The Great Bathroom Remodel

I wrote awhile ago about the fact that we were remodeling our bathroom ... and that my husband and I had moved into the wee ones' bathroom, which was an interesting experience. That was back in October. Ahem.

The bathroom remodel is ... nearly done. In fact, it's been "nearly done" since the first week of December or so. This is a bathroom that needed to be remodeled for my own sanity. When you go to the gym because your bathroom is so icky and the water pressure cannot actually get the shampoo out of your hair, it's a sign.

This was our old bathroom. Do you like the dusky rose tiles? And the black and white diamond tile floor? And the corroded brass fixtures? Awesome, no? I'm almost embarrassed to put these photos up. The only reason I can do this is because it was like this when we moved in. This was not our decorating or choices.

Do you see that I have to actually climb into my bathtub to hang my towels? Raise your hand if you think this works out well on days when I'm tired and possibly my body isn't doing what I'm asking it to do without a great deal of thought and effort.

Soooo this is what we ended up with:

Note that I completely abandoned the idea of hanging towels over the tub. Instead, I had a little niche built in. I absolutely love how it turned out, and I'll be adding more beautiful things for the shelves as we get more settled in there. Suggestions of what to put there?

We used the same tiles as we did for the tub backsplash, but our oh so awesome contractor then cut the tiles into different shapes to make the edges of the niche and the walls of it. I love that it's the same color but a totally different look to it.

My shower is also larger. And it has a bench where I can sit or prop my legs or just feel cool. When I turn the shower on now, I no longer have to figure out where to turn the knob to get my ideal temperature; this one has a set temperature gauge, so even as we run low on hot water, it still stays hot. Sweet!

It's possible that my cats are really into the new bathroom, too. They love the glass door and the water that collects on it. Yes, they're ... special cats.

I always felt a little claustrophobic in my old shower. My initial goal was to have two walls of solid glass to really open up the space. Outside walls don't do well with plumbing in Chicago though, and creating plumbing up in the attic to have the shower come from the ceiling was ... more expensive than I was hoping. I like the compromise though, and the window is pretty cool in my mind - especially the curve that we put in it that goes with the shape of the shower handle below it and with the niche, as well.

This is one of the best parts of the bathroom. There are lots of buttons now instead of just the switches for fan and light that used to exist. Why? I now have heated floors. Hold me. They turn on by themselves on a schedule, so I walk into the bathroom in the morning and promptly collapse on my stone floors in gratitude. I do eventually manage to convince myself to stand up and begin to get ready, but this is the best spoiling thing we did.

The other cool things we put in? Our fan is now on a timer. My pet peeve was walking into a steaming, humid bathroom because my husband shut off the fan the second he was finished in the bathroom. Now it runs after he's gone and shuts off after a thirty minute cycle (or ten or fifteen or forty-five, depending on how I've set it). Love.

We also have various lights on different switches. Our fan now has a light that can be used as a nightlight if needed, and all lights are on a dimmer switch so when I'm stumbling around and cranky way too early in the morning and can't stand full light, I can convince myself to turn on a light - very dimly - instead of stumbling in the dark and hoping I don't break any bones.

And look! I have a tower, which means that things aren't left all over the counter - another pet peeve of mine. We put an electrical outlet into the tower, too, so my husband's razor and my toothbrush can charge and remain hidden. My anal retentive self just sighed with happiness as I typed that.

I do have a hand towel sitting on the counter right now. Why? Wellll, remember that issue about having to climb into my bathtub to hang my towel? Because of where we have windows in our bathroom, there are limited options for where we can hang things. I only ordered my "accessories" a week or so ago because I agonized over where to put them and what to use. Fortunately I have some very smart friends, one of whom came up with an awesomesauce solution for me.

I will use a ring hook on the wall under the light switches for the towel hook. And I am using robe hooks for my bath sheets (because yes, I'm a spoiled chica who insists on using massively large towels). I am putting one hook on the tile just to the left of my shower door where my towel will go when I'm taking my shower so it's within easy reach. And I'm putting two more on the back the door to the bathroom where they will hang the remainder of the time - out of the way, and yet easily reached. Thank you, Kristen!

Buuuuut, we aren't totally done. We're stuck in not quite done land, and my husband is starting to give me The Look that I need to finish this up. It took me forever to find lights that I liked - but as you can see they're finally installed (and gorgeous, in my humble opinion) as of a little over a month ago.

But it's really hard to use the bathroom - for me - because there are no mirrors. I am making progress though. Because there are only 20 1/2 inches between the two sconces, traditional mirrors aren't working for the space. They're either way too wide, or the ones narrow enough are too short and would look truly goofy in the space. That's why I instead have butcher paper cut into approximate shapes for my mirrors. I think I want them maybe one inch wider, but I can't decide on the shape, either.

Do I go with the arched top (yes, I cut it myself, so it's not exact)?

Orrrr traditional squared off top? They will be unframed with beveled edges regardless. Opinions?

Annnnnnnnd my cabinets are mostly empty. I have no way to open them. I can't decide on drawer and cabinet pulls. You have no idea how many sites I've browsed or stores I've visited, hoping to find a drawer pull with a golden halo of light shining down from the heavens telling me This Is The One. And so we haven't fully moved into the bathroom yet. I'm getting there, however. I purchased some. I kinda like the simple football shaped pulls. Kinda...

Of course, I'm debating putting in these pulls instead. Or maybe these pulls for the cabinets and the football shaped ones for the drawers? Or vice versa? Or something totally different?

This is why I'm a blogger and not an interior decorator, just in case you're wondering. While I can make instantaneous decisions when it comes to food or PTO stuff or my job and such, decorating is where I go hide in the corner to drool. It is not my area of expertise.

But I need to finish the bathroom soon. I need to move into the bathroom soon. Oh! And guess what? I finished the homework room, too. Finally. I'll post the awesomeness that is that soon.