Week Eight | May 24 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Week Eight | May 24 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Take a peek into my latest One Room Challenge project: two bathroom renos at once!
For the Spring 2023 One Room Challenge we are working on TWO bathrooms: finishing our Guest/Studio Bathroom and then tackling our Primary Family Bath.
Be sure to check in on all of the other ORC projects on the ORC blog here.
Some before photos as well as some images of the inspiration for this project.
The Studio/Guest Bath
And here we are… the Big Reveal! This reveal is a LONG time in coming. If you are just joining me, I started this bathroom for the Fall 2022 ORC, but after an unreliable contractor AND Poop-a-palooza derailed the entire project, we are finally at the end. Huzzah!
So just a quick reminder of how this project began: we had a flood from the upstairs bathroom into our downstairs bath. This is the downstairs bath, and at some point we will talk about the upstairs, but for now we will give the Guest/Studio Bath its day in the sun!
When we bought this house, the bathroom was a hodgepodge of leftover tile and the cheapest of fittings. The bathtub had been “refinished” but was peeling within a year — revealing a gorgeous 1958 “Ming green” American Standard bathtub.
Before the flood: nondescript, boring, and cheap. The cheapest of the cheap.
After the flood and the demolition. Ready to get pretty!
I spent two weeks stripping the white finish off the tub — eventually getting to the point that I was scrubbing with a toothbrush. But it came clean at last, and I absolutely LOVE this bathtub! It is gorgeous!
My glamorous bathtub emerged from the ashes like a phoenix. I love her!
The bathtub was the starting point for this room. I did some research finding images from a 1958 American Standard catalogue. Our home is not a museum, but I wanted this bathroom to be rooted in the era in which the home was built with modern sensibilities — vintage style, not vintage values.
Oh, and I needed some flamingo-flair without being too kitchy. So here it is… my Flamingo-Chic Bathroom!
Flamingo-Chic
First things first: flamingos. I wanted to use flamingos in here, but I wasn’t ready to go Florida-kitch which would have been very easy. So I chose carefully.
In my fabric stash I had a fat quarter of Tula Pink’s flamingo print, Pretty in Pink, from her Daydreamer collection in each of two colorways. They are perfect for this bathroom, so I used both colorways to make a tissue box cover, a tieback for the shower curtain, and a bin to hold essentials on the back of the toilet.
I also framed some flamingo art — photographs I took on a recent trip to the Denver Zoo as well as a vintage book plate from a French book and a print from an Etsy shop.
And while the towels are technically called “coral” that color is absolutely the color of flamingo feathers.
Tile & Wallpaper
Taking inspiration from the gorgeous tub, I looked for tile that would give that period-appropriate monochromatic look but with a modern twist. I went back to one of my favorite tile sources: Modwalls. Modwalls specializes in retro and Mid Century tiles, and I have loved them for years.
The shower surround is their Lush Glass Subway Tile in Surf (4”x12”). I actually used a smaller version of this tile in our kitchen in The 1948 Subdivision Sweetheart, and I loved it so much I used it again here. It’s the perfect color — but the larger glass tiles give it a more modern look.
The floor tile is also from Modwalls — it’s their PopDotz penny round tile in the Spearmint colorway. There are so many lovely shades mixed in this tile. It was an easy choice!
And let’s talk about that wallpaper! A-Street Prints’ Alfresco Green Palm Leaf print is so cheerful with all the retro vibes you could ever want. Even on the gloomiest, snowiest days, this room is a Palm Springs getaway that cheers this Master Gardener’s heart! It has so many shades of green and blue in it, too, which made the flamingos and pops of coral work beautifully.
The Sink & Shower
Since this room functions as our guest bathroom, the bathroom by my office, and the laundry sink, I chose a deep kitchen sink. That seems like a strange choice in this tiny room, but it is SOOO functional! It’s deep enough for soaking and handwashing linens and delicates. It’s perfect for washing out paint brushes. And it’s a pretty porcelain sink, too.
In order to accommodate such a big sink, I had to have a wall-mounted faucet, and the Proper High Rise Wall Mount Faucet looks just like many of the hardware samples in the 1958 American Standard catalogue. I love its pivoting neck, too! It’s such a good function when handwashing here.
The mirror was a bargain find on FBMP, but it’s from Rejuvenation. I will tell you, however, it was very difficult to hang. You need to plan to have blocking inside the wall or to have your studs located in exactly the right place. So be warned!
Lura Hand Towel Bar: Speakman
And after the plumbing disasters in this bathroom, I needed a shower that was beautiful, functional, AND allowed me to wash the dogs here. Again, Speakman answered the call with a gorgeous set of chrome plumbing fittings.
