Plans for the Black-and-White Bathroom

Those who know me know that I love a good bathroom. And ours is anything but that. But not for long. (Cue dramatic music: dun, dun dun)

We kind of fell into this black and white color palette because of a great deal I got on a countertop. If you don’t know what the Habitat for Humanity Restore is, it’s a great place to find new and recycled appliances, fixtures, furniture, etc. Anywho, I picked up this beaut at a whopping $26. You heard that right. And compared to the quotes I got for new counters at $1200, I couldn’t pass it up. So black and white it was…or was it. V dramatic indeed.

So, countertop (check), sinks (check), faucets (check). Project was looking good, my dad was getting ready to come help us install it all and then there was a literal crack in our plans. Zac broke the countertop – this guy doesn’t know his own strength I guess. Luckily, my extensive Instagraming paid off and I already had a back up plan.

I’d seen Kim & Scott from Yellow Brick Home install a butcher block and though I’ve never been a huge fan of vessel sinks, I knew they’d work with a butcher block counter. I also love this treatment BrePurposed did with a vessel sink – well let’s be honest, her entire bathroom is on point. (Like I said, I LOVE a good bathroom). I felt better about the change of plans when I spotted these pretty (and affordable) faucets. I also like the idea that the wood countertop will warm up the stark colors and give a little more homeyness to the space. We ended up picking this one from IKEA.  It’s also allowing us to be a little more modern with the space since I don’t feel restricted with oval sinks and a spotted black counter.

One thing I love about the black and white palette is that it can shift styles so easily from traditional to transitional to modern without having to change up a whole lot of details. When we were leaning more traditional with oval sinks, we were thinking of doing a black herringbone floor but always wanted subway tile at least part way up the walls. Now that we are installing square sinks, our room will no doubt lean more modern even without the lighting and hardware selected or the accessories included. I think it’ll give the next homeowners a lot to play with to make it feel like their own as well.

We talked about changing the layout to solve the short tub problem (our tub is 48″ compared to your standard 60″) and both really wanted to replace it with a shower stall. But since we won’t be living here long, we need to consider resale value – so that means, keeping a tub and keeping cost low. AKA this shit is staying put. I’m debating doing a glass partition and knocking out one of our alcove walls to open the shower space more and not have the shower curtain obstructing views. But we’ll see. I’m a little worried showering would be cold since nothing holds in the heat.

Some other things we’ll figure out on the fly: hardware, lighting (am dying for these), dark grey grout? Black grout? Who knows. I think we are going to do white subway tile on the walls a la Deuce Cities Henhouse style. We’re for sure in love with the black hex tiles she installed. We’re going to attempt to do a DIY Shaker treatment to the cabinet fronts to update the actual vanity a bit. Not sure if we’ll keep that white or maybe find a deep hunter green shade. I’d love to hear your ideas.