Remodeling an Outdated Older Bathroom
3 Materials
$500
2 Weeks
Medium
One of the things that most attracted us to our little cottage in the country is that most of the original fixtures and features were still in tact from the late 1950s when the home was built. While, in many instances, that meant that there was much that needed to be torn out or replaced, it also meant that the property held onto much of its original charm.
One of the places that we loved, but needed a little facelift, was the master bathroom. Compared to what most refer to as a “master bathroom” these days, this room was tiny, still had the original tile and had a tub that could barely hold a baby, much less an adult. We decided to tear out the back wall to expand the space, put in new cabinetry, a new shower and a new soaking tub. Here are a few of my favorite parts of the new space.
First, we decided to tear out the wall that originally served as the bathroom’s back wall. When we first rented this home as newlyweds years ago, the back wall of the master bathroom was actually the inside wall of our teeny tiny master bedroom closet. When we took on the laborious remodel, we decided to turn that former bedroom into our dining room as it was adjacent to the kitchen. As we didn’t need that much space in a dining room, we were able to tear out that wall and give more space to the master bathroom. In turn, we transformed the original guest bedroom into our new master bedroom.
These shelves were one of the things I most wanted to do in this new space. I had seen a picture online of a room similar to this one, and I loved how multi-functional the shelves were. The back of the shelves connects to the built-in shower a little further down the wall. We have a television on the third shelf and decorated with green and white monogrammed towels, wire baskets and white soap dishes on the other shelves. We intend to mount the television to the inside of the shelves once we get the correct mount. We will require a swinging arm mount as opposed to a fixed wall mount, to give us enough space to slide the monitor in.
This is also a great place to store our Epsom salts and cotton balls, so they are within easy reach. I put those items in clear mason jars as they are white and the decor complements our neutral green and white bathroom.
Here is a further-away picture of the bottom of the bathtub. Though I know that standalone bathtubs are a popular home decor element right now, I have always wanted a built-in bathtub for the sole reason that you can prop items along the edge! I have used the space surrounding our tub to hold candles, books, towels and more while I soak.
We are planning to move into a new home and remodel that bathroom next year as well, and I intend to stick with a built-in look over there as well. Our contractor had the idea to dress up the exterior of the tub with beadboard paneling. This gives it a rustic, farmhouse touch and elevates the style just a touch, which we’ve really enjoyed.
Though this isn’t the most clutter-free picture of our sink area, I wanted to note the oil-rubbed bronze hardware that we chose to use over the sink. Though our bathtub fixtures are chrome, I wanted to anchor this part of the room and add a little bit of warmth, so I went with oil-rubbed bronze hardware for the overhead lighting, cabinetry and toilet paper holder out of sight. In hindsight, I would have made all of the hardware match for a more uniform and monochromatic look.
That said, I wouldn’t change this portion of the room, but would have opted for oil-rubbed bronze bathtub hardware as well. However, our shower is on that side of the room and it is installed with chrome hardware, so it all blends just fine.
Overall, I am so glad we decided to invest a little bit of time and money into making this the master bathroom of our dreams. It is now a space where we go to relax, recharge and unwind and I’m grateful it’s larger and newer than it was when we first began.
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