This bathroom has a lot of charming quirks, but upon further inspection, we’ll see that it’s falling apart at the seams a bit. Fortunately, a thoughtful design company is about to help this little room be its very best self.
Before we ogle the bathroom now, let’s let Courtney and John Achilli of Content + Company describe their process:
Not every renovation is a total overhaul. When walls are structurally sound, the plumbing works where it is and the layout is functional, sometimes all a space needs is a refresh. That was the case with our client, Susan and Carl’s, guest bathroom. Don’t get me wrong. The before pictures are pretty rough, but the bones of this bathroom were great and just needed some TLC.
Now, onto the prettiness!
I’m so glad they were able to save that graceful pedestal sink! In tiny bathrooms, pedestal sinks can be a liability, as they eliminate precious under-sink storage space, but in this bathroom, there’s plenty of room for stashing things elsewhere. This sweet little cupboard is perfect, allowing for both hidden storage (cleaning products, perhaps) and an organized display of items that guests would need access to: extra toilet paper and towels, and so on.
Eliminating the pink tile unifies this little nook, and the addition of wainscoting makes up for the loss of texture the tile provided. As a bonus, the mirror fits in so much more comfortably than the previous one did (the way the older one overlapped the tile stressed me out!).
I love when submissions include information about the exact circumstances that led to renovation decisions, especially since everything can look fine in photos:
The client was nostalgic about the pink wall tile, but ready to see it go! The bathroom, overall, was pretty grimy: the linoleum tile was lifting, the walls had been opened previously to access a leak and the bath fitter had exceeded its lifespan. The client wanted to make the space more inviting.
In this case, it’s perfectly clear that the flooring and walls are on their last legs!
This is such an improvement. All of the surfaces are now, clean, fresh, solid, and sealed; while many renovations are about dream tiles and the perfect sconces, never underestimate how exciting it can be to have floors and walls that actually function as floors as walls.
This shower lining looks like it’s in decent shape—though shower linings are never particularly fabulous—but its connection to the tub is definitely questionable. It was replaced; here’s all of the work that was done:
This renovation took us about 1.5 months and cost the client approx. $4,000 (all in). Content + Company was hired to install:
- Pergo floors: Pergo XP in Rustic Espresso Oak
- Subway tile bath enclosure
- New solid wood doors
- Trim, including a wainscoting towel hook accent
- Lighting fixtures
- Radiator cover
- Plumbing (subcontracted)
- Painting (subcontracted)
The sink and toilet are Kohler, the tub is Original American Standard, the wall paint is White Aura Bath and Spa by Benjamin Moore, the trim paint White by Benjamin Moore done by Donofrio Painting, and the grout is Mapei Silver.
I particularly love the dramatically dark floor, and would never have guessed it wasn’t hardwood:
Guest bathrooms are the perfect space for laminate flooring. Often, homeowners do not want to invest a lot of money into secondary spaces, so laminate offers a budget friendly solution, while providing warmth and texture that was once only achievable through hardwood.
I think the interesting floor more than makes up for the visual interest lost when the pink tiles were removed, and it really makes this small bathroom feel like a special space. Lucky guests!
We often bemoan the character lost when homes are renovated, but in this case, I agree with Content + Company that it was added rather than lost (original wall-mounted soap dishes notwithstanding):
What I love about this bathroom is that it finally has character! Overall, it is fresh, clean and inviting, but maintains the style and architecture of the historic home. It’s not overly masculine or feminine, but rather works perfectly for any guests that might happen to use it during their stay. In this small space, the wainscoting towel hook wall is so functional and the vertical lines add height to the room.
