Bathtub Bliss
September 22, 2009
I almost didn’t post this article. This almost never happened.
Not because I don’t want to talk to you all. Believe me, I do. It’s just that I am dangerously close to disappearing from the earth into a new twilight zone known as my master bathtub.
Now I am a gal who finds no greater bliss than taking an evening bubble bath. A hot bath + a glass of red wine + a bit of dark chocolate + my iPod + twenty minutes to myself = priceless. No vacation spot could ever compare.
Since I am an attorney, I feel a warning label is appropriate at this time.
Now that I’ve finally put the finishing touches on my master bathtub space, you may never ever ever EVER hear from me again.
It looks posh, but compared to most designer spaces, it really wasn’t that expensive.
Do you want to see the ‘Before’ ?
I only wish I had taken a picture of the space last year when it was just sheetrock, and nothing else. Just imagine: sheetrock. And nothing else.
But here’s what I started with last weekend. No light fixture. No window treatment. Partially painted and patchy sheetrock. But at least most of the tile was installed.
Over the weekend, I put the finishing touches on my new twilight zone a.k.a. the zone I disappear to at twilight a.k.a. I hope I never have to sell my house in this economic downturn because I love my bathtub a.k.a. even if I am forced to sell, two burly strong men with serious tattoos and time in the joint will have to pry me loose from this spot.
That said, let me tell y’all a little story.
If you don’t know or don’t care about the difference between an ‘overmount’ and ‘undermount’ bathtub, skip on down about three paragraphs.
First, that bathtub you see did not fit the space when it arrived. No Sirree. Clever me, I thought I had ordered an undermount tub, but when I opened up the box a year later, the tub did not fit the specs. Not only was it an overmount tub, it absolutely, totally, 100% did not fit my bathtub space. It was short all around by 3 inches. Oh, a picture is worth a thousand words, if only I had one. Just one. But I don’t.
So I devised a plan to turn a funky dysfunctional overmount tub into an undermount beauty. It’s a bit hard to describe, but this photo may give you the idea. I had my tile installer stabilize and solidify the tub in a layer of cement. Then I asked him to cut and fit a piece of 5/8 inch plywood with an opening for the tub surround to fit the bathtub niche. Then I requested that he tile the plywood with 1/4 inch thick white ceramic tile, and trim the sides with 1 inch mosaic to hide the plywood.
As I described all of this, he looked at me as most construction dudes do, with a little confusion and a lot of disdain.
In the end, I prevailed. I turned a badly fitting overmount tub into a cleverly disguised undermount tub with just a little ingenuity.
You can see how nice the trim looks here.
Which brings me to my next point. Over the course of these upgrades, it dawned on me that a luxurious bathroom has many of the same features as a lovely dining room.
Good smells.
No fancy soaps for me. I’m a Dove and Dial kind of girl.
Great linens.
Kohl’s. Clearance. $4 dollars each.
Good lighting
My $50 dollar chandy that I scored when Home Depot’s EXPO stores closed last year.
Candlelight
That listello and brick pattern white ceramic tile you see is just Daltile from Home Depot, right off the shelf. Notice even more of my ‘undermount’ trim mosaic tile – the same tile that trims the floor in the neighboring master shower.
Fresh flowers
Perhaps an interesting plant
Recognize my DIY cement planter?
Great window treatments
(My DIY roman shade from yesterday’s post)
A decent mirror
BTW, this pair of mirrors used to be a gold, but Rustoleum’s ‘Heirloom White’ saved them. They each cost me $3 dollars at the local thrift store. I repeat. $3 dollars each.
See?
In truth, these mirrors are temporary. Someday when I have the money, I’m going to install tempered glass mirrors and glass shelves inside these niches from tile to ceiling. But that costs major bucks, so I’ll have to wait.
And every good bath requires dark chocolate.
Why yes, I do keep my dark chocolate on a silver soap dish.
Don’t you ?
A moment of silence please.
For the chocolate.
(Kidding about the silver dish. My chocolate is always hidden in a dark corner of my pantry.)
If all of this white and blue is too frou frou for you, I think you’ll appreciate the dark cabinets in the bathroom space.
As soon as the glass fronts for the upper cabinets arrive, I’ll reveal the whole bathroom.
And just a little flashback. This bathtub spa shelf I created myself with just a few dollar tacky brass items from a thrift store.
Read all about the spa shelf transformation right here.
So here is my master bathtub space. If this is the very last post on this blog, well, now you know why.
FYI: The paint color is my own custom blend. 1/3 Behr ‘Mountain Creek’, 1/3 Restoration Hardware ‘Silver Sage’ and 1/3 ‘Swiss Coffee’ white.
I’m off to bubble bath land. Talk soon. Or maybe later. Much later.
