OUR MASTER BATHROOM DESIGN

If you have been following along on insta stories, you know that a lot happened at the reno last week! We got cabinets installed, light fixtures up, and began flooring installation in both bathrooms! Believe it or not, I wanted until this week to finalize the master bathroom design! I was paralyzed with indecision when it came to the tub surround tile. Every day, I would stop by the house just to STARE at the bathroom trying to determine which tile to use. Finally, a friend sat down with me and lent an ear. She graciously listen to the entire, over dramatic process. I explained ALL the options, and how I began wanting one thing, and then talked myself into something entirely different. She gave me some tough love and told me chose, providing thoughtful input along the way. Here is a brief explanation :

BEFORE :

Right away, I fell in LOVE with the original light fixtures (link below is to a similar fixture). They were the inspiration for this room - bright, fun, with mid century elements. First, we painted the walls and trim white (BM Chantilly Lace), and got the tub professionally reglazed. I knew that I wanted to go with a wood grain for the vanity to break up all of the white and black cabinetry in the rest of the home. Next decision was flooring - we did a similar marble hexagon in our previous guest bath, and loved it. This hex is similar, but slightly smaller and with a glossy finish versus honed. 

Black and brass plumbing is a theme throughout our home, so I ordered some fun fixtures (linked below). Next came the mirror dilemma. I had my heart set on large mirror with a thin, black metal frame. To my dismay, the only ones I could find were upwards of $700. So, I ordered this one from Wayfair, and am going to spray paint the frame. 

Now came the real issue - tub surround tile. Originally, I had wanted a black, brick shaped tile installed in a horizontal straightset. I had fallen in LOVE with this image on Pinterest :

This was the plan ALL along. The first wrinkle came when I had a difficult time hunting down an (approx) 2x8 tile in black, that wasn't too perfect and had a "handmade" look. I finally found one by Fireclay tile, but it was a little more than I wanted to spend. Then, I found a similar, but less crafted, 3x12 online. It would have achieved a similar look, but the straight edges made it look much more "mass produced" than handmade. At that point, in order to create some dimension with the cheap tile, I decided to change the install method, and go with straight herringbone. I posted this image (below) on insta stories to share, and everyone started freaking about water spots. Considering we have well water, without a softener (yet!), I decided not to go with black. 

SO, after some research on water spots,  I (reluctantly) decided to play it safe and go with white. I love taking risks when it comes to design, but not practicality. I would hate to install something, only to find it a major headache down the road. In order to introduce some uniqueness to the popular white subway look, we are going to install in a parquet pattern (see below). Going this route will also save us some $, so that's always a bonus. 

Our bathroom will follow similar themes to this image, but our tile will be installed above the tub rather than behind the vanity. We are also going with a black faucet and black mirror, while our shower faucet will be brass. Click the images below for links to everything we have purchased!