It’s week two of the Spring One Room Challenge and I can say without a doubt, this is my favorite week other than the reveal week! Why? Because it’s design week! I’m so excited to share the primary bathroom design plans with you today.
Someone commented last week that the primary bathroom has “great bones.” I smiled and thought to myself “yes it does, because I’ve already renovated it once.” If you need a refresher, you can catch up on what the bathroom looked like when I bought the house in 2018 here, and you can read more about why I’m giving it a second go here. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff…
the primary bathroom design plans
What’s Staying
This is phase one of two for this renovation, and I’m happy to share many elements are staying intact. I’ll be keeping the black and white checkered floors, as well as the striped wallpaper in the toilet room. I’ll also be keeping the black vanity, although TBD if it stays black, or if I flip it to a wood tone like I did with my dining room table a couple years ago. For now, the tub is staying where it is, but that will change in phase two of this renovation.

The striped wallpaper in the toilet room will be staying. It’s one of my favorite features!
What’s Leaving
The sconce lights, mirrors, vanity hardware, faucets, counters, baseboards, venetian blinds and black trim will all be finding new homes. I’ll also be cleaning up the outdated electrical switches (one light switch goes to a garden tub that doesn’t exist anymore!) and replacing everything with a four gang customized version of this. If I must have everything in the center of a wall, it’s at least going to be pretty!

Most everything except the vanity itself will be getting swapped out during phase one of the primary bathroom renovation.
What’s Coming
Wall treatments
I teased last week that I’d be adding lots of wall moldings in this room, and I wasn’t kidding. I’m no stranger to picture frame molding – I’ve done it twice now (dining room + bedroom) – but I knew I wanted the primary bathroom to have its own special flair.
After pinning lots of inspiration photos on Pinterest, I found exactly what I was looking for and I haven’t stopped thinking about it ever since! What you’re looking at is full height wainscoting, with a chair rail, crown molding and baseboards on top. This creates an extra level of dimension and depth, and I know it’s going to make the bathroom feel incredibly elevated.

Vanity Glow up
The vanity will be the main focal point of this project, and I’m really excited with how it’s shaping up. These pretty sconces by Visual Comfort will add a touch of elegance and charm to the space (I just love the shades!) and I’ll make the wall more functional by adding taller mirrors. I was looking at this one by McGee & Co but couldn’t stomach the price point. I found this one from Birch Lane that is nearly identical, and I think will work perfect!
One thing I’ll be tackling this week is researching costs for a new countertop. Recently I ordered this pretty little tray in Calcutta Viola Marble and it’s so beautiful I can’t stop looking at it. Shortly thereafter I ordered a lamp for my kitchen in Calcutta Viola Marble, and I guess we have a bit of an obsession on our hands, because this is what I want for my countertops! I’ll be visiting a few different spots around Nashville I’ve been researching and am hoping I’ll be able to find what I want.


Inspiration for the new bathroom countertops: Calcutta viola marble! Shop: Amore Tray | Athena Lamp
The hardware on the vanity will also be getting swapped out. I found these beautiful knobs and matching backplates from San Diego Hardware Company, and I’m so excited to get everything updated. They’re going to add such a level of sophistication to the space!
the primary bathroom design plans – to be determined
A few things on the mood board are still a bit up in the air, and I think all of this will depend on what the counters end up looking like. The first is a wall color. I’m leaning towards a warm brown or taupe for this space, but I don’t want to go too dark. I ordered four samples from Farrow & Ball: Jitney, Mouse’s Back, Charleston Gray and Light Gray. I also ordered a pot of Preference Red to test out on the toilet room trim.
A big thing I’m struggling with is the faucet finishes. I think mixing brass from too many sources starts to get a bit tricky and I already have three different ones (sconces, light switches and vanity hardware). I’m partially tempted to mix metal finishes and go with a polished nickel for the faucets but I’m not quite there yet. In the meantime, I’ve been having heart eyes for these ones from the Kohler Artifacts Collection. If you have an opinion on mixing metals, I’d love to hear it!
And finally will be the window treatments. I think either a roman shade or café curtains could both work in this space, but this will likely be the very last design decision I’ll make and I’ll go with whatever will compliment the other bigger elements I decide on.
Shop the Primary Bathroom Design Plans
the primary bathroom design plans – what’s next?
Now the work begins! As I wait for my lumber to arrive there are a few things I can work on. First I’ll start smoothing out some of the bumps in the walls with some drywall patching, mudding and a lot of sanding.
I’ll also draw out the dimensions for my wall moldings. I have a rough sketch of this, but I’d like to get everything dialed in more precisely. The sketches will also include plans for phase two of this renovation which includes the shower area. Maybe just for fun I’ll give you a little peak of what I’m thinking next week!
Lastly, I’ll be heading to Lowe’s to purchase a new miter saw. I already own one, but with the crown molding and thicker baseboards, I’ll need one that is a sliding compound miter saw (meaning I can slide the saw out and in for deeper cuts). The goal is to be ready to go when the lumber arrives so I can maximize my weekend days!
Stay tuned for much more over the next 7 weeks! And make sure to visit the One Room Challenge page where you can follow along with dozens of talented designers that span across every type of project and style you could imagine. The creativity and ambition are contagious!
Related:
Adding Picture Frame Molding in the Dining Room
Designing Custom Trim in the Primary Bedroom