Reader Bathroom: Owners Bid Farewell to Orange Florals and Shag
These DIY-ing homeowners ditch the 1970s floral toilet seat for more calming neutrals
This series profiles homeowners’ stories and photos of their recent bathroom remodels.
AFTER: Here is the same area in the bathroom after the renovation — not a drop of orange floral in sight. Jannyne found her inspiration in the television series Fixer Upper, starring Joanna Gaines. “I love her modern farmhouse style, and the way she adds life to black-and-white rooms with warm woods, plants and textures,” she says. Each of those elements — black, white, wood and greenery — can be found in the new bath.
Paint on walls: Ivory Tusk 2153-70, Benjamin Moore
Paint on walls: Ivory Tusk 2153-70, Benjamin Moore
It’s difficult for Jannyne to capture the full bathroom in a single photo, but this drawing shows the layout. The shower with its bench is at the top, and the vanity is on the lower right.
BEFORE: Here is the pre-renovation shower-tub combo, with its rose-tinted Formica and nearby orange shag.
AFTER: “The frameless glass shower enclosure was our biggest splurge,” Jannyne says. “It was tempting to save the money and just put up a shower curtain, but I knew the glass was a better design for keeping such a small room open.”
Shower wall tile: Star Tile Centre; shower floor tile: 1-inch mosaic hexagon, Onix via Centura Tile
Shower wall tile: Star Tile Centre; shower floor tile: 1-inch mosaic hexagon, Onix via Centura Tile
Tim is a licensed electrician and enjoys woodworking as a hobby. Thanks in part to his professional skills and comfort level with remodeling, the Van Meppelens did the remodel themselves, including demolition, insulation of the walls and ceilings, electrical wiring, plumbing, drywalling, painting, tiling, building the cabinetry, and installing the glass shower door. This is the third home the couple has renovated together.
Shower: Euphoria System 180, Grohe
Shower: Euphoria System 180, Grohe
BEFORE: The vanity had a countertop that matched the shower wall panels.
AFTER: Jannyne swapped out the orange floral motif for her preferred scheme of black, white and wood, choosing a backsplash in that palette, a vanity of oak and plywood stained with Minwax in Special Walnut, and black hexagonal tile for the shower floor. But she does have one regret.
“If we were to do it over again, I would pick a different floor for the shower,” she says. “Even with the epoxy grout, it’s still a lot of work to keep all those little grout joints clean.”
The homeowners are happy with the radiant heat they installed for the floor underneath the tile. It’s set on a thermostat “so we can keep the floor nice and warm in the mornings and evenings when we’re most likely to use the room,” Jannyne says.
Backsplash tile: Coevo series linear blend, Centura Tile; concrete countertop: Buddy Rhodes; sink faucet: Danika one-handle high-arc in chrome, Moen; heated floor mat under tile: ThermaWire
“If we were to do it over again, I would pick a different floor for the shower,” she says. “Even with the epoxy grout, it’s still a lot of work to keep all those little grout joints clean.”
The homeowners are happy with the radiant heat they installed for the floor underneath the tile. It’s set on a thermostat “so we can keep the floor nice and warm in the mornings and evenings when we’re most likely to use the room,” Jannyne says.
Backsplash tile: Coevo series linear blend, Centura Tile; concrete countertop: Buddy Rhodes; sink faucet: Danika one-handle high-arc in chrome, Moen; heated floor mat under tile: ThermaWire
The Van Meppelens installed a skylight, shown in the mirror’s reflection in this image. “The skylight lets in so much natural light, and we were able to install the maximum-size mirror over the sink to visually expand the room and reflect light through the room,” Jannyne says.
Style muse: “I’ve always been inspired by Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big House series,” she says. “Her designs focus on smaller well-designed spaces with attention to detail, and she advises to spend money on quality of materials and design over quantity of space.”
In a Susanka-like move, the Van Meppelens kept a feature of their bathroom that supports a function: the swing-in door. “We considered installing a pocket door or sliding barn door to eliminate the door swing, but with no walls left for towel bars [or] hooks, we decided to keep the door as is and put hooks on the inside to hang our wet towels on,” Jannyne says.
