Hi Everyone,
Today, we’re nearing the end of the renovation shopping list and focusing on the primary bathroom and everything that went into it.
Please note: This post was originally published in June 2025 but has been updated with new content featuring the final floor plan.
Yes, the final floor plan– as it was built!
While there was an architect’s drawing, when it came to many of the details, it really wasn’t necessary because I made many drawings clarifying, or stood there cracking the whip. haha However, they were helpful for me to create those explanatory drawings and also to satisfy the building department before we got the building permit.
I have made some edits to that post, as well, but I am leaving it where it is with the link to it, above. (The link to that post is also at the end. It’s a fun post and goes over the giant surprise we discovered after the staircase had gone in and we were about to move the egress door. I’ll post another link to it later on because it’s worth reading.
Okay, for now, we’re ready to go on our bathroom journey.
Today, standing near the doorway to the bedroom, the view into the bathroom looks like this. (below)
I can’t tell you how much I love this. The entry is smoky and mysterious, and the bathroom looks like it’s been there for 100 years!
Gosh, I just had a flashback to this image of Barbara Barry’s incredible living room back in 1994.
But, look how it is still influencing my design decisions.
Back then, I stared at this image for dozens of hours.
And the one below. Barbara married classicism and 1930s-influenced furnishings with her signature muddy greens, and the result was like nothing I had ever seen.
Above is a slightly different angle of the beautiful bathroom and entry last summer. I can’t believe how much it feels like Barbara’s home from 1994!
However, in June 2023, shortly before demolition began, the view into my bathroom looked like this.
To the left was where the spiral staircase was, along with a small space the previous owner used as a tiny office.
Well, Laurel, the bathroom looks like it has been there a while, so time for an update anyway, right?
Yes, it looks that way, but in reality, when I moved in, the bathroom was at most five years old.
It was a standard, generic early-21st-century bathroom design. I was grateful for the storage after my teensy bathroom in Bronxville, but the space felt sterile and somewhat on the cheap side. The lighting was also awful.
Additionally, there were four types of gray stone in a small space.
The only thing that appealed to me was the shower tile. Because I needed to be careful financially, I decided to keep the shower as it was, except for removing the frosted glass panel in favor of a short wall that would create the vanity niche.
Like every other aspect of the renovation, I gave the new bathroom design a tremendous amount of thought.
I did feel bad about ripping out a bathroom that was only about five years old. However, the wall between the bathroom and the entry had to come down. The entry needed to be seven feet wide, and it was currently only 5′-4″.
Could I have kept the bathroom design as it was and simply done a smaller vanity?
Yes, but that would have meant placing the toilet almost directly opposite the entry. And really, who wants to walk in facing the toilet? I already had that situation in New York, but there was no choice there.
The doorway was directly opposite the right side of the vanity. The new wall cuts off 18″ of that vanity. In theory, we could have done a 36″ vanity, but I wasn’t fond of the floor, and the closet was occupying space that should have been devoted to the bathroom.
Therefore, I decided a new bathroom design was the way to go.
Below is a scale floor plan showing the entire garden level layout. I left out the built-in cabinet in the small space to the left of the spiral.
I hated the layout, including the huge closet that did nothing to help me stay organized.
Below is the aforementioned floor plan, which I spent hours on getting it to be as accurate as possible. I also added most of the furniture, except for the console table in the entry.
Actually, looking at this, it could be a separate post because there are a few areas that could’ve been tweaked; nothing terrible, however. I mean, scroll back up and look at my New York bathroom.
Below were some conceptual bathroom designs.
Never mind that I didn’t actually have this much space. The niche is only four feet wide, plus an additional eight inches for the frame, that created a niche and room for storage.
Both of these areas above and below would’ve required at least one more foot than I have.
In theory, I could’ve taken a foot from the entry, but I’m so glad I didn’t because it’s not necessary for the bathroom, but the four-foot wide walkway was essential because of the washer/dryer.
When it came time to frame the bathroom, I had a meeting with Brendan, the lead carpenter, to discuss how to approach the vanity area.
I remember asking whether I should do it the way it is or an alternate way. He reminded me that one day he wouldn’t be around anymore, and I would be the one living with it. At the time, it felt like the guys were never going to leave. But, of course, they have.
This is not the exact plan, but it’s close.
The final version looks like this. (below)
An elevation of the final version of my bathroom below
Well, there’s no shower door– yet. One day, hopefully, there will be.
