master ensuite — Blog — Jennifer Costello Interiors

Earlier this year I redesigned two very outdated bathrooms. Our master ensuite was original to the house (circa 1992) and needed a complete renovation. The layout of this room was a bit of a challenge because there are two fairly large windows in one corner which didn't allow much flexibility to extend the vanity or move the shower away from the toilet. As well, there was a heating duct on the floor along the shower wall so the solution involved designing a bench for the shower for the duct to pass through. We'd lived with the dysfunctional bathroom for a long time so our wish list for the renovation was pretty comprehensive - update everything, enlarge the shower, add built-in storage, improve the lighting and fan, increase the insulation and add a heated floor. As you can see from this BEFORE photo, we really needed a major overhaul. Notice the small, boxed in shower in the reflection in the mirror? It was awful.

For the new design, I really wanted something that felt serene and timeless. I was inspired to use a lot of marble in the design after a trip I took to Paris with my husband in 2015. During that trip I was just in awe of all of the marble that seemed to be in every bathroom and hotel I visited. The marble appeared as if it was very old but had aged well and was still in beautiful condition. Even with some slight imperfections and staining, it just seemed to add to the character, elegance and timelessness of everything Parisienne and I knew I wanted it in the most important bathroom in my house. I also wanted a soft, calming feel that would compliment the bright white doors and trim and light blue walls of the adjoining bedroom. My inspiration photos included this one from a local blogger, Michelle at AM Dolce Vita. I’ve been following her blog for a while and really liked her redesign of her master bathroom and I loved the idea of including an accent tile rug to add interest to the floor.

Here is another inspiration photo I'd found of a soothing spa-like retreat designed by Sydney Carlaw and featured in Style at Home Magazine.

Source: Style at Home Magazine — Source: Style at Home Magazine

I was taking my first course in 2D modelling using Google Sketchup while planning for this renovation so I created this mockup to scale to get a visual idea of how everything would look together with the new materials and a larger shower.

And here's the final, completed project. I'm really happy with how it turned out but I'm even more excited about how much it has truly added to the quality of my life. When I wake up and see the bathroom every morning and feel the smoothness of the natural stone and the warmth of the radiant heat on my feet, it truly makes me feel good. You could almost say it brings me #homejoy :)

For more details and photos about this reno see my blog post about the master bath progress .

Sources:

Paint: Behr Evaporation

Cabinetry: Classic Brand via Aurora Home Hardware

Marble countertop, bench and thresholds: Bianco Carrara Gioia via Milestone Marble & Granite

Marble Fabrication via Stoneworks Canada

Tub: Mirolina White Fina Slimline Tub via Taps Bath

Sinks: Mirolina White 18 x 12 Under Counter Sink via Taps Bath

Toilet: Toto Ultramax II via

Shower System: Aquabrass Square Handle Aquakit via Taps Bath

Tub and Vanity faucets and robe hooks (not shown): Zero via Gingers

Shower Glass via Doors & More

Wall Sconces: Single Light Crystal Ball in Polished Chrome via Union Lighting

Floor Tiles: 12x12 polished Bianco Carrara via Ciot and Mini Octagon Thassos Carrara accent tile rug via Saltillo Tiles

Wall Tiles: 3x6 White subway tiles and 2x2 Carrara mosaic floor and ceiling tiles via The Tile Shoppe

Hex tile for shower niche via Lowes Canada

Fan: Panasonic Vent Whisper Fan via Amazon.ca

Mirrors: Kentmere Rectangular Wall Mirror via Home Depot USA

Vanity Hardware: Geometric Square Knob in polished chrome from Top Knobs via Union Lighting

Towel Bar and Toilet paper holder via Lowes Canada

Accessories and Towels: Homesense, Walmart Canada

My bathroom projects were finally underway in early 2017, Yay! The master ensuite was completely gutted to the studs and joists in order to add new insulation with the hope that the shower and bath noise would be minimized in our main family room which is directly below. I can now confirm that it worked and was a great investment! We added heated floors, potlights, sconces and redirected the HVAC. The main goal was to enlarge the shower which had been a dark, cramped box with a single frosted glass door. The new shower is larger with a built in bench and glass enclosure. Once the cabinetry and tub was installed we had measurements taken for the marble for the vanity as well as the tub deck, shower bench, shower niche and threshold. It took a couple weeks to get the marble cut and installed and then we went through the same process with the shower glass. It's not a quick process when everything is custom but it's worth it in the end and I was so happy that we had both bathrooms complete before spring.

The floor opened up in order to add insulation.

New floor and framing complete. Tiling is underway.

Floor tile with "accent tile rug" in progress.

Ready for marble to be measured and installed.

After marble installation and ready for shower glass measurements.

There was a lot more that went into this but this gives you a general idea of the process for a large bathroom reno. See the final reveal here and contact me if you need help with a bathroom renovation in the future.