Lighting
This bathroom needed better lighting as it used to be dark and dreary. The light above the mirror is from another sponsor, Kichler. It is almost an exact match to one of the fixtures in the vintage catalogue — and it’s just an elegant touch.
I love the vintage feel of Kichler’s Traverso LED Vanity Light.
In the center of the room, I used a vintage bubble light that I bought several years ago for a song on Etsy. It is unmarked, but I think it was designed by Helena Tynell, a Finnish designer, for the German glassmaker, Glashütte Limburg, in the early 1960s. All I had to do was rewire it, and I have another one for the upstairs bathroom, too.
Kichler also sent me the Phix Sconce from their new Modern Collection for just outside the bathroom in the laundry area. I can’t tell you what a difference this lovely light makes! It was nearly impossible to do laundry after dark down here before, and now with proper lighting, I can do laundry all night long. I don’t. But I could.
Accessories
Finishing touches are critical to a lovely space — particularly when every inch counts. In this room, those finishing details largely came in the form of beautiful chrome accessories which sparkle and lend a little retro glam while also being completely functional. The glass shelf and towel rack are fantastic storage for my guests. The hooks are solid and beautiful — I even used one for the tieback on the shower curtain. Personally, I hate towel racks — they are inefficient in a small space. So I have hooks for four towels inside the bathroom, and two more hooks in the laundry area outside, too. With glass knobs from Emtek and yummy lotion and soap from Malie, this bathroom feels like a spa.
A few more photos…
I was supposed to have two completed bathrooms for this ORC. That didn’t happen, so I hope you’ll stick around for the second project coming soon!
A HUGE thank you to my sponsors for this project:
I am thankful for your support and wholeheartedly recommend the products I used in this bathroom!
To Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, I offer my most sincere thanks. Thank you for offering this kind of opportunity and for opening it up to anyone. And to Apartment Therapy, the ORC media sponsor: thank you for making this possible! And to all of the other ORC participants: I’ll be sure to stop by to admire your work! It is always fun to do this together!
Be sure to follow along on Instagram for updates as the seasons change. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletter below so the weekly updates will pop right into your inbox.
Here’s to another great project and all of the DIY energy that the ORC inspires!
Cheers!
Angela
Thanks to my sponsors for this project!
Interested in being a sponsor for a future project? Let me know!
Don’t miss a single update!
Sign up and each installment of the One Room Challenge will come directly to your email on Thursdays! And be sure to stop by the One Room Challenge Blog to check out the other creative renovations happening across the country. You can also follow #oneroomchallenge and #orcat on Instagram for more inspiration! Be sure to follow me as well!
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Week Seven | May 16 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Week Seven | May 16 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Take a peek into my latest One Room Challenge project: two bathroom renos at once!
For the Spring 2023 One Room Challenge we are working on TWO bathrooms: finishing our Guest/Studio Bathroom and then tackling our Primary Family Bath.
Be sure to check in on all of the other ORC projects on the ORC blog here.
Ah, the penultimate week of the ORC! That festive time when DIY’ers must photograph carefully so as not to give away the whole surprise — or are panicking because their project isn’t even close to being done.
Well, I’m photographing carefully in the Studio/Guest Bath, but as for the Primary Bathroom — well, read on.
My first peony of the year: Claire de Lune
Because we have two rooms in two very different states of work, I’ll divide the updates into two sections each week.
The Studio/Guest Bath
Some before photos as well as some images of the inspiration for this project.
We are down to the punchlist which is long but absolutely doable. One of the easy projects on that list was to swap out the vent cover for HVAC vent.
Before: a standard, contractor-grade vent cover which had probably been in place for decades.
After: a vent cover that is sleeker, clean, and nicer to look at since the vent is almost centered in the room
Before: meh
After: much better
It’s the little things like this that make a big difference! Those details make photography easier, but while we don’t pay overt attention to our vent covers, they are always there. And when they look cleaner, it’s more visually appealing. Honestly, I’m thinking I need to replace one vent cover per month until the whole house has been cleaned up!
This is such an easy swap, too! You just measure your existing opening and order the right size. Then when it comes, take off the old one and insert the new cover. It’s held in place with four discreet screws. It took me all of ten minutes!
Just look at that gorgeous doorstop! Thanks, Emtek!
The remainder of the punch list includes things like installing a gorgeous, magnetic doorstop from Emtek, one of this project’s sponsors. This will protect the wallpaper from being damaged by the doorknob — another little detail that’s so important in the long run, especially in a house with a child and dogs.
