Our 1950s cape cod style home was purchased from its original owners. While in great condition, you can imagine there was work to be done. Since we had just given the bank all of our money, we had to focus on the projects that really needed to get done. For us that meant our modern farmhouse bathroom renovation was on hold.
We bought a house, but how do we make it a home?
When we bought our house in 2015, we were very lucky that nothing major needed to be done before we could move in. Nothing more then some fresh paint and we were in. We were married less than a year, and buying a home after a large Long Island wedding, which we paid for on our own, was a major accomplishment. It also meant that my dream Pinterest home would have to wait until we could afford to update each and every room.
Learning to live with what you have.
It’s hard living in a home when something doesn’t feel like “yours”. No matter how much I cleaned it, it always felt dirty to me. Maybe it was because the floor tile reminded me of my high school gym locker room. I didn’t take any pride in it. To be honest, I was embarrassed of it, because it was THAT bad. Did I mention our tub had tiles with crustaceans on it? I wish I was kidding.
We had to decide what was a “must do” and what could wait.
Before we moved in, our bedroom, living room, and kitchen got fresh coat of paint and that was it. We just gave the bank all of our money, there wasn’t enough left to start ripping down walls and demoing every outdated room. Our first big project was supposed to be the bathroom but then life happened. Year after year this project kept getting put on the back burner.
The process of designing our modern farmhouse bathroom.
This past September, the renovation began, which meant most of July and August was spent finding a contractor, and spending hours on Pinterest, pinning all the ideas and inspiration I could find. I created small “vision boards” of details I loved.
Inspiration was a timeless modern farmhouse feel.
I wanted white shaker cabinets with black fixtures and hardware but I also wanted to make sure what I chose I wouldn’t be sick of in a few years. Subway tile is timeless and has a great price point. The tile we chose cost only 35 cents each, and you would never know it. For the floor we went with a light gray hexagon tile from Floor & Decor. I love the look of white grout, especially against white subway tile, but the upkeep is just too much, so we decided on a light gray for both the walls and floor.
Some of the details…
In place of a medicine cabinet, we went with a black rimmed mirror, which I found on amazon. Another great amazon find was the shelves behind the mirror. Tiling up to the ceiling behind the mirror was a simple detail that made a huge impact. Rather than just a plain painted wall, the beveled tile created the perfect accent wall. Speaking of paint, we chose Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore.
Speaking of accent walls, my favorite part of the bathroom has to be the back wall of the shower. If you remember I said I wanted timeless, something I wouldn’t get sick of, but that didn’t mean I wanted boring. I saw a photo on Pinterest and knew I wanted to recreate it. So while the entire bathroom is tiled in a traditional subway pattern, inside the shower wall is a herringbone pattern with a niche to hold our shower toiletries. We brought in a mini hexagon tile for the niche to pull in the hexagon pattern from the floor.
Sometimes you have to spend a little more.
The vanity and linen cabinet were custom made from a local cabinet maker. The bathroom is narrow, and finding a stock vanity that made the most of the space was impossible. While this did cost a little more, it was worth every penny. We now have plenty of space, and do not miss having a medicine cabinet at all. Since this was not a stock vanity, we did have to purchase a countertop separately and went with a white quartz with gray veining.
In the end the renovation took a little over four weeks from start to finish. Showering with crustaceans for five years was worth it to end up with the modern farmhouse bathroom of my dreams.
Beautifully done! Total transformation!