One Room Challenge - Spring 2021 - Bathroom Remodel - Week 6

Updated: Sep 14, 2022

ORC is almost done! This is one of the last weeks before the Big Reveal! How excited!

ORC is a motivational design event when you are looking for inspiration. It is fun, creative, and inspirational! This spring, as an interior designer, I will show you my process of turning an outdated guest bathroom into a bright and elegant space!

Closeup of new shower tiles with inset of Huntington Beach interior designer

"First time on my blog? Welcome, and thanks for coming by! My name is Samia Verbist. I am a French Interior Designer based in Huntington Beach, California. I obtained my Bachelor's Degree in Interior Architecture in Paris, France, and created my own interior design company in California 5 years ago. I love creating interesting designs for my clients and creating interiors that go above and beyond what they would have thought of. I love wallpaper and gold, and my favorite color is turquoise! My favorite places are Palm Springs and French Polynesia!"

Bathroom in the middle of interior design remodel in Orange County

This week was dedicated to the tile installation, which was a big and dusty job! Armando, my contractor, removed the old tiles last week but then he had to prepare the walls. It is nearly impossible to remove tile without damaging the walls a little. There are several steps to preparing walls to tile over. The surface needed to be smooth, so he had to scrape all the excess mastic or tile adhesive off. Also, as we decided to have the tiles going up to the ceiling, he replaced the regular drywalls with cement backer boards which are highly recommended in a wet area. Then Armando created the shampoo niche and finished preparing the walls. I will not detail all the steps. I'm the designer, not the contractor; the technical process is not my specialty!

So, as you can see, the tiles on the wall, the mosaic, and the shampoo niche are done!

When you decide to change tiles, as an interior designer, I highly recommend you have a design plan before you start attaching the tile. Because when the tile is installed, you cannot remove it. So, think about it before the installation: what style, size of tile, and how do you want your tile? Vertically? Horizontally? Herringbone? Do you want a mosaic? Up to the ceiling? This will also help you calculate the number of tiles you need (especially if you want a mosaic-like in this project).

My tip: when using ceramic tile, try to find boxes with the same dye lot number (like for wallpaper, see my article about wallpaper here). If you can't find matching numbers, mix tiles from different boxes when installing so any color variation won't be as noticeable.

Of course, I decided on the design when I did my 3D Rendering (see week 4 ), but if you don't have a render, you can also do like this: install tiles on the floor the way you are thinking, take pictures and compare:

Now the most challenging part for my contractor is done! He still has some work (installation of vanity, lighting, glass door), but it will be easier!

Let's have our weekly look at the to-do lists.

MY TO-DO LIST:

Design a new bathroom Done
Select new tiles for the floor and walls. Done
Select new bathtub hardware. Done
Select new vanity. Done
Select new lighting. Done
Select a new medicine cabinet. Done
Select glass bathtub door style. Done
Select paint color for the wall. Done
Create a 3D rendering of the new bathroom based on the selection Done
Manage budget and delivery of all material Done
Manage contractor's work Working on it!

MY CONTRACTOR TO-DO LIST:

Remove cornice and shower curtain. Done
Remove all tiles (floor and walls). Done
Remove all shower hardware. Done
Remove vanity, mirror, and lighting. Done
Install new tiles (floor and walls). Done
Create a shampoo niche. Done
Install new vanity
Install a surface-mounted medicine cabinet
Install new lighting
Smooth the wall and paint it. Done
Install new shower hardware. Done
Install a frameless bathtub glass door
Install floating shelves

So, next week, we will install the vanity, the medicine cabinet, the light, the glass door, and the floating shelves, and we will be ready for the big reveal!!! Woohoo!

If you miss the first five weeks, please check it out: