Hello! First of all, if you’re new here WELCOME! I’m Libby, an Interior Designer based in Philadelphia and specialize in beautiful design made for real life. Originally from Denver, I add my west coast aesthetic to historic and classic East Coast homes

This post is part of an 8 week series for the One Room Challenge, where designers and bloggers from all over makeover one space in their home from start to finish. I’m tackling our main bathroom renovation. Thanks for following along, I can’t wait to show you what I have in store. Check back weekly for updates.

Previous Posts: Week One, Week 4

We are 6 weeks into this process and I have to tell you I really thought we would be all but wrapped up. It’s no secret that the industry is messy and things are back-ordered and lost and just sitting in a ship somewhere. And even though I do this for a living, I really thought that I had planned and prepared and ordered everything early enough and that it would all work out. Boy was I wrong.

Being an eternal optimist let’s start with the good news. The good news is it’s really coming together and I love it. All of the design details are working together beautifully, it’s light, it’s bright, it’s charming. It’s all turning out just how I had imagined it.

The bad news is… all of my lighting and my plumbing fixtures are back-ordered, lost, and or sitting on a barge somewhere. And I am sad to report that I don’t think I will get them before the challenge is complete. With that said, however, I will have most of it to show you. We will just have to use some imagination.

Progress

So let’s see how far we’ve come. In my Week 4 post I shared the design boards and elements. Today I’m going to share how it’s all coming together.

First thing we did was lay this awesome herringbone marble tile. We have hex marble tile in our powder room and original square marble tile in our entry and I wanted to bring it to this space as well, but I instead opted for a herring bone pattern. Because I’m shying away from color in the space, I’m really focusing on texture and this was my grounding texture.

Underneath the tile we put down heated floors which is why absolute favorite way to upgrade any tile floor. It’s also my go to when working in an old house that has radiant heat - because those radiators are always in the way!

The walls have been paneled with a 6” tongue and groove board which adds more subtle texture and draws the eye up. This was a decision that I added last minute and something that I think amps up the texture and charm factor in the room and feels right at home in a 1920’s house.

The vanity is in and it’s so pretty and brings a really beautiful neutral color to the space. It’s warm, it’s simple and it’s beautifully made by Village Handcrafted Cabinetry. It feels like a piece of furniture rather than cabinetry and I love it so. We had a little issue with the placement of the plumbing and the installers were able to modify it on site so that it will work perfectly and nobody will know. If you can upgrade to full custom cabinetry in any space, I would highly highly recommend it. And if you’re in Philadelphia Village Handcrafted has been wonderful to work for on every project I’ve worked with them on.

Paint

We painted it the walls Simply White by Benjamin Moore. I typically choose paint last after tile is in and I have good lighting to see how it reacts, but I had to make a quick decision here because the cabinet was being installed and I had to paint behind it. And I think I nailed it! It’s a perfect bright but warm white. All the wall trim and baseboards will be painted the same color in a satin finish. The ceiling is also Simply White but in a ceiling flat. The subtle difference in sheen gives it that added dimension.

We started on the shower and have begun tiling with the handcrafted white tile from Alexander James (use code Sharp15 for 15% any order). I originally was dying to use a white zellige tile on the walls, but it just was putting us a little too far over budget. I love the variation and the handmade quality of zeolite tile, but the handcrafted white gives a lot of the same vibe and when I saw it in I absolutely loved it. It has all the variation, a touch of sheen that brings an additional texture to the space. They will be grouted with a bright white. We did a tall niche with one shelf. My original dream was to have a big long one that spanned 2/3 of the wall. But remember from week 4 - the chimney crushed that dream as well.

We went with a horizontal stacked pattern. I really toiled with this decision. I knew I wanted to bring something interesting to the space and not go with a regular brick pattern but rather a stacked pattern - but I couldn’t decide on horizontal or vertical. So… I had my husband make the decision. And I think he did a great job. It’s going to play nicely with the horizontal tongue and groove and bring the eye up to accentuate the 9ft ceilings.

We grouted in a bright white with a 1/8” spacer. This tile not only has a variation in color but also have a more handmade feel so the edges aren’t straight. I wanted to have a bit of a grout line, but not too thick

To make sure we got the size right I measured all my shampoo bottles to make sure everything fit. We went with a marble wrap on the inside and the one shelf in Carrara marble. Inspiration below

Countertop Template

One of the things that I chose months ago was a countertop remnant. I went to Cosmos Marble and Granite here in the Philadelphia area, who I use for most of my projects and went hunting for a veiny marble. My original idea was something a little bold and very veiny. Well, they didn’t quite have what I was looking for and I began to think about it more. And although I am a #naturalstone enthusiast and always recommend it for it’s beauty that quartz just can’t replicate. I wanted nothing more than marble for counters, but then I had flashbacks of walking into the old bathroom a few days prior to see a saturated cotton ball used by my 11 year old daughter to take off red nail polish and left smack dab on the countertop. GASP. I clutched my pearls as the idea of that happening to my beautiful veiny marble and I have to admit, it shook me to my core.

But I think it was fate. I found a super cool quartz alternative. It’s a wam neutral quartz with subtle veining, but it wasn’t the pattern that struck me it was the thickness. It’s only 1/2” thick, which is typically used for shower walls or fireplaces or sleek modern kitchens. I was so intrigued by the idea of switching it and mixing the more modern style with the classic elements and pull the trigger. I wanted to bring this unique twist to the countertop and decided I would also like to pull that countertop up the wall with a taller decorative backsplash. When they came out to template we decided to do a 6” backsplash with 2” radius cuts on the corner. The lavatory faucet that has not yet arrived has a low profile classic look. I didn’t want to go too big with the backsplash, but the typical 4” wouldn’t quite work. So 6” it was.

And just for fun… on the weekends I have been cleaning it up as nice as I can and putting a rug down. It just makes it nicer when I walk by and I’m able to keep the door open to bring light into the hallway. Maybe that’s kind of crazy, but I polled my friends on Instagram and they helped me pick a rug for when it’s complete. What do you think?

Accessories

Even though my plumbing fixtures and lights are MIA for now. That didn’t stop me from getting some cool accessories to begin the process of finishing off the space. Shop the look below.

Next Up

Next up we finish off the trim work with baseboards and a very thin crown trim at the top. The niche will be finished and the tile will get finish getting grouted and plumbing will be installed. Because we are waiting for all our plumbing fixtures we decided to get a stand in faucet. The plumber will be coming to instal that next week. This way we can get at least half of it working so we can begin to get back to normal while I hope and wish that my fixtures arrive. Wish me luck🤞🏻

Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest and check out the rest of the ORC participants as they redesign their spaces!

Real Life. Well Designed.

Sharp + Grey Interiors is a full-service interior design studio specializing in creating beautiful yet highly livable spaces that feel as curated to how our clients live, as they are to their personal tastes and style. Sharp + Grey offers a wide variety of flexible design options, from full-service interior design where we do it all, to consultations and custom E-design services that give you the ideas or design plans to install your design project yourself. With a focus on creativity and collaboration, Sharp + Grey Interiors can help you create a home you love with fresh and inspired design made for real life.