Mine is. For the last several months I’ve been preparing for an overhaul of my master bathroom. It all started while I was on vacation last summer. A pipe sprang a leak in the wall behind the built-in vanity and, to make a long story shorter, my neighbor across the street noticed water coming out my front door. She leaped into action and shut off the water. Remodeling my master bathroom was on my bucket list; just not this soon. Oh, well.
Naturally, my insurance company wanted only to pay for the repair of what was actually damaged, so they compensated me accordingly. There was no damage to the sinks, after all. However, who in their right mind would reinsert pink sinks into a brand new 2014 vanity? Not too fetching, me thinks. And what about the matching pink floor tile, pink toilet and pink shower? They weren’t actually damaged either. My insurance company thought they would look just fine with the new 2014 vanity, too. Ugh. My sarcastic side says, “That ought to raise the value of my home!” Now I have a better understanding of the oxymoron term “replacement value” in insurance policies.
Sooooo, I bit the bullet and decided to go whole hog and deck out my bathroom like I had money to burn. Did I use enough clichés in that last sentence for ya? A full remodel was in order.
The first step was selecting an inspiration piece on which to base color and style. I found it in a twelve-inch mesh of tiny three-eight-inch polished natural stone mosaics. The pattern was random, but spectacular. My mind drifted to mosaic temple floors and walls I’d seen in Italy and Greece. Eureka! I’d found it. The colors for my project would be natural stone beige, crème, brown, white and black, accented with brushed-gold tones.
The mosaic, outlined by a darker pencil tile, will be the star of the shower wall facing the vanity through seamless glass.
Eighteen inch matt tiles set on the diagonal with three rows of the mosaic tile as separators will comprise the floor. The polished stone suggests a more formal feel, so I chose white Austrian curtains for the rather large palladian window and smaller window and will frame them with a formal black valance and drapery at the sides. I’m half-way through sewing these items, myself. My plumbing fixtures are a champagne bronze color, which looks like a subtle brushed brass, and are reflected also in the vanity pulls and knobs.
Above the double, white rectangular sinks and mirror the lighting fixtures are Etruscan bronze with crystal drops intertwined among bronze leaves. And hanging from the vaulted ceiling center is a matching Etruscan crystal chandelier. The ceiling itself will be a gold colored tin that I’m in the process of faux finishing to accentuate its three dimensional recesses. Crown molding will anchor the ceiling and hide warm-white LED light strips which will highlight the ceiling’s metal sheen.
The pièce de resistance, however, will be Grecian Columns measuring six feet tall by six inches in diameter placed on either side of the window seat below the palladian window. The seat itself will have a cushion and pillows, suggesting a cozy reading nook. Drawers will pull out below the window seat for storage. Then, of course, there’s the little splashes of “jewelry” that add the finishing touches, such as tissue holder, drinking glass, small trash can, and towels and wash cloths, bath rug, etc. I’ll add those later when the room is otherwise complete.
Whew! I’ve unloaded my brain. So, what do you think? Does this room spell fantasy and luxury? Hopefully it will be complete before my next blog. I’ll include before and after photos then.
