ALL DIY Projects

My Modern Master Bathroom Makeover : The Weekender Series

Design + Build

Crafty Projects

Business + Life

Holidays

The Weekender Series

As Seen on TV

Room Makeovers

All DIY Projects

Search...

blog Categories

hey there! I'm monica 

I pride myself on making amazing style and design accessible for everyone, regardless of location, budget, or ability! My design philosophy is rooted in authenticity + attainability - If I can do it, you can too! My work has been featured in countless publications, but I take the most pride in homeowners that have been personally inspired by my DIY ideas and have tried something in their own homes!

learn more about ME + MY BIZ

Hey Guys! This post is part of The Weekender Makeover Series.  A DIY Makeover web series in partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement.  Subscribe to watch all 10 episodes and get project details using the buttons below!

The Weekender TV SHOW

subscribe-buttonwatch-episodesproject-details-button


We’ve lived in our home for over 6 years and hadn’t touched our master bathroom. I’m actually not sure how I lasted that long, but it sat untouched, white walls, builder grade everything. I’d been helping so many families take The Weekender Challenge and decided it was time for me to take the challenge myself! Well, with the help of my husband Eric and my right hand man, Matty V! We pushed ourselves and squeezed in more than the typical 5 projects, but I’m known to be overly ambitious and wee bit crazy… watch the episode below and see what we were able to pull off!

Modern Master Bathroom Makeover: Watch Below

There are so many of my favorite products used in this bathroom and I’ve pulled them together for ya in the slider below. Click for more info on any product.

[print_responsive_thumbnail_slider id=”14″]

Let me first say that I’m going to be totally biased about this room, because it’s mine and I love it A LOT.  I am confident that I broke about 100 design rules in one room, which might be a record, but it all works for me! I mixed black and navy, used grey and natural wood tones, mixed some really bold patterns, have some modern elements, some coastal, some southwest… you get the idea.  It’s a mashup of design and I adore it!

Awkward Nook Before…

series2_before_blogsize-9 (1)

And After

series2_after_blogsize-39 (1)

When we built this house we opted out of the soaking tub (because at our previous house I used it to hold all my dirty clothes- for real!), but that left us with an awkward unused space. I decided a second vanity/makeup area would be the best use.

Before

(and why have one scale to be angry at, when you can have two!)

series2_before_blogsize-18

After

series2_after_blogsize-26

I used two stock kitchen cabinets as the base of the vanity. We made a custom wood countertop from pine boards. It’s a really simple process and would also work in an office space or kid’s room as a narrow desk!

Main Vanity Before

series2_before_blogsize-7

After

We painted the new vanity and the old one Salty Dog SW 9177 and stained our new DIY countertops with Weathered Grey.

series2_after_blogsize-31

The base of our vanity worked great and had plenty of storage, I just needed to change it up a bit. In addition to the new paint and countertop, I added these square, vessel sinks and new nobs.

Before

series2_before_blogsize-5

After.

series2_after_blogsize-13

We needed new faucets that would work with the vessel sinks- this faucet only came in chrome, so I spray painted it the color I wanted. Once a DIYer always a DIYer!

I’ll also confess that the faucets are installed at the perfect height so I can drink out of them and never need a cup! I’m classy like that friends.

series2_after_blogsize-40

series2_after_blogsize-36

The shower wall is my favorite part of the bathroom (and the floor, and the vanity… okay, I really do love it all) but, the shower wall was one area I’d been thinking about for sooo long. To see my idea come to life was pretty epic.

Before

series2_before_blogsize-11

After

series2_after_blogsize-34

Couple things here…

The Accent wall is painted Tricorn Black SW1441 and the accent pattern is just unpainted pieces of wood molding. I planned out my pattern with chalk and then attached the wood right over the design.

series2_after_blogsize-33

The subway tile above the shower stall gets the award for best bathroom hack in the space! Initially I wanted to remove the fiberglass shower and do a brand new tile stall, but Eric and Matt told me I was insane and there was no way we could get that, plus everything else I had planned, done in just one weekend. I’d have to change the series name to The Monthly! Hehe.  I still wanted the look of a tile stall, so I just did three rows of tile above the shower and it totally makes you think it could actually be a tiled shower! I’m going to do this in my kids’ bathroom with smaller tile really soon- it’s a great, inexpensive hack!

series2_after_blogsize-32

I extended the accent pattern across the random dividing wall and above the vanity area as well. It was a bit tricky to make the pattern look seamless, but I think we did A-OK and Matty V is still speaking to me, so that’s good news. Poor guy helped me make about 6.4 million wood cuts for this one wall! So.Worth.It.

series2_after_blogsize-50

We used some scrap wood and made some organizing shelves for the wall.  Did I mention we didn’t really sleep at all during this makeover? I packed a lot in!

