It’s official — we’ve been thinking about bathrooms (and closets) ever since our spontaneous weekend mini-update. Luckily, Meghan and her husband Sean sent along two inspiring makeovers: a bathroom and a closet. Read their story below and prepare to be tempted by tile.
At the time our kitchen redesign was featured, I didn’t have a blog — that feature inspired me to start one and document our projects. I’m sharing our bathroom renovation here. It was tiny, dated (think 1960s), and had an unpleasant odor we never tracked down.
We opened the space by removing a closet just outside the room, gutted the bathroom to the studs, and replaced everything with Carrara marble and white quartz — channeling my inner Candice Olsen.
This renovation was planned for years down the road, but after several rounds of projects and two kids, Sean and I decided not to DIY the whole job ourselves. After he threw his back out lifting the new window, hiring pros for much of the work was a no-brainer. I handled design and purchased materials over six months, waiting for sales to keep costs down.
As an accountant by trade, here’s a numerical breakdown of the project:
- 3 — general contractors interviewed.
- 0 — general contractors hired. We acted as the general contractor ourselves and subcontracted the specific trades.
- 6 — subcontractors we hired.
- 9 — months from start to finish.
- 40% — approximate savings from managing subcontractors ourselves versus hiring a general contractor.
Our new toilet is aptly named Memoirs by Kohler. The painting above it was done by my dad about ten years ago — a sweet portrait of my husband as a baby with his father.
We selected a Carrera marble from Avalon Tile and our installers were artists. I debated whether to use marble — it’s high maintenance and can stain or scratch — but chose honed rather than polished. Honed marble hides wear better, which is helpful in a house full of guys whose aim isn’t always perfect.
One renovation quickly led to another: after knocking down a wall to merge two bedrooms, we lost the closets that wall once held.
We liked the look of built-in cabinetry but couldn’t afford custom work. We also liked the IKEA PAX system but needed units that fit our short 80″ ceilings and wanted better-looking doors. The solution: an IKEA hack.
We trimmed four 90″ PAX units to fit our 80″ ceiling, secured them to the wall, and built a hardwood frame around them. Then we made tongue-and-groove-style shaker doors and painted everything Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White.
To break up the span of doors we added a central bookshelf with a pull-out hamper drawer at the bottom, finished the top with crown molding, and installed interior lighting. The result looks like built-ins but cost far less.
Thanks to Meghan and Sean for sharing these makeovers. They achieved a high-end look while saving money with smart decisions: managing subcontractors themselves and building custom doors. Their bathroom and closet transformations are full of practical ideas and stylish results.