One thing about mornings – they set the tone for your day. I used to half wake up every morning and shuffle into our old master bathroom. It was cramped and dark, with not nearly enough room for the two of us to get ready at once.
Sink space was limited to one tiny sink for two people’s worth of needs. The shower stalls didn’t even span wide enough to comfortably stand inside of and shower doors opened into the space you’d typically stand at your makeup mirror. It was chaotic.
When we renovated our master bathroom last year, I knew this was my opportunity to correct all of the things that drove me nuts about our morning routine. You know how small annoyances can build up and turn into real frustration when you’re stumbling around in the morning half asleep trying to gather yourself for work?
All while already knowing that you’re going to be late.
First up: double vanities. Guys. Do yourself a favor and get double vanities if you renovate your bathroom.
Or if you build a house from scratch. If you have the space and budget for ONE luxury upgrade in your entire bathroom, PLEASE make it double vanities. We installed two 36” vanities facing each other, about 4 feet across from each other.
The hubby uses the left sink (who knew he was so messy?) and I use the right. Seriously, game changer. We’re no longer waiting on each other to get ready.
We purchased full-length mirrors for each vanity. Mine is just slightly longer because hello- I wear makeup and need lighting and space to see what I’m doing. His features better lighting for shaving.
We added LED strip lighting behind each mirror as well, which was honestly the best £200 I’ve ever spent in this bathroom. The light is even, there are no shadows and I actually look like a human being in the morning instead of a troll who’s never seen the sun. Drawer/storage space was another big thing for me.
Instead of upper cabinets for bathroom supplies, I installed deep drawers under each sink. Let’s be honest – bathroom cabinets are wasteland of misplaced hair products and q-tips that have long vanished into nowhere. Drawers fix all of that.
Everything is visible. Everything has a home. I actually know where my good tweezers are at all times.
Magical. I LOVED our walk-in shower. We took out our bathtub (we didn’t even USE the bathtub to begin with, who wants to tub after a long day at work?) and framed out a spacious glass shower that’s approximately 4 feet by 5 feet.
There’s ample room to move around and no scraping your legs on the walls when you try to rinse off. We installed a rainfall shower head in the center of the shower ceiling, as well as a handheld shower head on a slide bar. The handheld was my husband’s idea- he always has the most brilliant ideas when it comes to function.
Practical man. I use it all the time to rinse the conditioner out of my hair without soaking the rest of me. Let’s talk shower floors for a hot minute.
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We chose small 2-inch hexagon tiles in a light gray. Small tiles = more grout lines, more grout maintenance. Everyone told us grout was a “nightmare to keep clean”.
Well, we purchased a high-end grout sealer and I religiously clean my shower every week with a squeegee and some shower cleaner. It only takes me about 5 extra minutes to rinse down the shower after I’m done anyway, and honestly I love the look of the small tiles. The texture also provides great traction- no slipping on the bathroom floor.
We used large format tiles on the walls. 12×24 inch tiles in a subtle marble pattern. Less grout lines to clean =YAY!
But still small enough to not be boring or look like we just skipped texturing altogether. Oh and speaking of amenities we splurged on- I CANNOT stress this enough how much I love having a shower niche. We built a little shelf about shoulder height and tiled the inside with the same marble-esque tiles we did the floor with.
Now we don’t have to worry about precariously placing our shower bottles on a tiny ledge or hanging a flimsy plastic shower “caddy” that always falls down when you’re half asleep at 6am. We contemplated having mood lighting or a ton of lighting in the shower itself. We ended up just installing one small recessed light that’s rated for wet areas.
However, shower lighting is all about placement. Too close to the shower head and you’ll constantly be casting a shadow over yourself. Too far back and you’ll be cutting off your legs when you try to shave down there. (Don’t ask me how we learned this, but we did…) ouch.
We debated against heated floors at first. They weren’t cheap. Probably close to £800 to purchase enough electric heating mats to cover our bathroom floor space.
But my goodness, they’re worth every penny. There’s nothing like stepping out of a cold shower and onto warm tiles. Back felt like it was going to snap the first time we tried it!
We kept everything pretty neutral in color- whites, grays and warm brass. I splurged on the brass because honestly, I was so sick of seeing all blonde and silver tones. Chrome fixtures and brushed nickel sinks are EVERYWHERE.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it- it just feels cool to switch it up. The brass warms up the space and surprisingly doesn’t stain if you wipe them down every now and then.
Our bathroom renovation took about six weeks and cost us around £18,000.
That included moving plumbing and some additional electrical work. It wasn’t cheap by any means, but when you break down that we will USE this bathroom twice a day for however many years we live in this house, it’s totally justified. If I had to do it all over again, I probably would have done something different with our towel storage.
We used a ladder style rack that looks super awesome in photos but doesn’t exactly hold towels the best. They tend to slide down! For funcion over form, I would recommend getting actual towel bars or hooks.
All in all though? Mornings are way less stressful. We’re not bumping into each other or fighting over bathing space.
We actually enjoy being in there now and try to spend time washing the dogs’ feet or washing our faces instead of rushing out the door. Life’s too short to hate your morning routine.
