My Bathroom Design– Architecture, Lighting, Vanity, & More Parts 1&2

Hi Everyone,

Today we are finishing up with the bathroom design. We will look at the light fixtures, vanity, faucet, mirror, toilet and seat, and the shower tile. I’ll link sources for everything plus some alternative ideas, some that will give you the same look for less money.

If you’ve already read part 1 please click the link below to skip ahead. However, if you’re here for the first time or wish to review please read from the top.

 

Part 2 Begins Here

 

Hi Everyone,

Today, we will begin looking at the primary bathroom design. However, this will be a two or three-part post.

Once upon a time, before June 2023, the view into my bathroom looked like this.

 

To the left was where the spiral staircase was as well as a space the previous owner used as a tiny office.

Well, Laurel, the bathroom looks like it had 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 three years old.

It’s your standard, generic, early 21st-century bathroom design. I was happy to have the storage after my teensy bathroom in Bronxville, but this bathroom, although new, felt sterile and on the cheap side. The lighting was awful, too.

 

Additionally, there were four types of gray stone in a small space.

 

The only thing that appealed to me was the shower tile. And since I needed to be cautious with my finances, I decided to keep the shower as is, except for removing the frosted glass panel in favor of a short wall that would serve as the vanity niche.

 

 

Like every other aspect, I gave the new bathroom design a tremendous amount of thought.

 

I felt bad about having to rip out a bathroom that was only about five years old; however, the wall had to come down between the bathroom and the entry area. The entry required a width of seven feet, and it was currently 5′-4″.

 

Could I have kept the bathroom design as it was and done a smaller vanity?

 

Yes, but it would have meant a toilet almost directly opposite the entry. I mean, who wants to walk in facing the toilet. I already had that in New York, but there was no choice.

 

The doorway was directly opposite the right side of the vanity. The new wall cuts off 18″ of this vanity. So, in theory, we could’ve done a 36″ vanity.

 

However, I wasn’t fond of the floor and the fact that the closet occupied 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, the huge closet, which did nothing to help me be more organized.

 

Below are some conceptual bathroom designs.

 

Never mind that I did not have this much space. The niche is only four feet wide, plus an additional 8 inches for the frame.

 

 

When it came time to frame the bathroom, I had a meeting with Brendan, the lead carpenter, to discuss exactly how we would approach the vanity area.

I remember asking him if I should do it one way or an alternate way. He reminded me that one day he wouldn’t be here anymore, and I was the one who would have to live with it. So, it was up to me to decide what I wanted.

This is not the exact plan, but it’s close. I’ll try and find that for you later.

 

The drawing above is one I did for my architect. His design had more glass. But, the final version (below) did end up being very close to my design.

And then…

 

The wallboard went up in one day, just before the Christmas Holiday break in 2023. I walked down and was only slightly horrified. Stay calm, Laurel. These are only the bones and the first layer of skin.

What I didn’t know at this point was that the floor had a two-inch slope. However, I had decided in August 2023 to do hardwood flooring everywhere.

 

Even though I was already having second thoughts about that decision, I stayed the course.

 

Unfortunately.

 

Shortly after the plaster was applied, the new floor was installed, and the team installed the beautiful mouldings on the ceiling. This was in January and February, during the door debacle in the entry.

 

However, the renovation began to drag on.

 

In March and April, the guys put in a total of maybe ten days. In some ways, I was grateful for the respite. However, I also just wanted it to be over.

Above, you can see one of the niches that would eventually get a hidden door. I should’ve also done a door for the top panel. However, it took the guys so long to do all of the hidden doors that I was grateful for anything!

 

The only other building snafu is the hidden doors on the opposite wall.

 

It’s where the ladder is. It could’ve been two inches wider. However, the framing didn’t allow for that.  That’s the thing when building something one has never done before. If we could do a rehearsal of sorts, it would be so much better. In any case, lots of things had to be redone.

 

One of them was the floor.

 

When the weather began to get warm in mid-June, the wood floor was terribly spongy and obviously on a slope. Then, the truth came out about the sloping floor.

It was so awful, but after debating a few weeks, I knew I would deeply regret not fixing the floor. In the end, of all of the debacles, that one was not a big deal, except the tile guy made a mess in the common hall. Still, I love my tile floor and so happy I had it done.

