Good morning! Coming at you on this short week (Memorial Day plus last day of the school year is making for a great week) with a little before and after. I love a good transformation, and this one is not going to disappoint, you guys.
When I met with Kenzi late last year, we dreamed up some big renovations for her home. As a homeschooling mom to three kids, she spends a lot of time at home. And as someone who spends a lot of time at home myself, I can tell you that your house will start to drive you INSANE until you make it right. Design is important to quality of life, and Kenzi and her family were in need of a little quality upgrade. The ultimate plan is to renovate the kitchen, mudroom, and guest bath that are all connected. We decided to start with a manageable chunk and kicked off the larger project with the guest bathroom.
This was their guest bathroom before. The woven wallcovering had taken a beating from the kiddos. Attempts to liven up the space with decorating and shower curtains were well intentioned, but only a sledge hammer could get this job done. Here were our main goals:
Change the layout. Just on the other side of this bathroom is the pool. We wanted to move the toilet and put a door to the exterior in its place.
Remove the furr down and 80s fluorescent lighting. All new lighting, fixtures, and finishes would be brought in to freshen up the space. Everything must go.
Bring their two design styles together. Kenzi and Brandon have very different tastes (as do each and every couple I've ever worked with ever). He gravitates towards natural, rustic, masculine elements. She grew up on the west coast and loves color, a fresh vibe, and Spanish influenced pieces. They have struggled over the years to find a way to bring their two style voices together and didn't think it would be possible in a space as small as this one.
Challenge accepted.
(Do I say that in every blog post? I think I do.)
I started with what they had in common - a love of natural textures and wood - and built from that common ground. I've found that using navy tends to be a great crowd pleaser when it comes to creating spaces for married couples. Blue is the most universally appealing color, and it plays so well with others. Since its complimentary color is orange (getting all scientific on you guys), it enhances the orange tones found in wood. Meaning that navy can make wood look richer. A great place to start. After that, I layered in patterns that have a bit of Spanish influence for her, but kept it clean lined and un-fussy for him.
And here is the finished space! The photo below is taken from the same spot as the before photo. Where the toilet was before is now a door to the outside. We did a half lite glass door to allow natural daylight in. Whenever possible in your renovations, I highly recommend natural lighting. Nothing can take the place of good o'l daylight.
We eliminated a small exterior closet that was in the back corner and expanded the shower. Now kids can get hosed off after swimming and the dog can get a bath easily with the addition of a hand held shower and a shower seat.
There are so many details going on in this small space, but the show stopper is the tile. The tile on the floor is actually a porcelain made to look like a cement tile (which we originally wanted but wasn't quite in the budget). From there we ran tile up all 4 walls for brightness and durability.
One piece of advice I find myself giving over and over totally applies here - don't be afraid to use color in a small space. My original plan had been to paint the walls a soft gray, but during the construction process when it came time to finalize the paint color, I realized that the space was begging for some contrast. I used one of my new favorite shades - Benjamin Moore Knoxville Gray.
We have to talk about this sink. This is an industrial strength utility sink that can stand up to anything (are you sensing a theme here?!). Kenzi was originally concerned about the lack of counter space, but we quickly discovered this would be a huge pro. No counter space = no clutter accumulating on the counter!
Guests can stash their toiletries on the shelf below the mirror and the wooden bench, and kids will be "encouraged" to keep their toiletries in their own bathroom, keeping this space clean. The soap dish is built right into the faucet, which is all you need.
Be sure to check out the full gallery here. We are about to tackle the bulk of the project now - the kitchen and mudroom. This one is going to be INCREDIBLE y'all. Here's a little sneak peak at the before and the design:
Hope you all enjoy the short week! And as always I invite you over to Instagram for regular updates and behind the scenes looks into all of our projects and day-to-day goings on.
