And that’s a wrap, folks.
OUR TRANSITIONAL – MODERN CLASSIC BATHROOM RENOVATION IS DONE!
Yes, I am yelling in glee, haha, like I can’t believe this is real. Really I can’t, someone pinch me!

Let’s step back a bit to look at how it looked before…
Now you can see why I am so very excited! This is a bathroom that my son and I share, but it’s also the guest bathroom. And, yes, our renovation was entirely done ourselves including the tiling, plumbing, and, well, everything. It may look like a lot, but taking things step by step (and hours of videos and manufacturer questions, lol) is always best practice.
I have included the sources at the bottom of this post if you see anything you like.
Ok, Let’s start with the shower.
Bye Bye bottles of soap everywhere and getting knocked off the side.
Hello, storage! The shower niche was by far the hardest way you could ever try to do a shower niche (it’s almost 5 feet tall and completely custom), but oh, the storage! I’ve never seen one done like this, so we took every precaution to build it and make sure it was absolutely sealed.
For the rest of the shower, we used beveled edge subway tile in white. You can see how we planned and worked with this specific tile here. Although I can’t decide a favorite item, these glass shower doors have got to be in the top 3. They slide so smoothly and look so chic.
Now the vanity. As I spoke about in the post about how to paint a vanity, this is actually the original builder-grade oak vanity. I painted it in my favorite matte furniture paint in midnight blue.
For the mirrors, we actually cut the old, huge mirror into two segments and then backed and framed them. Serious cost saver!
Oh, and that floor! I wanted a textured, natural looking floor, but for whatever reason I wanted to avoid wood tile flooring and most stone. Enter porcelain contrete printed stone. It’s textured and beautiful and looks so natural in the space. There were also a huge range of shades to choose from.
For the sinks and faucets, we decided on these from American Standard and they have a wonderful vintage and modern detailing. I won’t in this post, but we go into a lot of detail about why we chose these sinks and faucets here.
The vanity lights were actually one of the first items I picked out for the space. They perfectly embody both the classic vintage aspects and the modern shaping that I wanted.
Well, there’s our modern classic bathroom makeover. While I may add some shelves over the toilet or the wall switch eventually, there is no timeline on that and I am perfectly happy with how it is today. I am thinking it’s time for a glass of wine and a long soak to enjoy the view.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF OUR NEW BATHROOM SPACE?
Shower
- Beveled Edge Subway Tile (with white unsanded grout)
- Glass Shower Niche Tile (no longer available)
- Grey Ceramic Tile and Pencil Tile (Shower Niche walls)
- Glass Tub Doors
- Enamel Bathtub (we researched this for days and I am impressed, only available online)
- Tub Faucet and Handle in Chrome Finish with 8 inch widespread holes
Paint
- Wall Color – Benjamin Moore Ice Cubed Silver
- Vanity Paint – Midnight Blue
Vanity
- Brass vanity Handles (3 inch on the drawers and 3.75 inch on the doors)
- Vanity Lights in Brass
- Countertops (white on white in matte finish, these were custom made at Lowes. You can see how to replace a vanity top in this post.
- Drop In Sinks (Here is our 3-hole version. There is also a 1 hole version that is slightly smaller or a close matching 3 hole drop in sink)
- Mirrors (We tried cutting our own, but that was a major disaster, and these are the ones we purchased. Our mirrors are extra tall, but we kept the width about same as the drop-in sinks)
Other Fixtures
- High Efficiency 2 Piece Toilet
- Porcelain Floor Tile (there are more shades and colors)
Accessories
Total Budget spent: $3,815
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Handy Squad says
Fantastic makeover, the shower niche is simply beautiful!
Rachel says
Thank you! The shower niche has been so very useful.
Cindy says
I am gobsmacked! I seriously LOOOVE the shower niche; those sparkly blue tiles look like the ocean. Everything is clean and bright without looking too white and sterile. These photos belong in a high-end magazine! I hope you don’t mind if I save some of your photos to my idea book.
You have so much storage already, I wouldn’t even bother putting shelves up. Just a nice piece of framed artwork or enlarged photo would be perfect and would keep the space wide open.
Rachel says
You made my day with such a sweet comment! I totally agree about the shelves. I love the framed artwork idea and that’s probably what I will go with if I can ever find one I love.
Ronda says
Stunning makeover!!! Looks so fresh and classy now!!! Great job!!! Thanks so much for sharing all your wonderful tips!!!
Rachel says
Thank you!
Tracy says
Can a new tile person use bevel tile or that will make it so much harder?
Rachel says
Hi Tracy, great question! I would consider myself about fairly experienced with tile installation. I’ve done a wall, a shower, 3 backsplashes, and 4 flooring projects. Honestly, the beveled edge doesn’t make the process any more or less difficult. There are really only two considerations that are a bit different for beveled edge tile, which I show in this post: https://www.cravingsomecreativity.com/installing-beveled-subway-tile/
Olivia Stacey says
Wow! This is a beautiful bathroom renovation. I love how you transformed the vanity. All of the hardware and details are beautiful.
Caitlin says
It is unbelievable how much putting the handles on the drawers changed the entire look of the vanity! you have a great eye for decor!
hey sharonoox says
That’s an amazing makeover! The bathroom certainly look so much spacious and chic. I really like the idea of having a rail glass door. So elegant!
Alicia Taylor says
That looks like a completely different bathroom! I’m in love with the midnight blue on the vanity! Beautiful. I was told if you paint them, you will have to continually touch them up and it’s a lot of upkeep. Is that true?
Rachel says
Great question, Alicia. It’s all in the prep work! I have redone several pieces of furniture under all kinds of conditions, and finding the most durable products that are specifically made for furniture is key for painting high traffic pieces. I have a little boy who I like to call my loveable tasmanian devil, and he is very hard on our poor furniture. His bedroom set is actually painted white and, because I knew what to use, it is almost pristine except for one huge gouge. The bed lost a sword battle, lol. Anyways, the keys are good prepwork, paint made specifically for furniture, and a high quality polyacrylic coat. I tend to shy away from all forms of chalk paint because I do find they need touched up more. I share my thoughts on my favorite polyacrylics in this post here. However, there is one brand of paint that is durable without a polyacrylic and you can read about it and our stairwell project here. I know that this bathroom vanity will stand the test of time and my son.
Cassie says
I love the colour of your cupboard now! Just gorgeous and the gold trims are a great detail! I’d love this guest bathroom in my house
Lois Alter Mark says
What a stunning transformation. Those light fixtures and tile details are absolutely gorgeous- I’m totally blown away!
Stephanie says
What a gorgeous bathroom! I did a facelift in my bathroom last year because I hated the colors the previous owner had. I would love to remodel the bathroom. That shower niche is awesome!! And how amazing that you were able to do it all on your own.
Marjie Mare says
Thanks for sharing, I can imagine the joy you feel admiring your finishing work. Well done. Marjie
Joline says
Whoa you guys did an awesome job! We’ve been watching a lot of HGTV lately and this is totally up to par. Go and grab that glass of wine, girl. You totally deserve it! PS: crushing on those midnight blue cabinets.
Tonya says
Wow!! This is super impressive! I’ve always wanted to redo a room! Wondering now if the guest bathroom is the best place to start! Benjamin Moore has amazing paint- I need to find that blue! You did an amazing job!!!
Brandi says
All that I can say is WOW. This looks incredible. What a transformation!