Maximizing Bathroom Space

Mom didn't want another beige coloured bathroom yet she was insistent that she wanted to keep the old beige bathtub so it really limited our tile selections.

However, I managed to pull together a nice palette to make the bathroom look fresh, yet still blend in with the tub.

I worked the beige tub into the colour scheme by by finding a neutral floor tile in an off white with a slight streak of beige running through it. It was hardly noticeable, because it read more like a white, but it really allowed me to tie in the odd beige tub when it all came together. Below you can see the floor tile against the field and accent tile we used for the tile surround. We'll use the colour of the blue accent tile to paint the existing vanity, which was the only other original element of the bathroom, besides the tub, that we ended up keeping.

Two inch tile for the shower floor is an ideal size to accommodate the curve of the floor toward the drain, but can I tell you how hard it was to find a decent variety of tiles in that size? At the 11th hour, we finally found a dark grey hexagon pattern which helps to ground the starkness of the white tile on the floor and shower walls.

You can see the grey shower floor in the picture below and the original vanity base - which we kept because it was sized to fit perfectly into the alcove and was in good condition.

Here's a before and after of the vanity area with updated with new mirror, lighting, quartz countertop, sink and faucet. The vanity is still a work in progress; it will be painted blue to pull in the tile surround on the bathtub and the hardware will be replaced with a more modern silver metal pull. The holidays have a habit of putting finishing touches like that on hold!

UPDATE: There's a link to the vanity makeover near the end of this post!

One tip that I gave you in my last post that I'll give you again is to get rid of any bulkheads above the bathtub and shower areas. You can see how removing them really opens up the space.

Another thing to note is that we have started to replace all the light bulbs in Mom's house with LEDs and the bathroom is no exception. It will save her a substantial amount of money on energy costs!

Here's another before and after comparison of the bath area that demonstrates how much more expansive it looks:

Another useful tip to expand the space, if you have one of those 'corner' showers, is to knock down the back wall and go deep. We originally had a tiny little cubicle of a shower stall; Mom was in real trouble if she dropped the soap!

Below you can see that we removed the original back wall and made it flush to the wall of the tub. We also opened up a 'window' between the shower and tub to let the light flood in (which will be fitted out with glass when the shower door gets installed).

Increasing the size of the shower allowed us to add a bench seat for Mom (and of course a grab bar to help her get up!)

It also allowed us to fit in a rain shower head as well as a hand held sprayer too.

A nice finishing detail to is a shower niche to hold soap and shampoo. Its a huge improvement over the metal soap dish that was originally there! Which would you rather have?

Happily, Mom wasn't as attached to the beige toilet as she was to the bathtub. Both technology and looks have come a long way in the last 30 years and a one-piece low flow toilet is the way to go!

The last finishing touch was installing the glass in the shower area, but I've reached my picture limit so head over to Birdz of a Feather at the link below to see the final reveal.

If this new bathroom space has inspired you, please pin and post on Facebook.

Curious to see how the vanity makeover turned out? Click our link at the end of this post (where you see our logo). While you're there, you might also want to check out some of our previous bathroom renos:

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Crochet for a Cure

If you haven’t heard, we’ve just launched a pattern shop, where we’re donating 100% of our proceeds to Alzheimer’s. You’ll find patterns, like our signature Kayla Pillow, Air Planter Pods and Tooth Fairy Pillow (shown above), available to purchase as a donation to our Alzheimer’s fundraiser.

Come  visit us to purchase a pattern; with 100% going to charity, it's a win-win!