Before & After: White Cape Cottage Bathroom Remodel

This post is sponsored by Lowe’s.

The first floor bathroom at White Cape Cottage is FINISHED and we’re excited we get to share it with you. We rounded up our ~~favorite~~ not-so-favorite before photos (the brown!), layout changes we made, and links to all of the products we sourced for this bathroom.

Let’s dive in!

Before

Remember when the bathroom looked like this?

DESIGN & renovation

This was the layout before. The bathroom was a good size (about 7.5′ wide x 9 long) and the layout was great. It just needed a good cosmetic update…

… and a few other functional changes to make it conducive to my parents’ lifestyle as they age. Here’s the final layout (you can also find lots more details on our design process in this post):

We kept the majority of the bathroom the same, but made two big changes that really impacted the functionality of the space.

FIRST FLOOR LAUNDRY

The laundry is currently in the basement, so we wanted to create a space on the first floor for my parents to do laundry without having to worry about stairs in the future. We removed the old built-in storage cabinet behind the bathroom door and replaced it with a laundry closet accessible from the hallway.

All the way to the left is the bedroom, in the middle is the new hall laundry closet, and on the right is the entrance to the bathroom.

The storage space that remains from the previous built-in is still pretty substantial for bathroom products and towels. It’s 8′ tall, 40″ wide and about 10″ deep. There is also additional storage in the double vanity. Here’s the new view looking toward the old built in…

And the old view. Same general layout, just a different configuration once you open the doors.

ENLARGE THE SHOWER

The old tub was about 29″ x 60″, and the new shower is 40″ by 60″. Those extra 10″ make a difference! We opted for a barrier free shower pan with no curb, and enlarged the size of it by cutting into the adjoining bedroom’s closet (the old closet is going to be replaced with floor-to-ceiling wardrobes, which take up less floor space). It feels huge.

In addition to these two big changes, we replaced all of the old galvanized pipes with new PVC, installed recessed lighting, a new bath fan, and widened the bathroom entry door by a few inches. Overall, we really wanted this bathroom to be a blend of form and function. It needed to work well for my parents as they age, but it was important to us that it wasn’t designed just for that purpose.

Are you ready to see the after photos??

AFTER

Heeere she is! So fresh and so clean.

Vanity // Vanity knobs // Sink faucets // Medicine cabinets // Sconces // Sink wall tile // Panel molding

The most satisfying before & after!

There’s so much to cover. Let’s start with the walls. We installed molding (panel molding and crown) which cost under $100 all-in. Even after installing molding on so many projects, we’re amazed at the impact it has on the bathroom. It makes the bathroom feel bigger and classier. We painted the walls Greek Villa (we used the HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams paint from Lowe’s), which is a new discovery for us. Definitely adding it to our white paint go-to list!

Parquet marble floor tile // Vanity // Vanity knobs // Sink faucets // Medicine cabinets // Sconces // Sink wall tile // Shower tile // Panel molding

You all have been loving the floor tile. It’s a marble parquet that comes in 12″ x 12″ pieces and is IN STOCK at Lowe’s (you read that right). It was easy to install and looks just as beautiful in person. We used Warm Gray grout that blends right in with the pattern and will be easy to maintain over time. We love that it feels equally classic and on-trend. The seamless transition from the bathroom into the shower helps visually make the room feel bigger, too.

The sink faucets we sourced match Delta’s Champagne Bronze finish almost perfectly, but are a different brand and very reasonably priced! They come in a few different finishes, including matte black.

Let’s talk about the vanity. Our original selection fell through because of Covid supply chain issues, so we ordered this one. It’s incredibly solid and so well priced for what it is. The top is solid Carrara marble with the prettiest rounded ogee edge on both the top and backsplash. We ordered white but ended up painting it a warm gray to offset all of the other white going on in the bathroom. It also came with brushed nickel knobs, so we swapped them out for brass ones to add warmth to the gray & white palette.

This is the first bathroom that we’ve installed medicine cabinets in (they definitely are not designers’ best friends :)) My parents were looking for extra storage, and being that it’s a smaller bathroom, we conceded. We were thankful to find these Kohler ones that we recessed into the wall. You almost can’t tell they’re medicine cabinets – woo! We selected lighting and faucets that would allow the medicine cabinet to clear when opened and closed (you can’t have sconces hanging over the mirror or a tall gooseneck faucet that’ll get in the way).

Vanity // Sink faucets // Medicine cabinets // Sconces // Sink wall tile // Panel molding // Shower tile

Vanity // Vanity knobs // Sink faucets // Medicine cabinets // Sconces // Sink wall tile // Panel molding

Vanity // Vanity knobs // Sink faucets // Medicine cabinets // Sconces // Sink wall tile

Moving onto the new shower. This wall tile was another unplanned selection due to Covid that turned out wonderfully! This is Bedrosians Cloe tile in gray and it’s BEAUTIFUL. The gray is soft and calming, and the texture on each tile is imperfectly amazing. The ceiling lights in the shower make it pop in the best way.

My parents are in their 60s and this is their forever home, so we kept in mind functionality as they age. We built a shower bench in the shower, installed a long grab bar, and chose floor tile with substantial grout lines for extra friction. We ran new plumbing for a hand shower, which will come in handy in the future (it also makes cleaning the shower MUCH easier).

Curbless shower pan // Shower tile // Shower faucet (main) // Handshower and slider bar // Handshower connector // Handshower diverter // Diverter valve // Grab bar

Bryan built new doors for the built-in that tie in with the panel molding on the walls. We added two simple knobs that can double as towel hooks.

Closet door DIY wood // Closet door knobs // Shower tile // Shower faucet (main) // Handshower and slider bar // Handshower connector // Handshower diverter // Diverter valve // Grab bar

What do you think? My parents move at the end of July and we can’t wait for them to see it in person! Until then, we’ll be working on wrapping up the house and getting it ready for them. Our next reveal will be the kitchen, and it’s going to be a good one. Make sure you’re following us on Instagram!