FRENCH COTTAGE BATH

For those of you who may be new to my blog-

I shared this bathroom last year-

where it began -

and just how far it has come since

when we first found our house.

I just recently changed a few things around,

brought in a new piece

and took out some of the others...

so sharing the bathroom story again...

as well as it's new look.

The Good.

The Bad

and the (REALLY) Ugly.

(Picture heavy post coming your way!)

Our house was never lived in full time-

it was just a little vacation cottage in the country.

It was dilapidated, vandalized and neglected for over 50 years.

It was beyond really bad.

It would have been easier to tear down and rebuild

But there was something about it.

I fell in love with the original details that were there.

The knotty pine walls. The large fireplace.

The old kitchen with original cupboards and hardwood floors.

The gorgeous property that it sat in the middle of.

I am an old house romantic.

(Before photos taken part way during the destruction -

that was fun- NOT!

and from original post found HERE )

Where there was a a neglected rotting house with broken windows...

I was seeing potential- it just needed to be uncovered and polished up a bit.

Okay, well maybe A LOT.

Let's just say,

I don't know that I would take this house on again

if finding it for the first time now.

(A wee bit older and wiser now!)

The original bathroom was only about 5' wide x 8' wide

and had 6 different tiles in it.

Red, orange, brown, gold and brown spotted, white spotted with brown and plain white.

'Eclectic style' maybe?

We ripped every last bit of the 2500 (lol) types of tile,

old fixtures, knotty pine boards, flooring and sheetrock

out of this bathroom.

We were left with a floor open to the basement,

a ceiling open to the roofline and basically a big. fat. mess.

and a clean slate.

I had a vision for this crusty little space.

I knew what I wanted it to look like.

I wanted a vintage bathroom-

but in a good way.

A charming space with a raised up beamed ceiling

Bead board wainscoting and wallpaper

A crystal chandelier above a new bathtub

Two pedestal sinks and a huge window looking into

the backyard for lots of natural light.

So

a lot of sweat,

a few tears

and a bit of blood later...

Here's how it came out.

We took out the old dropped down ceiling

(which was in the original bathroom)

and created a faux beamed angled ceiling in it's place

with bead board and 2x4 beams.

We added 2 pedestal sinks

(one in the original sink spot and the other where the cupboard was)

three vintage inspired sconces to light the area and

placed a dainty commode from Ross in between the sinks for storage.

We did all the work ourselves with my dad -

who is a contractor/builder and who helped immensely with the new plumbing

and overseeing to make sure everything was up to code.

The shower got a makeover with a beautiful pale grey marble tile

and we went with a taupe and cream tumbled marble

checkerboard pattern for the floor.

The ruffled shower curtain is a drape panel from Target.

The room was doubled in size by taking space from the laundry room

We used a large beam where the wall/doorway used to be between the original bathroom

and the water heater area-

the tub faucet is now where the water heater is in this photo.

The large beam runs across the door opening.

I love the mix of the rustic shabby beam ceiling with the elegant wallpaper

and French armoire.

I am big time bath girl...

Love love love to take long, hot baths

so a bathtub was top on my list of wants (and needs!)

Opening up the space and adding another 6' in length to the

size of the bathroom allowed for my Jacuzzi tub.

The crystal chandelier brings a bit of romance and drama

and was a thrift find for $15.

The French armoire is wonderful for storing everything.

It's original pale grey finish is a favorite of mine.

I took the doors off to use it as an open cupboard.

Loving it.

My little old iron flea find chair

holds a wooden candle lantern for a little ambiance

next to the tub.

I love to relax in a hot bath with the fountain trickling outside the window,

the chandelier dimmed

and a little Puccini on my ipod.

It's Pure Enjoyment.

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