We still have a couple loose ends to tie up in our guest bathroom, but after that we will have officially renovated every bathroom in our house! If you’re just tuning in, I’ve previously shared our powder room, our hall bathroom, my parents’ loft bathroom, and today I have pictures of our completed primary bathroom. It’s hard to recognize that it’s the same space as the before pictures I shared in this post — it’s still the exact same footprint, but relocating the window 90 degrees, tiling the floors, and building a vanity with countertop storage towers have all totally transformed the space!
OUR PRIMARY BATHROOM REVEAL
RELOCATING THE WINDOW
One of the biggest differences in the renovation came from moving the only window in the bathroom from the far wall opposite the door to the right wall opposite the shower. This not only made the house much more symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing from the exterior, but it gave us a lot more light since the relocated window overlooks our backyard instead of the roofline over our garage.
BUILDING A DOUBLE VANITY WITH STORAGE TOWERS
I spent hours piecing together various inspiration photos and sketching out a cabinetry plan for our builder to execute that would maximize every inch of storage space on the wall opposite the door we walk in from our closet. I fell in love with the idea of building a double vanity with storage towers that would give us additional closed shelving above the countertop. And it’s amazing how much tidier the space looks with a place for everything and everything in its place!
The mirror is a simple sheet mirror with framing on top and a double sconce installed in the center. Custom cabinetry is always a splurge but the double storage towers completely transformed both the look and the function of our bathroom so I think they’ve been worth every penny. You might recall from this post that we saved a ton by opting for these affordable polished nickel faucets and I would use them again in a heartbeat!
CHOOSING FLOOR TILE
I couldn’t wait to get rid of the yellow-y wood floors in our bathroom and replace them with a marble tile more suitable for a primary bathroom. There are so many floor tile options to choose from but I instantly fell in love with this Onyx France Lavita tile (ordered through Bender in Norwalk, CT) and ran it into the shower as well since it’s not a large space and I didn’t want multiple competing patterns. The subtle cane pattern fits the traditional style of our old home but still feels clean and fresh!
UPGRADING LIGHTING FIXTURES
Lighting fixtures are like pieces of jewelry in any finished space and especially in a bathroom that’s otherwise very light, bright, and simple. I knew I wanted to use this Mark D. Sikes x Hudson Valley double sconce in polished nickel above our vanity — I love the classic pleated shade and it gives off the prettiest warm light as we’re getting ready for bed at night without using the overhead fixture.
For the ceiling, I found this reasonably priced semi-flush lantern with etched star glass and thought it would be beautiful in the center of the room. The shape reminds me a lot of the ceiling fixture in our hall bath. But for over $300 less and with the pretty etched glass to boot!
CHOOSING SHOWER WALL TILE
I ordered samples of this 3″ x 6″ white Thassos marble subway tile to coordinate with the color of the floor tile and it was a welcome upgrade from the dated square tiles that were here when we bought the house. We used the same shower head and valve trim as we did in our hall bathroom. And then I decided on these more traditional shower door handles that are so weighty and beautiful in person. I love the built-in shower niche too.
STORING TOWELS WITHOUT TOWEL BARS
You may have noticed we have zero towel bars in our primary bathroom — this was a natural consequence of extending the custom storage towers from wall to wall and while we could have added double towel bars to the backs of each door, I love the practicality of these double hooks hung throughout the space. I actually got the idea for hanging a polished nickel train rack with additional storage space for towels from a previous rental home of ours. And I love that it gives us room to stack a few extra clean towels in addition to the ones on hooks hanging next to the shower.
PRIMARY BATHROOM SOURCES
Shades of Light etched star semi-flush lantern
Mark D. Sikes x Hudson Valley Lighting double sconce
Onyx France Lavita floor tile // Mosaic Bros. white Thassos shower wall tile
Riverbend Home polished nickel train rack // Pottery Barn double wall hooks
Pottery Barn monogrammed bath towels // Brooke & Lou rattan vase
Wayfair cabinet knobs // Kingston Brass faucets // Kohler sinks
Kohler shower head and valve trim // CR Laurence shower door handles
Kohler toilet // Pottery Barn hampers
Shop the post:
*photos by Julia Dags