I had seen these mats that looked like tile and was able to superimpose one on my rendering, and then it all came together.

 

 

However, I decided to simplify the floor design.

 

 

Okay… Now, we will do a little Titanic-esque submersible scene where the decayed ship is restored to its former glory through the storytelling of the fictional Rose.

 

fade…

 

It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?

Okay, I need to stop here for now. I’ll be back soon!

 

xo,

 

***Please check out the recently updated and fantastic extended Fourth of July HOT SALES!

 

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Part 2 Begins Here

 

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Hi Everyone,

Okay, we’re going to review the lighting, plumbing, and fixtures in the primary bathroom, for real.

However, most of it will be me talking in a video coming up. And then there will be a widget with everything discussed, plus some other items that are either similar or, in some cases, offer a similar look for less money.

 

Before we get into the bathroom design and fixtures:

 

Someone boldly commented that the lower entry looked like Halloween because of the “orange” lampshades.

 

Well, they’re not orange; they’re a rust color when the light is on, a very small accent in the space. I’ve had these lamps for 25 years and I still like them. Yes, the shades are a bit funky, but they blend in and provide some much-needed light.

 

Okay, onto the bathroom design for real.

 

Below is a longer shot, which shows a bit of the central ceiling and the embrasure door just outside the bathroom. However, when those doors are closed, the niche that’s formed becomes part of the bathroom, not the hall.

 

That was one of the reasons I originally opted for a wood floor. Painting the floor white ensures that it will blend in with the tile floor.  So, for those complaining about the hardwood floor not being stained brown, think about how odd that would look when the bathroom doors were closed.

 

I’ll bring that image down again so you can see.

 

Below is a closer view of the vanity in its niche with hidden storage.

 

Yes, the pipe should have a nickel cover like the bottom part. I tried. It never happened. Alas, let’s just say it adds to the ” it’s been here for a long time look,” instead of the new-build look. People have been fooled into thinking what’s new is 150 years old. That’s the best compliment anyone could give.

 

Below is a link that will take you back to the design process.

 

Finalizing the Primary Bathroom Design (Parts 1 & 2)

Below is a shot with the shower lights on. The WC lights are also on that switch. They are not nearly as bright as they look.

 

 

Below is a tighter close-up, which allows you to see the primary elements of the sink area more clearly.

 

The sconces are very cool, but I had to send them to get rewired, which meant taking out the glass rods. The electrician spent three hours reassembling them and installing them on the wall. He hissed at me when he was finished. Therefore, I didn’t include a link for them. I got them on Etsy and I believe the guy opened up a new shop for some other suckers. I’ve included some good substitutes in the upcoming widget.

Note: I adore Etsy, However, as outlined in this post, I listed some things to look out for so you can avoid a bad experience.

The faucet is from Watermark, and this is the source from where I got it.

 

Below is the story of how I found the beautiful vanity and polished nickel base.

 

Sorry, the base is now discontinued. I purchased one of the last remaining ones in May 2024, and it was touch and go whether it would still be available.

 

Finding The Elusive, (Way Cool) Bathroom Console Vanity

 

Below is another update during the final creation of the primary bathroom.

 

Hardwood Floor and Primary Bathroom Update!

As promised, I’ve created a short video about the primary bathroom design and its various elements. Anything not mentioned is in the widget.

 

If you cannot see it, it means you have an ad blocker that needs to be turned off.

 

 

Below is the widget that shares everything in the bathroom except for some of the floor tile and mouldings.

 

 

Okay, that’s all for now. I have a busy day tomorrow: dentist, PT, and hair.

Oh, yes. You saw my natural hair in the video. Well, sort of natural. Truly natural looks like something a rat was nesting in.

It was blown dry perfectly smooth last Friday, as you usually see it. However, on Sunday, it was so humid, and for those of you with a natural curl in your hair, like me, I don’t need to say anything more.

 

Anyway, my hip is feeling so much better, thus everything is better!

 

I didn’t have to take any Tylenol or use ice. However, I did my stretches and a bit of light strength training in between the butt-busting exercises at PT.

Fortunately, my therapist listened to me and did go a bit lighter on me than last week, lowering the reps from 40 to 30.

xo,

 

 

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