Main Bathroom Reveal: Before and After

As usual, AM Dolce Vita doesn't leave you hanging for too long for a final reveal. Let's take a quick look at the main bathroom before, shall we? This ugly baby is such a distant memory now.

Instead, I will come home to this. It started from this mood board:

Ready?

Main Bathroom After: I can barely believe this is the same bathroom from two weeks ago. The white walls (in Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace) keep the room fresh and airy.

We kept the huge plate mirror because visually it makes a long and narrow bathroom like ours bigger and wider.

The finishing touch: I love how the yellow accent pops in the bathroom. The Campagnie de Provence soaps smell divine too!

We opted for a more economical (and practical) shower set this time by Price Pfister. Shower control system is from Moen's Brantford collection. I love the lever's vintage touch which balances out the modern stacked wall tiles.

West Elm's Stripe Shower Curtain in Feather Gray is simply per-fect!

The vanity from another angle. I am always amazed by how much a few coats of paint will change the overall look and feel of a piece of furniture or a room. In this case, the Benjamin Moore Pigeon Gray completely transformed the cabinet unit into a stylish and classy vanity and the focal point of our main bathroom.  

Our main bathroom reno was a quick one-week project, and we only went slightly over budget. Here are the details:

• Wall color: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace.
• Vanity: Benjamin Moore Pigeon Gray, spray-painted by Paint it Like New.
• Bianco Statuario countertop by Modern Stone Works. It's 98" in length, crazy!
• Kohler Fairfax lavatory faucets in polished chrome.
• Pottery Barn Mercer wall sconce.
• 4x16 white subway tiles from Tile City.
• West Elm stripe shower curtain in feather gray.

For further details please go to the Source List page.

So there you have it, our main bathroom transformation. How do you like it?

Master Bathroom Reveal

Before the reveal, let's take one last look at the before, my blah-looking builder bathroom.

Our Master Bathroom BEFORE

This is the Design Plan.

Are you ready? This is the AFTER of Our Master Bathroom.

A more close-up look of the Carrara Basketweave Floor Insert.  

My Precious -- Eames Walnut Stool.

Restoration Hardware Lugarno Glass Shelf.

A more close-up look of Restoration Hardware Lugarno Glass Shelf.

Shower and Towel Warmer.

Shower White Subway Tile with Mini Carrara Mosaic Borders

Riobel Shower Kit

Vanity and Restoration Hardware Sconces. Vanity hardware in polished nickel via Elte.

Bianco Carrara marble vanity top. Target vintage glass soap pump.

Vanity

So here you have it, our new master bathroom transformation after three-weeks' time and a ton of dough. Similar to all other major reno projects, this one is not short of frustration, hiccups and surprises. Fortunately it's finally over, and I can't wait to sink myself into the tub for a deep soak. That will be all worth it.

I will update the sources under the "Source List" page shortly.

Bathroom Floor Tile and Grout Color

We are less than a month away from our master bathroom renovation. As usual, gathering and picking all necessary materials is no easy task. We've decided to use 12x12 polished Bianco Carrara as floor tiles, similar to what we did in our basement bathroom. The only difference is that I will be using either basketweave or herringbone as a framed accent area in front of the freestanding tub.

Now comes the tough decision: which grout colors to use?

I used Mapei's Unsanded Grout in White for my kitchen backplash. Tile is Bianco Carrara Mini Brick Mosaic.

Basement bathroom is rarely used, so I opted for the same Mapei Unsanded Grout in White on the floor.

I love how clean the white grout looks, but the master bathroom is probably one of the busiest area in the house, so a white grout may not be a wise decision in the long haul. I am thinking of grey shades that can be picked up from the tile itself.

Here are the three contenders: left to right, Mapei's Warm Grey, Silver and Pewter (the color strips above the cable outlet).

 Source: Flickr.

This is Bianco Carrara with Warm Grey grout lines.

Source: Flickr

Or how about this?

Source

I like that the warm grey grout adds more definition to the otherwise mostly white tiles, yet it doesn't scream for attention. I like it more from a practicality and low-maintenance perspective.

So would you use a grey grout with Bianco Carrara floor tile? A lighter shade of grey than Warm Grey maybe?