Walls moved: No
Plumbing moved: Yes
Plumbing replaced: Yes
Special features: Skylight, concrete counter, heated floor and custom built-in storage
Splurge: Frameless glass shower enclosure
Cost breakdown
Shower: $2,515 ($1,000 for glass shower doors, $625 for shower fixture, $565 for wall tile, $175 for floor tile and $150 for cement board)
Cabinetry: $400 for materials, including plywood for cabinet boxes and oak for drawer fronts, as well as stain, hinges, drawer slides and pulls
Countertop: $380 ($250 for supplies to build concrete counter and $130 for undermount sink)
Tile: $480 ($80 for backsplash tile, $200 for epoxy grout and $200 for thin-set mortar)
Lighting: $260 ($100 for shower lights and $160 for pendant lights)
Accessories: $100 for soap dispenser, tumbler, towels, towel hooks, picture and clock on above-toilet ledge
Flooring: $350 ($100 for floor tile and $250 for heated floor mat and thermostat)
Plumbing: $760 ($110 for sink faucet, $150 for toilet and $500 for rough-in plumbing)
Windows and doors: $200 for skylight
Other: $675 ($100 for mirror, $25 for hooks, $100 for paint, $100 for electrical, $150 for drywall materials and $200 for framing and insulation materials)
Total: $6,120
Light fixtures: The Lighting Shoppe
Style muse: “I’ve always been inspired by Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big House series,” she says. “Her designs focus on smaller well-designed spaces with attention to detail, and she advises to spend money on quality of materials and design over quantity of space.”
In a Susanka-like move, the Van Meppelens kept a feature of their bathroom that supports a function: the swing-in door. “We considered installing a pocket door or sliding barn door to eliminate the door swing, but with no walls left for towel bars [or] hooks, we decided to keep the door as is and put hooks on the inside to hang our wet towels on,” Jannyne says.
Walls moved: No
Plumbing moved: Yes
Plumbing replaced: Yes
Special features: Skylight, concrete counter, heated floor and custom built-in storage
Splurge: Frameless glass shower enclosure
Cost breakdown
Shower: $2,515 ($1,000 for glass shower doors, $625 for shower fixture, $565 for wall tile, $175 for floor tile and $150 for cement board)
Cabinetry: $400 for materials, including plywood for cabinet boxes and oak for drawer fronts, as well as stain, hinges, drawer slides and pulls
Countertop: $380 ($250 for supplies to build concrete counter and $130 for undermount sink)
Tile: $480 ($80 for backsplash tile, $200 for epoxy grout and $200 for thin-set mortar)
Lighting: $260 ($100 for shower lights and $160 for pendant lights)
Accessories: $100 for soap dispenser, tumbler, towels, towel hooks, picture and clock on above-toilet ledge
Flooring: $350 ($100 for floor tile and $250 for heated floor mat and thermostat)
Plumbing: $760 ($110 for sink faucet, $150 for toilet and $500 for rough-in plumbing)
Windows and doors: $200 for skylight
Other: $675 ($100 for mirror, $25 for hooks, $100 for paint, $100 for electrical, $150 for drywall materials and $200 for framing and insulation materials)
Total: $6,120
Light fixtures: The Lighting Shoppe
Is your bathroom makeover just as dramatic? Please show us your before-and-after photos!
More
How People Upgrade Their Main Bathrooms, and How Much They Spend
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
Before and After: 6 Bathrooms That Said Goodbye to the Tub
See more Reader Bathrooms
More
How People Upgrade Their Main Bathrooms, and How Much They Spend
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
Before and After: 6 Bathrooms That Said Goodbye to the Tub
See more Reader Bathrooms
Who lives here: Tim and Jannyne Van Meppelen and their three children
Location: St. Thomas, Ontario
Size: 45 square feet (4.2 square meters)
Total cost: $6,120
Construction time: Four months
BEFORE: Tim and Jannyne Van Meppelen’s master bathroom was a wonder of 1970s orange florals when they began renovating their 1951 bungalow. “While I’m sure the orange shag carpet and floral wallpaper and toilet seat was stylish at the time, it definitely wasn’t our style,” Jannyne says. “And carpet in a bathroom? Ew.”
They tore this space back to the studs themselves, removing everything. The room languished in that demolished state for about five years, during which time the pair shared a bathroom with their three children. The more pressing task on their list was properly insulating their home. They had discovered that there was no insulation in any of the walls or ceilings, “not a good thing in Canada,” Jannyne says. Once construction started, it took them about four months to get this bathroom how they wanted it.