Bold + Glammy Guest Bathroom REVEAL!

Come one, come all, it’s finnnuuully hurrrr! Once an ocean of boring blue tile, my parent’s guest bathroom is now a big, bold, and beautifully glammy oasis featuring striking statement tile, a supa-sleek floating vanity, faux hardwood floor tile, lotsa funky art, and all the modern amenities a homeowner could evah need. It’s all in the details, people.

But first, let’s rewind in time to the moodboard:

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Meet the bold and glammy guest bathroom of mah dreamzzz!! Somewhat of an earthy, art deco to the extreme, if you will. This steeply vaulted, galley-style guest bathroom comes in at a funky 10.6-feet long by 3.8-feet wide with a knotty pine-paneled ceiling vaulting from nine- to 12-feet high. In such a narrow space, it was super important to play up and design around this bath’s best feature: the ceiling height. 

THE SHOWER

Let’s not beat around the bush any longer. How gorrrrgeous is that statement shower?!! Walk-in tile moment = accomplished. I’m blown away at how the Gold Widow Hex encaustic tile immediately grabs your attention upon entering the space. Fare thee well, blue beluga and hellooo deco chic.

Designing the shower was quite possibly the most fun part of this process—‘cause any day scouring the The Tile Shop’s showroom with their top tile dawg, Renee, is thee best day! I’m always amazed at just how big their tile selection is, and with a lil’ trial and error, we settled on pairing that eye-catching backsplash with a glossy, extra large, 8” x 20” subway tile and capping it with a pencil thin bullnose tile. This was for two reasons: perspective and punch. 

Originally, I envisioned the shower tiled on all sides with the Gold Widox Hex tile. BTW, inspired by a spider’s web—nottabigdeal. However, the perspective from the doorway mixed with the steep ceilings would have made the side’s tops look like big ol’ bat ears, so I nixed that right quick. 🦇😒 Honestly, having the singular statement accent wall and floor makes it punch even more. 

Not to mention, how scandalously good is this curb?! I love is when something works out way better than you expect, and this curb is one of them. Initially, I sought a flat, seamless transition from hardwood to shower tile, but we opted to save some sheckles and not move the shower drain. This chunky encaustic tile totally called for the lift-up, and looks SO much cooler with the curb in place. My tile guys are freakin’ magicians, eh?! 

Just look at this qui-niche (contractor yoke 😆). Not only do I love the statement tile cohesion, the shelf’s faux hardwood tile is silly pretty and so practical. What mold? Pfft. Style your niche with basic guest needs, including a handful of collected cuties from previous getaways and miniature amber bottles labeled so lovingly with a $10 label maker from Target. Winning.

Let’s talk about this exposed gold shower set. Uhh, razzle dazzle, baby!! Could the sheen and colors match up any better? I think not, fronds. The gold pops so hard against the white and blue, I can barely contain myself. Paired up with a stylish brass drain and a frameless fixed glass panel for an unobstructed view, these metal fixtures make this shower is a masterpiece. 

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THE VANITY AREA

If we dropped a pretty penny on anything, hot diggity damn it was this marvelously glam chic floating vanity. Touting a glossy white cabinet, brushed brass handles, and matte white countertop with a built-in basin, she’s the perfect kind of petite for this crazy narrow guest bathroom. A floating vanity aids this space in feeling more open, all the while showing off those damn fine faux hardwood tile floors. Plus, the vanity comes with a lovely bamboo organizer for one of the drawers. Worth every dang cent.

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Love isn’t a strong enough word to describe how much I dig the black, graphite pops that the adorne Collection by Legrand brings into this space. Right of the vanity, the adorne dimmer switch and outlet was placed with intention for hanging cords and preserving limited counter space. These customizable lighting controls are super easy to use, ridiculously easy to install, and the bitty twinkles layer just another touch of glammy oomph. Super, super dig.

THE FLOORS

Goodness graciousness, I’m smitten with how the faux hardwood tile came out! I’ve always loved the look of hardwood in the bathroom, but I totally understand the concern of installing them in such a moist space, too. Darn water probs. Hence, we compromise! 

