The Jack & Jill Bathroom: A Completed Project.

The saying "life happens while you're busy making other plans" is spot on. It sums up exactly how I feel lately; life keeps going on and we keep planning on. 

Now moving on... 
to the end of our bathroom remodel! I've been so busy enjoying the fruits of our labor (hello spacious shower and deep soaking tub) that I've neglected to post a final entry showcasing all the finishing touches. My last post talked about tiling our shower (and let me remind you, that shower took two months to complete). Now, it's time for the finale! The big reveal! Here we go... 

This bathroom gets so much natural light (it does have 4 large windows!), so the color palette changes throughout the day. Sometimes the room looks white, then it goes creamy, and at twilight, everything appears more taupe. I love it. And you'll notice it in the pictures.

Originally, the planks in front of the bathtub were painted white. The trim work (on the penny tile wall) was also painted white. But the stark white looked very bold and boxy, so we softened the area by painting everything the same color as the walls (Steamed Milk by Sherwin Williams). 

The rug is Dash and Albert (purchased here), and the polypropylene material is perfect for a bathroom. Don't let the white stripes scare you away- it vacuums up easily. 

This dip-dyed stool conveniently holds wine glasses and reading materials. It's been tested and approved by yours truly. Found and purchased here at Serena and Lily.

For the love of linens, who would ever imagine that color matching towels to your bathroom decor could be so difficult? Originally, my plan was to buy simple white towels because they are clean and classic. But then my husband said, "White towels feel like a hotel. And we stay at too many hotels." Point taken. So began the search for non-hotelish feeling towels.... 

To my great surprise, Restoration Hardware has outlet stores. How did I not know of such a thing? Ian and I went to the location north of Philadelphia and found these "Stone" colored gems. But of course, they didn't have 4 towels in stock. We had them ordered and voila- the taupe colored towels add just the right amount of color to our space. 

If you go online to shop at Restoration Hardware, they have the exact Stone color listed under their "802-Gram Turkish Towel" collection. But if you call a RH outlet store, they carry the less expensive "602-Gram Turkish Towel" in the same color. 

I found my towel holder online; I won it from an estate sale! Actually, it's an old vintage fireplace log rack. It's such a petite size, made of cast iron, and has a retro vibe that fits well with the penny tile surround. I thought about spray painting it white, but then decided to embrace its imperfections. It's definitely one of my favorite finds! 

I know it sounds like I just knocked white towels, but the ones hanging on the wall aren't your standard white towels. These, my friends, are luxe linens that I received for Christmas. Yes, quite the splurge, but they are quality. They are sophisticated with their herringbone accent; and most importantly, they are soft and durable. My Garden and Gun magazine led me to them. You can find them (and many other gorgeous options) here.

Since I splurged on fine linens, I had no other choice but to stay on budget with our shower curtain. Well, some of you may know this, but I did not-- fabric ain't cheap! I went to a local boutique and had two fabrics pulled for price quotes. One of the fabrics, a fine Italian cotton, would cost $798 for my extra tall shower curtain to be custom made. The other fabric quoted out to a mere $398. Obviously, designer fabric was way out of my price range, so I decided to shop wholesale fabric stores and make the curtain myself! For $65 and 8 tedious hours of my time, I really love the way MY handmade, tall shower curtain came out! (Please take note of the straight-line stitching ;)

I held my breath as Ian drilled a towel hook into our tile work. Everything turned out fine; the tile did not crack! At this point, I had just finished altering the shower liner to fit our space (special ordered from Macy's). I had to get crankin' on the outer curtain so our bathroom would look completed! 

Well, after five long months, it feels so good to be finished with this bathroom remodel. 

If anyone is curious...
The upcoming home improvement plans include: finishing the second bedroom (it's currently covered in wallpaper and drywall), hanging a new dining room light fixture, and building a new coat closet. Happy happy joy joy !