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Remodeling Design Dilemma Bathrooms

Bathroom remodel starting with vanity choice

last year

Our primary bath will be undergoing a major remodel within the next few months. The layout will be changed since we will be removing the ridiculously huge corner jet tub which will enable us to expand the vanity area and shower. About the only thing that will not be changed are the doors, door hardware, and door color which is an eggshell white. While I hate the doors (and am also not overly fond of the paint color) they run throughout the entire 3,500 sq. ft. house.

We chose our contractor because they are a small family business of artisans and have a network of trusted resources. However, that leaves us with limited choices for the semi-custom wall to wall vanity that will sit opposite the entry and will be the primary focal point. We've narrowed those choices down to a medium gray (slightly greige) vanity, or an Amish built natural stain maple vanity. Vanity doors would be simple -- somewhat shaker style with a slight bevel.

We have a relatively large window in the bathroom and I want to keep it light and bright with light reflecting off a quartz countertop and possibly off the shower tile, but I think I want matte finish flooring. I'm considering large format (12 x 24) porcelain floor tile since I hate cleaning grout. (Who doesn't?) If we go with the gray vanity I would likely choose warm white tones for the shower tile and use natural wood accents such as open shelving, a stool, and some baskets.

I feel like a decision needs to be made about the vanity before I can choose anything else. Also, what we do during the bathroom remodel will dictate how we will update the primary bedroom. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

Comments (9)

kandrewspa
last year
Do you have samples of the vanity doors in the two finishes you're considering so you could add a picture of them to your post? Have you compiled an Ideabook in Houzz of pictures of bathrooms you like to give you inspiration and help convey what you're looking for to us and your contractor? I'm with you so far on the 12 X 24 floor tile, but more information would help you get better advice. See if any of the pictures below have elements that appeal to you:

