Amazing Bathroom Makeover!

January 31, 2012 at 10:07 am
by Designer Dad: Stephen Saint-Onge

A bathroom makeover. A room makeover that I have wanted to do for a long time. No – the room images seen below are not the “after” room beauty shots – but they are images of the “before” room I was working with…A dated, 1970′s, small bathroom shared by a busy family filled with tinted mirrors and rust-colored tiles (among other things)…

I know that the thought of a bathroom renovation or makeover can be stressful and certainly something that most homeowners want to put off. However, in this case, I set out to try to make the process easier and less of a burden on the homeowner. I wanted to cut down on the need for too much demolition and weeks of messy living during the process. I wanted to keep it simple and yet have it all give them a dramatic new look.

This bathroom became a fine example to me of what I talk about in design seminars all the time – people putting off making their lives better through design.

I know personally how our homes always have a To Do List – as I’ve said many times. However, some of us choose to live in limbo with our home improvement lists because we just don’t want to deal with it. So we live with cabinets that have seen better days, chipping paint or lack of good storage.

Yet, if we make the changes – it truly can uplift us by simply walking into the new space after all is said and done. This room was like that. When the homeowner entered into the final makeover space – they couldn’t imagine what their space and life was like before it. I closed the door, had all the lights on inside and let them open the door to the new chapter of their life. I love that moment in any makeover. Seeing is believing.

The question of the day became “What was I waiting for?” or “Why did I put it off for so long?” The homeowner stood in their new space and just took it all in. There is a certain amount of being in the moment with a design change. You realize how your environment does affect your mood and senses.

So the makeover begins now… I did my research as a designer – but I also kept my homeowner hat on too through the process. As I documented the step-by-step process of this makeover for you – I always tried to keep the perspective on how it would be for you guys if you did this renovation in your own home. Trying to keep it real and attainable.

So to begin the creative journey of this makeover (there I am in the midst of the before space filled with mirrors and tiles) I invite you to visit my daily blog to see the whole process, learn about the companies and products I used in the completed bathroom with links to each of them…Plus, there are lots of images that I shot of the step-by-step from start to finish. All meant to inspire you. To top it off – you’ll see my behind-the-scenes video coming later today of the whole project too…