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River Studio Design

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You are here: Home / Blog / Week Six ORC: A Whole Lot of Progress

Week Six ORC: A Whole Lot of Progress

Bath, Blog, Kids Bathroom, One Room Challenge

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In light of world events, the @oneroomchallenge chose to cancel week five. So week six is jam-packed with progress. But first, the @oneroomchallenge is sponsored by One Room Challenge and Better Homes and Gardens.   Be sure to check out the ORC featured designers as they are the real stars of this show.  This is what has happened in week one, week two, week three and week four as we renovate our family bathroom. 

In week four, we installed the Schluter system in the shower, so this gives the perfect foundation for what comes next.  

Plumbing

I should have mentioned that there had to be some plumbing work done to install the new shower fixture.   My hubby wanted a rain shower and my priority was a separate hose for hosing down the shower, or theoretically, for our kids to hose down the shower..  I had already chosen black faucets for the sink, and this one tied in perfectly.  The previous shower faucet was pretty basic so some plumbing changes had to be made.  

This shower system is a thing of beauty and so functional in our family bathroom
This shower system is a thing of beauty and so functional in our family bathroom

Wall Tiles

We chose a basic white subway tile 3 x 6 inches to be installed in a stacked pattern.  I was so pleased to watch it be installed as I never get tired of the basic subway tile.  We used it in the shower and on the walls of the bathroom, half way up.  

I love the crisp lines of stacked tiles and there is a sneak peak of the backsplash tile in the inset.
I love the crisp lines of stacked tiles and there is a sneak peak of the backsplash tile in the inset.

We had originally planned for grey grout as it is much easier to keep clean.  But we made a last minute decision to switch to white grout so the grout lines would be less visible.  When the grouting was finished, we put a sealant on the grout to protect it.  

Shower Floor Tiles

The hex shower floors were the biggest splurge.  These caught my eye when I was tile shopping and I just had to make them work.  They work well with the star tiles I had chosen for the backsplash and the existing floor tile (more on this later). We had always planned on doing a white subway tile, so everything was in sync.  

It is hard to see the details in this tile but they are so pretty.  Seems there was a coke can left in this photo.
It is hard to see the details in this tile but they are so pretty. Seems there was a coke can left in this photo.

Floor Tiles

I guess now its time to tell you about floors.  Originally we decided to keep the floors.  They were large scale tiles, in good condition, and we knew that they would be a big job to remove.  

Then one night over a few glasses of wine we decided that we would rip out the tiles.  We thought that it would be disappointing to renovate a whole bathroom and then, realize that we should have replaced the tiles.  

Then, the next morning we decided that it would add too much to the budget and be a lot more work to do new floor tiles, so we decided to keep the old tiles.  

So when this crazy floor tile indecision ended, we were pulling up old tiles and installing new ones.  

Here is a picture of my husband and son pulling up these tiles.  

My husband and son put a lot of effort into pulling up the tile and all of the residue on the plywood.
My husband and son put a lot of effort into pulling up the tile and all of the residue on the plywood.

I do not like to design a room without all of the information. If I was starting this all from the beginning, I would have started with some mac daddy floor tile and everything else would have been neutral.  But in this version of the story, the back splash and tile floor are the stars, and the floor is in a supporting role.  For this reason we chose a 1 ft x 2 ft greyish floor tile that blends in and looks new and fresh (so much better than the old tiles).

The floor tiles have enough grey to not blend in with the wall tiles, but they do not steal the show from the shower tiles.
The floor tiles have enough grey to not blend in with the wall tiles, but they do not steal the show from the shower tiles.

Painting

While the tile work was going on in the bathroom, I was painting the cabinets in Lola’s room, which we had converted into the painting room.

I took a couple of runs at a paint colour for this room. I had started with a really light blue, but once that colour was under the bright new lights, it seemed too washed out.

The colour we finally settled on is Slate Blue by Benjamin Moore. On cabinets, I always use Stick It primer from Home Hardware as I feel that it provides the best foundation.

I had originally started out with this really light blue but then changed to Slate Blue from BM
I had originally started out with this really light blue but then changed to Slate Blue from BM

Art Framing

I am a big fan of @Juniperprintshop and I found the “love” print that I eventually chose, on their site.  It turns out that this print was taken by @younghouselove on the beach by the home they owned in Florida.  In a partnership between @juniperprintshop and @younghouselove this one is part of a series .  I also chose “ferris wheel.”

This is the “love” image by @juniperprintshop in partnership with @younghouselove

When it came to framing the prints I was determined to work with what I had already in the house.  I had to paint the mat in the “love” print and cut both of the pieces of art down a bit, but I am so pleased with how things turned out.  

Painting this mat for the "love" print really brightened up the presentation.
Painting this mat for the “love” print really brightened up the presentation.

There was a lot of progress in this week.  Next week, the finishing details are coming in.

Always 

Leslie

River Studio Design
River Studio Design
One Room Challenge
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11/06/2020 · 2 Comments

Previous Post: « Bathroom Rebuild: Week Four ORC
Next Post: Family Bathroom Progress on the Home Stretch: Week Seven »

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Comments

  1. Nicole Q-Schmitz says

    13/06/2020 at 2:14 PM

    I really like the shower floor tile you chose and I’m excited to see this room come together. You mentioned the subway tile was a standard 3×6, but it looks a lot larger scale in the photos?

    Reply
    • Riverstudiodesign says

      24/06/2020 at 5:42 PM

      You are on the ball my friend. I went up stairs with my tape measure and they are actually 4×8 Thanks for picking that up and thanks for reading my blog. The ORC reveal is tomorrow. I apologize for taking so long to respond. I have a spam problem and I have have to wade through hundreds of bad messages to get to the good ones.
      Thanks again.

      Reply

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My name is Leslie Buchanan-Jones. I love design and all things beautiful that function well. I am a mom of three thriving young adults and am married to an awesome Welshman. Follow me on my journey.

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