FINALLY, the grey bathroom renovation is done…
Our grey bathroom is complete. And this is NOT an understatement when I say that never, ever, have I ever, been SOOOOO excited to show you a room reveal. THIS is our BIGGEST renovation project EVER. And it was 100% DIY.
It took us AGES to complete this beast. But I gotta say, I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. Here she is:
*This bathroom project was sponsored by the following wonderful (and very patient) companies…and as always, opinions, cheesy jokes and 80s music references are mine all mine: Build.com | DullesGlass.com | Hayneedle.com | TheBuilderDepot.com | Schluter.com
*Below are exact items we used in this space. Click on the image of the product to be taken to the store where the item can be purchased:
And before we get too deep in the deluge of AFTER pictures, here’s a reminder of where we started. When we bought our home, this is how the bathroom looked:
Even before the remodel, it was always a big ol bathroom.
It was just dated. Not offensively so, perhaps. Just a bit…1992. GREAT year for music (think “Jump Around” – House of Pain, “Baby Got Back,” “I’m too Sexy” ?….but 1992 was NOT a great year for home decorating.
Almond, buff, nude + 4×4 tile + brass = 1992 dream home.
To say nothing of the brass or tile, the color combo alone reminds me of my liquid foundation. Which is made for covering up ugly blemishes on my pasty pale skin ?. Nuff said.
Anyhow, we were able to make the footprint of this soon-to-be grey bathroom even larger because we stole space from the room next door (our old closet, before we did a massive renovation and moved the closet into a room off the master bedroom).
If you haven’t seen our closet renovation go check it out (here).
Here are all 9 months of this renovation condensed into a 4-minute time-lapse if you want to see some of the efforts, horrendous outfits worn, and bad hair days experienced while making this space.
The space we gained from adding that old closet square footage is now where our vanities and the bench area of the shower reside:
The new vanities are a big improvement over the old.
The interior of each of the new Hayneedle vanities has 6 soft-close drawers and one large pull-out tray. I love the built-in storage and organization that these vanities provide…because left to my own devices, things would NOT stay super neat ?.
We opted for marble counters in this space, and beautiful single handle faucets by Moen.
The exterior wall of the old bathroom had one set of average-sized double-hung windows. They were wood-framed, old, leaky, and I don’t think they even locked anymore.
We demolished the existing window, made it larger, and added another huge window. Here’s that exterior wall before:
And now these giant picture windows (each one is about 4′ x 5′) are my favorite part of the space.
We put up blinds (faux roman shades with roller blinds behind them) this weekend (after these photos were taken) so that we have some privacy in there when needed.
We also just put up these awesome living wall frames with succulents from Planted Spaces…
I have to admit, I was a little sad to see the jacuzzi tub leave. Not because it was pretty. It was not.
In fact, I think it made a much nicer looking lawn ornament than a tub. But…
I did kind of like the bubbles. That said, I rarely ever take baths. I always think I will, but I never do. And this gorgeous, modern vessel tub is stunning.
The Moen tub filler is from build.com. Not only is it super sturdy, but it’s also incredibly pretty. The kids like to pick up that water sprayer nozzle and pretend it’s a phone ☎️.
Plus, I figure if I really decide I want to kick it old school with my bubbles, I’ll buy something like this.
What do you think of the lighting above the tub? They are stunning in real life. I had picked out some other lighting for this space, but when my index finger scrolled past these, I did a 180 on the lighting plan.
When I created the mood board for this grey bathroom ages ago, I called the look “London on a cloudy day.” I knew I was going to use the amazing wallpaper you see on the ceiling.
That cloud print paper was the first thing I picked out, and the design kind of fell into place once that was decided upon. These feathery lights remind me of clouds, which made them PERFECT to put in here.
See the door beyond the tub? That space used to be our shower…
But now, it’s our linen closet.
See the transom window on top? I had that little piece of stained glass custom made on Etsy.
It’s meant to mimic the tartan print found in the tile accent in our shower.
The door was a vintage find that I picked up from my fave local “door guy” here in Maryland. I got that baby for about $50, then cleaned, sanded and stained her to kind of match the stain on our vanities. And I think it turned out pretty awesome. You can see the stain color in the door and the vanities below:
I cleaned up and re-used the vintage doorknob as well. It has a serious patina on it. Following the clean-up, it could have certainly been painted, but who doesn’t love the charm of the old, banged-up finish?
There is a bunch of storage room inside the linen closet, too.
