Since January 2012, our historic 1918 craftsman house has been undergoing major renovations inside and out. Some of it has been documented here, under the Renovations Category. Final projects are wrapping up and it’s time to start revealing the new spaces.
The first completed space was the girls bathroom, shared by my three daughters ages 3, 5 and 8.
The bathroom was renovated as part of a total overhaul to the upstairs of the house that was gutted down to the exterior studs and framework, then put back together with modern insulation, HVAC and new walls. The bathroom was tripled in size by adding a dormer to the roofline. The locations of the bathtub/shower, toilet and sink were all reconfigured into a new layout, and the doorway was moved to make more room for the sink and three girls to stand in front of it.
Before the renovations, the upstairs bathroom was tiny! It did not have central heat and air. It had a small sink from the last time it was renovated when the owners choose to use plastic tiles on the walls in the 1950s. When we bought the house in 2005 there was no shower head. The old couple only took baths. The bathroom was not functional by modern day standards, and definitely didn’t work for three girls.
Until this renovation we were all five sharing one bathroom on the main level of the house – which was remodled in 2006 but kept it’s original size of only 5’x8′. So this (in addition to the two bedrooms we gained) was a much needed change!
Actually, it came down to the decision of do we renovate, or do we move? I’m glad we stayed. Because I would have never found a house with this bathroom designed so perfectly for our family.
The bathroom was was created around the sink, a cast-iron Brockway utility sink by Kohler – that I found on Pinterest. Special blocking was built into the studs of the wall to support sink, which weighs about 100 pounds.
The mirror above the sink is built into the wall, with the wainscoting. I have to thank our contractors on this design, at Clinch River Custom Builders. I explained my vision for the space and Simon, the carpenter working on the job, made it all happen. The shelf above the window is built in as well, designed to hold a curtian beneath it.
The schoolhouse sconces are from Destination Lighting.
I wrote about sewing the curtains here, from the shower curtain I bought on Ebay.
The footstool was a Goodwill find. I think it might have been an ottoman with a padded cushion at one time. I sanded it and put a clear water based stain on it. This is the MOST perfect footstool for the girls. They can all fit on it together to brush their teeth, and even my 8-year-old prefers this spot to brush her hair in the mornings.
The white cabinet was found at Homegoods. I bought the galvanized bins this sumer at World Market in their party section.
The floor tiles are 1 1/2″ hexagon tiles, unglazed, purchased at our local John Beretta Tile Company that has been in business since the same year our house was built. Which I think is really, really cool.
Classic white subway tile was used in the shower. With a shampoo ledge build into the space using a piece of gray marble we found in the basement left by the former owners. I believe it is Tennessee Marble, from a nearby quarry.
A very helpful associate at Ferguson’s (local folks, ask for Sharron Tiller) helped me find the right shower system the space. The rod is by Kohler, called Stillness, and it’s perfect because my children can easily adjust the height of the shower head themselves. Plus, it detaches with a long enough hose to help the little kids in the bathtub. The shower head is Bancroft, and the water pressure options are enjoyed by all the ages in our household. The bathtub is cast-iron, also by Kohler.
Here is the bathroom from a different angle, with hooks for towels and a separate wall for the toilet space.
The windows on this wall were built by our contractors, to be identical to the ones used on an existing dormer. I am very particular about renovating an old house the right way, and making everything look like it was meant to be there from the start. The windows were an important factor in that.
Lastly, here is our girls in action one morning standing at the sink getting ready for school. I must say the whole space has been a smashing success with our family! We are all thrilled with how it turned out.
Next up for renovation reveals will by the bedroom shared by my two youngest daughters – just as soon as I get the last four curtain panels sewn and up! After that will by the playbook in the upstairs landing, my oldest daughter’s room after I sew her comforter – and finally the kitchen and mudroom. That ought to keep me busy – and hopefully bring you back to read some more.
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Picture perfect! Love your use of color.
Hi Rebecca,
Just stumbled on your blog looking for design ideas for our bathroom. Yours turned out so beautiful! If you see this, I just wondered if you could mention how high you hung your sink. We will have the same and will also have three kids (boys) sharing.
Thank-you!
Chris, the sink edge is at 31″ tall. The top of the sink, in the back where it goes up higher, is at 40″. We love the sink.
I was a bit surprised by the strong water pressure, seeing it’s main use is hand washing and teeth brushing. But we are okay with it. We don’t have a stopper on the sink and it doesn’t come with one, or a drain hole to prevent overflow. That’s something you should know. My kids are young. The drain goes very fast so my fear of them leaving the water on and over flowing the sink was alleviated by that fact that there is no way to stop the drain of the sink, preventing the water from going down. Our contractor asked if we wanted one put in anyway and I was glad I said no.