Also included: doors for the cabinet under the sink, hanging artwork, and coming up with a tieback for the shower curtain, but by this time next week, all of that will be behind me.
This cupboard has been fantastic for tool storage, but it needs some doors!
And now for the other bathroom…
Primary Family Bathroom
Well, here’s the bad news: the Primary Bathroom has not even started yet. Sigh. It will not be crossing this finish line, but I will keep you posted to be sure. And thankfully every single one of my wonderful sponsors has been gracious and understanding about the delay. Construction is simply an unpredictable process full of surprises and delays — particularly when you aren’t doing the work yourself.
So stayed tuned for that project to be completed sometime in the next decade… we laugh so we don’t cry, right?
To Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, I offer my most sincere thanks. Thank you for offering this kind of opportunity and for opening it up to anyone. And to Apartment Therapy, the ORC media sponsor: thank you for making this possible! And to all of the other ORC participants: I’ll be sure to stop by to admire your work! It is always fun to do this together!
Be sure to follow along on Instagram for updates as the seasons change. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletter below so the weekly updates will pop right into your inbox.
Here’s to a week of finishing it all up!
Cheers!
Angela
Thanks to my sponsors for this project!
Interested in being a sponsor? Let me know!
Don’t miss a single update!
Sign up and each installment of the One Room Challenge will come directly to your email on Thursdays! And be sure to stop by the One Room Challenge Blog to check out the other creative renovations happening across the country. You can also follow #oneroomchallenge and #orcat on Instagram for more inspiration! Be sure to follow me as well!
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Week Six | May 10 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Week Six | May 10 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Take a peek into my latest One Room Challenge project: two bathroom renos at once!
For the Spring 2023 One Room Challenge we are working on TWO bathrooms: finishing our Guest/Studio Bathroom and then tackling our Primary Family Bath.
Be sure to check in on all of the other ORC projects on the ORC blog here.
Here we are at Week 6. So I had this funny observation this morning… in the Before Times (pre-pandemic) the ORC was 6 weeks long. We would be doing the big reveal this week, which would be just about right for our Studio/Guest Bathroom. Of course, that project started last SEPTEMBER, so in no way was it a 6 week project, but here we are.
In other news, I can’t tell you more, but we are beginning a HUGE project next week — because, yes, I needed another project to do. But garden lovers and pollinator friends: stay tuned. This one is going to be amazeballs!
Ok. Back to the projects at hand…
Seriously. These daffodils!
Because we have two rooms in two very different states of work, I’ll divide the updates into two sections each week.
The Studio/Guest Bath
Some before photos as well as some images of the inspiration for this project.
This week was all about light and lighting — so much fun! One of this project’s sponsors, Kichler, sent me some of their new Phix Wall Sconce from their Modern Collection, and they are gorgeous! I installed one just outside the bathroom in the hallway. Now, this area is also my laundry area, and it used to be DISMAL. I hated the wall fixture that was there, but replacing it wasn’t a high priority. I’m so happy with the new sconces! They have both an uplight and a downlight — so already they are twice as bright as the old fixtures. And they are so much more stylish!
This light comes in three different color/metal combinations, but I am a huge fan of this white and gold look. It’s perfection!
This is just a quick snapshot right after I installed the light. But it makes a HUGE difference!
I had several other small projects this week, but the biggest was rewiring the vintage bubble fixture and installing it in the bathroom. If you have never rewired a fixture before: honestly, it sounds much harder than it is. A ceiling mount light like this one is particularly easy. I used a kit which made it a quick project, and it looks fabulous in the bathroom. I’ll use the second one upstairs when the time comes. It is rewired and ready to go.
Last week we talked flamingo art, and then I took my son to the zoo. What did we see? Flamingos! I got some fun photos of them in their glory, and I will probably print and frame one. Do you have a favorite?
We are near the end of this project. Somehow I keep writing that and then find more things to do! But truly, we are near the end!
Primary Family Bathroom
Last week we got the greenlight from the insurance company to begin, but were my contractors prepared? Nope. They offered to start demolition, but did they have a path forward? Nope.
Stay tuned. I’m not sure where we are going from here, but it’s not good.
Lots of fun things on the horizon, and only 2 more weeks to wrap up this ORC. Thanks for following along! If you are doing the One Room Challenge, let me know, so I can follow your project, too. And if you need some inspiration, check out #orcat on Instagram where you’ll find all of the ORC projects. So many cool transformations under way!
To Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, I offer my most sincere thanks. Thank you for offering this kind of opportunity and for opening it up to anyone. And to Apartment Therapy, the ORC media sponsor: thank you for making this possible! And to all of the other ORC participants: I’ll be sure to stop by to admire your work! It is always fun to do this together!
Be sure to follow along on Instagram for updates as the seasons change. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletter below so the weekly updates will pop right into your inbox.
Here’s to a week of work and progress! More next week!
Cheers!
Angela
Thanks to my sponsors for this project!
Interested in being a sponsor? Let me know!
Don’t miss a single update!
Sign up and each installment of the One Room Challenge will come directly to your email on Thursdays! And be sure to stop by the One Room Challenge Blog to check out the other creative renovations happening across the country. You can also follow #oneroomchallenge and #orcat on Instagram for more inspiration! Be sure to follow me as well!
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Week Five | May 3 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Week Five | May 3 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Take a peek into my latest One Room Challenge project: two bathroom renos at once!
For the Spring 2023 One Room Challenge we are working on TWO bathrooms: finishing our Guest/Studio Bathroom and then tackling our Primary Family Bath.
Be sure to check in on all of the other ORC projects on the ORC blog here.
I am still not over the joy and delight of the new carpet downstairs. That seems rather silly at times, but the fact is: having the entire lower level of our home in chaos for over a year has been exhausting. Completely exhausting. It’s been so dirty and cluttered and felt completely beyond my control. For a year. And I don’t think I really realized how much of a strain that has been.
Now, let’s be clear: this is written from a point of privilege. This is not the chaos that war or poverty or a natural disaster incurs. We have insurance. We didn't lose anything valuable in the flooding incidents. And we will be ok in the end. But even this relatively minor disruption of the sanctity of home has caused a great deal of turmoil, stress, and anxiety. And I know many of you have experienced the same – or worse. Loss of home. Loss of valued possessions. Loss of important people in your lives. Loss of community.
When I was teaching in Minnesota, long ago, a HUGE tornado demolished much of the town of St. Peter, Minnesota. The Red Cross called for volunteers in the days just after the storm, and I loaded a van full of young women to go help. Armed with trash bags and work gloves and work boots, we formed a chain – walking through people's yards looking for personal items and clearing out trash. We picked up anything that was salvageable or identifiable and placed it on the front porch of the home. We saw knitting needles driven through trees and yarn – the remains of a yard store – wound around tree branches. We found bikes and dolls and a roller skate. But what I remember most was the glass – so much glass in every yard. How many years did it take for people to be able to safely walk through their yards again? I don't know.
So our small incident was nothing on that scale, but I know how stressful it is to even have part of your home damaged. To have that sanctity of home violated and destroyed. Homes and home life is so important for us all. Our environment shapes each of us, and when that environment feels out of control or unpleasant or unsafe those effects flow into the rest of our lives, too. If that is you, I'm extending you a virtual hug today. Truly.
Even my tulips are flamingo-colored right now!
Because we have two rooms in two very different states of work, I’ll divide the updates into two sections each week.
The Studio/Guest Bath
Some before photos as well as some images of the inspiration for this project.
Let's talk flamingos. My original vision for this bathroom was a room filled with flamingos. As we don't live in the tropics and that seemed a little overboard, I scaled that vision back. But I still need some flamingos in here – a bit of the tropics on a cold snowy day here in Colorado not to mention a perfect nod to the Atomic Ranch vibe in our house.
So… bring on the flamingos!
I have two framed flamingo prints. One is a line drawing by Picasso. This is a reproduction of a fictional museum poster. But it's the right colors and the right idea.
The second print is an antique plate from a French book. I love this little flamingo family!
This print is from Tula Pink’s True Colors collection.
It comes in two colorways — and I decided to use both in the room.
And I have done some sewing for this bathroom. First I hemmed the shower curtain – not exciting, but it needed to be done. Then I made a few flamingo accessories. I have had this Tula Pink fabric for years, and this seems like exactly the right place to use it! So I made a little tissue box cover and a little bin to hold a few necessities for guests. This room is so small I can't have many accessories, so what I use needs to pack a punch!
Anyway, the Guest/Studio Bath is nearly done, and I'm going to save the big ta-da for the end. That seems coy, and I don't usually do that, but I feel like this bathroom deserves a big ta-da!
Primary Family Bathroom
The big news this week came Monday: we have the greenlight from the insurance company to start demolition. As soon as the contractor can get a crew here to begin demolition, it will begin. I'll keep you posted! Will we finish in time? If they have their act together – and they assure me they do – then yes, we will.
Stay tuned!