I went a little wacky with my label maker in there. It felt great to put things that had been living in boxes in my bedroom back in their own space.
I didn’t buy anything new for storage in here, I just raided other closets in the house for baskets and buckets I could repurpose in here.
The water closet was the only part of the original space that didn’t move at all.
It’s tight quarters in there. But I think we made the most of it. I painted the ceiling the same color as the section outside the wallpaper feature in the main part of the grey bathroom. And we used the same feather pendant lights used over the tub.
And I decided to make use of the dozens of picture frames I had sitting in storage and made a huge gallery wall feature full of family photos.
It’s difficult to see the floor tile in the wide-angle shots, but here’s a close-up:
Trust me when I tell you it is gorgeous. It’s an inexpensive and super durable porcelain tile, with a herringbone suiting fabric type print. A classic look, but a bit edgy at the same time. I love love love mixing patterns, as you may already know.
Since this grey bathroom has a color scheme that is WAY more neutral than my designs usually are, the fun for me in this space was mixing different patterns and materials together.
The plaid tile, the herringbone tile installation in the shower and herringbone print on the floors, pebble tile floor in the shower, the graphic cloud wallpaper on the ceiling, the feather chandeliers.
The pattern and material mix gives the otherwise grey bathroom some depth and personality, I think.
To me, the most luxurious part of the whole room is the shower.
We designed the shower to be as big as possible. It has a bench, three custom storage nooks, a trough-style “hidden” drain, and dual rain showerheads.
It took us FOREVER to tile this shower.
But I looooove how it turned out. The kids love it, too. Now, instead of asking to take a bath, they all want dibs on the shower.
My favorite thing about this grey bathroom? Well, make it two:
1. It’s FINALLY done.
2. When a storm is rolling in, the best place in the house to watch it coming is now from our bathroom. I can stand in the shower, relaxing, and watch outside over the farm as it gets dark and cloudy. It’s gorgeous.
- Vanities
- Sunburst Mirrors
- Feather Lights
- Schoolhouse Pendants (over vanities)
- Moen Rain Shower Heads
- Moen Sink Faucets
- Miseno Tub
- Moen Tub Filler
- Ceiling Wallpaper
- Miseno Toilet
- Paint Colors:
- Walls: custom blend…I call it “Heathered Nest Grey” – Ben Moore “Silver Polish” cut by 63% to make it lighter/whiter
- Ceiling: Ben Moore “Stormy Sky”
- Black Pebble Tile (shower floor)
- “Venato Carrara” Marble Subway Tile (shower walls)
- Tartan accent tile and herringbone fabric floor tile were bought locally (similar floor tile)
- Frameless Glass Shower Enclosure
- Vintage Door/Door Knob
- Custom Transom Window Vendor (he can work with you on any custom look you want)
After all, I did create this grey bathroom to look like London on a cloudy, gloomy-like day. Not a bright and sunny one. This is my “moody” room. It’s my calming and cozy place. A recharging the batteries kind of room.
No more does this bathroom scream 1992.
This grey bathroom is now modern, chic and with the times.
She’s singing a different tune. The one that comes to mind? A little Becky G ??…
“dancing in the mirror, and singing in the shower”
So there you have it! Phew. We’re so so happy it’s done. And we’d love to know what you think!! Leave us a comment below, or pin an image or two from this grey bathroom to your fave board on Pinterest.
grey bathroom pin #1
You can even leave a comment on the pin! That will help others find us, and helps Pinterest find other pins and pinners whose style you’ll dig, too.
grey bathroom pin #2
Pssst…before you go, I sure would love to hang out with you again really soon! Sign up now and get a FREE copy of “Builder-Grade To Beautiful: 10 Totally Transformative Home Decorating Solutions, All Under $100!” Click here or on the image below. Your copy will be sent right away!
Ashleigh N Sanders says
I love the tile inside your shower storage too. I like that everything goes together but is different patterns! The mirrors + tub + shower are my faves but I think the vintage door and linen closet take the cake. It gives it a 1920s Hollywood-starlet vibe, just from the door + the stained glass. You should get another vintage door for your water closet!
Lynn Pecquex says
What I love about your gray bathroom reno:
a) I LOVE your cloudy wallpaper on the ceiling.
b) I LOVE the herringbone tile pattern in your shower.
c)I LOVE your herringbone floor tiles.
d)I LOVE your big windows.
e)I LOVE the dark gray border around the cloud ceiling paper. And
f) I LOVE the juxtaposition of the feathery cloud lights!
