Everyone Gushes Over the New Tile in This Bathroom Makeover
If you’re considering a renovation and you have the funds, sometimes it’s best to “to rip the the Band-Aid off,” as homeowner Kathryn Stalnaker (@katstalnak) puts it. She thought about living with her 1960s blank slate bathroom for a bit but ultimately decided the easiest time to renovate would be before she actually moved into her new (to her) place. “I started demo as soon as I closed on the apartment,” she says.
Pro contractors helped her complete the transformation. “I liked the built-in soap holders on the backsplash, but they weren’t going to survive the demo … but to be honest there wasn’t much I liked about it,” Kathryn says of the old bathroom.
Her least favorites? The mildewy cabinets, the sheet mirror, and the dingy tiles that always looked a bit dirty. A $7,500 project brought in a new vanity, gorgeous tile, and more.
The makeover started with a vanity.
Kathryn says one of the hardest parts of the process was coming up with an overall vision for the space, and she used Pinterest to help. One of the first things she picked was the vanity with a Calacatta marble countertop. “This informed the rest of my design decisions,” she says. “It feels luxurious but charming — like it’s been there forever. It has compartments built in for hair dryers, straighteners, and hairspray. The rest I haven’t been able to fill up; there is so much space.”
The tiles add a luxe feel.
She thought about painting the walls of the bathroom pink or red, but instead she picked a floor tile with mauve veining — her favorite material she picked for the place. “It adds depth to the neutral color palette,” she says. “It caught my eye in the store, and no one could talk me out of it. Now, it’s the talking point, and everyone gushes over it.”
Kathryn did have a couple important tile takeaways during the bathroom reno. First, “it’s simple, but larger tile is cheaper than small tile,” she says. “That goes for the installation price tag as well. Maybe everyone knows that, but I did not!”
And second, speaking of installation, she says the pros were definitely worth the splurge here. “They were very helpful in picking up tile and grout once I had already sourced the material, and they asked if I had preferences on how tile was laid down landscape or portrait,” she says.
She picked a shiny tan vertical tile for the shower, and she made sure that all of her excess materials were returnable to Floor & Decor “so I didn’t have to eat that cost in the end,” she explains.
The homeowner might add more color down the line.
The paint color for the walls and ceiling is Sherwin-Williams’ Frost Bite, and the total cost for Kathryn’s bathroom renovation was about $7,500. Her new mirror and vanity light are from Wayfair, and her rug is from Ruggable. “I might look into a green floor-to-ceiling shower curtain in the future,” she says.
“My favorite part about completing this renovation is adding the bits and bobs that show my personal style, from the art on the wall to the tray with candles and fragrances,” she adds. “The framed pieces above the toilet are gifts from my uncle who collects antiques and prints, so they are very special. The bathroom is my favorite room now, so I can’t think of a better place to hang them.”
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