Renovation Diaries | Guest Bathroom Planning and Design + Materials Selection
When planning our home renovation, we were fortunate enough to expand from a 1.5 bath to 2 full baths. We decided that T would primarily have our primary bath, and I would primarily have our guest bath. Partially because this one had the space for more storage and design fun, and that I already had the entire vision set for this one.
Previously, our old bathroom here was our only full bath. It had the old 1920s style of a separate tub + small walk in shower. There was a tiny vanity that was obviously new and unoriginal. There were some scallop tiles and built in handrails which were cute, but wouldn’t work with the layout rearrangement I wanted. The previous owner also glazed over the original tiling in the shower and it was slowly beginning to peel and turn colors, so it had to go.
Design Direction
warm color palette
minimal and warm
vintage inspired plumbing fixtures
unlacquered brass
zellige tiles
Our Plans
Overall I wanted to play rearrangement to make the bathroom a bit more functional for what we need it to be. If you look at the design arrangement, the tub used to be where the vanity now is, our toilet used to be where the showered is located, our vanity where the towel racks are located, and the shower in the little alcove where the toilet now is. Immediately I just knew this would be the most functional use of space and was my plan for this space when we first decided to renovate the bathroom.
Originally we thought to do another open shower concept here, but our interior designer (and pretty much most people around us) encouraged us to do a tub. If kids do become a part of the picture in the future, it was basically a necessity. I did sell myself on the idea that even if there are no kids in the future, it’s a place to have a nice relaxing bath. We replaced a larger window in this area with a shorter and wider one at the top of our shower area to allow for light in but while allowing privacy in the space. To allow for continuation of design, we decided to match the size of the window below to give a built in shower niche to store all of my products *swoon*.
We decided that while tiles are pricey, this was the place that we would splurge to give that dreamy space that I’ve always wanted (thanks T 🫶🏻). I went back and forth on the type of tiles and while I am mostly a neutrals girl through and through, I wanted to give an ode to the typical Spanish home in the 1920s with some fun pops of color. As an ode to the original orange/pink terracotta tiles, I went for a pink zellige tile from Zia Tiles in the color Desert Bloom. To really go for that featuring piece, we decided to tile the entire shower area from top to bottom, including the shower niche and extra bench portion on the back end of the shower. We even opted to have the front apron of the tub tiled for that continuation. (Unfortunately budget did not allow for us to continue this throughout the entire wall behind the vanity lol.)
Leaning in for an extra pop of color, we debated on using a fun wallpaper around the room but in the end we opted for a fun terrazzo floor tile from Concrete Collaborative in a medium aggregate (which surprisingly is cheaper than the sparse aggregate).
Similar to our primary bath, we also decided to go with the Chiba METAL Works & Design hardware for the hooks, towel rods, and toilet paper holders in this space. A touch of consistency throughout the house but also continued appreciation for their beautiful and minimal designs.
For the vanity we went with custom cabinetry for this beautiful 6-drawer piece. The top left is a faux drawer since our undermount sink will go here and some plumbing will take part of the 2nd left drawer. But about 5.5 drawers is still good enough for me and my storage needs! I always love using drawers for storage as it’s easy to get into the back of the drawer (always here for efficiency, people!). For the hardware on these drawers, we went with *THE* cutest Tiny Drop knobs from Pruskin. They were quite a splurge but when you see them, they’re just SO cute (cue interior squealing).
I’ve always loved the look of vintage-esque and exposed plumbing, maybe thanks to all the photos of the bathrooms at The Ludlow hotel in NY and all of the UK influencers I follow. Again, we splurged and got some dreamy plumbing fixtures from Waterworks, with a stunning showerhead, handshower, and level handles.
The bathroom is taking shape and I cannot wait to see the final project. If you want to see more BTS, follow along over on IG (@chyism)! I have highlights of the renovation project + grid posts that you can click through if you want to see more.