Rooms We Love: A Main Floor Bathroom Get a Victorian Face Lift!

This week we wanted to, or basically had to because the result was SO divine, feature the recent bathroom renovation of a colleague of ours (we met through work, funnily enough, and had no idea we were kindred spirits) in the close to Toronto city of Hamilton. He also has a blog that features the work people are doing to the sizable collection of historical homes in Hamilton to ooh and aah over, here: http://www.freshbrick.blogspot.ca and please follow him and his projects on Twitter: @FreshBrick

B&W Hexagonal tile $5.99/sq ft from Eden Tile-It in Burlington, ON

So we started off with this sneak peek yesterday to get you all excited for the latest update to this main floor bath that originally served as a butler’s pantry. This is a snap shot of the shower that replaced a jacuzzi tub that previous owners had installed. For guests or one of @freshbrick (‘s) three children, the shower was a more convenient and suitable option for the bathroom’s off-foyer location. Massage jets were better suited to… not this house.

Bold As Brass: Cheviot Shower Fixture $574 from Lowes.ca 

Brass fixtures we a challenge to find, initially, but they ultimately got lucky with a fixture they found online from Lowes! It always helps to do as much digging on line as you can for rooms with a traditional style like this because you may not be able to find exactly what you’re looking for with in store stock. Although brass fixtures have made a comeback recently (for some), they are still not readily available and on display in most mainstream DIY/home renovation stores, so you may do well to avoid the headache and buy what you need on your laptop with a glass of wine.

Brass sink fixture from Wayfair.com and the sink was recycled from their upstairs bath! 

Now can we just stop for a second AND FREAK OUT over this tile?  

Because we seriously cannot handle how gorgeous this is. Love. Love. Love.  This tile had to be special ordered from Florida, and the shipping ended up costing almost as much as the tile itself, but if you’re feeling like a splurge, using expensive tile in a small-er area like a bathroom will go a long way to making your house have the stylish and expensive vibe you may not be able to afford at scale when decorating your servants’ quarters, ballroom or second library.

Original Mission Tile – Field Tile $16.82/sq ft (plus $399USD shipping/freight) at GreatBritainTile.com 

Graphic and mosaic tile CAN be friends! Another thing to note is the colour of the grout in the hallway and shower: they stuck with black instead of white because, well #kids and #hightrafficarea. There’s nothing wrong with having a white tile in a hallway or entrance way as long as you remember that that inexpensive white grout will not stay white, and that a grey or black alternative maybe a higher cost/lower maintenance option you should consider.

The final product! 

This bathroom is totally showing off, but you probably would too. How. Gorgeous. Is. This.

Making antique LOOK GOOD, yo! 

There’s plenty more where this bathroom reno came from, so please check back with us this weekend when we will be featuring @freshbrick (‘s) upstairs bathroom gut job, which is equally amazing and with a totally different colour palette. .

bfd.