7 Tips To Remodel Your Master Bathroom + Keep Your Peace
BEFORE THE BATHROOM RENOVATION
This post is sponsored by American Standard, who has provided me with product. All reviews and opinions are my own!
I think some can relate to having that one room that isn’t done yet. That one space we haven’t organized. Or that space that desperately needs a renovation. I am all about practicing gratitude for what I do have because it’s really easy to get into a headspace of coveting or wanting better. “If my bathroom was just better, I would feel better.” When my mind wandered to that thought throughout the six years we’ve been showering on this tile, I instead would think, “God thank you that I have a shower and thank you that at some point we’ll be able to fix it up!” This was my mantra every time I felt scared one of the broken tiles would finally slice my foot open! Well, never did it harm me but we did eventually save up enough money to have our Master Bathroom Remodeled.
We were super blessed to collaborate with some amazing companies like American Standard, Modern Tile Supply and Richard from Glass Source because of their generosity in gifting us their products and services, we were able to make our dream Master Bathroom a reality! I am so happy to share how we navigated this remodeling journey and kept our peace thought out the whole (well maybe not the whoooooooole) but most of the process! I pray it gives value to your life!
DURING THE RENOVATION
The journey began in December circa 1912, I mean 2019! It really does feel like years of sharing the bathroom with two tinny humans have gone by! Alas, we’ve had a ball through it all. My intention for the project was to focus and practice being present while allowing the things to come as they may! I’ve struggled in the past with being controlling and wanting outcomes and people to behave a certain way so I would feel peaceful. With this project, God really taught me to surrender the illusion of controlling anything outside myself. It wasn’t easy but each time I felt tightness in my chest and felt anxious, I just prayed and let God help me to think different thoughts about the journey of the renovation. I started thinking, “Everything is going to work out.” or “I am here for the journey, not just the destination.” or “I bet I can learn something from this setback.” All those thoughts really empowered me throughout the whole process! And it was really beautiful as the renovation mirrored how God was healing my heart and working on a specific area of my life where things felt out of control and a little chaotic. I kept seeing the imagery of the way God works sometimes, not on our own timetable but on his own; but always with our best in mind. A true miracle-worker who can take any broken shattered, disheveled human like me and tenderly give a vision for a masterpiece that would soon be a great example of a gool’ol “before & after”! I often ask, Lord you can do miracles, why can’t you just snap your fingers and fix me quickly!? Well, I believe God is merciful enough to allow the process to happen and me feel the renovation so that I won’t ever forget how far he’s taken me!
With my feels out the way here’s the bathroom reveal and little tidbits of how I styled and picked the pieces for our Dream Master Bathroom!
FOX T.V. SEGMENT OF THE BATHROOM RENOVATION
THE MASTER BATHROOM REVEAL
Guyyyyyyyyys!!!!!! Oh mis gatos! I am in love! This is the big reveal. I am so pleased and excited to share the final state of our journey!
I love love love the way the rectangle subway tiles from Modern Tile Supply look covering the entire wall and shower! It makes me feel like we have a NY contemporary bathroom that you’d see at a fancy bouyee New York City Hotel!
I overjoyed at these American Standard Studio S Widespread Bathroom Faucets right when I saw them! I loved how modern they are but still keeping it in the classics department. I chose all of the American Standard gifted items in brushed nickel to keep the room looking cohesive. I love that these faucets have the stopper in the back of the faucet creating a very sleek yet functional sink party!
SHOP OUR BATHROOM
And these rounded edge Crate & Barrel mirrors, lights and double vanity, friend, are one of my absolute favorite things of the whole shebang! I love how they turned out so beautiful together! They all come from different places and sometimes it’s tricky to know how things will match up, but I ended up loving it all! We created juxtaposition with the black and brass metals in the lights. I wanted to have something that grounded the space and since I love black anyway, I would decorate with some black bits along the way so I went for it and I’m thrilled at the result. This combo is an absolute win!