The Tile Shop’s Antico Hickory tile was such a great color match to the existing oak floors. They were a bit wider than I’d hoped (not nearly as slender as the existing), but they were a solid length and the variegated patterns look incredible when staggered. To top it off, my contractors installed a custom oak saddle that is simply top notch and seamless af. 👌🏻

THE TOWEL AREA

For this very white and very vaulted open wall space, I sought a massive, vertical piece filled with color to capture its sheer size. With the hunt turnin’ up empty, I shifted and took this as an opportunity to display artworks I adore from my home (and simply don’t get enough love because they live in a teeny, tiny hallway!).

The triptych of graphically-illustrated prints were discovered during a trip to Kinsale, Ireland from The Canvas Works. The colors were absolutely perfect, and the graphic nature blended oh so well with my Mom’s thrifted, oversized French lithograph. They’ve found a new home … for now!

In a spacious home, one never knows how many guests might be crashin’. Having artwork to define the wall space also helped to allocate the placement of six absolutely precious brushed brass U-hooks from CB2. Waaay more practical than tiled-in towel bars. 😒

Adorning the towel hooks, my favoritest, softest, squishy-iest tassel towel of them all, those birch-colored tassel towels from Parachute Home. The neutral, earthy tone was exactly what this guest bathroom needed to tie in the texture of the knotty pine with all of the other design elements in the room. 

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THE LIGHTING

Ideas were bounced around left and right here. I reeeally wanted to bring in a chandelier. However, changing out the existing lamps would have left us with a big problemo: matching up the knotty pine boards. Instead, my stepdad repurposed the existing light fixtures, spray painting the nickel bases gold to coordinate metals.

The fixtures aren’t much to look at, but what they do-do is produce a wondrous amount of bright, white light, which is of utmost importance in a sadly, windowless space! Nevertheless, they ended up working pretty darn well with that sexy four-globe sconce above the vanity.

THE MISHAPS

C’mon, guys. There’s always at least one. Demolition went along almost too smoothly, but it wasn’t until we started to put in the Wedi board (shower backer board) that we noticed the radiator needed to be shortened to accommodate the chunky curb. A minor, but very necessary expense!

There is 0% natural light in this bathroom, so I resorted to what I’d like to dub “damn good fakies” from around the house to go along with some lives ones for the shoot (a tillandsia and that cute paddle-y guy on the vanity 🌿)

The floating vanity ended up being too high to accommodate the P-Trap pipe, so one was only left with the option: to cut a hole just big enough to let it slip on through. Fortunately this unexpected change isn’t noticed at all, only when the cabinet door is open. 

Per the vanity, a word to the wise: read your product descriptions better than I did! Within the interior cabinet, there is a power source option with plugs and USB ports—who knew! We didn’t until we got it and it was too late. 😂 The power source is a great option for apartment living / small spaces, but with all of the beautiful lighting controls in this guest bath, this option was decidedly superfluous. Not a terrible oversight!

Well, I’d say that’s one heck of a before and aftaaa, wouldn’t you?!! This bathroom renovation invited a welcome liveliness and truly capitalizes on what this unique, galley-style guest bathroom has to offer. This bold and glammy guest bathroom encapsulates so much of my parent’s home vibe than it ever did before … and we’re talking about the master en suite next, so stay tuned!! Just know, there will be swans … 🦢✨😏

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SOURCES

Drywall, Shower & Tile Work
PCG Home Improvement (da best!!)

Benjamin Moore
Wall Color: Super White 

The adorne Collection by Legrand
Dimmer Switch, graphite
GFCI Outlet, graphite
Wall Plate, graphite

The Tile Shop
Gold Widow Hex Tile
Imperial Bianco 8”x 20” Subway Tile 
Antico Hickory Hardwood Tile
Bright White High Pencil Liner

The Big Deets
Floating Vanity
Exposed Gold Shower Set
4-Globe Sconce
Kinsale Art Prints

The Little Deets
Tassel Towels
Shower Drain
Mini Amber Bottles
Toilet Paper Holder
Towel U-Hooks
Swooping Sink Faucet
Soap Pump
Ring Dish
Brass Mirror (similar)
Hand Towel Holder
2’ x 3’ Jute Rug (similar)
Round Brass Door Knob

Misc + Thrifted
Label Maker
French Lithograph