In the meantime, let me tell you about this tile. These are the two tiles for the upstairs bathroom. The teal will be the wall tile in the shower area. And the squares will be the floor tile throughout. The tile is from Modwalls, and it is absolutely dreamy!
The tile is from Modwalls. The smaller tile is for the floor, and the larger glass tile will be in the shower and tub.
I'm in the process of choosing wallpaper from A-Street Prints who are sponsoring this bathroom, too. There are so many good choices, and I have it narrowed down, but I am still waiting for one more set of samples, before I make a final decision.
I have a new sponsor for this bathroom, too. Emtek sent a box of bathroom goodies which I’ll share soon. So many beautiful pieces as this bathroom is coming together! Thank you, Emtek!
I rewired the vintage bubble fixtures this week, too. So they are ready to hang when the time comes. I absolutely love them!
Now it is time to get back to work! I have a lot to do! If you are doing the One Room Challenge, let me know, so I can follow your project, too. And if you need some inspiration, check out #orcat on Instagram where you’ll find all of the ORC projects. So many cool transformations under way!
To Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, I offer my most sincere thanks. Thank you for offering this kind of opportunity and for opening it up to anyone. And to Apartment Therapy, the ORC media sponsor: thank you for making this possible! And to all of the other ORC participants: I’ll be sure to stop by to admire your work! It is always fun to do this together!
Be sure to follow along on Instagram for updates as the seasons change. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletter below so the weekly updates will pop right into your inbox.
Here’s to a week of work and progress! More next week!
Cheers!
Angela
Thanks to my sponsors for this project!
Interested in being a sponsor? Let me know!
Don’t miss a single update!
Sign up and each installment of the One Room Challenge will come directly to your email on Thursdays! And be sure to stop by the One Room Challenge Blog to check out the other creative renovations happening across the country. You can also follow #oneroomchallenge and #orcat on Instagram for more inspiration! Be sure to follow me as well!
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Week Four | April 25 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Week Four | April 25 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Take a peek into my latest One Room Challenge project: two bathroom renos at once!
For the Spring 2023 One Room Challenge we are working on TWO bathrooms: finishing our Guest/Studio Bathroom and then tackling our Primary Family Bath.
Be sure to check in on all of the other ORC projects on the ORC blog here.
Because we have two rooms in two very different states of work, I’ll divide the updates into two sections each week.
The Studio/Guest Bath
Some before photos as well as some images of the inspiration for this project.
Ok. First things first: the new carpet is in and is so nice! Of course, this means that the entire downstairs was emptied last week. We had a crew that moved everything out, put it in a shipping container on our driveway, and then moved it all back when the carpet was installed. I’m still settling back in, but having carpet and a somewhat tidy room again after over a year of chaos — well, it is an amazing feeling, frankly!
The Guest Room was even fit for hosting a guest this weekend!
My office and creative space — now with fresh carpet again. Is it beige? Yep.
In the bathroom, my husband finally was able to figure out how to hang the mirror. I found it on FBMP, but it is originally from Restoration Hardware. It’s sooo heavy and hangs on two pivots, but they didn’t line up with the studs in the wall. So Romano had to get creative. But it is up, and I do love it!
So many necessities to install! But we are making progress!
You can see that the mirror tilts. Because we had to change faucets (long story of a plumber whose negligence almost cost me my sanity), the mirror can’t pivot anymore. But I’m ok with that. It still looks the part, and is very functional. That’s what matters!
We also have installed almost all of the accessories from Speakman. I absolutely love how substantial they are — and such a beautiful chrome finish. The little glass shelf will be perfect for a guest’s toothbrush and glasses since we don’t have a countertop in here.
And that hand towel bar! I HATE towel rings. They take up too much space and always look a little off to me. But this small towel bar is part of Speakman’s Lura collection, and it’s perfect. And shall we have a train rack appreciation moment? I mean — not only does it look glamorous, it also holds a full collection of clamps with ease! Seriously, that will be the perfect place for extra towels and toiletry bags.
All of this chrome just brings the retro glam, and I am here for it!
Speaking of retro glam: this light is from Kichler, and it is perfection over this mirror. That’s always a bit of a risk, frankly. Will it all work together the way I see it in my head? In this case, the answer was YES! It’s almost exactly the same width as the mirror and brings those late 50’s vibes that I was hoping for.
Just check out this photo from the 1958 American Standard catalogue. That light fixture and mirror combination… it’s so close!
