a peek inside the fishbowl

07 Nov, 2011

Reno post #18: The family bathroom update

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Home/reno

I know some of you think I’m crazy for choosing a family bathroom over a master ensuite + a separate bath for the girls, but the more I stare at our plans the more I realize that it’s going to be amazing. I’m bucking the trend! Woo hoo!

One of the things our architect did at our last meeting was enlarge the shower space a tiny bit. (Shown here in the last incarnation of the floor plan.) The door will be pushed back into the room a bit, giving the person who’s in the shower room to disrobe and hang a towel. Maximum privacy (at least as much as you can get behind a frosted panel of glass)! The way I see it, there could be three or four people in there at once, and each person could have some degree of privacy: two using the sink area, one in the shower, one in the loo (er, or the tub, not both).

Now, more than ever before, I’m tearing out photos in magazines and trolling Pinterest for design inspiration.

Here’s what I’m thinking:

  • A giant sheet of mirror over the double vanity instead of two little ones, although I would make an exception if it was something like this. (Look how it’s built in!)
  • The aforementioned vanity has got to have drawers over cabinets. That way I can sweep things into them. I want everyone to have their own drawer. Cabinets underneath can be for extra toilet paper and other bathroom supplies. Maybe a towel shelf?
  • This vanity has a counter made of tempered glass. Cool!
  • I really like bathrooms done up in white with soft blues and greens. (Check this out.)
  • This tile would be great for the shower room.
  • I envision lots of subway tile.
  • I love everything in this bathroom. Especially the doors. Alas, there is no room in our budget for an amazing bathtub like that. Boo.
  • I also like dimmer switches in bathrooms; the ability to go superbright or very dim (think: nighttime pee) is important to me
  • I’m undecided about colour of the cabinetry. Dark or light? I LOVE this bathroom. And this one.

There’s so much to think about. And I know how the bathroom design is going to end. I’m going to tear out (or bookmark) one bathroom, fling my hands up in the air and say: just do this. That’s why I keep searching for a bathroom that has the same layout, but I know it’s impossible because my bathroom doesn’t exist anywhere else. I AM A DELICATE SNOWFLAKE.

I wish I had more confidence to say THIS TILE with THAT TILE and that COUNTER and that PAINT COLOUR (and come in under budget), but I need to see it beforehand, you know what I mean?

Oh man. I started writing this post with happy thoughts in my head. And now I’m just wringing my hands again.

*deep breath*

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11 Responses to "Reno post #18: The family bathroom update"

1 | Marianne

November 7th, 2011 at 10:44 am

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Something to consider: if you like to read in the bathtub, put in a small light (we used a shower pot-light) above the tub on a separate switch, so you can have lower-level relaxing light while you bathe, and see well enough to read.

I’m very excited to see where this reno takes you. One day I’d love to do a whole new bathroom, but we settled so far for paint and new light fixtures.

2 | Lynn

November 7th, 2011 at 10:49 am

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Our neighbours redid their kitchen last year, and they had a woman come in to choose the tile and colour scheme for it. She picked out a combination of five different tiles for the backsplash that did not look too promising, but installed, WOW. She also picked out countertops and cabinet colours to match, and I think she picked out the light fixtures as well, and WOW WOW. I could never have come up with such a combination in my head, and the best part is, it is 100% our neighbours’ personality.

I have no idea what her services cost but if you are interested, I can get her name.

3 | Annie @ PhD in Parenting

November 7th, 2011 at 10:56 am

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Our bathroom has wood walls and cabinets, blue tile on the floor, a large mirror with narrow tall windows on either side of it above the two sinks that are set in a wooden counter top. The bathtub is white and the walls of the bathtub area are done in white tile with one row of the blue tile accent. We have a wall mounted medicine cabinet, a wooden bench with a shelf below it, and another wall mounted shelf for towels.

I looked for pics, but couldn’t find much (not really a part of the house we take pictures in!). If you want to see some, I can take a few later and send them to you.

4 | andrea

November 7th, 2011 at 11:01 am

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Marianne, I’m not a bathtub person at all, so reading doesn’t really happen… but I think that’s a great idea for people who are!

Lynn: I’m pinching pennies but might change my mind later. Depending on how frazzled I’m feeling. I will keep that in mind.

Annie: any inspiration you can send would be welcome! Thank you!

5 | coffeewithjulie

November 7th, 2011 at 11:06 am

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Similar to Lynn’s note, when we overhauled our family bathroom in our old house, I was completely overwhelmed with the decisions on tile and paint. So a friend recommended someone to me and this woman went to the tile store with me, we picked out the tiles and then she matched up a paint colour to go with it. It was sooooo helpful. And for the reasonable price, I think it was completely worth it because (a) bathrooms are expensive and you don’t want to regret your choice once it’s done, and (b) she received contractor rates from the tile store which practically covered her fee anyhow.

p.s. yes, I still think you’re crazy to do a family bathroom concept when your girls are heading into teenage hood. ;)

6 | fiona

November 7th, 2011 at 11:41 am

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Hi Andrea,

Having just completed a large reno, I can’t recommend enough the services of an interior designer; you will save money because of professional discounts that person will get and it will open up a whole spectrum of products you didn’t know were out there. You will also save tons of time and grief!

Also, I have used a bathroom with a vanity in tempered glass and unfortunately any water sitting on the surface is reflected (magnified) and it ends up looking really messy all the time.

7 | fern

November 7th, 2011 at 11:57 am

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Have you gone in to Healthiest Home (HH)(www.thehealthiesthome.com) — they are now located at 7 Hamilton Street (site of the former CUBE Gallery) — you can also browse their website for ideas. I think you mentioned Marmoleum in one of your last reno posts … I believe HH sells it. Also, I LOVE tiles. I think white (subway or other interesting shape) is nice with some accent detailing (I think the rule of thumb is 20% accent) but of course I learned that after planning a kitchen backsplash and a bathroom. You can get affordable white (subway) tiles at Home Depot and go for something a little more expensive and elaborate (maybe light blues and greens) in glass (HH used to have recycles glass tiles from an American company) or other style (I love the river rock/pebble look). For the floor, I tend to favour larger (12×12 or larger) ceramic tiles with a neutral pattern (texture). Also, tend to favour white cabinetry or light wood colour (like milky washed wood) in bathroom. And of course large mirror (s) is important. Enjoy the dreaming and planning process!

8 | Valerie

November 7th, 2011 at 12:17 pm

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My only worry about the tile is all those grout lines to catch dirt. :p Re: the towel shelf, are you a neat person? Because I’ve tried to keep our towels neat even in the closet but they end up so messy – I can just imagine trying to put them into that small space, NOT.

I like your plan, things are coming together, that’s great!

9 | andrea

November 7th, 2011 at 12:35 pm

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Agreed! There’s a HUGE benefit to hiring professional help. I’m not *quite* there yet. I think I’m waiting for the nervous breakdown. ;)

Valerie – little known fact: I am an amazing towel folder!

10 | Anne

November 7th, 2011 at 7:21 pm

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Always found the hardest part of any reno is choosing all the finishing details esp paint colour and tile and light fixtures – wish I had found this site before I picked my kitchen backsplash tile -just too many options …. for great advice on choosing paint colours and tile – http://www.mariakillam.com./

11 | Fishbowl reno post #57 - a bit about bathroom organization >> a peek inside the fishbowl

October 20th, 2013 at 11:51 am

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[…] to say, one my favourite things about it is our big family bathroom. Regular readers may remember how much I agonized over it. Well, I’m happy to report that it’s worked out incredibly well for […]

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