'80s Bath Gets a Whole New Look

Jeani Miller Miner
by Jeani Miller Miner
This bath remodel came out better than we ever dreamed. From the sky light to the heated stone floor, from the re-purposed vanity to the paint finishes, this was a dream come true.
we began by removing the '80s glass block, cultured marble shower and tub surround and tile and more tile.
Next we carefully removed the built in vanity and sinks saving them for a project down the road. (I'll do another post soon showing the sinks and vanity in their new setting)
New shower walls went in followed by a stone tub surround and stone wall behind the vanity. We also added in-floor radiant heat before setting scores of 12 x 12 travertine pieces which we cut down to 6 x 12. On a cold morning there's nothing quite like stepping onto a warm stone floor.
The new vanity was actually not new at all. It was part of a buffet with hutch that we had in our kitchen. You can imagine how thrilled my husband was when I suggested we lug that thing up two flights of stairs!!! (we had to call a few friends for help with this one!)


Note the missing drawer; it's out so it can be modified to accommodate the plumbing. We chose a vessel sink not only because it was gorgeous but also because it didn't take up any below-counter space.
Lighting was next. During the day the skylight floods the space with sunshine, but I wanted lots of options for evening. The chandelier is great all purpose light, but there are also sconces either side of the mirror, a sconce on the wall above the toilet, cove lighting for a gentle was on the vaulted ceilings and lighting in the shower and over the tub. Each of a separate circuit so the light can really be fine tuned. It took a while to work out all the details and be sure we had the light options we wanted, but it was well worth it. All lighting was found online at bargain basement prices.
This is the view from the doorway. Seeing this each morning gets my day off to a pretty good start. The mirror was a curbside find that I painted. You can see the reflected sconce over the toilet as well as the circle top window (which we installed as well) that looks out into the trees.
The completed shower now has frame-less glass doors for a completely open feel.
The tub with it's waterfall filler (made by my husband) and the surround which is basic MDF that I added moldings and appliques to and then painted and waxed. The vanity is waxed too; water just beads up and I blot it with a towel. (excuse the lighting, that's the sun spilling in from the window).


All in all this took about 5 weekends (and a few midweek days too). It was heavy duty work, lifting a ton of stone, climbing up onto scaffolds to paint (the ceilings are vaulted) but worth every moment and every penny. We love it.
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  • Deb Deb on Sep 24, 2015
    What a beautiful piece of furniture to use for your vanity! And the mirror and the lights and the beautiful tile work -- love it all!
    • Jeani Miller Miner Jeani Miller Miner on Sep 25, 2015
      @Deb thanks so much Deb. I firmly believe that if you mix together pieces you love, even from different eras and to some extent styles, they somehow just work
  • Suzanne Crowther Suzanne Crowther on Nov 03, 2015
    WHAT A STUNNING BATHROOM LOVE IT,IT IS AWESOME
    • Jeani Miller Miner Jeani Miller Miner on Nov 03, 2015
      @Suzanne Crowther thanks Suzanne, we love it. And knowing we did it all ourselves makes it that much more special
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