Jumbled Style Goes Vintage Chic in a D.C. Bathroom Makeover
Beneath this toilet’s previous painted subway tile, purple vinyl floors and dark red walls lurked a mishmash of plumbing and electrical problems, and a rotted joist below the bathroom. With the help of local professionals, Megan Adams and her husband gutted this outdated bathroom in their Washington, D.C., row house and started from scratch. Approximately $10,000 and a month of construction resulted in a clean, timeless and effective layout.
Job at a Glance
What: Complete bathroom remodel
Location: Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Size: 40 square feet
Budget: About $10,000
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The bathroom doesn’t get a lot of natural lighting, therefore Adams needed a light wall color. She started out with yellowish, but the bright color didn’t feel right in the room. She finished up with a cool, neutral grey instead.
Wall paint: Twilight, Behr; sink, tub: vintage, Second Chance; bathroom: Highline, Kohler
Before Photo
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BEFORE: The bathroom looked extra little because of the dark red hue. The painted-over subway tile, purple vinyl floor tiles and sloppy-looking ceiling might have called for a complete overhaul by themselves, but more harmful structural issues demanded immediate and skilled care. The beam beneath the bathroom had rotted to the point at which the bathroom had started to sink underneath the floor. Electrical complications from the walls and the necessity to replace the main water heater also cut into the budget.
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AFTER: From the toilet’s new design, the awkward half wall is gone, allowing for a full wall of glossy white subway tile. Adams and her husband originally chose white grout, but “it somehow made the tile look plasticky and not too interesting,” she states. “We went using a charcoal grout.”
She wished to use a lot of subway tile in the shower and hex tile on the floor, so she stuck with regular but durable stock tile to keep within budget.
Shower fixtures: Moen Banbury; shower curtain: Belgian Linen, Restoration Hardware; step stool, rug: Ikea
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The 40-square-foot upstairs bathroom is the house’s main bath.
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Over the bathroom a Woolly Pocket retains moisture- and shade-loving ferns for a splash of greenery.
Before Photo
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BEFORE: Dim sconces, a part of the toilet’s previous remodel, barely provided enough light for the couple to prepare in the mornings. The mirror ended space but didn’t provide storage.
Before Photo
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Instead of taking up wall space, each one the toilet’s storage was in a vanity wrapped with faux marble, which meant it was an extra-bulky feature.
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AFTER: A simple wall hung sink ties in with the remainder of the property’s vintage vibe and uses minimal square footage. From the get-go Adams wanted to salvage an old tub and sink. She and her husband found both items for a total of less than $200 at Second Chance, a salvage store in nearby Baltimore. The mirror involves a drug cupboard.
Adams also found classic, vintage-inspired lighting fixtures to tie in with the remainder of the house. But she is already itching for a brand new, more contemporary lights.
Light fixture: Rejuvenation; picture: 20×200
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Vintage accessories from local shops and Adams’ own homewares store give the timeless bathroom additional character. “It makes for a more interesting area,” she states.
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Blinds, textured glass and a curtain after obstructed the toilet’s only use of the outside. Now a simple, sheer fabric supplies provides privacy as well as a flood of sunlight.
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Adams had her contractor build two little niches into the new drywall, including more storage space.
Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home
Custom black paint and shelving made of leftover cedar planks create the niches stick out. “While it is still a pretty bit of storage, it works for us,” she states. “We do not have lots of stuff.”
Animal hooks: View From Here, Anthropologie; paint colour to nooks: custom; art: framed poster manipulation