Ottawa interior decorator: Here’s the Asian-inspired bathroom makeover!

I want to thank everyone who left comments on my last post about Kylie. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you took the time to leave me words of support. Thank you all so much, and I’ll be by to visit all your blogs soon.

In October, I posted about helping my friend Sylva do a complete bathroom makeover. This picture was our starting point:

Sylva loved the simple lines of the black vanity and the tiled wall. Because her bathroom is small and the vanity fits into a niche between two walls, I suggested that she go with a floating vanity with similar simple lines. Like this one:

We went to a A-1 Millwood in Ottawa to have a vanity custom made. Sylva had originally wanted to go with a charcoal grey finish, but after we looked at the different finishes that were available, we both decided that the wenge finish would be a better choice.

The floor tiles look blue in the picture, but they’re actually white with a grey & blue strie design. Sylva had narrowed her floor tile choices down to three, and we decided on this one together. As you can see, the tiles are laid in a brick pattern.

Sylva wanted simple white tiles for the tub surround. She selected 6” x 8” tiles and had them installed horizontally. she kept her existing shower head and faucet, because they’re still in good condition. The tub & shower are across from the vanity.

I really hoped she’d go with a glass countertop, but she wanted to go with a stainless steel countertop from Ikea. I won’t bother giving you the link because the countertop has been discontinued. So, Ikea countertop it was!!

The focal point of the bathroom is the wall behind the vanity. Sylva wanted glass tiles in greens and blues. When I showed her a sample of these Cane Series tiles from Mirage Glass Tiles, she decided they were just what she wanted. I suggested that she have them installed vertically — I think they look great!! The vertical layout looks sort of like water running down the wall.

We found this simple square white vessel sink online. The chrome faucet is made in Italy. And here’s an important tip about buying a faucet – make sure it reaches far enough over the sink that the water doesn’t splash up and out!!

Sylva’s old vanity light fixture was nice, but one of the glass shades has yellowed. She replaced it with this frosted fixture:

And finally, the paint colour. It would have been nice if we’d had the time to try out a few different colour samples, but Sylva was under a time crunch. Because the bathroom is small and the window is under a carport, I thought a lighter colour would be better. We chose Sico Winds of Change, sort of a light grey-brown-green.

And with all those selections made, Sylva’s bathroom went from this:

To this:

The vanity went from this:

To this (picture taken standing on a stool in the shower!!):

It’s not exactly elegant, but I have to include a before shot of the toilet.

This is really where the whole reno started. There were some damaged tiles around the toilet that Sylva wanted to replace. But the house was built about 50 years ago and they’re the original tiles, and she couldn’t find a match. So Sylva decided to to a full reno — which was a good thing, because there was a lot more damage to the floor than just the tiles. The whole subfloor needed to be replaced. And seeing as she’s updated the rest of the house, it made sense to update the bathroom. Here’s her new toilet, complete with a self-closing lid and dual flush:

And a few more pretty shots to end with (excuse the wrinkly shower curtain!!)…

Sylva’s cat Neko loves to hang out in the bathroom. Sometimes he curls up in the sink for a nap :-)

This bathroom makeover was a collaborative effort, and I have to give Sylva a lot of credit for making quick decisions and finding a lot of the items herself. And in the end, we accomplished what Sylva wanted — a simple, Asian-inspired bathroom that’s just her style. And Neko approves too :-)

Be sure to head over to Susan’s Metamorphosis Monday blog party at Between Naps on the Porch to check out more room transformations. And a bonus this week — Susan is having a giveaway!! You can win a beautiful tassel made by the very talented Angela from Angela’s Peony Patch and The Tassel House. And check back here soon to see the glamourous bathroom reno that Victoria did for her client Patti :-)