Sometimes it is one thing (like that Pink vanity in the Peach bathroom) that really throws things off and makes the whole thing look awful. I read an article by a contributor to a building magazine, how one night, (fueled by some alcohol) he took a sledge hammer to the mismatched pink bathroom. Only to find out in daylight, when he looked at the broken fixtures and tiles piled in the yard, that only the walls and trim were actually the bright, mismatched pinks: The tile and fixtures were actually a nice gentle beige color that picked up reflection from the poorly chosen paint.

ML, I have had no experience whatsoever with subways. I read about them being traditional, but have never seen them in anything but a modern setting in person, unless they were in an actual subway. That may be because I have only ever been in 1950s and newer houses with tile! To me they feel modern and very "in" and overused. I figured they have to go "out" sooner or later! However, I do respect your opinion. I thank you for your insight. I had not thought of whether the 6x6 effect looked MCM or not. The sink definitely has a pre-MCM vibe, as do the med cabinets. I suppose the lights do, too. And the dresser is definitely older. So square tiles came along in the MCM era, huh? Bummer. I avoided 4x4 tiles because that is what my 1978 home already has, I thought that by going bigger, I would avoid the era. Phooey. So I need to do subways to be in a 1940s and earlier vibe? Okay. Is the 4 x 6 you suggested more period than the 3 x 6 that are so easy to find everywhere now? BTW, as time passes, I am more and more inclined to go with the Carrara-looking trim, rather than the black. Then there is a part of me that says that I like color too much and that it is just hanging out on-line that has gotten me loving the Carrara look (because it is so loved on the kitchen forum and bath forum). I also am drooling over a mother-of-pearl tile to use as a listello between two rows of Carrara. Then again, if a beauteous tile becomes available for a great price on Craigslist, all bets are off on color! I am considering heating the floor. It will also help it to dry if it gets wet splash-over from the shower. Things like Carrara-looking tile and heated floors became more of an option when my SSDI came through. The Swanstone ADA floor with the trench drain is so new that I have not found a picture of a real consumer using it. The link below will take you to a PDF that shows the new shower floor and wall system. The shower floor is on the cover, but it does not show the whole shower. I will be getting the New Construction floor because we have to pull up the subfloor due to rot. I will get the 96" walls seen on the right on page 8/9, but in the color "Ice" or "Glacier". "Ice" is shown below, it is the closest they have to Carrara. "Glacier" is just white, but the surface looks like snowflakes, sort of. The shower looks way too skinny, but I keep telling myself that the shower looks skinny because of the drain taking some of the floorspace. It will be the same size as the bathtub, without the bathtub sides getting in the way of my feet. I keep saying that, but it sure looks skinny! That is why the floor outside the shower will be as water-proof as a shower would be. Here is a link that might be useful: Swan Shower PDF see Page 8/9

Here are 2 of the ideas which we talked about. It's a quick and dirty presentation, but hopefully you can see what we’re hoping to accomplish. I also want to keep in mind that this is not a large house, probably about 2500-2700 sq. Ft in a mid-priced community in central NJ....still $$ With version 1, depending on the walk in closet aisle widths, moving the current bathroom wall out 1 foot, we can accommodate a 36x48 shower, and have a vanity next to the shower. We might even have room for a small cab in front of the window to act as a vanity area with storage for my DIL, especially with a mirror above it, almost as the current vanity right now. It,s not a luxurious bathroom or closet, but it improves both the storage space and shower size. Pocket doors might be a consideration here. Version 2 presents a couple of issues. It also needs to have that bathroom wall pushed out 1 foot, but it keeps the door in the same relative position, which means that the bathroom stays approximately the same, with a bigger shower and vanity. However, the closet only adds about 4 linear feet of hanging space, or with upper and lower rows, approx 8 inear feet. The issues are my DIL still won't have the vanity she needs (I should add she uses lots of hair products and makeup) so they'd lose that additional closet space (it's a 7 foot reach in closet opposite the window wall -in the diagram above, it,s on the upper wall of the master) and we'd need some sort of special closet doors to make the now L-shaped closet accessible. The advantage of this version is that it won't make the bedroom feel smaller because the dressing area is open to the bedroom. Hoping for feedback and more ideas....I really appreciate the suggestions I've gotten so far. I've presented them all to my son and DIL and they're getting excited.

Start a list... The first bathroom pictured looks fine....the vanity looks filthy, tbh. So start with some elbow grease there. Even if you decide to paint it will need to be clean. Cost for that is nothing but cleaning supplies and aching muscles (but get used to that--you'll be in fighting shape before you know it). Take down the towel holder and patch the wall. Get a new one that matches. Grout is also filthy so get that cleaned. If you still don't like the color, grout dye is available. I don't mind the mirror at all...Not sure what that brown bit parallel to the vanity is?? Next bathroom is more of a challenge but is totally doable. I would rip everything out and pay someone to tile the floor (it looks like vinyl). Go to a Floor and Decor and pick out tile--they'll find you a tiler) Get a new sink and vanity on clearance at Lowes or get an Ikea one. New light (or turn the existing light down, but small, simple lights are inexpensive and easy to re-wire in...(BE SAFE WITH THIS)... Clean and re-install the toilet (we're doing this now as a loo is just a loo...). I would have a plumber re-install the toilet as it's tricky--not hard but a pita to set correctly. Third bathroom, once again clean clean clean...I would look for a granite remnant--visit a yard and see what they have. Get a new sink. Faucet is your decision as I can't see that well...Don't care for the mirrors in either bathroom...Removing the toilet will be a necessity here, too, as you need to paint behind the tank. Of course, paint, paint, paint... To be honest, everything looks pretty good. Just a couple of purchases and you'll be okay. You don't need a contractor. Not at all. The biggest issue is tiling the second powder room. Most likely you'll want to paint the vanities because that's the trendy thing to do now...I wouldn't but if you choose to do that, go to Benjamin Moore and ask them for advice...probably you'll want the Advantage(?) paint... Congrats and good luck!! Remember, step by step, you can do this.