Bathroom Vanity DIY Bathroom Makeover

I love getting ready in the new vanity area because there’s so much natural light.

Unglamorous Toilet Corner Before

series2_before_blogsize-12

After.

Still a toilet, but looking so much better!

series2_after_blogsize-30 (1)

I tiled the entire toilet and vanity wall using oversized subway tile.  I vertically stacked the tile to give it a clean, modern vibe instead of the traditional staggered installation.  This tile was a little risky, because of the graphic floor tile, and the accent wall across the room, but it looked good in my head and I just went with it and I’m glad I did!

Modern Accent Wall Master Bathroom Makeover East Coast Creative The Weekender

The copper towel ladder has worked really well (contrary to what my snarky husband might have predicted), at least 50% of the time I don’t throw my towel on the floor! 😉

series2_after_blogsize-29

This cactus art from Minted added a touch of southwest and I’m convinced that one day I’m going to stand up from the toilet and hit my face on that cactus and be maimed for life.  It’s completely irrational, but I think it daily.

series2_after_blogsize-43

And last, but oh so not least… The flooring.  It’s SO SO good and was so easy to install.  We used a light grey grout, which I’d recommend, to really let the tile be the star of the show.  This tile can also be used on a wall – I’m dying to try that! series2_after_blogsize-26

This tile has become quite a regular on my Instagram Feed… It’s the perfect backdrop!

Screen Shot 2016-09-01 at 2.00.36 PM

Screen Shot 2016-09-01 at 2.01.04 PM

Screen Shot 2016-09-01 at 2.01.32 PM
If you can’t tell already, I loved working on this episode and not just because it was a short commute to work! It was so fun throwing all design rules out the window and just doing what felt right to me!  It also was a blast working with my partner in crime on this one- Eric is such a good sport and supportive to the max!

A few behind the scenes shots… Watch out Chip and Jo!
series2_after_blogsize-4

Awkward just might be the new cool.

series2_after_blogsize-5

Would love to hear what you think of ma’ bath! Thanks guys!

-Mon

Don’t miss a single Weekender Episode- A New Ep airs each Thursday! Subscribe HERE to catch all 10!

Screen Shot 2016-07-14 at 7.53.50 AM

*The Weekender Series is a paid collaboration with Lowe’s Home Improvement. I’m thankful for the brands that believe in the mission of East Coast Creative and support my work!*

The comments +

  1. erin says:

    i dig it all! makes me feel like i could go ahead and be bold and paint my vanity. or just get a new one 🙂

  2. Gina says:

    I love it!! The tiles on the floor are so cool. How did you “copperfy” your shower door trim? Rub ‘n Buff or paint or new? Love this whole series…….please come to Greensboro NC and do any and all rooms in my home or backyard!

    • Monica says:

      Thanks Gina! For the shower doors, I tried rub n buff, but I didn’t like the texture it left, so I switched and used metallic exterior spray paint and just taped off the glass when I did it. Weekender Season 2 is coming- keep your eyes open for how to apply! -Mon

      • Julie says:

        I was wanting to know the same thing !! I am doing this … tho I will have to do this when my husband is not home !
        I love it. I love the entire bathroom.

  3. Emily says:

    what grout color did you use on your subway tiles behind your vanity?

  4. Zeba says:

    Which color did you use on walls?

Leave a Reply to Julie Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Make a Kid's Mud Kitchen and Produce Stand

DIY PROJECT

Work From Home Corner Office Makeover

VIDEO MAKEOVER

Yard Game Ideas ASO Live! with Kelly + Ryan

DIY IDEAS ON TV

Today Show Nursery Makeover

MAKEOVER

Outdoor Living Space Makeover : Home Becomes

VIDEO MAKEOVER

Must Reads

Get updated on what we're working on

Follow along!