I found using houzz.com to be a really handy way to organize the entire remodeling process. They have a project tool that helps you break down all the tasks for your project into a checklist. You can also import pictures and add links to your products that you are picking and keep track of prices. I liked how the list was broken down into phases that helped a novice remodeler think about aspects of the project that someone might not be familiar with. It was a very educational process.

One thing I will say is that doing a project like this with your partner is no easy task. I started early by showing Matt pictures and prices for things that I liked. Then we went to Floor and Decor to look at tile as a family. This was awesome because we were able to see tile in person, touch it, and get an idea of what it would look like in our space.

Once I had the general idea for what we both liked I ordered tile samples sent directly to our house. That way we could see them in our space and with our natural light. We ended up picking black hexagon limestone tile for the floor, and grey subway tile for walls. I decided on a darker grey grout color for the walls because I didn’t want the grout to fade and look dirty all the time like our previous grout did. I chose a lighter grey grout for the floor so that the design would be more apparent.

To save costs, we decided to choose all our own materials. The one thing that was staying was the vintage milk glass orb light that my friend and coworker, Nicole, had given me from her parent’s house in Florida. That pendant light was really the inspiration for the entire look and feel of the bathroom. We had decided to also keep the larger wall length original mirror and mirrored 1950’s light that went above it. Unfortunately, the contractor accidentally threw out the mirror and the light that went above it so we ended up having to go with something new. Don’t worry, I made the best of that situation.

Aside from the tile, the vanity was the most costly thing we purchased. I was originally looking at having a custom vanity made from Kerf Design. I’ve always loved their work and it was my dream to have all new cabinets made by them for this house. It wasn’t long before I realized the cost of the vanity would be half my budget for bathroom if I went that route so I ended up ordering our walnut vanity with sink and quartz cabinet from Houzz. One thing I will say about going this route with a countertop is that very often walls in an old home are not absolutely straight. The countertop with be cut at perfect 90 degree angles so to make up for this your contractor will have to fill in the space with caulk. It would for sure be better to have the counter top sourced locally and measured and installed correctly.

The work took about two weeks all together and we were very happy with the finished results. I’m sure my contractor thought I was annoying with my questions, text messages, and drawings that I left for him. He really was so patient with me and his work was so beautiful.

Here’s how it turned out.

Two things I would change if I could do this all again. First, I would choose porcelain tile for the floor instead of stone. It’s more durable, and doesn’t need to be sealed. Also, because the stone is so thick and sharp, you can really feel the grooves between the stones and the grout. I would have liked a tile that had more of a rounded edge that was more flush with the grout so that things wouldn’t get stuck in between the tile. Second, I would have picked a lighter grout color for the shower tile as we feel that it is too contrasty and would have liked it better if the pattern was more subtle. But these are things you really don’t learn about until you do a project like this. So all in all the bathroom has turned into a beautiful retreat and we are so happy!