I am positively giddy to share some of the behind the scenes photos of how this master bath came to be for 2 reasons. First, because I want to show a bit of the process of how we get from "we need a new bathroom" to "we LOVE our new bathroom!" Second, because I got to work with friends on this, and working with friends is my favorite.
The owners of this fantastic 1925 Craftsman Bungalow are my pals, Alex and Stacey. Alex and I have been friends for (gasp!) 13 YEARS since we attended TCU together. Alex was a runner on the TCU track team with my hubby and is generally the happiest and most easy going person I know (which, let me tell you, makes for a GREAT client). Stacey is his brand new bride and she is lovely and generous and kind and puts you instantly at ease.
And when I say brand new bride, I mean brand new. These crazy kids were married just a few weeks ago, and only 2 weeks after we wrapped construction on their bathroom. Not quite down to the wire, but pretty darn close! If their goal was to cram as many life events together as possible, I think I helped them achieve it.
Their house was originally a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom house, and as with many older homes, it has been added onto and renovated in some strange ways over the years. The master bedroom had a random sitting room (study? former nursery? model train hobby room? who knows) attached to it. We grabbed this space and converted it into a master bath and closet.
Once we had the floor plan nailed down and measurements taken, we talked style. After a bit of chatting, I developed a series of Vision Boards for them to translate what I had heard them say they wanted, and then took it up a notch.
These boards became our design road map. Once I got the A-OK, we selected and ordered and thew hammers. Well, the contractor threw hammers. I know my limits.
Here’s the room before. Please excuse the grainy, nasty, yellow tone iPhone photos. They do make for a more drastic before/after though.
Oh hey Alex and Stacey! We removed the doorway that the happy couple is standing in, which led from the main living area into the sitting room, and in its place located the WC. (WC means water closet, aka the loo, aka the toilet room, and is a great word to use when you’re avoiding saying things like “toilet.”)
But what a lovely toilet it is.
This wall had 2 windows before, one of which would have been looking RIGHT in the shower if we hadn’t done something about it. Yowza. We took out that window and replaced the other window, taking the opportunity to resize it a bit to look just right over the tub.
See, no more window!
Much better.
This opening led from the “sitting room” into the master bedroom. We closed that up and added a door.
Bathroom doors: preserving the mystery for married couples for a hundred years.
The closest doubled in size. And because this is a crazy old house, the closet was in the sitting room, and not the bedroom. Relocating the door to the closet into the master bedroom allowed us the space for a double vanity rather than a single.
And the closet after. The stuff of dreams.
Well, there you have it. The short version of how you take a random sitting room and transform it into your dream bathroom in 3 months time.
I couldn't help but share some photos from the wedding festivities.
We spent the majority of the evening on the dance floor. While I was hot and sweaty, my red face is actually due to some pretty wicked DJ lighting. Also, lace is trending, in case you didn't know.
Look at these two! Don't they look beautiful and happy?! I bet they were thinking about their new bathroom. Crazy kids.
And because this is my blog and I do what I want, a photo of Alex and me from waaaaaaay back in the day. Remember when taking selfies involved reaching your hand out really far with an actual camera and hoping for the best? I do. Also, maybe I should cut my hair short again. And I wish I still had that dress.
A huge thanks to Alex and Stacey for letting me help in this renovation and share the story. I wish you many happy years of marriage and luxurious baths (in the most non-creepy way possible).
Click here to see the rest of the after images from bungalow bathroom.
Wedding photo courtesy of Joseph Mark Photography.
