We’ve now shown every room in our new house except one: the bathroom. It’s the only full bathroom in the home, which surprisingly hasn’t been a major inconvenience so far. When we bought the house it wasn’t even functional—the vanity had been ripped off the wall, water had been shut off because of leaks, and the house wasn’t connected to a working sewer or septic system. In short, the toilet had nowhere to go even if it could flush.
Because of that, we couldn’t wait to start repairs. Normally we like to live in a place for a while before doing major renovations (more on that in last week’s post), but this bathroom required immediate attention, and we had to manage much of it from five states away.
We coordinated with the county and professionals for the hookups and inspections, but we had planned to tile the floor and install the new vanity and toilet ourselves over spring break. Then the coronavirus changed our plans, and we stayed in Richmond. We switched to Plan B and added the project to our contractor’s schedule—which turned out to be a good call. During demo he found a leak behind the shower wall, so the tub, shower, and drywall all needed to be removed and replaced. What started as a simple update became a larger gut job that we likely couldn’t have completed in one week on our own.
Because we were remote, we purchased everything online in March and shipped it directly to the contractor in Florida. We didn’t see most of it in person until installation and our move-in day in May. Thankfully it all came together. Sherry added art, plants, and brass accents that we love—plus our favorite toilet—so the room feels thoughtfully finished already.
We don’t consider the room completely finished; it still feels a bit like a blank slate. We’re considering options like wainscoting, wallpaper, or shelving to add texture and interest down the line. For now, though, we’re thrilled to have running water, a working sewer hookup, no leaks, and a sink attached to the wall.
One feature we love is the 31″ vanity with the extra-wide sink top. The kids can brush their teeth at the same time without elbow battles over a tiny centered basin. The vanity’s cabinet is deep—basically the size of a kitchen sink base—so we store daily toiletries in labeled bins under the sink. That keeps the counter clear and shortens bathroom time in the mornings. We’ve also adopted Sherry’s habit of keeping some grooming items in our nightstands so we don’t monopolize the bathroom while getting ready.
There may come a time when the kids need more storage as they get older, but a hall linen closet just outside the bathroom helps. We had planned to add an ensuite bathroom right away, but sharing this single bathroom hasn’t been as difficult as we anticipated, so we’ve paused that project for now.
The shower and tub were kept simple with subway tile to the ceiling—classic and timeless. We chose a more playful tile for the floor to inject personality. That approach is similar to what we used in another project: classic white tile in the shower and lively, beachy floors to keep the room cheerful without overwhelming it.
We used the same tub/shower fixture set that worked well in other bathrooms we renovated; it’s a known quantity we trust. The tub is comfortable for both of us, which was a pleasant surprise. Throughout the house we continued the brass accents—our wooden towel hooks with brass caps are a favorite detail and worth the long shipping wait.
We reused a few personal pieces to make the space feel familiar. A circles mobile that hung at our beach house fills the tall wall next to the toilet, and two framed prints in Sherry’s favorite gold frames have been in our homes for years. Those elements help warm the room without crowding it.
The window glass is frosted, so we didn’t need a window covering. That lets in light while preserving privacy, and the deep sill makes a nice spot for a plant and a candle for bath-time ambiance.
Oddly enough, we don’t use the indoor shower much—our outdoor shower has become the family favorite, so the indoor one sees far less use for now. That helps keep morning routines flowing since everyone isn’t stuck waiting for someone else to finish in the bathroom.
So that’s the bathroom tour—our last interior room to share. It still needs a few finishing touches, but we’re grateful for how far it’s come since February and especially thankful for a functioning sewer hookup and a toilet that flushes. We’ll likely make more design tweaks over time, but for now it meets our needs and feels like a comfortable, usable space.
If you missed the other rooms, here are the interior tours: our kitchen (and recent updates), bedroom, living room, laundry closet, son’s room, and daughter’s room (with the wall mural project).
We’re also finishing up a reveal for our mauve kitchen cabinets—stay tuned for that soon!
P.S. You can follow the rest of our Florida house renovation updates in the project category on our site.