In November, we tore up our master shower, tub, and living room closet to make way for a bigger master closet and walk in shower. This was a long time coming (something we've wanted to change basically since we moved in), but it ended up being perfect timing because I feel like we were able to live with the space and figure out what wasn't working for us before making major changes. I also think it gave us the confidence to rip out the closet in the living room, knowing that room is big enough for storage furniture for whatever we need, and we don't enter through that door enough that we would miss having a coat closet.
Although I've shared some peeks of the bathroom, I was hoping to have it finished before doing a full before and after, but what even is "finished" anyway?! Originally our project got delayed because one of our contractors had kidney stones (poor guy!), which set everything back and meant that the professionals finished their job before Christmas, but we still had loose ends to wrap up, like painting, baseboards, art and finishing touches. We spent a few weeks with family over the holidays, so we didn't get to any of that stuff until the new year, and well you know now it's March...
Everything is finished in the bathroom except for window treatments. I ordered some samples for woven shade options before the snowpocalypse in Texas, they got delayed because mail didn't run for five days, and when they finally arrived, well, I just didn't really like any of them! So that will be something to figure out eventually, but this is real life, so I'm going to go ahead and share where the bathroom is at now, of course with some before photos!
If you remember from my post about the plans for this space, our first goal was to get rid of the small shower and small tub, utilizing the plumbing that's already present for a new, larger shower in place of the tub.
The second goal was to change all the plumbing fixtures for prettier, more functional ones. Our rain shower head feels like it's ten times bigger than the shower head we had before, plus it has three different settings so you can choose a gentle rain or stronger pressure. The slide bar with the hand shower makes cleaning the tile super easy, plus it also has different spray settings. The thermostatic controls are on your right as you enter the shower, so you can turn on either shower head with the push of a button without getting sprayed immediately. We love these controls because the temperature is on a separate dial, so you can set it to your preference and then never adjust it again! It also maintains temperature regardless of what else is happening in your house, so it won't all of sudden be freezing or scalding.
We opted for a single glass shower panel instead of a door with hinges, mostly to keep the room feeling light and open (it's not a very big bathroom), but also because it's less glass to clean, and the hinges or seams where glass panels meet tend to fail eventually on shower doors, so this has the bonus of being the least maintenance (and cheapest) option.
I love the ledge that runs the length of the shower wall - it feels simple and sleek, and even though we don't fill the whole thing it's really nice to not have stuff falling all over the place. It doesn't cost any more to frame for a larger niche, so I highly recommend even if you're on a tight budget! And, even though I wasn't able to add a built-in bench, a cute teak stool fits nicely in the corner - incredibly important for leg shaving.
To the right of the shower, on the wall behind the controls, we added a towel warmer that's big enough for two towels. It's on a timer so you can have it set to automatically turn on before you get in the shower to make sure your towel is toasty by the time you step out. This is a total luxury, but so nice in winter! It's also great to make sure your towels are fully dry so they don't get musty (especially good if you don't have great airflow or your climate is humid).
We added most of the finishing touches, like new mirrors, hardware, baseboards, and fresh paint ourselves. These items aren't the biggest expenses, especially if you're willing to put in a little work, but they make a huge difference in the final look. I think just going from one builder grade mirror + light to having a separate mirror + light over each sink elevates the look significantly!
mirror // light // faucet // shower system // towel bar // toilet paper holder // towel warmer