This might be the last peek I’ll give you of this bathroom. Otherwise, there won’t be much left for the big reveal. But fear not: there’s a whole other bathroom to discuss…
Primary Family Bathroom
We are still waiting for the final OKs from the insurance company. I call and email daily. I’m not sure what the hold up is, but it is infuriating. However, even given that, we still SHOULD be able to finish this little room on time. Fingers crossed!
But I’m using this time to work on another project: lighting. I bought these bubble lights about five years ago knowing I wanted to use them in these bathrooms one day. I have two, so they will be the overhead fixtures in each bathroom.
They are unmarked, but I think they were designed by Helena Tynell, a Finnish designer, for the German glassmaker, Glashütte Limburg, in the early 1960s. I got them for a song and have been dreaming about installing them for years. So hooray! I just need to rewire them so they can be installed.
I’ll be wallpapering this room as well. Wallpaper is back! I’m still waiting for a few samples to arrive, before I make the final choice, but I have it narrowed down to a few fabulous prints.
Hopefully I’ll have more news on this room in the coming days. Check in on Instagram for the latest updates.
Now it is time to get back to work! I have a lot to do! If you are doing the One Room Challenge, let me know, so I can follow your project, too. And if you need some inspiration, check out #orcat on Instagram where you’ll find all of the ORC projects. So many cool transformations under way!
To Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, I offer my most sincere thanks. Thank you for offering this kind of opportunity and for opening it up to anyone. And to Apartment Therapy, the ORC media sponsor: thank you for making this possible! And to all of the other ORC participants: I’ll be sure to stop by to admire your work! It is always fun to do this together!
Be sure to follow along on Instagram for updates as the seasons change. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletter below so the weekly updates will pop right into your inbox.
Here’s to a week of work and progress! More next week!
Cheers!
Angela
Thanks to my sponsors for this project!
Interested in being a sponsor? Let me know!
Don’t miss a single update!
Sign up and each installment of the One Room Challenge will come directly to your email on Thursdays! And be sure to stop by the One Room Challenge Blog to check out the other creative renovations happening across the country. You can also follow #oneroomchallenge and #orcat on Instagram for more inspiration! Be sure to follow me as well!
Pin it!
Week Three | April 19 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Week Three | April 19 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Take a peek into my latest One Room Challenge project: two bathroom renos at once!
For the Spring 2023 One Room Challenge we are working on TWO bathrooms: finishing our Guest/Studio Bathroom and then tackling our Primary Family Bath.
Be sure to check in on all of the other ORC projects on the ORC blog here.
Because we have two rooms in two very different states of work, I’ll divide the updates into two sections each week.
The Studio/Guest Bath
Some before photos as well as some images of the inspiration for this project.
Now that the glass is installed, we are down to finishing projects in this bathroom. That includes installing all of the fittings that complete a bathroom — hooks, toilet paper holders, towel bars, and the like. Most of these items were given to us by Speakman, and they are gorgeous!
Here’s just one lovely example with many more to come:
This Speakman towel rack will be a great place for guests to keep their toiletry kits as well as for hanging towels. I love the vintage train rack feel!
The mirror — a FBMP find — is giving my husband fits. It’s really heavy and has been difficult to hang as the spacing it wrong for it to hit two studs. But he has a plan, and hopefully it will be up soon. That’s the last major piece to go.
So many necessities to install! But we are making progress!
Our whole house has been in an upheaval this week, though, because we finally are getting new carpet in the downstairs. When the second flood, Poop-a-Palooza, happened in December, not only did the sewer water saturate the new bathroom floor. It also flooded out into the hallway and into the guest room as well. This meant we needed new carpet in the entire downstairs. Ironically, this means that this week we completely dismantled the first TWO rooms I did for the One Room Challenge! So as I write, the contents of the Guest Room and my office are in a storage container on the driveway, and new carpet was installed today.
So the next few days will involve unpacking and resettling those two rooms. Not a small feat, honestly. But they have been the dumping ground for construction materials and debris of all kinds because of the bathroom project, so it will be nice to have them put back together for real after a year of chaos.
Here are a few photos of the rooms before — and then with the new carpet. It isn’t a big change, but it is nice not to have bare concrete on the floor anymore!
Primary Family Bathroom
As soon as the downstairs is habitable — which is almost true — we will be able to start on the upstairs.
Our big news for this week: we cut a hole in the soffit over the sink to see if it can be removed. Hooray! It can! So that will definitely be coming out which makes me so very happy!
I am making design choices for this room and finalizing details. I have already made the tile choices, and I’ll snap a photo of that gorgeousness for next week’s update. So many exciting things ahead! If you follow me on Pinterest and want a peek at what I’m considering, check out my Bathroom Renovations board — and the other bathroom boards as well.