I love reusing these candles that were a PR gift from diptyque I still haven’t cleaned out the wax yet! But no biggie. My quip isn’t complaining (also a PR gift) Dang, thank you guys!
This little tray and soap dispenser came from Target as well as the little baskets behind that add warmth to the space and storage for my washcloths, q-tips and floss!
And can we just marvel at the organization of this drawer for a quick minute!? I measured the space and ran to The Container Store for these acrylic God-send-organizational bins. I felt a little squeamish at the bill after leaving the store but after experiencing the feeling of a well-organized drawer, I would definitely budget these in!
These little black hooks I loved because they just tie in the lights and the black on the shelves and I feel like the towels are now a moment and can shine with all their glory as they dry. I’m really looking forward to switching out the colors and patterns to create different moods for different seasons!
AMERICAN STANDARD BATHROOM SELECTIONS
We selected the Studio Dual Flush Round Front Toilet from American Standard and it is one of my favorite toilets of ALL time! I’ll tell you why; It’s chic and sophisticated (can we say that of a toilet?) Too late, I just did! It gives me such peace to know it is helping me clean by doing its magical PowerWash™ rim thingy, which scrubs the bowl with each flush! Also, the main reason I picked this one is that it doesn’t have those killer indents at the bottom that always collect shhmegma and you have to clean them thinking you better not get a virus doing your chores, you know those friend?! Instead, this toilet, features a Siphon action jetted bowl with smooth-sided, concealed trapway! I feel like I’m ready for take-off or at least a really good poop!! I know that’s gross, but that’s what you do on a toilet! We paired the toilet with the Studio S Toilet Paper Holder, I love the fact that I don’t have to deal with those little springs of death every time I have to switch the toilet paper roll. Can I get an Amen!?? Amen!
I bought this “marble” wastebasket at Target and LOVE it! It’s so heavy and sturdy I love the way it feels and looks in the bathroom!
Richard from Glass Source and their crew installed these gorgeous frameless shower doors! The are amazing because they open up the space and make a, once small and confined bathroom, big and open!! We do have to clean them off every shower with a squeegee and a microfiber towel…. So think of the commitment before you make a choice like that one! I am thinking of the upside of calories burned after every shower! I would do it again!
We asked our tile master to make a little niche for our products to go on. You can always add different tiles in the inside and make it an work of art if you want to make it have an accent. I wanted it to feel and look sleek and clean so we kept the rectangle subway tiles! I am still wanting to look for something to put more products in our shower, if you have any ideas, leave a comment below!
We chose the gray hexagon tiles from Modern Tile Supply for the floor which ended up being a one-level floor. Our tile guy did slant to the ground so the water can drain into the very cool shaped drain! And I asked for white grout throughout!
And for our shower, we selected the Studio S 2-Handle Thermostatic Valve Trim Kit which switches from the Modern Rain Showerhead where you feel like you’re showering in some tropic rainforest in the Amazon but oh no it’s your own bathroom, to the handheld Times Square Shower Kit. Either way, you get an amazing shower experience, especially if you had to forgo the bathtub of your dreams because you don’t have enough space!
I wanted to create a very “Spa-Like vibe” for this little nook. I loved warming up the space by mixing wood and fabrics with texture to an otherwise contemporary and “cold” space! I love this little bench (so sorry I found it on sale at Home Goods) as well as the rug and art! The hook was a gift from American Standard.
Here’s a great tip: Invest and put your money on the items you need efficiency from and then have a budget-friendly party buying the design pieces at discount prices! If you’re trying to save money, that is! If you have the budget to spend on great stuff overall, by all means! But if you’re like me and love to save where I can; I always walk into shops like West Elm, Crate & Barrel even Restoration Hardware and I take a mental inventory of how they’ve styled things and then I go to places like Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Marshalls, Home Goods, Nordstrom Rack and Ross to I find similar items to decorate at a fraction of the cost!
And that’s the tour of the bathroom! Below I’ve written 7 tips to help you on your project form the wisdom we gained from this renovation! I hope it brings you value!
