Romantic Bathroom Renovation
When Jenna, of jennasuedesign.com, was challenged to make over one space in six weeks, she decided the guest bath would be the perfect place to experiment. She and her husband, Brad, transformed every inch of their 1970s nightmare of a bathroom into a space that’s, as Jenna describes it, “a little bit romantic, a little bit boho, and a little bit vintage farmhouse.”
Before: The Big Beige Box
“The bathroom was a big beige box,” Jenna says of the dated room. And since the couple has been fixing up their California home since moving in, in 2013, the space felt like walking into a time warp. Jenna spent the first few weeks of the challenge researching and sourcing products before ripping everything down to drywall and studs.
After: Lively Tile
Fresh new cement tile, which Jenna installed herself with the help of friends and family, is the main attraction in this bathroom. DIY planked walls, made of 4-by-8-foot sheets of plywood that were ripped down into 8-inch planks, soften things up. Brad and a friend installed the new window themselves, which brightens up the space indoors and improves the view from outside as well.
After: Vintage Vanity
To make the vanity, Jenna scored a vintage buffet on Craigslist and had her plumber modify it for plumbing. Jenna sanded the piece down to bare wood to rid it of its glossy cherry color, then gave it a wash of diluted lime paint, and sealed it with a matte varnish to hold up against water. The pipes below are painted black so they can hardly be seen.
Pro Tip: To mark where pipes need to pass through a repurposed furniture piece, This Old House Magazine recommends scraping white chalk onto the cut ends of your bathroom’s existing plumbing, then pushing the piece against the pipes to transfer their locations onto the vanity back. From there, cut holes with a drill/driver fitted with the appropriate hole saws.
Before: Dated Tub
The harvest-gold fiberglass tub had to go. Jenna ordered a white claw-foot tub to fit in the space, but with special plans for making it her own. She had her plumber install oversized white subway tile in the nook.
Pro Tip: Richard Trethewey, This Old House plumbing and heating expert, notes that claw-foot tubs are “beautifully deep,” often 16 or 18 inches high—compared to modern tubs that may only be about 14 inches. When selecting one, he advises checking for wear at the drain point: “Oftentimes, they’re completely worn out where the drain was, where the water might have been dripping for 100 years.”
After: Cast-Iron Stunner
When the white cast-iron tub arrived, Jenna painted the feet black and used a mix of chalk and lime paints to give the tub an aged grey patina, then finished it with a wax. New brass fixtures outfit the tub and sink.
Pro Tip: Chris Beer, a professional tub refinisher featured on This Old House, says vintage cast-iron tubs are well worth the effort: “They’re nearly 100 years old and they’re made way better than the repros, and you can bring them right back to make them look like new.”
After: Creative Cover-Up
A valance made from old barnwood frames the shower curtain and hides the rod. Jenna used a jig to rout out the design.
After: Detailed Door
A black paneled door, DIYed by Jenna with 4-inch strips of plywood, finishes off the room.
For more details on the reveal, head on over to jennasuedesign.com’s one room challenge reveal. Thanks, Jenna!
Pro Tip: Tom Silva, general contractor on Ask This Old House, advises patience with painted door projects: “What I want you to do is wait for the door to really dry. It’s dry to the touch right now, but I want it to dry for about 24 hours. Sand it lightly with some 220 paper, wipe it off with a damp rag. Make sure there’s no moisture on the door. And give it another coat. And do that two times.”
