Our Bathroom Makeover // Pt. 1

I feel like I've been talking about this project for years!  (Which is probably because I have.)  When we moved in three years ago, we took on bigger problems-- like the linoleum in the guest bathroom, the crazy floor situation throughout the house, and replacing our 100+ foot driveway, among other things.  We kept telling ourselves that our master bathroom wasn't "that bad" every time another project got bumped ahead of it on the home improvement list, but meanwhile I daydreamed about a chic, spa-like retreat of a bathroom.  (Doesn't that tub look perfect for relaxing in after Parker has gone to sleep and Aaron is out of town?!)  Well the day is here, friends, almost everything has been picked out, and we are just choosing between contractor bids before we get started, so I thought I would walk you through what the process has been like so far.  For starters, I knew I didn't want to shop all over town at a dozen different stores getting the tile here and the bath tub there (ain't nobody got time for that!), so I stuck to Lowe's for all of our big purchases.  It is a total one stop shop and it's crazy how many items are actually in-stock and available in just a few days as opposed to the 6-10 weeks that smaller shops can take.  (Full disclosure, they are sponsoring some of the pieces in our bath remodel, but I would have chosen them all regardless.  I reached out to them when I realized that they had almost everything I wanted.)

What's changing?  Almost everything.  The bathroom is being completely gutted and the only thing that will remain the same is the basic layout, which means we won't have to re-pipe anything.  (I mean, here's hoping.  You never know, right?)  We are getting rid of our giant built-in jacuzzi tub circa 1988 and opting for a much smaller freestanding one so that we can extend the shower another 24".  Also, I have this vision for our existing pony wall, but we will see if that comes to fruition.  And of course the fun part:  Decisions and compromise:

The hardware was an ongoing discussion and an ultimate compromise on both of our parts.  I really wanted antique brass/brushed gold, but Aaron was not feeling that at all!  He was really imagining chrome.  (Sorry, but it's just not my thing.)  We agreed on matte black (love!), but everything we liked in this finish was above what we wanted to spend-- especially when we started pricing out matte black rain head showers.  So we went up to Lowe's to see what they had in person and we both loved this Moen brushed nickel sink faucet, so that settled that.  I didn't realize this when we chose it, but it's incredibly similar to the Kohler Purist faucet that everyone is using right now, but its $500 cheaper.  $500! And, to be honest, I like the Moen design better.  Plus, we need two, so we basically saved $1000 right there.  On to the sconces!  We didn't take a lot of design risks in the basic permanent fixtures.  I really like classic and serene and white in a bathroom (plus, it's way better for resale value) and would rather play with the accessories that can be easily switched up if our taste changes.  That being said, I really want the sconces to have some personality and I love these ones from Schoolhouse Electric.  I love the way the brass looks, but do we have to go with brushed nickel since everything else is brushed nickel or is it okay since they're kind of a quirky piece anyways?  What color shade do you love most?!  Matte black or gray would be the safe choice, but I'm totally leaning towards that pop of red!

That's it for now!  We are hoping to have this project complete by mid-June and will post the pictures just as soon as we can!  I'm sure I will be itching to share!

SOURCES // 01. / 02. / 03. / 04. / 05. / 06. / 07. / 08. / 09. / 10. / 11. / 12. / 13. / 14. /

Special thanks to Lowe's for partnering with us on this project!  It's seriously the best one-stop-stress-free-shop for all of your remodeling needs!