Dawna!

Hi Chris,

It’s your long lost college pal, Dawna. I found your blog a few months ago and I love it! Your advice is always so on target! I just had to throw a question your way because as you can see, we are in need of some serious help with our master bathroom.

We had a roof leak that required us to demo most of it and since we never liked any of it to begin with, we are gutting the rest of it and starting over. So here’s the deal. I hate grout! I would like the shower walls and the vanity counter top to be solid surface. I have to say that I am not in love with most granite. I prefer marble instead of a busy pattern. (We have black quartz countertops in our kitchen).

As for the rest, we want a darker wood cabinet and white sinks to go with our white tub and toilet. Will a white shower be too stark?

For the flooring, I am okay with just having tile immediately in front of the shower area and in the toilet room. I don’t like standing on tile when I am getting ready.

As for the carpet, it is difficult to tell where the bathroom begins and the bedroom ends. The wall corners don’t match up to make a clear line and there is no door. We will be replacing the carpet in the bedroom anyway. The carpet will extend outside the master bedroom and down the stairs and so it needs to be neutral.

The paint is a grayish taupe and it’s okay, but not my favorite. My bedding is currently soft greens/ beach inspired colors, which I like. I don’t want it to be so neutral that it is boring. I need help coordinating tile and paint colors etc… Anyway, any help would be wonderful !

Thanks,
Dawna

DAWNA!!!

Hey everyone- this is my old friend from college- with whom I have totally lost contact with!!! I need your address for my Christmas cards!

You are gutting your bathroom! I am so happy for you! Let me start with your sinks. I like the idea of the sinks standing separately- not attached to the tub. It is not an "always" kinds of rule- but in your bathroom, it would look much better. I like sinks with legs- it makes your bathroom look larger. I like the "furniture style". With your sink choices- you have a couple of options. It is not wrong- to have them attached- like below-

1. Custom. You can have it built by a cabinet maker. This is nice because you get to choose exactly the wood species, stain, specific marble top, sink style, etc. This tends to be more expensive than some options- that is the down side.

2. Pre-made- but top sold separately. Many times the sinks are sold without the top- so you choose your own sinks, marble and faucets.

3. Totally pre-made- sold complete. This gives you fewer choices, but generally the whole sink comes from China- and you can get the set for a great price. The sink above is from Costco. It includes the granite top and vessel sinks- for only $899.- BUT- it has granite- and you mentioned that you would prefer marble- see- good price- fewer options. Below are some others to choose from that one of my reps just e-mailed me for a client.

4. You can also find a cool piece of furniture that you like and have it made into a sink. (the piece below is from Guildmaster.)

I say to start here- because if you find a pre-made sink that you like, that dictates your sink surface which will make a difference in what I would recommend for the other areas. So- go sink shopping- let me know what kind of sink you like- and we will go from there :) Good to hear from you!

Christine