It’s beautiful, and you did a grande reno!
Heather says
Lynn! That’s so kind, thank you so much 🙂
Jody says
Gray is beautiful as your bathroom is now. Beige is so ugly. Reminds me of dirt on the planes. 2 houses we owned I painted the living room a medium gray. Since that was some 35 years ago I have changed to a pale gray. So understated. I cannot and will not live in an all White House. Once again we are going to buy another as soon as my guy gets home from active duty in Syria. Shot and in the hospital. I have a promise of his arrival on July 4/ 5. I pray the 4 th. We have missed so much time. The Grandbabies will be 6 months on July 3 rd. Holding bottles and my sweet girl rolls all over their bed to get where she wants to be. Little knees have not quite entered their minds yet. So my ideal house sold 3 days after going on line. 2 nd house I have tagged and lost. But there will be a gray room in the new house. You both did an excellent job and it shows.
Heather says
Prayers for the rest of his tour going well and him returning in just days now safe and sound!!! Please give him a big hug from our family and thank him for his service ❤️. We owe so much to our military families! You guys endure a lot, and we are grateful. Thank you for your sweet words about our remodel.
Margaret says
Any chance you can share the floor tile source? We’re relatively local, well in MD anyway, and I’m looking for something that has texture but isn’t fake wood or stone for a bathroom project coming up.
Heather says
Hey Margaret – I would love to tell you I’d recommend our floor tile. But, to be honest, I do not at all. The price point was amazing, but I now think that we are getting what we paid for. It does not ever look totally clean. When the light shines on it, the finish is really spotty and not nice and clean. It’s really splotchy. We bought if from Floor and Decor, which has great prices, but to be honest, we had a terrible experience with the staff there, and are just less than thrilled with the floor tile, even though I still love the design. I regret not spending a bit more for a better quality product 🙁
David says
What system did you use for your shower pan?
Heather says
Hey David, good question. We used a pan from Tile-Redi. It’s a pre-sloped pan with a trench drain at one end. It has kind of a waffle grid underneath that you lay in a bed of mortar. It’s made of a very lightweight high-density foam material, so it weighs next to nothing out of the box. Let me know if you have other questions! Here’s a long, ugly URL, but it will take you to the category of pans we bought from: https://www.tileredi.com/shower-pans-and-bases/redi-trench-shower-pans-and-bases?dimensions=1069&drain_position=174&entrance_curbs=170
Rhoda says
Wow, Heather, I missed your master bath remodel last year! It’s gorgeous! We’ve been discussing ours and even though it’s a 2005 house, our master is very plain and boring. Trying to decide how much to do in there, but looking at yours makes me want to tear everything out and start over. You didn’t mention your budget, but it was all DIY, we can’t do all the work ourselves, just couldn’t take on the tiling the shower part so we’d have to hire out a bunch of it. So mulling it over, but you did a fantastic job on this bathroom. I’m jealous and really want to make ours pretty too. We also have the big jacuzzi tub and smaller shower. Decisions, decisions!
Heather says
Well, looking back at how much time this consumed from our lives, I’ll tell you what…if we had more of a budget than we did (we wanted to do it all for under 7k…and in all honesty, I have yet to look back to see how close to the mark we were) I would have hired in a heartbeat. Although that has its headaches as you know, too! You’re right about the decisions. YES…SO many. If you take yours on, I can’t wait to see what you’ll do with it Rhoda! Your designs are always divine! Thanks for taking the time to comment. It made my day! Heather
Hannah says
After reading this post, I changed my mind and went for the grey bathroom. My shower looks elegant and is always glittering which makes me happy.
Heather says
Yeah!!! That’s so nice to hear!!! Would love to see it!!! Post a picture on the Pinterest pin, or on Facebook so we can see it and others can as well!!
Kristin salazar says
This space is amazing! You guys did such an incredible job with it, that shower oh my!!!! And the lights, and the bath tub…I could go on 🙂
Heather says
Awwww, THANK YOU friend ❤️
Madeline says
It looks amazing! I wish I could see it in person! You guys did an awesome job!
Cindy says
Incredible. I love how you balanced what could have been a cold stormy gray palette with just a touch of warmth in the vanities, stool, mirrors and antique door. Absolutely brilliant! And, the skill – wow!
Heather says
Thank you so much Cindy! It was a challenge for me to work with such a neutral palette since everything in me is usually screaming that it wants more color. But I love how calming the space is now. Thanks so much for your comment!
