Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Bathroom Renovation: the basic plan

I've mentioned previously that I've been mulling over some ideas for a bathroom renovation, also known as Jimmy's Bathroom. As a quick refresher, here's some basic info on our house, and here's the starting point for the bathroom:

I know, it's awful, in a bare bones contractor-mentality kind of way. Horrible shell-shaped sink, bland vinyl floor, very little trim work, awkwardly placed window. So the plan has been to work around what is already in place, i.e. we're not changing that stupid window placement, and the tub and commode are staying in the same general area.

Instead, the goal is to do a cosmetic makeover by putting in new flooring, a new sink and vanity, new lights, a bit more trim (at least a baseboard!), and generally making things look more cottage-y and stylish. I've been making slow progress on repainting the room as well, although no pictures at the moment.

I've been wanting to do a sort of deconstructed vanity and sink combo, in order to use some cool art deco nightstands that I already own. The trick to the idea is that the space between wall and commode is pretty tight. It's been tough to find a more traditional chest or larger cabinet for a vanity that would actually fit the space, so the nightstands seem like the best option. And they're lovely as well!

Because of the height of the nightstands, originally I'd been thinking about doing a wall-mounted sink with the cabinets. Then I found a pedestal sink on Craigslist that will do the trick, and look a little more finished. It's nice and simple, with a sleek pedestal column. So here's the latest mock up of where we're headed:

The dashed line represents the door opening and the basic view into the bathroom from the bedroom, and you can see straight in from the living room as well. It has to look good!

The nightstands are part of a set of furniture that I purchased from an antiques dealer at the beginning of the year. They're French Art Deco, in tiger oak, with gorgeous pinkish marble tops, carved flowers, and some stepped detailing to the top and bottom of the cabinets. I love the whole set; the biggest downside is that the dealer painted everything a horrible sludge green color. So, before jumping all the way into the reno, I've been spending the last few weekends stripping paint from 70+ year old cabinets. Here's an in-progress shot of one of the pieces:

3 comments:

mrpeenee said...

Ooh, a wonderful idea. I'm a big fan of pedestal sinks in small bathrooms. Have you maybe considered not using both nightstands to make the room seem less crowded? I love making unasked for suggestions on other people's lives.

The Woodshedder said...

Nope,not to worry, it's a great suggestion to use just one nightstand.

I'd rather to have the symmetry of the two of cabinets, but I'm nerdy like that. My plan though is to test everything out in place once the ugly old vanity comes out. Then, as long as I *allow for* enough room for both cabinets below the sink, I should have the flexibility to add or delete one. (Crossing my fingers.)

Silly Monkey said...

I spy Mrs. Meyers. ;)

I love the cabinets. I can't wait to see this finished project.