Long story to a short answer. But I hope that helps.
Thank-you for your reply!
We are thinking of installing ours a bit higher since my husband or I will use the sink once in a while and I think our boys are destined to be fairly tall.
The no stopper thing threw me off, but we found one to put it – but then again, an overflow would be bad – I didn’t actually think of that.
Whenever we finish I will come back and add a link!
Chris, the ceilings are lower than standard in the bathroom because it is an attic built out, or I might have gone a bit higher. Then again, with the base of the sink being taller, we were also maximizing the mirror space on the wall. Also, the tops of the faucets raise up about another additional six inches so as it is they nearly touch the shelf at the base of mirror.
The sink is hung at the same hight of the pedestal sink (also a remodel) in my husband and I’s bathroom. So I felt like that height was okay. We are tall people as well. 😉
did you paint the sink? the bottom of it? if so, how did you prep it? and what kind of paint did you use so it won’t chip?
Yes we painted the sink. It was the same paint that was used on the walls. The surface did not need to be prepped because it was already rough. I surprised at how simple it was.
Is this a 36′ or 48′ brockway sink? I’m stressing so hard over which one to get. I want the 36′ but afraid it won’t be comfortable for 2 teenagers to stand together at it. They are young now, but will be bigger in no time. If I get the 36′ I plan to do a mirror 44-48 inches so they don’t have to stand shoulder to shoulder to see. Any advice would be super helpful! Thank you!!
Ours is 36″. I think 2 teenagers could stand by it. I would have done the bigger one with the three faucets but we didn’t have the space. And I expect my three girls to share the space until they are teenagers. Maybe not at the same time, or course. But I’m a believer of sharing.
Thank you for the reply. I ordered the 36 this morning and feel good about it. The 48 would have been too big in the space but the sales lady thought the 36 was a poor choice for two kids. I suspect she’s used to dealing with people who would never think of having kids share a sink…gasp!!! You know what I mean, 4 people in the house and 18 sinks!
Cute bathroom by the way! 🙂
Yes I completely understand. We live in a old house, before there was such thing as a bathroom per person in the house. I like the old way.
Hello! This is amazing! Did you go with grey grout? Thanks!
We did go with grey grout. We did a white bathroom like this downstairs a few years ago and learned the white grout doesn’t stay white for long! We love the grey.
what size did you go with for the mirror? I went with the 36″ sink for my kids’ bathroom that I am remodeling and I am trying to decide how much larger to go with the mirror. My initial gut was 42″ so that it overhung 3″ on either side, but I’m questining whether that’s enough of an overhang.
Our mirror is custom built into the wainscoting, leaving enough space on either side for lighting. We were just working with the space we had. With the wood trim it’s about six inches wider on each side than the sink. Hope that helps!
Great job with the renovations! We have a 1897 home and will also be using the Brockway sink in our remodeled bathroom. What is the make and model of the toilet you selected?
I am finding/reading this article in Part II of the Corona virus pandemic. We bought an 1850’s farmhouse pre-pandemic and have all been hunkered down like the rest of the country. Point being, my three kids (two boys one girl) are currently sharing a tiny small bathroom, just like the Pioneers did, and there is zero wrong in that, at least at their young age. A contractor suggested adding a bathroom in my daughter’s room versus opening walls (usually more expensive in the end) and making ours larger. Neither my husband or I are handy, so we cannot bring down costs. All to say, we will update the current shared space (gasp, as the previous reader wrote) and one day when they are teenagers and things change we will think about adding that extra bathroom. In the meantime, we are going back to 1850 and the kids will be sharing the space…with a farm sink that I still do not know if I should do 36″ or 48″. Can you update on how the 36″ sinks served your family? Thank you!
Nice to meet you.
I saw your blog.
I am a single mother raising two girls in Japan.
My name is YURIKO.
This time, I was looking for a sink material called US KOHLER BROCKWAY to introduce a new lifestyle to Japanese users.
At that time, I saw the wonderful photos published on your blog and thought that they matched the lifestyle I wanted to express.
This is a picture of three girls doing a washbasin.
It’s a very good scene, so I’ll edit it in consideration of their privacy, so can I use the photos in my work?
I work in Japan to introduce KOHLER products, and since I am a public relations officer, I would like to thank you financially.
However, the photo you posted this time was better than any other, so I offered this request.
Please reply if you like.
Thank you.