We are planning to renovate our tiny downstairs bathroom. Today, I’m sharing the inspiration and plan.
R and I have been meeting with contractors to discuss our plans to remodel the downstairs bathroom. Our home was built in the 1930s. The original tile and bathtub in this room have seen their better days. The space is tiny, 7 x 5′ including the bathtub. My goal is to improve the space using timeless details and a touch of modern. I’ve pulled together a plan that will maximize storage and open up the space. Scroll down to see the inspiration and plan.
Pure Salt Interiors
The Plan to Visually Open the Space
We are going to remove the old bathtub and replace it with a shower. The space is tight so we decided to go with frameless glass sliding doors. A transom window will go up high in the shower to let in light while maintaining privacy.
The Tile
We used marble in the upstairs bathroom. While I don’t regret it, marble does require special care. That’s why I decided to go with penny tile for the floor in the downstairs bathroom. White tile with putty/gray grout on the entire floor, including the shower, is the plan.
Maximize Usable Space and Storage
I’m looking to maximize counter space wherever I can. (This is my bathroom, by the way.) Until now, I’ve been living with a pedestal sink that has zero counter space. I really love the idea of having the countertop extend over the toilet.
A recessed medicine cabinet is a must! We really like this one in brass for added warmth. (It’s okay to mix finishes, by the way.) I searched for sink bases without tops knowing that we will have quartz cut to extend over the toilet. This sink base is the one I ordered. Extra storage is the bonus! I still need to decide on the faucet and showerhead. Decisions, decisions.
The Design Details
frameless glass sliding shower doors | subway tile | art
towels | hardware | medicine cabinet
sink | penny tile | sink base cabinet | drain (not pictured)
Only a suggestion. Aging in place , if this is your forever home . You may want to leave out the shower curb. You never know . We never want to move.
I love your choices. We just gutted our bath. We did much if the work ourselves. We raised the cieling.
I used penny tile for a fun touch in our public bath. In the shower area ceiling. This one we gutted a few years back.
Kitchen is on the radar for this year.
Hi Karen. Thank you! We aren’t going anywhere any time soon either. Kudos to you for being able to do much of the work yourselves! Yay for a kitchen renovation!
Ceiling! What was I thinking!
Hi Rene, your plans for your bathroom look awesome! I have a question, I am redoing my bathroom and was planning to use marble small accent tile in a herringbone pattern for the shower floor. What special care is involved that you are talking about? Maybe I should switch to Penny tile!
Love your blog!
Barbara
Hi Barbara. We used carrera hex and it is lovely! I did not mean to suggest avoiding it. I wanted to use something different downstairs and have always liked penny tile. Marble does have a few things to consider. It scratches easily and can get etched with certain cleaners (I use a mix of rubbing alcohol and water to clean it). It also stains easily. Marble is all over Italy and has been for centuries. It is a beautiful choice!
Where did u order your vanity and quartz. Mick and I are also looking at redoing our hall bath and it looks almost exactly like yours except reversed. I’ve been checking wayfair, houzz, etc for vanities
Hi, Ginger. The vanity is from Home Depot. If you click on the affiliate link in the post, it should take you there. I also looked on Build.com and Wayfair. We needed a 24″ vanity base & there weren’t a lot of options. The quartz will come from a local fabricator. We will need a template for the extended counter area. Hope this helps!
As always, I love your choices. Since I own a home very similar to yours, I’ve always wondered if yours had been added on to before? We’re considering adding on to our original foundation but need to go deep instead of wide for the lot. Best of luck as you work on your renovations!
Hi, Leisa. Thanks so much! We added extended our kitchen which was originally a galley. We also added the dining room. It made a huge difference!
Love all your choices-no surprise! I can’t wait to see it!
Thank you! I can’t wait, also!
Hi Rene
I remember your post a couple of years ago about refinishing your original bath tub as I have a similar downstairs bathroom in our 1930s home. What prompted your decision to remove the tub and having a shower only? We recently renovated our upstairs master bath (has both separate tub and separate shower) and will be renovating our downstairs bath. While I love our original tub, after 2 refinishes in 25 years, it’s time to replace it with another tub or shower only. Just not sure I’m ready to remove a tub from our home so I’m interested in what drove you in your decision. Thanks!
Hi Tammy. Thank you for your continued support! Aahh, old house tubs! The upstairs tub, while it isn’t perfect, is in much better shape than the downstairs tub. It needs to be replaced and I really like the look of frameless shower doors. The continuous tile both inside and outside the tub is a look I like as well. Unfortunately, we don’t have space for both a tub and shower, so shower it is. Also, neither of us take baths, but if we decide to, there’s always the upstairs tub. Hope this makes sense.