Master Bathroom Renovation Plans

In just a few short weeks we are scheduled to begin a HUGE project… Our Master Bathroom renovation! When we first bought this house, we knew this project was up there in order of importance because the master bath is TINY and not functional as-is. Let me clarify: It’s ok and we could live with it… but I’m getting tired of sharing a single sink stand and carting all my things in and out of the bathroom because there isn’t a single countertop or cabinet for storage. So a change is much anticipated!

Let’s first take a look at what we’re dealing with:

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This picture from the listing somehow makes the bathroom look BIGGER than it really is… if you can imagine. Storage consists of 2 tiny medicine cabinets and the window sill… And top of the toilet. Ew. While I love the pink vintage tile, we need to have more storage and space to not be stepping all over each other.

Thankfully, the master bedroom is HUGE. We wouldn’t even be able to fill such a large master with a king-size bed and large furniture. The perfect solution is to expand the bath and closet by taking a section of the master bedroom!

Planning a Bathroom Remodel

Planning this expansion proved way more difficult and complicated than I had imagined. First, the space is still not a MASSIVE space for a bathroom + walk-in closet. WITH the expansion it is about 15 X 10.5. We can’t add any more from the bedroom without losing valuable bedroom space.

To begin, we decided to talk through our wish list and determine where we might have to make compromises.

Master Bathroom Wish List:

• Large walk-in shower: It doesn’t have to be massive but we’ve never had a shower larger than a stall shower size and would love a shower roomy enough to shave without dislocating my hip LOL.
• Soaking tub. I know a lot of people are skipping this recently and say you don’t use it enough to be worth it but I totally disagree! I LOVE a bath, especially after a 12+ hour nursing shift?! I need a tub.
• Double vanity with ample storage: Storage has always been our biggest bathroom complaint. Having a 6-foot vanity with well-planned storage would be amazing to keep clutter off the countertops.
• Organized closet system: Our closets have always been pretty basic and I’d really love some extra features like a pant rack, built-in shoe storage and jewelry storage.
• Light and Bright: I need this bathroom to feel bright and clean. The natural lighting in the space will not be extraordinary since there are only 2 small windows on the back bathroom wall. Because of this, we need to keep the paint colors and tiles light and fresh.

The New + Improved Floor Plan

After planning and revising about 25 different floor sketches and feeling totally inept to plan anything of this magnitude, we devised the idea to include the master closet space within the bathroom footprint. This way we can avoid losing space to unnecessary walls and having to have two doors to enter the space, which also uses up more bedroom walls.

Our plan is to create wardrobe “cabinets” with cabinet doors using the Pax IKEA closet system. My sister recently created living room cabinets using this method and they look like high-end custom cabinetry! (You can read all about her project HERE).

In the sketch above you can see the expanded footprint allows us to fit a 5.5-foot tub, a roomy corner shower, a 6-foot vanity + two walls of enclosed closet systems! This design also gives us an open floor plan which will give us that brighter, airier feel!

The Inspiration:

Amber Lewis’s (of Amber Interiors) bathrooms were my main inspiration for this bathroom reno. Her bathrooms always look so bright and clean while also being simple.

I’ve used Amber Lewis’s designs as inspiration for many home projects, including our recent living room refresh!

The Design Plan

After deciding on the footprint for the bathroom, I’ve shifted my focus to the fun part: Selecting the bathroom finishes!

For this bathroom, I am deeply inspired by a light + airy feel with a touch of traditional style. We live in a 1940s colonial so I don’t want to stray too far from the classic style of the rest of the house… but I also want it to feel fresh + new.

Bathroom Sources:

• Tub (similiar)
• Tub Filler (similiar)
• External Shower system
• Rug
• Towels
• Black slate tile
• White zellige
• Hexagon calacatta marble
• Mirrors (similiar)
• Globe Light Fixture (similiar)
• Mirror Sconces
• Gold lamp shade sconce
• Vintage nude sketch

Custom Selections:

This master bathroom renovation will have a good mix of custom pieces along with standard stock options. I always hate it when I find a vanity or wall accent I love and it’s custom because I know it’ll be $$$ to find something similar. But for this bathroom, we plan to do a few projects ourselves to save some of that investment.

• Custom Ikea Pax Wardrobes: We plan to install these ourselves after the bulk of the bathroom work is done. They will be trimmed out to look built-in with the rest of the bathroom! Ikea DIY always impresses me.
• Custom vertical shiplap: Instead of wall tile, we are softening the look of the bathroom with vertical shiplap that we plan to install ourselves!
• Custom Vanity + Countertops: This is the one piece I have hired out for. I plan to order a counter top slab with a thick edge like the ones pictured above and those simply cannot be found online. PLUS, I really want very specific storage options in our vanity because we are working with limited storage space. I can’t wait to see my ideas come to life!

We can’t wait to get started on this master bathroom renovation! What are your thoughts on the combined bathroom/closet idea? Let me know below!