But I’ll leave you with one sneak peek… the floor tile is inspired by the tile in my elementary school bathroom. I know. It’s weird. But this school was built in the 1950’s and had 1x1” tile on the bathroom floor in a delightful mix of colors. It also had a foot-activated sink that was REALLY fun! So this Primary Bath will be an homage to elementary school in all the best ways! When I saw this tile from Modwalls… well, I knew it needed to be part of this project. Isn’t it fun?!
The floor tile! Modwalls’ Brio Glass Mosaic Tile in the Palm Springs blend. It’s sooo yummy!
Now it is time to get back to work! I have a lot to do! If you are doing the One Room Challenge, let me know, so I can follow your project, too. And if you need some inspiration, check out #orcat on Instagram where you’ll find all of the ORC projects. So many cool transformations under way!
To Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, I offer my most sincere thanks. Thank you for offering this kind of opportunity and for opening it up to anyone. And to Apartment Therapy, the ORC media sponsor: thank you for making this possible! And to all of the other ORC participants: I’ll be sure to stop by to admire your work! It is always fun to do this together!
Be sure to follow along on Instagram for updates as the seasons change. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletter below so the weekly updates will pop right into your inbox.
Here’s to a week of work and progress! More next week!
Cheers!
Angela
Thanks to my sponsors for this project!
Interested in being a sponsor? Let me know!
Don’t miss a single update!
Sign up and each installment of the One Room Challenge will come directly to your email on Thursdays! And be sure to stop by the One Room Challenge Blog to check out the other creative renovations happening across the country. You can also follow #oneroomchallenge and #orcat on Instagram for more inspiration! Be sure to follow me as well!
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Week Two | April 12 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Week Two | April 12 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Take a peek into my latest One Room Challenge project: two bathroom renos at once!
For the Spring 2023 One Room Challenge we are working on TWO bathrooms: finishing our Guest/Studio Bathroom and then tackling our Primary Family Bath.
Be sure to check in on all of the other ORC projects on the ORC blog here.
Shockingly, there was progress this week! Because we have two rooms in two very different states of work, I’ll divide the updates into two sections each week.
The Studio/Guest Bath
Some before photos as well as some images of the inspiration for this project.
We have been waiting for 6 weeks for the glass for the shower to arrive and to be installed. And it is finally here! The Studio/Guest Bathroom has been at a standstill waiting for the glass to arrive, but now that it is installed, we can move toward the big finish! I am so excited!
New glass installed to solve my crazy soffit problem. Honestly, I can’t even believe this is my bathroom!
You may be wondering, “Angela, that is a really small piece of glass. What’s up?” Well, my friend, you are correct. But it solves a BIG problem in this shower. The soffit from the ceiling contains HVAC ducting which can’t be relocated easily. But it also keeps the showerhead at a pretty low level. We are tall people. So when I hang a shower curtain under the soffit, water hits my head and splashes over the shower curtain. It’s a strange little problem, but it is annoying enough that it needed to be fixed.
I wanted to put a shower curtain in this bathroom both because it is MUCH less expensive than custom glass doors and also because it is a softer, more historically-appropriate look. BUT I want to hang the shower curtain higher — from the soffit to the wall. Now that’s exactly what will happen. And there shouldn’t be any more splashing!
We met with the contractors and told them we would be finishing this bathroom ourselves with the exception of two minor repairs their tile person will do when they are tiling the bathroom upstairs.
So now it is on us to finish, and I am so excited about this bathroom. I did a lot of research into bathroom styles from 1958 — the year our home was built. And I’m hopeful that the final rooms represent that era’s best while still being forward looking.
Primary Family Bathroom
We had a meeting with our contractor last week about the upstairs bathroom. Why, do you ask, would we continue to use these contractors?
Well, there are two reasons:
Part of this project is an insurance claim from the flood. Switching gears at this point makes that so much more complicated. Despite that, I have called multiple contractors because we are now over a year into this project, and only one bathroom is done. But that leads me to reason 2…
A little over a year ago, 1100 homes burned to the ground in the Marshall Fire — just a few miles from our house. That means in addition to any other work people are doing on their homes, there are 1100 new homes being rebuilt. Every contractor around has more work than they can handle. I can’t even get other contractors to return my calls — our project is too small and the profit margin is too low. And I am not sure anyone else would be better.
So, unless I can come up with someone new in the next few weeks, we will be working with the same contractor. I will also be insisting that they use a toilet plug so we don’t have any other complications like we had downstairs.