Tags: bath
oh my goodness. i am green with envy, that is SO lovely. well done on the overcoming the obstacle too. i’m a sucker for a good bath.
I love it all. The soaps made me laugh. Dove and Dial for me, too. =)
And, the chocolates… yum.
It’s beautiful! I love blue & white. I think I might change out my pink & white Dove soaps for some blue & white. I love the mirrors.
I like your bathroom a lot! It is truly restful and calm. Good work!
It is lovely! I love the color and the mirror ….. what a steal.
This is beautiful – I’d never leave that room! I love that you used Dial and Dove (did I get that right?) I wouldn’t have known if you didn’t say that – it looks so great and I KNOW it smells amazing! WELL DONE!
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
I think my favorite pieces are the mirror, the chandelier and the candelabra. So formal, yet they fit right in! Super job! I’m so glad I found your blog!
Hi! I am presenting you with an award. Check out my blog for more details and thanks on being so inspirational!
It is just so beautiful!!!!! LOVE every last bit of it!
Won’t blame you for not posting for awhile so you can stay in that gorgeous place!
Wow! What a gorgeous bathroom!!
I’ve just posted a design dilemma question on my blog. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have time to swing by!
http://theborrowedabode.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/question-for-readers-to-float-or-not-to-float/
Lovely bathroom. Do you have to share it or is it yours alone? I have a gold mirror like the one you painted. I’m not sure about the best way to cover the mirror while you paint the frame? Any suggestions?
i just LOVE it!!!!! and please please, when you get your new mirror send the old ones my way!!! what an awesome find!!!!!!!!!
xoxo
Please don’t be surprised if one day you walk into your gorgeous bathroom and I’m lying on the floor in amazement/awe/envy. I’ll probably refuse to leave as well.
The tub is beautiful. I’m truly in love with it.
How gorgeous! And how funny & wonderful you are! Your blog is such a joy & inspiration to me…to us all! I have MS & can’t do most of the things you inspire me to do but I sure do love reading about everything I find on blogs! You make my life so MUCH better!!
I love everything about that bathroom, but what’s really weird is that I was most affected by the imagined smell of Dove and Dial together. We have the same taste in soap, I LOOOOVE those two!
HI Kate,
I have been looking at your blog and love your style and thriftiness. I am attempting my own start to a blog…and hope to get the hang of it sooner rather than later:)
Unfortunately, we have no master bathtub, only a sad, lonely shower…..So, of course, this posting only makes me more envious. Looks beautiful!
Love the way it turned out…Gorgeous!! I am excited to see all of the bathroom when you finish! I am getting ready to move and so excited to start to do some of my own DIY in our home…my bathroom will be one of those and I too might never leave it when I am done!! lol. Beautiful!
Hugs and love friend,
~Victoria~
I love it! Your bath area is so fabulous! I think the tub drama was a happy mistake. The chandelier and mirrors add so much character to the space. I am also a bath lover, but I am stuck in a standard tub. I would adore a beautiful space like yours for my evening soak!
Oh my goodness, this is heaven!
I’ll be over in 5 minutes.
Beautiful. I love the cool blue. Very relaxing!
Wow, how great does that look, so elegant – love the roman too! (sits)
I am in love with your bathroom. The colors are so tranquil and everything you did is just amazing! Great post.
Love it, but I have 2 teenager daughters & they would have that destroyed (with all their stuff scattered around)…Maybe I need my own bathroom. That’s a thought.
Happy SITS Day!
Your bathroom looks elegant! What a transformation from what you started with–AMAZING! I like Dove soap best as well. Love that chocolate touch too.
Happy SITS day!
Wow, I bet that tub was a project! At least you’re staying healthy with the dark chocolate!
Bathroom indulgence at its best! It is definitely a “Calgon, take me away” moment type of bathroom. It’s beautiful and if I had that bathroom, it would take 20 years off my life and give me an instant facelift to boot
You did a beautiful, wonderful job!
[...] course, you’ve seen the bathtub zone [...]
wow!!! this is beautiful.
xo,
cristin
[...] and I didn’t even realize they had this in stock until I saw it around the blogosphere. Kate used it and so did Penny and both of their bathrooms are beautiful. I love subway tile and this [...]
Wow, what a beautiful bathroom! I could spend all day long in there! It is stunning! I just signed up to follow along your blog and look forward to visiting more often.
Blessings,
Sandra
OMG!!!
I’m totally bookmarking your website. You have done a GREAT JOB!
Thanks so much for sharing this with the curious-do-it-yourself-design world from the wide web.
[...] to do this after seeing this subway tiling all over blogland. As I mentioned before, my friend, Centsational Girl Kate, did some subway tile in her master bathroom, as did Penny from Comforts of Home . And the [...]