And then…
The wallboard went up in one day just before the Christmas holiday break in 2023. I walked downstairs and was only slightly horrified.
Stay calm, Laurel. This is only the first layer of skin.
What I didn’t know at that point was that the floor had a two-inch slope. However, I had already decided in August 2023 to install hardwood flooring throughout.
Even though I was already having second thoughts about the floor, I stayed the course.
Unfortunately.
Shortly after the plaster was applied, the new floor was installed, and the team added the beautiful ceiling mouldings. This happened in January and February, during the door debacle in the entry.
You will find the links to all of the finishes in the upcoming widget.
However, at this point, the renovation began to drag on and on…
In March and April, the crew worked perhaps ten days in total. In some ways, I appreciated the break, but I also wanted the project finished.
Above,e you can see one of the niches that would eventually receive a hidden door. I should probably have added a door for the top panel as well, but by that point, the hidden doors had taken so long that I was grateful for anything!
The only other building snafu involved the hidden doors on the opposite wall. You can see the post about the hidden doors here.
The problem in May 2024 was that the doors were off-center.
It is important to remember that in real life, I never notice that the doors are off-center.
It’s where the ladder is. It could have been two inches wider, but the framing didn’t allow it. That’s the thing when building something you’ve never done before. If we could rehearse projects beforehand, life would be much easier.
One of the major corrections involved the bathroom floor.
When the weather warmed in mid-June, the wood floor became noticeably spongy and clearly sloped. That’s when the truth came out about the floor. One of the carpenters let it slip. The slope from the entry door to the back of the toilet was nearly three inches.
After debating it for a few weeks, I realized I would regret not fixing it in the bathroom. In the entry, it’s barely perceptible, and if anything, slopes are expected in antique homes. However, the bathroom was too much and tiled floors need a perfectly flat floor. In the end, it wasn’t a huge ordeal. I love the final floor and am very glad we fixed it.
Here’s how I came up with the tile design.
However, I ultimately simplified the floor design.
Okay… now we’ll do a little Titanic-esque scene where the wreck magically returns to its former glory.
fade…
Hard to believe, isn’t it?
It’s time to review the specifics with lighting, plumbing and fixtures in the primary bathroom.
The embrasure doors outside the bathroom allow the niche to become part of the bathroom when closed.
That was one of the reasons I initially chose a white painted wood floor. A stained brown floor would look strange when the doors are closed because it would clash with the tile.
Yes, the pipe should have a polished nickel cover like the bottom portion. I tried. It never happened.
Actually, I’ve come to like the raw look as it makes it look like it’s been here for a century. Some visitors actually believe the bathroom is original to the house. That’s the nicest compliment possible.
Below is a link back to the design process.
The sconces are fantastic, but required rewiring, which meant removing all the glass rods. The electrician spent three hours reassembling them and installing them on the wall. When he finished, he hissed at me. Therefore, I did not include a direct link.
I purchased them on Etsy, and I believe the seller has opened another shop for unsuspecting victims. I did include some good substitutes in the widget.
Note: I adore Etsy, but as outlined here, there are things to watch out for.
The faucet is from Watermark, and this is the source where I purchased it.
The story of the vanity and the polished nickel base
Unfortunately, the base is now discontinued. I managed to purchase one of the last remaining units in May 2024.
Another renovation update here:
Below is the short video tour of the bathroom.
Below is the widget with everything in the bathroom and entry
Again, here is the link to look at the post that reviews the lower-level entry.
I hope you enjoyed learning more about my primary bathroom!
xo,
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Related Posts
Laurel’s Home Renovation 2024 – News & Deets!
Architectural Details That Will Elevate Your Rooms – Parts 1 & 2
The First Renovation Tour Of The Upstairs Living Areas! (Parts 1 & 2)
14 month Renoversary! and I’m Back In My Bedroom!
May Day 2024 – The Embrasure Doors are Fully Installed!
Renovation News and Deets!
22 Renovation Mistakes No One Bothered to Warn You About (Until Now)
32 Responses
Such beautiful items in the widget you created. I have bathroom envy! I can only dream of having one that looks like yours. Ours is really nice with custom finishes (we did not build the home) and it looks perfect for our home. It’s just that we live in a southwest-style home in the Arizona desert. I definitely live in the wrong place, because the architecture that I love is more like your home. I have secret dreams of living in a 1800s French manor house (or I’d even take une petite maison de campagne)! Maybe one day, but in the meantime, I do love where we live! Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you!