StoneCrest Bathrooms · More Info

Modern Small Bathroom Remodel · More Info

Ocean City Residence · More Info

Huntington Beach Gray and White Marble Bathrooms · More Info
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
IMO drawer storage in a vanity is so much better for both function and much better storage. The door looks very much driving the style. I need meaurements of the space for sure and thta also helps with vanity choice. What exactly is your style? Since you hate the doors I really dislike having them drive the rest of the choices. Paint color does not need to be the same in every space and in fact bedrooms don't even have to be the same style as the main part of the house. Can you post some pics of the LR that would help us with your style. I use 12 x24 tile for bathroom floors and shower walls all the time and for that exact reason .Your style often dictates how the tile are layed. Pics of the sapce and a to scale floor plan are what we need . Show every meaurement and also the window and where the door is.
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Comments (5)
ug, that color is AWFUL! you have my sympathy. my friend had that tan in her bathroom combined with yellow tile and yellow and brown speckled linoleum. very very bad. i know what you mean about needing the bathtub...with a 1 year old you could use the kitchen sink...but with a 3 year old you really need the tub. when we were renovating our only bath, our 2 year old took baths in the laundry tub, which was a great adventure for her. is that a possibility for you? i can't imagine what would even go with that tan color..but if you were interested in a tile bathroom, you could do white in the rest of the bathroom (white tile, toilet, sink) and leave the tub and tub surround where they are. then in a few years you could tackle the tub and surround hiding it with a shower curtain in the meantime (or bathfitter). when your kids are older they would probably be ok using a temporary shower in the basement. one bathroom homes are hard...we picked a house with two baths needing renovation this time, just so we wouldn't have the "one bath" problem again. good luck kren
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Comments (6)
Lovely! I like the classic white tile and porcelain and how you used furniture pieces in the bathroom. I love that the storage at the end of the tub has pull-outs that can be reached from the toilet. Your custom sink and backsplash and counter are unique and beautiful. Yours may be the first bathroom sink I have seen in which a small or medium dog could be washed! That is a good thing! I showed your pictures to my DH because I am thinking of classic tiled walls with a chair rail for when we redo our bath in a couple of years. He liked it! I was expecting him to say, "too old fashioned." He did not, he said it looked nice. From him, nice is a compliment. He even liked your rows of listello. I was just at the Tile Shop's site the other day looking at the Hampton tiles because someone was selling some on Craigslist. I am hoping to do as you did and get what I can cheaper there, and fill in the rest from the store. I can see that you worked very hard to secure all of your materials - and then cut the floor tiles to size and culled the Hampton tiles, too! You succeeded very well in getting the look you wanted while saving money along the way. Congratulations, and thank you for the pictures and great detail and supply list.
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See my bathroom choices over at Bathroom forum
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Comments (16)
Hi everybody! I have been waiting all summer for it to cool off. It seems that the heat makes my dizziness and nausea worse. I have lost about 15 lbs with being too sick to eat throughout the summer. I just this week got my helper here to help me clean the garage and then I moved the vanity out there and sanded it a bit in the easy places, and got it up on a table. I got the brass floor protectors pried off the bottom of the legs and was pleased to find no holes have been drilled in them. That means that I can drill holes for the feet I bought. I have adjustable feet that will give the vanity an extra 1/2" of height, and that can be screwed up to give another 1/2" if we want. That would make the legs appear to float way too high in the air, so I don't think it will work. the extra 1/2" will have to suffice, with the ability to make the vanity level so that the sink will drain properly. I have also decided that the bail-type handles that came with it are not going to work for us. I can't see us fumbling around trying to grab the bail that has recessed back into the grooves of the handle around it, standing there with water or soap in our eyes. A knob is much easier to use. I had Hubby try using the bail and he vetoed it on the first try and said, "replace 'em!" I am using these on doors of a set of shallow cupboards that will be recessed into the closet of the the neighboring bedroom. I figured they were a sure bet for the six drawers, too. I am not going to use the center drawer anymore, what with all the plumbing going on above it, so I will just fill in those holes. I need to cut away the bottom of the drawer space, then move the drawer support piece to the left or right. It is at dead center right now, and the sink's drain will need to go there. I just have to sand down the fluted areas of the vanity table, then it will be ready to be primed and painted. I am still leaning toward painting it the violet Peace and Happiness. I have purchased more components for the plumbing. I have all of the shower controls and the rain shower head and regular shower head. Still need to get the hand-held and some safety hand-hold bars for the shower area. I still have not finalized a wall tile (looking at fake Cararra tile for the room's walls) or floor tile or the surface for the top of the vanity. We HAVE concluded, though, that we cannot get this job done until Toby, our ever-more-confused beagle/golden retriever mix, dies. He will be 16 at the end of this month. He has spinal arthritis and began vomiting every time he was given his Tramadol or his glucosamine/chondroitin pills, then quit taking them. He had to go on prednisone to control the pain. He is peeing a lot in the house, always on a rug or quilted mattress pad put down for him. The bathroom is his main place to pee. I will not have my new floor grout saturated with dog pee. I don't think the poor guy would cope well with the construction, either. He is now blind in one eye and somewhat deaf. It would be too confusing for him to do all that construction. So even though I can't get Jim over here to do the work, if I could, I would not be able to do it until Toby passes on. So, instead, we are getting new gutters and trim, and getting our four remaining windows replaced. We did the other three windows when we remodeled the kitchen and made the living room into the library/music room. I am in the process of cleaning and decluttering so the window guys can get in to measure!
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Comments (5)
Millworkman, I think I must have read somewhere that you shouldn't use granite on MDF cabinets Patricia Colwell Consulting, the vanity does not come with a top. It was just shown with a top. The Hayneedle website description said it was just the cabinet and it is just the cabinet (arrived this past Friday). Siamesey, I hear ya but since I spent a ton of money converting the tub to shower, I have to save where I can. Unfortunately, when you combine the needs of my mother (the main user of this bathroom), the style that I would like, along with the need to work around the plumbing location, I actually don't have a lot of choices. It's been really hard to combine the first two of those and find a vanity with drawers on the left hand side (the plumbing dictate). I looked at custom made and even semi custom made and no, I can't do that. Even though the vanity is made of MDF and is RTA, to me it has better quality than some of low end all wood vanities that I've seen. Also, most of the cabinets I've looked at still seem to have MDF in them somewhere, especially white cabinets which is what I wanted for this bathroom.
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PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
Here are examples of classic vanities that could be considered Traditional depending on the color and the hardware.
pattyinpowell
Original Author
last year
I don't think I was very clear with my question and should have mentioned we plan to move within the next 3-5 years. With that in mind I want to make upgrades in the house but not make it too personal. What would be more timeless - a gray vanity or a light maple vanity? That seems to be a crucial decision that will drive the rest of our decisions. So far the Stonecrest image posted by @kandrewspa appeals to me the most and aligns with others in my Ideabook. I would prefer tall rectangular mirrors and although I like the look of sconces if we go with the gray vanity and want to add some natural elements the vanity will be expansive enough to potentially add a few light wood floating shelves between the mirrors. I'm also considering mixing metals with brushed stainless fixtures (and door handles) and black for lighting and drawer pulls.
cpartist
last year
A light maple would be more timeless. Actually a WHITE vanity would be the most timeless. Gray is a trend. It is not timeless.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
last modified: last year
I would not select a maple vanity

I would select white to match the doors in the house.

Make sure you know how you want the mirrors and the sconces before you even think about wall shelves.
latifolia
last year
We just redid our master bath. We chose 2" white hexagon floor tiles (gorgeous ceramic, made in Japan), with pale grey grout. Grout lines help make a bathroom floor less slippery, which had been an issue with our prior, larger, tiles.

In my opinion the large format tiles look more contemporary, which our house is not. We chose a white furniture vanity and a black, textured quartz top. I do worry the top may look contemporary, but that is the easiest thing to change.
RedRyder
last year
Do a white vanity with more drawers than doors. Keep the tile choices simple and classic. This house needs a neutral bathroom if selling is on the table.

Marble hexagon tiles in two sizes (larger for the main floor, smaller for the shower floor) is upscale and elegant. Then you can use larger format tiles for the shower walls in white.

Black faucet,hardware, lighting and shower door frames and you’re done. Black and white stands the test of time. Or do nickel. Or brushed brass, but all the same.
kathleen MK
last year
I would not jump on the waning grey trend for the vanity. I think Beverly and cpartist are right about white being the best. Personally i would like a wood in a deep stain, but that would need to work with your other design elements.

We upgraded to Stepwise textured porcelain (Marazzi modern formations) in our kitchen and guest bath. It is great for preventing slips on wet floor. At least get a matte finish that is rated for floors because those pretty shiny tiles can be really dangerous in a bathroom. Your tile choices might drive your color decision for the vanity as it will have to work with the tile and the door.

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