I have a little bit of a different kind of post for you today! I’ve been working with KraftMaid cabinets on our master bathroom renovation and they asked if they could send me some fun little interview questions all about the process for this bathroom and my thoughts on my new bathroom cabinets. I thought that sounded like a pretty neat idea and it’s a great chance for me to give you a little sneak peek of the room now that we’re inching closer to having the room done!
Here it goes!
Why did you want to renovate your bathroom?
We started off renovating this bathroom out of necessity. We could see that there was water from the shower getting into the floor and that it had probably been that way for quite some time. After a couple of years using the bathroom, we started to have visible mold showing up on the floor. That’s when we stopped using the washroom and just closed the door. Shortly after that, we decided to go ahead and have the whole thing gutted professionally to make sure we were doing it safely. With a blank slate, and the room completely torn down to the studs, we started to get excited about the possibilities. One thing led to another and pretty soon we were in the middle of a full renovation! We added a bigger window, moved the door, and moved all of the plumbing to fit our family’s needs.
Who primarily uses this bathroom and how did that affect your remodeling decisions?
This bathroom was an ensuite that was used mostly by Chris and myself, but because we moved the door, it’s now easily accessible from the hallway right off of the back deck. It will be used by guests when we’re sitting outside and will probably be used by the kids most of the time too, just because it’s so big and beautiful! We kept that in mind when we were planning the room! 🙂 We thought about where the footstool would be kept, where we would hide away four toothbrushes, and how to make bath time as fun as possible!
What was missing from your original bathroom that you absolutely had to have in your new one?
Since we knew the whole family would end up using this bathroom, two sinks were a must. We also really wanted a free-standing tub so we could really feel like this was a relaxing and indulgent space too. Heated floors are pretty necessary for Canadian Winters too in my opinion!
I think that little “KraftMaid Cabinetry” label inside the top drawer is so pretty! I’m a little sad that the drawer insert ended up covering it up, but I do love all that storage!
What storage and functionality challenges did you have in your original bathroom and how did your designer solve them with KraftMaid products?
Our old bathroom was wheelchair accessible so that meant that we had a really big vanity area, but there are a big cut out in the middle of it where the wheelchair could fit in under the sink. Since we didn’t need that wheelchair accessibility, the cut out area was really just wasted space and an area to collect dust and cat fur. We also had three big drawers on each side of the vanity but that was it for storage and all the little things would either just roll around in the drawers or would end up on the counter. I really wanted a place for everything, big and small, in our cabinets this time around so that I could keep the counter tops as clear as possible to keep the room clean and tidy and at all times. Our designer went all out by helping us find storage solutions to go inside every drawer and cabinet, to really completely maximize the space. We even used kitchen components like spice racks to give me somewhere to store all my little odds and ends! Brilliant!
Why did you choose KraftMaid cabinetry for your remodeled bathroom?
We haven’t had the chance to tackle many big renovation projects in our house yet, mostly sticking to smaller cosmetic updates around the house for now, but when we do get to the big projects, we want to really go all out and have those projects bring us closer to having the house of our dreams! I knew I wanted custom cabinetry because of the need for storage that I mentioned before, so we started by browsing through some different options at Home Depot and with some local cabinet makers. The KraftMaid display that we saw at Home Depot was far and away the most beautiful cabinetry of all our options, inside and out. I love all the real wood, the soft close hinges, and the amazing durable finish. Those were exactly the kind of details that I was looking for to make this bathroom really stand out!
What do you love most about your remodeled bathroom?
I honestly do love every single thing about my bathroom because I designed it that way! Every single thing that went into that room is pretty much my absolute favorite thing ever. 🙂 I’m probably most excited about getting organized with all of my newly-organized cabinets and really being able to enjoy a beautiful and functional bathroom every morning.
No two bathrooms comes together exactly the same so each ones deserves a one-of-a-kind name. What would you call your new bathroom? (For example: My Retreat, Makeup Central, The Hair Salon….)
Although, aesthetically, this room is all about me, I really designed this room to be our main family bathroom. For that reason, I’d probably call this design “The Family Room”. All the surfaces are beautiful, but super durable and able to take a beating and lots of mud! There’s enough space for storage for anything that any of us may need room for over the next few years just in case we don’t get a chance to add another bathroom on to the house or remodel the tiny bathroom off of the kitchen. This room is made for grassy toddler bath-times, teenagers who like to spend hours getting ready, and for guests to be able to run in to use without having to take their shoes off. And for moms who need somewhere that feels special and relaxing to hide out in at the end of a long day. 🙂
I’ll be going through the steps that we took to design our perfect bathroom vanity, as well as my tips and thoughts on what features you need and what you don’t, in an upcoming post soon! Keep your eyes peeled for that one!
A special thanks to KraftMaid cabinets for providing the beautiful vanity for this project!
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.