Amy says
Absolutely amazing! I can’t believe it’s the same space. You definitely need to have a party in that bathroom! XO, Amy
Heather says
Alright sister, I’m inviting you for a bash in the bano 😉
Cassandra says
WOW! This is breathtaking! So, so, so stunning – what a vision you had!!! Inspiring! Gorgeous colors. Ahhh! 🙂
Heather says
Yeah!! So happy you like it Cassandra!!
Toni | Small Home Soul says
Oh my gosh!!!! Stunning doesn’t even begin to describe it. At first when I clicked over from your newsletter I thought it was one of those integrated advertisements. Then I realized it was your new bathroom. Holy Smokes, I love every single details. That ceiling is magnificent and those pendants? Crazy beautiful. You nailed it and I am having some serious bathroom envy, in a good way ❤❤❤
Sue says
Absolutely amazing! Love everything you are doing to your home. I would live in your dressing room and this bathroom. Of course, you would have to bring me my meals.
Heather says
LOL! Will see what we can do 😉 Thanks as always Sue!!
Susan Ronnfeldt says
Gorgeous! Absolutely Gorgeous!!! It is stunning! I love the wallpaper! You really made a beautiful room!
Lori Lear says
OMGoodness, that is awe inspiring~! First thing that caught my eye was the fact that you quoted words from a song that I love!! lol Every aspect of this reno is simply beautiful. Congratulations on your new oasis!! Ü
Heather says
HA HA HA! Glad you’re a kindred spirit on that song. Totally makes me smile whenever I hear it!
Charlotte says
Looks amazing!!!! You should be over the moon about it!!
Heather says
was. so. tiring. sucked the life out of us for a loooong while. but yes, we’re pretty damn happy with how it turned out 🙂 Thanks buddy 😉
Terri Werning says
Absolutely beautiful! What an incredible design. That wallpaper ceiling is gorgeous. I love it all!
Court Reinland says
The lights literally look like shower scrunchies, which is 100% appropriate in this case ?. Love the greys too.
Barb says
It is absolutely GORGEOUS great job!!!!!
Need I say more.
Andrew Smith says
I agree love it ,i do bath remodels and i can visualize everything that was done herr and its a super good job other then the lights
Deb says
I love this! What is the dimension of your room?
Heather says
Hi Deb, I think it’s roughly 15′ x 10′-ish. I’d have to check to be sure. Glad you like it ❤️.
Adriane Breck says
Heather, WOW!! This is beautiful! You are so talented. Thanks for sharing.
Heather says
Awww, thank you!!! Nice to hear from you Adriane!! Hope you guys are enjoying your summer!! It’s going by so fast!
Amie Freling says
Heather! This bathroom is so amazing and has so much style. There is no other bathroom out there that looks like yours and that’s what makes it so special! Congrats and time to soak in that beautiful tube!
Heather says
Gosh Amie, thanks SO much!! I can’t wait to hear more about your bunk room!! How fun is that?!?! Congrats!!
Gill says
Beautiful, what a transformation! ?
Tricia says
Simply Stunning! It’s a dream bathroom. Wonderful job
Heather says
THANK YOU Tricia!! We’re pretty smitten with it. I think after you do so much work to build/create something, it makes the finish line even better. And it was a loooong time coming 😉
Janet says
Absolutely magnificent! Love every choice you made!
Dezyndiva says
Ditto to this comment. Fornasetti wallpaper after all! Light pendants, and the herringbone floor tiles. The linen closet … the shower. I would have joined the vanities for more counter space, but over all, A++++
Pam Lewellen says
WOW, mouth drop! It looks amazing! Only two things would bother me. Looking at family members while on the toilet and no privacy on the shower if someone walks in or happens to look in the window. But even so, it is just gorgeous and I wouldn’t want to leave that room ever!
Denise says
Stunning. Just stunning!
Lisa G says
It’s beautiful! I love the wallpapered ceiling, feather pendants, photos in the water closet, and the giant shower. You two do impressive work.
GERT says
very beautiful, but I would have been happy just to have your before..
JOY says
OH MY GOSH! I love everything, it is simply gorgeous. It is hard to pick a favorite, however I really like the ceiling. That is so different. I’ve never seen anything like it. How did you do it? I know I am gushing, but I can’t help myself!
Sandra Anne McKenzie says
LOVE this !!!! LOVE it!!!
everything!
but the linen closet, the linen closet door, the cloud lights, the ceiling !!!!