Bathroom + Closet Progress

Thought I'd crawl out from under my rock and share a little progress report on the bathroom/closet remodel that is going on at Chez Knight right now. So much has been accomplished since I last posted (which was almost two months ago...geeeeze) and now we are down to the nitty gritty details. Currently, the painters are texturing and prepping. As you'll see below, the tile guy still has some work to do. I think he and his crew had just grouted the shower area before I took these pics.

Anyhow, here's a glimpse of the project while it's still in a rather raw state...

This pic shows the double entry doors from the bedroom (on the left) and most of the wardrobe cabinetry. The ones on the right are for clothes and the ones in the back left are for shoes and purses.

Now we are coming around the corner of the main wardrobe unit and you can see the three new windows that were added (and Miley, of course, who is never far from the camera). I love all of the light - it's a major improvement from the dungeon that was our old bathroom/closet.

This view is opposite from the last one and shows part of the shower, the vanity area, and the WC. The inset medicine cabinets will be installed soon...I'm excited to see those in action. Actually, I'm ready to see all of the metal fixtures and hardware on the scene.

A better look at the shower zone. In case you are wondering, the little red and blue antennae are the valves for the exposed tub hardware. The tub will go right in front of those.

This spot is freshly grouted - I picked Custom Platinum for the white subway tile and Custom Snow White for all marble tile.

The long naked strip near the bottom will be topped with a piece of marble slab. I added this little ledge to make shaving easier since I had to nix the bench that was in the original plan.

The tile guy wanted to use three 1/2" pencil liners together instead of the one I had slated, due to spacing/cutting reasons. I was skeptical about the idea at first, but I really like the look.

You might've noticed this odd little wood situation in a previous photo...it's hard to explain, but it will be a window ledge and towel storage area. The structure actually covers a mixing valve that was left exposed after I changed the plan and added the square footage from the garage, so we had to get creative. Despite how it looks in this photo, it will turn out well in the end...I hope :)

And finally, here are some shots of the herringbone Carrara floor that I took before it got covered up (and before it was grouted)...

This shot also shows the laundry area. The stacked washer and dryer will go in the slot on the left and the cabinetry will serve as laundry command central with its hampers, folding counter, supply storage, and drawers (where I'm planning to keep socks, underwear, etc. so that it gets folded and put away all in the same space).

So, despite the fact that we are on the downhill, I still have a couple of decisions to make. First, I need to pick paint colors...specifically, colors for the walls, trim, and cabinetry need to be selected. In all likelihood, the trim and the cabinetry will both be a warm white like the existing vanity. But I am hesitant to be that boring, so my husband and I have been throwing around the idea of doing something more dramatic and interesting. Glossy black is definitely on the table...not that black is wild and crazy!

The next thing I need to pick is shower door hardware. I'm planning to use a towel bar on the exterior and I'm thinking that I want a simple knob on the interior. The alternative to the knob is a handle which isn't a bad option, just not sure I want that much going on visually. One of the companies that I'm looking at is Portals and I like the Overture I and Overture II sets in the polished nickel finish. Here are images of the former...

And finally, door hardware for the entry doors and the WC door needs to be picked and purchased. There are a few options I'm loving, including the glass beauty below from Merlin Glass. But I might stay away from glass because it's already being used for the cabinet door knobs. I'll post separately about hardware musings - that is a whole new topic.

Well, that's a fairly comprehensive snapshot of the current status. I'm pretty darned ready to wrap the project up because it's really tough to have it on my plate right now. I've been swamped with work and I need to get my own house off my mind so I can focus on my clients' homes. Hopefully, we will continue without any setbacks and it will be all done in the next couple of weeks. My husband and I are soooo looking forward to moving back into our bedroom and putting the new closet and bathroom to use...we desperately need to regain some order in our lives and wardrobes!

Bathroom wishes

When it comes to bathrooms, I have the unfortunate problem of having champagne taste on a beer budget. I drool over high-end fixtures and fittings from places like Waterworks and I gravitate towards ridiculously expensive tile and lighting. I'm good about making low-cost items work throughout the house, but the bathroom is one room where it's hard to make cheap look chic.

Hopefully, our master bathroom will get remodeled in the next year or two...but I don't want to undertake the project until we can afford to achieve an overall look and feel like this:

One major step in the remodel would be knocking down the wall between the bathroom and the walk-in closet, in order to conjoin the two and make better use of the total space. I adore the wardrobe style cabinetry in the below photo and would like to translate it in our room.

Source unknown

I'm also wanting to work the washer and dryer into the plans...I love the idea of minimizing the distance that laundry has to be lugged around. To blend in, they would be hidden by custom cabinets and topped with a nice, big counter for folding and sorting clothes.

Here's the current state of our bathroom. You may be thinking that it's not that bad, and it's really not. The layout is just not functional and the bath/closet space is completely underutilized. Also, the fittings, fixtures, and tile are all very tired, which is hard to see in the photos.

Finally, here's what it looked like before we moved in and subsequently took a paint roller to the area. I typically like striped walls, but this look just wasn't doing the trick for me!

Bathroom Photos

White is probably my favorite color...is that even possible?
Cute and compact...I like how there is no lip on the shower.
I don't know how this works but I would love to find out. Although I don't like the bronze, it looks pretty cool.
Stripes...how can you resist? Especially when done in tile! Also think those sconces are amazing.
Gorgeous shower...not sure how I feel about the functionality of wood floors in a full bathroom.
I am mainly obsessed with the floor tile...that border is fantastic. Not so sure about that wood toilet seat/cover--is it really necessary to draw attention to that element?
Lights and darks...like my art teacher used to say. Very nice.
Pretty much awesome...the only thing I don't love it the protruding medicine cabinet/mirror. Sputnik ceiling fixture is brilliant!
Besides the fact that the tile work is right up my alley, I think that vanity light is ridiculously perfect.

Design by Kelly Wearstler

Magic Tile Fairy: Would you like tile on the ceiling?
K: Yes, please!

P.S. I also would love to have all of those drawers and that stinkin' cute towel cubby.
The combo of tile is fabulous...ditto on that light fixture.
Such a neat set-up, however, I don't think it will work for our bathroom...unless the tub was only about 4' wide!
Cutest shower curtain ever! I'm battling between this one and the one below...

I'm thinking I'll do a shower curtain like this in one of the guest bathrooms...it's such a crisp tailored look. Either this is a tub-only situation or that is a waterproof sunburst mirror ;)
I really like the floor to ceiling glass shower...I imagine it stays nice and warm :)
The gray-white color palette is my fav for a bathroom.
Great wall color.
Can't go wrong with white subway tile. Question - does the water really not splash out with no door?
Cool use of gray trim and industrial sconces...I also would like one of those mini towel bars above the faucet - super cute and functional.

Ultimately if we remodel the bathroom, I would knock down the wall connected the bath to the closet and go with a style shown in the above pics to create a huge master closet/dressing area/bathroom.


Clearly, I have a love affair with marble...I adore the checkerboard pattern above.

I just wanna kiss these hex marble floors and the paint color is perfect. Also, how cool is that window trimmed in tile?