7 Tips To Remodel Your Master Bathroom With Peace
Remodeling anything is a surefire way to get into all kinds of fits. From frustrating conversations about how a toilet paper-holder should go to run-in’s with your contractors and people you’re working with. To the never-ending feeling of “my home is not my home” to the bazzillion decisions you have to make sometimes on an empty stomach. What do you do when it all feels too overwhelming!? You read this post and get yourself equipped for the battle my friend!
Cue inspirational Rocky Style Music & insert claps in all the periods! “I. Am. Here. To. Coach. You. Into. Being. The. Bathroom. Remodeling.Machine.Of.The.Century”
I believe in learning from the mistakes of others, in this case, you can learn from the many we made during our master bathroom remodel! You are welcome. All of our failures have now become great content for this post to save you time, money, pain and give you a feeling of peace and sanity as you remodel your master bathroom.
Bonus pre-show tip: Pray that God would help you each step of the way. I believe in the power of prayer and in the power of allowing God to be in the big and small things of life! There’s always room for a miracle in a renovation, trust me!
1.- Make a vision board of your dream bathroom. I love doing real vision boards but sometimes for a project, I need to have access to me at all times (on my iPhone)! So for this, I like to use Pinterest to make my vision/mood board! This is a crucial first step because it will set you up for success and less overwhelm as you start your journey to shopping the pieces and showing your contractor what you want. ! Here’s my personal bathroom vision board to give you an idea of what mine looks like.
2.- Measure your space and keep the measurements in the notes section of your phone so you can quickly access it as you move forward in the project! Even if you’re not good at drawing, get a piece of paper and pencil and make a diagram of what your space will look like and make several of them with things being moved around so you can visualize how different configurations of the bathroom would look like.
3.- Select your base colors for items that aren’t easily changed, like fixtures, tile, big furniture pieces in a neutral color palette that you love. Stay neutral and you’ll be able to add pops of color as your whim changes through the years or seasons with items like towels, decor art, and wall colors!
4.- Make a list of all the things you need to buy and get only the items you need for the actual renovation of the bathroom. Keep from buying the decor or accessories until the end because you never know how much things change as the project gets started.
5.- Before you start with the process decide to have a great mindset of overcoming obstacles and the challenges that will inevitably come up. When you decide beforehand that you’ll be willing to go through the struggle and the challenge and the setback that come from remodeling you’ll find so much peace because your brain is like, “Oh I knew this was coming I knew there would be things to wait on and overcome and I’m able to do hard things.”
6.- Find a contractor through recommendations and if possible have all the people working on the project have a meeting with you at the same time at the location before starting the project so you can get an idea of what needs to happen first. We had some issues come up because we didn’t do this and a lot of grief would’ve worked itself out had we had our contractor, tile man, and glass expert together in one room before we started the project!
7.- Know that even the most beautiful bathroom will never make you feel anything. Our bathroom no matter how much we spend on it will ever be able to provide lasting contentment or happiness or peace. A new bathroom will just feel different and exciting for a little while and then those feelings wear off. But know that even before you get your bathroom you are able to access feeling that you are important. That you matter. That you are enough. That you can be content. That you can access peace and joy even before the project is finished. I remember throughout the whole process just closing my eyes in the current state of our remodel and just pictured and envisioned what it would feel like to shower in our new shower and it made me feel, oh so good! Remember that you do have what it takes to make your renovation happen and the choices, though their many, at the end of the day is just a choice. You and your relationships are more important than brushed nickel vs. chrome! I believe in you and the very best of you does too!
Okay, this has to be the longest most intense blog post of my life. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much I did creating it! Have a beautiful remodel guys! See you next week, God willing!
BATHROOM LIGHTING COMPANIES WE LOVED
c/o Thank you to American Standard for gifting us the toilet, faucets, shower kit, rain head for our main and the other bathroom the bidet and toilet for our other restroom! Thank you], Modern Tile Supply for our gifted tiles. And Thank you to and Richard from Glass Source for your discount on our frameless shower doors! Without your support, this bathroom would not be what it is! We are so very grateful!
