain shower…NOT! Again, good job!
Jen E. says
Y’know, when I read this post yesterday, I was focused on the pretty parts, drooling over the door, the vanity, the penny tile, the curtain.
As I stubbed my toe on my kids’ step stool this morning for the umpteenth time (there is just no good place to put it!), I came to fully appreciate the pure genius of that floating vanity. Hmmm, time to remodel?
Selina@CreativeJuicesDecor says
That is as GREAT makeover!! Thanks for sharing with all of us, I really love that you guys do reader Redesigns……gives the smaller blog a boost and it’s fun for us to see too :-)
LindseyR says
Awesome renovation…..love the floating vanity and under lighting…awesome job!
jessibee says
At first I had no idea what made you laugh out loud…then I actually scrolled down to the second photo and…laughed out loud. That shower tile “was” hilarious. The problem was that my husband heard me laugh and asked what was so funny…so I showed him the photo and described what it was and he did not laugh. He said “I don’t see what’s so funny. I think it’s cool. I’d totally have that.” OMG! I LOL’d all over again! What kind of wacko did I marry!?! hahahaha
Gen says
Yeah! Finally made it through the archives from Day 1 (yep, I started at the beginning) to current…well, almost. lol Love the writing style. You both write…er, type so similar that when I think it’s one, I scroll back to the top and half of the time find I’m wrong. hehe I pre-ordered the book about a week or so ago…when I got to that point of the blog. Too bad it can’t make a detour to you two to get you to sign it. *sigh Oh well…not even stateside for another year, so…I wonder if the previous owners (of the house mentioned in this post) put in the mural as a reason to smile. If you’re not a morning person, but tend to shower in the A.M., something like that may tend to make a grumpy person less grumpy…right? Eh…it was a thought. ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, totally possible! And congrats on making it all the way through our blog! That’s serious dedication and we love you for it!
xo
s