The Half Bath Reveal

This half bath in our lower level is the first room in our home that we completely gutted and renovated and I am so proud! The space feels truly like us, and we are high-fiving ourselves for completing our first overhaul inside our home.

The first time we walked through our home, this bathroom was completely not functional. The sink was half falling off the wall and it worked (I think?) but the toilet definitely did not. I’m pretty sure the toilet got clogged some amount of years ago and was left shut and abandoned, at least that’s what the inside looked like (yuck). Here’s a refresher of what we started with.

and where are now!

I definitely do not miss the green sink and toilet, the ceiling tiles and oh that fluorescent light. We brought most of the room back to the studs and installed new drywall throughout, because the walls were covered in peeling painted wallpaper that was too far gone. We were happy to remove that fluorescent light and replace it with two pendants on either side of the window.

The inspiration for the entire bathroom came from the beautiful mid-century dresser that we purchased from Apartment 521. When we started preparing for the remodel, we were planning on using an Ikea vanity and getting custom door fronts. I’m so happy we stumbled upon this teak dresser that not only fits the space perfectly, but also complements other teak furniture that we have throughout our home and was definitely cheaper than an Ikea vanity with custom panels!!

In order to convert the dresser into a vanity, all we had to do was remove the back panel, mount it to the wall and cut a hole in the top for the sink to go through. Once the plumbing was all done we had to shorten the top 3 drawers in order to make room for the pipes. Using a custom dresser really creates a special and unique look for the washroom and it was incredibly easy!

Our floors are a luxury vinyl tile with a marble pattern, and I meannn vinyl has definitely come a long way. The marble pattern and the tone of the tiles are pure perfection. For the walls we painted White Dove by Benjamin Moore, a beautiful warm creamy white that I’m digging. We painted the door Benjamin Moore’s Dark Pewter, a really pretty dark blue-green that we are also going to carry throughout our lower level one day (when we’re ready for our next reno hah)! You can really see the true colour of the Dark Pewter in the next picture and how nicely it compliments the warm white walls, and the brass, oh gimme all the brass.

This little door knob is one of my favourite parts of the bathroom, it’s so classic and adds that touch of black that every room needs. The print above the towel bar was taken by our dear friend Brittany who is a hella talented photographer, seriously, check out her hashtag #brittanymahoodtravel and you will not be disappointed.

Winnipeg definitely has some amazing talent and local shops, and we snagged the perfect brass towel bar and turkish towel from June Home Supply. I am over impressed with the quality and softness of the towel, and the towel bar already has the most organic patina, I’m swooning.

Our sink is the TÖRNVIKEN from Ikea and it fits perfectly on top of the vanity and looks great with our brass faucet that we got at a steal of $99 on sale! Here’s another good before and after, can you even believe these are the same spaces?

I’m over the moon with this renovation. I love our home I love our home I love our home. I honestly believe if you love your home, it will love you back. Our home was definitely neglected for a few years, but I’m happy we are here to restore it to its proper glory. This washroom is honestly a little pocket of love in our lower level and we are so so happy to finally have a second functioning washroom in our home!

Comment below if you have any questions about the renovation. We’ll be posting a budget breakdown soon as well!