Bathroom Reveal
I am so excited to unveil our new bathroom in our historic home in downtown Charleston today! When we bought the house, we knew immediately we wanted to renovate the existing space to make the flow and design our own. It is a smaller space (hello downtown living!), and we were adamant about maximizing space and restructuring the layout of the room – the toilet should not be front and center in the room (see the before photos at the bottom of the post).
We collaborated with our designer, Monica Lavin of Lavin Label, to create a gorgeous space. Monica has the best eye and attention to detail. She selected the sweetest fabrics and really enhanced the space with her gorgeous design elements. She thought of ideas I would have never dreamed up myself. She truly turned it into a haven for us and I feel so grateful our paths crossed.
I knew from experience during our last bathroom renovation that I wanted a basketweave tile for the floor. I worked with Garden State Tile here in Charleston – they have multiple locations throughout the US and a fantastic website that you can shop. I selected the perfect marble basketweave tile for our floors and an elongated subway tile for our shower walls. Garden State was so helpful with measurements, guiding me on the appropriate quantity to order in the event of breakage or accidents, and selecting the proper materials for the shower curb and trim. It was quite helpful that they had the materials I wanted to used already installed in their showroom so that made envisioning the end result a cinch.
When it came to selecting a paint color for the bathroom, naturally I wanted white. In my last house I loved neutrals and tone on tone. I am so glad I listened to Monica here and allowed her to steer me outside of my comfort zone. We landed on Benjamin Moore’s Constellation which is a gorgeous blue color. It allows the white mirror, sconces, and white tile to play perfectly off of the blue wall. Everything in the bathroom was white so blue was the perfect choice. It makes the room so serene. Paint has a way of changing the look, feel and mood of a space.
We selected this vanity with a Carrera marble top for our space. I fell in love with the dovetail detail and really appreciated that the counter and sink came with the vanity verses using three separate vendors to complete the set. It provided ample storage under the sink and six drawers. We had a custom vanity and mirror designed but I ended up liking this design more and it saved us $8000 and lots of time by going this route. Since this isn’t our forever home I decided I would spend that money elsewhere.
I feel like the mirror Monica selected really pulled the room together. I originally thought I would use this mirror, or this one, but once I saw what Monica selected, I just fell in love with the texture and delicateness this white mirror offered. It really opens the space - mirrors really do make small spaces appear larger. You can shop more mirrors here and here. This one is an excellent value.
Lighting really brings a space together. We selected these white sconces that have the cutest name. Monica suggested switching out the standard white shade for something with a pattern and I am so excited for the shades from Sorelle Glen to arrive. We actually just got a Sorelle Glen store here in Charleston on Market Street so be sure to check them out next time you are in town. It is complete eye Candy! These changes had an enormous impact on this space, and it went from a dated bathroom to a showstopper. With the addition of beautiful monogrammed Weezie towels the room really came to life.
There is nothing more luxurious than fresh towels. Even if you are not renovating a bathroom, a set of new bath towels, guest or hand towels can really elevate a space. I love Weezie for my towels for several reasons. 1) They are so soft and absorbent! 2) I love all the options Weezie has to offer for piping and fonts, trim and monogram colors. 3) Each towel has a hidden loop on it so hanging your towel after use is a cinch. It also allows for the towels to dry better and faster. I have tried several luxury towels over the years, and I can assure you Weezie is the best in the business. I also enjoy using their bathmats and robes. And these are great for washing your face when you have makeup to remove. No stains! I selected Weezie’s new scallop trim in light blue for this bathroom. The scallop detail adds the perfect touch of whimsy and charm and with our monogram and that gorgeous detail the truly look like works of art on our wall! Thank you Weezie for gifting me these towels for this space.
When it came time for fixtures and accessories, we went with Moen. I knew I wanted a French widespread facet with white enamel. I even went as far as having the “froid” and “choud” on the handles - French for hot and cold. We selected the Weymouth series by Moen and maintained the same line and style between the shower, faucet, bathtub, and towel bar. Funny story - when our Plummer installed it, he said “Holley, there were some strange words in the box. I think it’s German. I knew you didn’t want those on the faucet, so I’ll throw those out for you.” I laughed and said “No! Those words are French and that’s exactly what I want.” Si amusant.
For the window treatments we had to be creative since we are downtown and neighbor windows are closer than they appear. We needed privacy but also something that allows light to come through We did not want to lose existing natural light so that’s where Monica came in again. She suggested a Roman shade with a cafe curtain. The concept was foreign to me but, once again, I am so delighted I trusted her vision as I truly had tears of joy when they arrived. The Schumacher fabric she selected paired with the ticking stripe (similar here) stole my heart. Each day I am in there I admire the little pom pom tape trim and it makes me smile. Our window treatments were made locally by Island Shade Shoppe. Don’t forget your French return.
The only regret that I have with this project is in the shower. Unfortunately, our original tiler was injured just before our project was getting underway and had to bow out (he is okay!). Being new to town meant we were at the mercy of who our contractor suggested. In hindsight, I wish I would have been more diligent on managing which subway tile pieces he selected when hung the tile. He ended up using a few I would not have selected, and we have a lot left over. I also failed to order the trim for the shower and realized when we were in the middle of the project. I wanted the bullnose trim verses the Schluter trim. But as luck would have it, the bullnose was back ordered for months, and we were already in the middle of the project. Monica was not involved from the beginning of our project as we connected after we were underway, so this just goes to show you investing in help and guidance from the beginning helps you in the long run (lesson learned!). I remind myself that we were new to town, and we wanted to knock this project before we moved in, so we moved fast. The result is fine but that would be my only regret. No one notices it except moi!
ODDS AND ENDS
I am going to share the odds and ends around the bathroom that has made using the space easier and elegant. I selected these hooks for wet towels to go over our glass shower and I really like how they look, and they help maximize space and assist in better drying. (I also like these and these.) They come in different lengths so be sure to measure.
I still need to select some coordinating vanity accessories. I have my eye one these, these, these, and these. I like these for my Q-tips and cotton balls and this waste basket is a steal. Not a fan of a TP holder this is fun! I use this and this for perfumes and catchall which really protects my counter.
We did not need a shower curtain for this bathroom as the shower has a glass door. I had this toile gandmillennial one at my last house and the price is amazing!
To make my baths luxurious I ordered this sweet bath tray to hold candles, books, and my lattes when it’s time to relax. I love this and this for bubble bath/oil.
Bringing nature into your bathroom is a wonderful way to add some versatility. I love having fresh flowers in this bud vase on the vanity and either an orchid or a fern in the window or on a seat.
Here are some before photos of our bathroom. We gutted the bathroom and removed every single detail. Luckily, we were able to reposition the toilet so it would be concealed. Bathrooms and kitchens are the two biggest projects to tackle for resale and I’m extremely happy with how this space turned out. I am looking forward to renovating our other bathroom this year so stay tuned! And I will slowly be rolling out some home posts in addition to fashion finds as we have more home projects to tackle. I’ll do my best to share them, along with some before and after photos.
I hope this post gave you some inspiration. We are so thankful for our designer Monica Lavin. Her ideas have immeasurably helped turn our house into our dream home.