The entire space is classic and classy (synonymous terms in my book). Thanks for sharing your personal space and experience.
Thanks for your kind words, Mary!
Laurel, Your bathroom is magnificent (really the whole renovation!). All the effort and care that you put in really shows.
I was shocked at how hard it was for you to get things done correctly -even with all the extra drawings and you being there to answer questions. Especially because you are in a large city with more resources.
Do you think a non-designer could ever get high quality work or would they need a hands-on designer throughout the whole project?
Hi Maggie,
I don’t know for sure. There’s a range of prices for contractors in Boston. The super-big jobs that maybe start at a million or more are usually handled by one of the design-build firms.
It’s one-stop shopping including every aspect such as architectural services, product management, and interior design. I realized based on the quotes my neighbor had for his 5×7 bathroom from two of these companies that, that was going to be way outside my budget. How much? $63,000 in 2021 for that small bathroom.
My GC is used to doing standard renovations like my old bathroom looked like. Everything came from Home Depot. That’s not an absolute but probably 90% of what he does. The subs just want to get in, get on, and get out. They don’t want to do something that requires anything extra. Again, not all. Some of the subs really went the extra mile. Jerry Kenneally worked very hard to make the stair railing as good as can be. Ugh, he too, had to deal with the slightly sloping floor. I never notice upstairs and it’s not as bad as downstairs, but bad enough that it required the end to be redone.
Living in New York, I never had these kinds of problems with my client-work except one guy walked off the job and when it was 90% finished, but I had nothing to do with him.
Laurel, I know this comment is really late vis a vis your original date of the post about your completed bathroom. I’ve had out-of-town guests for almost two months and had over 3,000 emails in my in box to go through. I finally just started mass deleting and praying there was nothing in there that was really important 🙂
Everything about your bathroom, and your entire renovation, is extraordinary and beautiful. It makes me feel transported back to a kinder, gentler time. I just wanted to say if the black pipe under your vanity is bothering you, can’t you find a nickel-toned metal paint and paint it yourself? I have used Rub & Buff for years and I think they have a silverish, nickelish color. I use it all the time to refinish thrift store frames and they turn out great. I hope you’re enjoying your “new” and gorgeous space!
Thanks so much, Cynthia. I am enjoying my place, more than I ever dreamed possible.
Love how your design balances budget-conscious updates with thoughtful fixture selection—especially the lighting and layout improvements. Inspiring and practical!
Absolutely love this; I’ve been doing my research on bathrooms as I’m about to bite the bullet to get ours done! so nerve-wracking but reading this has inspired me and a few things!
Okay I am very invested in your remodel and I want to say that I think you would be amazing on tik tok if you aren’t already! You could go through your old archives of reader questions and then use your old bank of photos because tik tok is so fleeting that you wouldn’t get sued by these crooks. You could also post about all the drama with your remodel because people go crazy for that on tik tok. I think it’s all very profitable as well. Okay that’s my 2 cents
Hi April,
I have a TikTok account but have never posted. The problem is one of time, energy and focus. This is why I had to stop taking clients. Every day, I woke up and wanted to throw up. I’m not exaggerating.
As it is, I am frequently struggling, and always looking for ways to lighten my load. I wish I could be one of these people with a “team,” but in order to do that, someone would have to manage the team.
The other thing is that TikTok was shut down for a few days. All social media is precarious. The safest bet is to keep the bulk on a website they own.
The Internet is truly like the wild west. In the last few days while researching colors, I have found myself at the top of the page in the AI search results. That’s great, right?
Well, it would be except in every listing, in BOLD LETTERS they cited from my blog something I did not say. Therefore, I sound like a total idiot who has no idea what they are talking about. If folks click through, they will find what I did say.For example, if several colors are discussed, they’ll say the closest match to Down Pipe is another color that I said was the closet match to a color that is not Down Pipe!
Your bathroom is FAB! when will you give us the 411 on the floor and the shower? Enjoy your new home!
Love your en suite bathroom! You told us about the Buff N Rub stuff. I didn’t know about it but immediately bought some and redid the base of a couple of vintage lamps. Could you touch up that chrome pipe the same way? (If it bothers you).
Hi Liz,
No, I don’t really notice it, and even if I did, it kind of gives it an antique look.
