Long Nights and Skill Produce a Modern Farmhouse Bath in 6 Weeks
A designer says goodbye to 1970s Harvest Gold and hello to gray shiplap walls, patterned cement tile and weathered wood
Designer Jenna Sue would have liked to have had more time remodeling her guest bathroom. But the fast-tracked six-week timeline was part of her accepting the One Room Challenge, a biannual online event that features 20 bloggers making over one room in six weeks and documenting the process along the way. “It took a lot of long nights and weekends,” she says.
But one look at the results and it’s clear that many of us would trade a month and a half of our life to turn a 1970s beige and boring bathroom into a gorgeous farmhouse-meets-eclectic-bohemian dream. Here’s how Sue got it done.
But one look at the results and it’s clear that many of us would trade a month and a half of our life to turn a 1970s beige and boring bathroom into a gorgeous farmhouse-meets-eclectic-bohemian dream. Here’s how Sue got it done.
After. Sue created what she calls a “natural, romantic, vintage boho” style, with gray shiplap walls, a buffet-turned-vanity and patterned tile floors. (See how she converted the vanity.)
To save money, she kept the footprint the same, choosing not to move any plumbing or the window. And she did most of the work herself, including ripping out the shower insert and vinyl floor tile. She hired an electrician to add the sconces flanking the mirror and a new ceiling light, and she hired a plumber to install the faucets, tub and shower tile. She laid the cement floor tile herself.
See more vanity conversions | Browse vanities
To save money, she kept the footprint the same, choosing not to move any plumbing or the window. And she did most of the work herself, including ripping out the shower insert and vinyl floor tile. She hired an electrician to add the sconces flanking the mirror and a new ceiling light, and she hired a plumber to install the faucets, tub and shower tile. She laid the cement floor tile herself.
See more vanity conversions | Browse vanities
Before. A look at the original, mostly yellow bathroom from the entrance.
After. Sue installed the shiplap walls herself using thin pieces of plywood strips nailed with finish nails directly onto the drywall. (See how she made the shiplap walls.)
Wall paint: Gray Silt, Valspar; floor tile: Agadir White, Cement Tile Shop; see more cement tile
Wall paint: Gray Silt, Valspar; floor tile: Agadir White, Cement Tile Shop; see more cement tile
Before. The Harvest Gold tub and shower insert had to go.
After. Sue replaced the insert with a clawfoot tub and new shower fixtures. She had large-format white tiles installed close together with white grout to give the appearance of one big white wall.
Faucet: Trinsic Monitor 14 series in champagne bronze, Delta
Faucet: Trinsic Monitor 14 series in champagne bronze, Delta
The vintage-style claw-foot tub was originally solid white. Sue applied a lime and chalk paint treatment in several layers to the bottom exterior to give it an aged look and painted the feet black to look like iron. (See a tutorial on how Sue painted the tub.)
Tub: Randolph Morris cast-iron classic claw-foot, 57 inches, Vintage Tub & Bath; browse claw-foot tubs
Tub: Randolph Morris cast-iron classic claw-foot, 57 inches, Vintage Tub & Bath; browse claw-foot tubs
Sue built the reclaimed-wood ladder over the toilet. (See how she did it.) She estimates she spent between $4,000 and $6,000 on the renovation, including materials and labor.
Faucet: classic antique brass wall-mount, eBay; Savannah lidded basket: Pottery Barn; hand towel: Etsy
More
Bathroom Workbook: 8 Elements of Farmhouse Style
5 Ways With an 8-by-5-Foot Bathroom
Other Resources on Houzz
Find a bathroom designer
Get bathroom design ideas
Browse bathroom products
Faucet: classic antique brass wall-mount, eBay; Savannah lidded basket: Pottery Barn; hand towel: Etsy
More
Bathroom Workbook: 8 Elements of Farmhouse Style
5 Ways With an 8-by-5-Foot Bathroom
Other Resources on Houzz
Find a bathroom designer
Get bathroom design ideas
Browse bathroom products
Who lives here: This was the guest bathroom of designer Jenna Sue of Jenna Sue Design. She no longer lives in the home.
Location: Sonora, California
Size: 56 square feet (5.2 square meters); 7 by 8 feet
Before. The existing bathroom was original to the home and featured a Harvest Gold bathtub and shower insert, vinyl floor tile and beige walls. “It was very dark, dingy and old and just needed a lot of help,” Sue says.