Before & After December 2011 Issue

before

& after

European Flair

Stone Surfaces and Streamlining Bring Beauty to a Guest Bath 20

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CUSTOM GLASSWORK • Etchings • Transoms • Sidelights • Beveled Doors • Stained Glass • Stained Glass Domes • Shower Enclosures On Site Repairs

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BEFORE: Subtle green and white gingham wallpaper, manmade marble countertop and an unused medicine cabinet were not adding much style to this bath.

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AFTER: (Left) The wallpaper and medicine cabinet were removed and new granite countertop, sink and faucet added Tuscan style to this builder bath. The existing vanity and mirror were painted.

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BEFORE

BY JOETTA MOULDEN • PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANET LENZEN

Lynn Sessions first contacted me when Dolly Martinez at ICM Marble & Granite (her granite installer) put Lynn in touch with Shelterstyle.com and the contractor she used, Dick Leiker at Wood-N-Stone (www.woodandstoneremodeling.com). After listening carefully to her wish list and budget, I discouraged her from gutting her entire guest bathroom and instead suggested more budget-friendly ideas. “The early ’90s décor did not match my Tuscan style,” Lynn explains. “It was so white and there were bright brass finishes—I prefer an Old World look. The bath just looked even more dated after we finished the kitchen,” Lynn explains. She was most concerned about opening up the area above the tub and removing the furdown.

TIP: Plan your remodel when your contractor is not overly busy.

Since she had worked with me on her kitchen, (“From Flood to Fantastic”, Houston House & Home, Sept. 2008), Lynn knew what to expect and that the redo was doable. Lynn picked the month of February, a time of the year which she had planned a lot of traveling for business. This worked out well,

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because it is also a time when contractors are typically not too busy.

Storage was not a problem in this bath since the room is used only sporadically by overnight visitors and is used more as a powder room for guests.

I suggested she remove the low furdown ceiling over the tub and bring her Emser Tile all the way to the ceiling, which opens up the space and accentuates the room’s height, and to choose a tile that worked with the new, large-scale diagonal tile floor.

Lynn was concerned with getting rid of the furdown and opening up the space above the tub. But since she had worked with the contractor before, she felt confident that everything would work out.

TIP: Be consistent with hardware finishes—even on the toilet handle.

BEFORE

AFTER: Darker Emser Tile floors and shower tile, new granite countertop and vessel sink, dark paint on the vanity and mirror frame, darker paint on the walls and storage cabinet, and new oilrubbed bronze fixtures and hardware add texture and Old World charm to this bath. The toilet paper holder was relocated to the side of the vanity.

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BEFORE: The bath was a boring “beigeout”, with too-small artwork and a toilet paper holder spoiling the large window wall. Bright brass fixtures and hardware did not give the Tuscan feel the owner wanted.

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It’s all about splurges and saves—Lynn used Bed Bath & Beyond coupons for her shower rod and shower curtain, and bought the expensive Danze “Opulence” single handle deck mount vessel filler faucet, shower faucet set and towel bar on sale at The Great Indoors. The doorknob is from Home Depot.

“I knew after our visit that I had a plan and could work at my own pace getting this completed.

Since I was going to be gone so much that month, I decided to do the master bath remodel at the same time—I was pleasantly surprised at how much we could do with this room with high-end finishes on a pretty small budget,” Lynn explained.

Lynn decided to replace the toilet and tub (purchased and installed by the contractor) and chose to paint the existing mirror frame to match the vanity.

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She had the most trouble finding the right paint for the room, finally settling on flat latex Sherwin Williams “Croissant” SW 7716 because it worked with the stone sink, granite, floor tile and the hallway color. The existing cabinet over the toilet was first painted in “Croissant” and then glazed by the contractor’s painter to appear more “Tuscan”.

TIP: Refresh existing cabinets with paint and hardware.

After emailing a few photos of sinks and faucets back and forth, Lynn called me back for a second meeting when the construction was completed to discuss the room’s finishing touches and artwork. Because the vanity was low to the ground, I suggested she paint it a darker color (Sherwin Williams “French Roast SW 6069 semi-gloss enamel) and add an above-counter vessel sink. Lynn kept sending me pictures of “wrong” glass bowls. We finally agreed via email that the chiseled travertine bowl she found at Signature Hardware.com with free shipping was the best one with her “Desert Amarillo” granite from Arizona Tile, installed by ICM Marble & Granite.

Lynn had a definite idea of what she liked for the big stuff—like counters, tile and fixtures—but had a challenge putting the finishing touches, on the bath. “You bring it all to life and harmonize all the colors for me, even reminding me to use coupons for some of the items,” Lynn said. Changing the hardware from shiny brass to oil-rubbed bronze (Lynn used leftover knobs from her kitchen remodel which came from www.myknobs.com) gave her the Tuscan style she was after and coordinated with the prints she had brought back from Italy and had framed at

TRADE SECRETS • Think “green”— painting an existing vanity and storage cabinet repurposes them, keeps them out of the landfill and saves money, too.

• To dress up an existing builder-installed vanity, paint it, add a granite top, new sink, faucet and matching oil rubbed bronze hardware.

• Sometimes the most effective strategy is not to gut your bathroom, but to first rethink the pieces that are already paid for.

AFTER: New oil-rubbed bronze hardware, a built-in shower niche for toiletries and new Emser Tile in the shower added needed style to this bath.

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“I love the look and the way the bath turned out—no more white and brassy,” Lynn concluded. “I would never do another project without you,” she smiled.

Joetta Moulden offers home makeovers using your own home furnishings. See more makeovers on her Web site at www.shelterstyle.com, e-mail her at joetta@shelterstyle.com or call 713.461.2063.

Appointments or referrals booked

by December 31 will receive a 15 percent first meeting discount.

Shelterstyle.com holds a "Pages of Happiness" rating and, for the fifth consecutive year, a “Super Service Award” presented to 5 percent of companies that achieve and maintain a superior rating on www.angieslist.com.

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