Hi Laurel,
Your bathroom is beautiful. Does having an outlet to the left of your sink pose a problem for you? It’s weird that that is the first thing I noticed. Since I’m right handed it would be inconvenient for me to plug in my blow dryer. #firstworldproblems 😂
I was admiring your rendering & noticed the pretty blue runner. Are you still planning on getting one?
Love the lamp shades.
What I find fascinating is how much shite you went through to at last achieve results that look simple and effortlessly elegant. Everything looks like it’s supposed to. How do we know that? I don’t know. But if you know, you know. Pure class.
I’m so glad you are feeling better. And I’m very happy to see that you still have your cute rust lamps. Not everything has to be new and “on trend”. Having objects that are personal and unique add so much interest. Your home is not for a magazine shot for the masses. It’s for you! I have objects from different countries we have visited or gifts from friends that don’t fit perfectly, but having them in my home makes me happy. Thank you for sharing your lovely home with us!
Regarding the bathroom floor, you made the right decision to rip out the wood floor, have the floor leveled and new tile installed. Sometimes during a lengthy remodeling process, one experiences remodeling fatigue, and it is tempting to not do something drastic to correct a noticeable and functional problem. Hats off to you for biting the bullet and getting it done right. The bathroom turned out beautifully and was so worth the extra effort expense.
You have such great talent in space planning and appropriate scale for spaces. I enjoy reading about your thought process when you reconfigure a space to make it more functional. I think architectural firms should have competent space planners on their staff. Sadly, many don’t.
Thanks so much, Janet. I’m so glad I did too. I knew it was going to be a colossal mistake to have a wood floor and fixing it later would’ve been impossible without removing the toilet and vanity, plus baseboard mouldings.
This is fabulous. It is amazing how many decisions go into bathroom design. It is so helpful to hear you talk about the things that aren’t perfect but not worth worrying about and why. I love that you are going to put art in the bathroom; I love art in every room no matter the function. I have lived with sinks such as yours and the undermount variety with store countertops. I have to say I love the former so much better. They just seem easier to keep clean or at least look that way. Thanks for sharing all the details.
I know it was a gargantuan effort, but the makeover is spectacular! Take a bow.
Glad your day will end with a fresh new “do”.
It is absolutely gorgeous! It is wonderful that you put so much thought into it because it shows the attention to detail that makes this not just a bathroom but almost a work of art. Small? maybe, but oh so luxurious! Thank you for all the ideas as well. I might not have all the design knowledge but I am learning!
What a difference! It’s absolutely beautiful! Just like your kitchen. Kudos to you and your wonderful sense of design!
So worth it! Beautiful!
Thank you, Lorene. I do need to put up some art in the bathroom. I will share more soon.
Beautiful! It’s so fun to remember all the stresses “we” endured together as you made these decisions. As soon as I saw the bathroom floor tile, I remember your asking for our preferences on the design. It is unbelievable what an amazing transformation you have orchestrated. I’m so glad you are enjoying it.
Hi Beverly,
I think that was one of those instances where I had decided, but wanted to know what y’all thought. The reason I didn’t choose a Greek Key border corner was because I thought I was doing the checkerboard floor. I still might and the plain border is fine, in any case.
Hi Laurel,
I’ve come to realize renovations are like a pregnancy. After you give birth to a beautiful space you forget all about the pain. 😂
I don’t recall what mess the tile guy made. Did you ever tell us about that?
Hi Mary,
Yes, it is a lot like giving birth and forgetting. What happened with the guy who did the floor tile is he had to cut a lot of the tiles and the only place he could put his wet saw was outside on my patio. All good. He installed at least 75% of the tile on the first day, but bummer, it began to rain after he had been here for about three hours. So, the only other place he could go was in the common hall.
I didn’t realize he was going to leave all of his stuff out there. I should’ve contacted my neighbors to apologize in anticipation of complaints, but I didn’t and got in trouble.(I don’t blame them) It was okay after I explained the next day what had happened and that he was leaving in an hour.
Loved your inspired Titanic reference! I remember the bathroom floor debacle and your graceful recovery where you invited us to vote on your designs. Must seem like another era after all you have done. The transformation of your space is nothing short of miraculous.
Hi Randy,
I think what helped in many ways was my horrible sleep schedule, and the fact, I just hung out in my room 90% of the time the guys were here. And then, they left at 3:00. Of course, the place was filthy no matter what I did to try and keep up with the dust. The other thing that made it bearable was that after I moved back, within three weeks, I had a fully functioning kitchen and everything but the sink when I did move back.