Our Black, White & Classic Master Bathroom

We converted a first-floor walk-through half bath into a master bathroom for our new master bedroom. We started by closing up the doorway that led from the living room to the bathroom, and proceeded to tear everything out down to the studs, including removing two poorly placed closets. We moved plumbing, added electrical, and rebuilt the space ourselves from the drywall and subfloor to the tile and trim.
Most of the components were found through big box retailers, except for the antique claw foot tub (affectionately referred to as Clementine, who was an eBay purchase for $150 and that we refinished ourselves as well) and the pedestal sink (which was a salvage yard find). We had to special order the free-standing faucet for the tub, but with the genius of a local plumber, we were able to maintain the look I was hoping for without sacrificing function, as our tub didn't have holes to accommodate a traditional standing waste component.
This project was nearly five years in the making, from the purchase of the tub when we closed on our house (lofty goals, I have them) to the completion this past summer. We ran into a few issues with the plumbing placement -- where we wanted the tub has duct work that runs directly underneath it, so as I mentioned before we worked with a local plumber to make everything work out okay. Also, because our house is 115 years old, the floors aren't even, so we had to bolster one side of the tub with a marble threshold to make it flush enough to drain. We found ourselves often cursing the previous homeowners, because every time we went to remove or change something, we found that they were prone to taking the easy way out of the "improvements" they made, which only added more work for us to fix. Other than that, it was mostly just getting the labor done and making sure that everything was not only pretty, but practical.
The hope for the bathroom was to help create an oasis for my husband and I to enjoy without having to step over our kids' bath toys, or go all the way upstairs to the other side of the house just to use the restroom. Our bedroom has a very dramatic look to it, and since we created a slightly more open floor plan in the room, we wanted the bathroom to echo that same drama while maintaining its own character. What it may lack in square footage, I think it makes up for in beauty, and that's perfectly fine with me.
I honestly love the space and am so happy it turned out as awesome as it did!
The view from our bedroom looking into the new bathroom space. We elected not to have a shower with the tub for now, so we didn't end up putting up a shower curtain rod or curtains.
The view of the old sink, where the tub is now. And yes, it may not look like it, but I am wearing pants in this photo. Khakis, as it was the day of our inspection and I was trying to look like a grown up.
How the toilet area was when we bought the house -- there was a stick bolt on the outside of the door that when closed, hit your knees if you were sitting on the toilet.
How the space looked after we'd torn everything out but the sink cabinet. It stayed this way for a while because, well, I kept getting pregnant.
The sink configuration, complete with glass shelves and towel rings.
The view from the tub into the rest of the bathroom.
A more aerial view to try and convey the layout. Despite being small, it still packs quite a punch!
A detail shot of the sink area.
Our salvage find sink. It was only $50, and it's marked as being from the 1940's. I would have preferred something with a little more counter space, but this is perfect for the space we have.
The view from the toilet (ha!) of our tub, Clementine. We completely refinished her ourselves, from repainting the outside red (as she was when we bought her) to the claw feet and the white interior.
The view of Clementine from the bedroom. Also of note, we used temporary window frosting paper on the window for privacy since we didn't go with a shower curtain set up.
Our special order freestanding faucet. It's pretty much perfect.
The mirror and hooks over the tub, reflecting the two chandeliers in the bathroom.
Tabatha Muntzinger (Tabulous)
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Jessica Corry Jessica Corry on Jan 04, 2017
    The brick wall, love the look. Are they real paving bricks or tile or wallpaper?
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