Stepping back to admire my newly renovated bathroom last January…I could still smell the fresh caulk. After 9 Months of designing and 3 Months of build-out, I wasn’t sure I made the correct choices or if I just went with popular items and would look dated by Christmas. Fast forward a Year after completing my Bathroom Reno and I’m happy to report that most of my selections still stand the test of time with me – although there are some things I would change if given the opportunity to rewind to last winter when I picked my bathroom tile.
I risked it all with my decision to use large, textured tiles in the shower. You know the ones, they give the look of natural stone, but have grooves that catch the light. Not only did my contractor inform me they would show dirt more, my Mother-In-Law told me they “looked busy.” But you know what?
I spend a lot of time staring at those textured tiles while taking showers every day and I LOVE how they catch the light. As far as cleaning goes?
A squeegee after use and a soft brush wipe down about once a week.
What I am not in love with anymore are my Gold sinks and hardware. Don’t get me wrong – the Brushed Brass Tap & Towel Bars looked AMAZING in February. What I didn’t realise was that brass was high maintenance and now I have a spot on one of the bars where the finish is coming off from my wedding band constantly rubbing against it.
If I had it to do over, I would probably go with Brushed Nickel – it’s not as flashy, but it wouldn’t require polishing. The Floating Vanity had me second-guessing myself for months. It seemed so cutting edge when I installed it; but I worried it may look like it tried too hard to be trendy.
It couldn’t be further from the truth. This has been one of my best decisions. The space underneath creates more visual space and makes the whole room feel bigger.
I love being able to mop the floor underneath and now my kids can’t stack piles of crap behind it like they did with our old cabinet. Did I mention I splurged on Heated Floors? Talk about over-the-moon heavenly.
It felt so luxurious installing them like I was the Chanel designer featured in a magazine spreading her wealth all over her house. But stepping on warm tiles every morning? Totally worth the extra cost.
Often times you forget you have upgrades like this until they aren’t there anymore. When we stayed at my sisters house for Easter, I missed my heated bathroom floor more than my own bed. The Medicine Cabinet Mirror with Integrated Lighting was also well worth the splurge.
I hemmed and hawed between this option or going with a basic mirror and attaching vanity lights – partially due to cost and mostly because I wasn’t sure about how it would look. But I LOVE the built in lighting, it gives a clean finished look like you’d find in a nice hotel. I still notice it every time I walk into the room.
Oh, and the storage behind the mirror?!?!?! GAME.CHANGER. Seriously, all of the bottles are now tucked away instead of being stacked on the counter.
One thing that didn’t go over as well with my family was the shower niche. I knew I wanted three distinct sections to hold all of our various shower products. It sounded so spa-ish and organised in my head.
What I didn’t take into consideration is how many MORE corners there would be to scrub soap scum from. Also, the middle section isn’t wide enough to actually fit most bottles. I spend more time shuffling things around to make them fit.
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If I could redo this, I would just get a single larger, simple niche. Choosing Paint Colours had me losing sleep. Green walls in the bathroom seemed risky, especially this lovely-but-slightly-wonky shade of soft sage green.
Oh and it photographs so differently depending on the lighting! I probably painted little colour samples on the wall 5 different times. But it has worked out beautifully and now visitors always comment how “calming” it looks.
The colour actually shifts throughout the day in a way I didn’t expect. Cooler and soothing in the mornings, warms up as the daylight fades. I still LOVE my Penny Tile Floor choice – but man, they were a pain to install.
The contractor had to come multiple times to readjust the pattern and we argued about the colour of grout like it was the biggest thing in the world. We ended up going with a light grey that shows soap scum a little more than white but isn’t as “gritty” looking as a darker grey. The dimples in the tile create a subtle texture when you walk across them which I love.
It was intentional without being distracting. Installing the Vessel Sink was probably my most knee-jerk reaction decision. I saw this White Ceramic Bowl with Thin Gold Rim and knew it was THE ONE.
Photographs beautifully, and I love how it “sits” on top of the counter. The downfall is making sure you place the tap in just the right spot to avoid splashing, and cleaning around the base of the bowl takes a little more work than a traditional drop-in sink. Nothing deal-breaking, but keep that in mind if you aren’t super Type A.
Storage has been a hit and miss for me. The Tall Thin Pullout Drawer I installed next to my vanity is AMAZING. Perfect for hair accessories and other small junk.
The Over Toilet Storage Cabinet I thought would be so handy? Too hard to reach and I constantly forget what I put in there. Resulting in me not using most of that storage.
What I didn’t think I would appreciate as much as I do is upgrading the Vent Fan. Not only is the new fan quieter, but it pushes air better than our old fan.
Meaning the mirror doesn’t fog up as much and our towels actually dry.
Sometimes upgrades that aren’t “Instagram worthy” end up being what you appreciate most. Lesson Learned: The selections I still love and feel trendy are the ones that focused on usability instead of looks. The heated floors, proper lighting, and good ventilation weren’t things I posted about on Instagram but they make my life easier everyday.
The vanity accessories that were purely for looks? Good and bad experiences. I love the paint colour and the texture of the tiles.
However, the brass hardware will require more maintenance than it’s worth and that shower niche drives me nuts. If you’re looking to renovate a bathroom, think about how you use your current space. What are your routines when getting ready?
What bothers you about your current bathroom? Sometimes the best updates are the ones that fix everyday annoyances instead of creating pretty pictures.