I have made most of the design decisions for this room already. We just have a few unresolved questions which we will clarify in the next few weeks. One involves the soffit over the sink area. Is it necessary? If not, it’s coming out. So, I’ll be cutting a hole in the drywall in the next few days to explore!
Now it is time to get back to work! I have a lot to do! If you are doing the One Room Challenge, let me know, so I can follow your project, too. And if you need some inspiration, check out #orcat on Instagram where you’ll find all of the ORC projects. So many cool transformations under way!
To Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, I offer my most sincere thanks. Thank you for offering this kind of opportunity and for opening it up to anyone. And to Apartment Therapy, the ORC media sponsor: thank you for making this possible! And to all of the other ORC participants: I’ll be sure to stop by to admire your work! It is always fun to do this together!
Be sure to follow along on Instagram for updates as the seasons change. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletter below so the weekly updates will pop right into your inbox.
Here’s to a week of work and progress! More next week!
Cheers!
Angela
Thanks to my sponsors for this project!
Interested in being a sponsor? Let me know!
Don’t miss a single update!
Sign up and each installment of the One Room Challenge will come directly to your email on Thursdays! And be sure to stop by the One Room Challenge Blog to check out the other creative renovations happening across the country. You can also follow #oneroomchallenge and #orcat on Instagram for more inspiration! Be sure to follow me as well!
Pin it!
Week One | April 5 | Mid Modern Bathrooms Two Ways
Week One | April 5, 2023 | Mid Modern Bathroom
Take a peek into my latest One Room Challenge project: two bathroom renos at once!
For the Spring 2023 One Room Challenge we are working on TWO bathrooms: finishing our Guest/Studio Bathroom and then tackling our Primary Family Bath.
Be sure to check in on all of the other ORC projects on the ORC blog here.
One year ago yesterday I came home to find water pouring through the ceiling of our downstairs bathroom. The toilet in the upstairs bath had overflowed and the shutoff valve failed, so water ran and ran and ran for more than four hours flooding both bathrooms. Here we are a year later, and the bathrooms aren’t finished yet. In fact, one isn’t even started.
But we are going to fix that!
After battling our insurance company, a contractor who didn’t put our bathroom at the top of their to-do list, and a second flood — caused by the contractor’s negligence — which meant we had to start over again, we are finally ready to finish the downstairs bathroom, and then get to work upstairs.
Some of this project will be completed by the contractor. Some of it will be DIY. But hopefully at the end of the 8 week period, both of these bathrooms will be finished at long last!
The Studio/Guest Bath
Inspiration Board
The Studio/Guest Bath before
Studio/Guest Bath now
Studio/Guest Bath now
As I said before, the Studio/Guest bath is nearly done. We are waiting for one last big installation and the finishing touches — hooks, artwork, a mirror, and towel bars. There are a few punchlist items for the contractor to finish, too. But we are close.
I stripped and refinished this tub. It took hours, but it was absolutely worth it!
Wallpaper from A Street Prints with tile samples from Modwalls. They are all layed out inside the bathtub. I love how the greens work together!
Once that room is done and functional, we will turn our attention to the Primary Family Bath upstairs. We will also be taking this bathroom down to the studs.
Primary Family Bathroom
To date the Primary Family Bath is ugly but functional. It was clearly renovated in the past with the cheapest materials and hasn’t aged well.
For this room I’m taking inspiration from our family’s favorite activity: swimming. This room with be a watery oasis with some Mid Modern character when we are done — not a watery flood zone. And I can’t wait!
So now it is time to get to work! If you are doing the One Room Challenge, let me know, so I can follow your project, too. And if you need some inspiration, check out #orcat on Instagram where you’ll find all of the ORC projects. So many cool transformations under way!
To Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, I offer my most sincere thanks. Thank you for offering this kind of opportunity and for opening it up to anyone. And to Apartment Therapy, the ORC media sponsor: thank you for making this possible! And to all of the other ORC participants: I’ll be sure to stop by to admire your work! It is always fun to do this together!
Be sure to follow along on Instagram for updates as the seasons change. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletter below so the weekly updates will pop right into your inbox.
Here’s to a week of work and progress! More next week!
Cheers!
Angela
Thanks to my sponsors for this project!
Interested in being a sponsor? Let me know!
Don’t miss a single update!
Sign up and each installment of the One Room Challenge will come directly to your email on Thursdays! And be sure to stop by the One Room Challenge Blog to check out the other creative renovations happening across the country. You can also follow #oneroomchallenge and #orcat on Instagram for more inspiration! Be sure to follow me as well!
