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!

Impending Master Bathroom Remodel

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful break. I had fun seeing family and definitely enjoyed some time away from my cell phone and computer! Back to business now though.

At the Knight house, pool construction continues. For those who don't already know, our old pool had to be removed because it was severely cracked. To add insult to injury, the leaking pool also caused the foundation of our house to move, which resulted in some broken tile and drywall damage in our master bathroom.

I've hated our bathroom since we bought the house and initially, we planned to redo it. As most homeowners can understand, the myriad of expenses that ensue after closing took some of the wind out of our sails and I decided to just paint the bathroom and put the remodel on the back burner until the money hemorrhaging subsided.

Well, the bloodletting has not stopped (in fact, it's at an all-time high thanks to the pool costs), but now the bathroom looks really run-down. So I'm getting bids and planning another major construction project at my own house. Just like with the pool, the expense puts me in a bad mood but the promise of an improved living environment makes me excited. It'll be nice to have our main living area reflect our aesthetic and lifestyle.

In order to maximize the space, we will be knocking down the wall between the rather small bathroom and the rather large walk-in closet. Further, the outdoor covered patio will be enclosed and that square footage will be added to the closet/bathroom space. Besides the additional space, enclosing the patio will allow us to add some much needed windows to the room as well. Here is a rough plan (click to enlarge)...

Since the closet and bathroom will be combined, we will be using wardrobe-style clothing storage. Basically, all clothes will be behind closed doors. From the master bedroom, the entry will have a similar layout to Carrie's closet in the first SATC movie (albeit hers is far more luxurious than ours will be)...

Images via Sex and the City: The Movie

These doors have mosaic mirror trim and they are bananas....

Image via Sex and the City: The Movie

Image via Sex and the City: The Movie

I already have a sink console from Restoration Hardware and aside from the faucets shown (not using those), this image gives an idea of what the vanity area will look like... 

Our house was built in 1948, so I plan to keep the style classic with modern touches. Herringbone Carrara tile will be used on the floors, white subway tile will cover the walls, and the fixtures and fittings will be polished nickel. Also, I finally broke down and bought the Waterworks Gotham towels that I've been coveting for years. 

Most of the fittings for the shower and bath will be from the Waterworks Studio Highgate collection. We haven't decided on the type of shower system yet. The shower floor will be Carrara penny round tile and I'm dying to get a huge soaking tub... 

Double Canopy Chandelier - Format Towel Rack - Cast Iron Soaker Tub

We are also moving our front-loading washer + dryer pair to the new space. The laundry room is currently on the other side of the house and I hate lugging everything over there and back. So, the new closet will have a laundry area with hampers, machines, and a folding area so that our clothes and linens can be used, cleaned, and put away without much hassle. The machines will be enclosed with cabinetry and I'm still tinkering with the hamper situation and folding area. Here are some ideas, although I'll probably hold off on this component until everything else is finished...

Well, what do you think so far? I still have a few elements to figure out and I need to sort through bids and estimates, start hiring people, and ordering materials. I'm not excited about our bedroom/bathroom becoming a construction zone, but at some point it has to be done and I guess it might as well be now (or rather, when the pool deck is finished)!

I'm glad that the Waterworks Studio collection has made its debut in time for me to use it! Isn't it pretty? I'll keep you posted on what I end up buying. In the meantime, you can track my shopping and recon for the project on Pinterest!