Black & White Inspiration for Small Guest Bath Renovation

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

we’re finally renovating the guest bath

We’re getting ready to begin a renovation on our guest bathroom! I’m pretty thrilled since this is a room that gets a lot of use but one we haven’t invested in because it’s still “attractive enough” and pretty functional. This bathroom got a lot of use when we were renovating our master bath and I really got a good sense of what worked and what needed to be changed (sorry former guests!). Did I mention it’s only 5×8 square feet?

Renovating anything means making lots of choices, decisions and weighing the pros and cons, even on smaller spaces like this one. Luckily, I LOVE this process and am looking forward to most of it! The goal is to maintain classic design with some modern finishes that still respect the Spanish architecture of our home and to create a more functional space.

Choosing classic flooring

I have always had a vision of how beautiful this bath could be with a classic black and white floor, marble, subway or penny tile and other pretty finishes. When we moved into our 1930 Spanish home, it was clear this bathroom had been updated at some point. I loved the pedestal sink, the white tile floor was in okay condition and the original porcelain bathtub was large and actually very comfortable. We initially painted the room and updated the hardware. But the sink collects water near the faucet, has very little surface area to hold toiletries, the medicine cabinet mirror is small and not aesthetically pleasing and the lighting is insufficient.

I have also ALWAYS wanted a black and white checkerboard floor and think this is the space to make it happen. I regret not using it in my kitchen renovation, and the rest of the house flooring is either marble or wood. So I’m starting with the flooring in this project and going from there.

Here are some inspiration photos for the floor: Which is your favorite?

selecting a pedestal sink with more surface area

As far as the vanity goes, I’m sticking with a wall-mounted sink with a larger surface area. The bathroom lacks storage so instead of overwhelming the small room with a cabinet vanity, I’m planning on using a larger mirrored medicine cabinet to maximize it. I love this sink seen on @juliebanner. It’s the perfect size and a great price for around $400.

• 

• 

finding a medicine cabinet to maximize storage

I really like this large medicine cabinet from Restoration Hardware. Plenty of storage and reflection to maximize both storage and lighting.

I like this one and this one too.. The rounded edges would soften all the square edges of the tile, ceiling and window in the bathroom.

• 

• 

Stay tuned as we select the shower tile, hardware and lighting. There are SO many beautiful options and combinations. I’ll keep you posted and hope you will weigh in with your ideas and opinions.