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Our Finished Master Bathroom Remodel! (Before & After)

Y’all, the day is finally here! After a year-and-a-half of working on this master bathroom remodel, it’s finally done, and I have a load of photos to show you. I will be writing a follow-up post later this week that will include the total cost, sources, etc. But for now, I just wanted to get to the pictures. We’ve all been waiting way too long for this!

This is definitely a room remodel. After all, we took a room, tore it down to the studs, floor joists, and ceiling joists, and completely rebuilt it.

master bathroom demo day 2

But it’s a bit misleading to call it a master bathroom remodel. That implies that we took a master bathroom and completely redid it. What we actually did is take the former master bedroom and turn it into a new, large master bathroom.

Because we completely changed the function of the room, and because we turned it into a very large wheelchair-accessible master bathroom, this was not a cheap remodel, even with me doing half of the work myself. My family helped me with the demolition of the room, and then my contractor took over and his guys did all of the basic, foundational work to turn the room into a bathroom. His guys did all of the work up to and including moving a wall, building new walls, plumbing rough-in, drywall, concrete board on the bathroom floor and shower walls, and pouring the concrete shower pan.

Once their part was done, I took over and did all of the finishes — installing tile (bathroom floor and the whole shower), hanging the wallpaper mural, doing the Venetian plaster wall finish, installing all of the trim, building the vanities and two storage cabinets, making a bubble chandelier, etc.

So after all of that, let me show you how it turned out. First up is my favorite thing about this master bathroom remodel — the mural wall with the bathtub. To the left of the mural wall is the shower, and to the right of the mural wall is the water closet (toilet room).

master bathroom remodel - freestanding bathtub in front of a wall with a wallpaper mural of trees and nature, DIY bubble light chandelier

And then with me standing in the bathtub and looking the opposite direction, this is the view (taken with a wide angle lens to get the whole view)…

master bathroom remodel - walnut table style vanities, walnut storage dresser, light aqua blue Venetian plaster wall finish

Now we can back up a bit, and I’ll show you some before and after views.

This is what the room used to look like when standing in the bedroom doorway and looking towards the back right corner and right side of the room. You can see the very tiny original master bathroom there. 😀 I’d say we got quite the upgrade.

Today, if I stand in that same place and take a picture in that same direction, most of what I’m going to see is the water closet, with the short wall of the water closet directly in front of me. It’s not much to see. 😀

So I have to step outside of the water closet for you to get a good idea of what that same (or very similar) view looks like today…

This next view of the original master bedroom is looking towards the original tiny master bathroom. Behind the closed door was the rather small walk-in closet.

And that same view today looks like this.

The funny thing is that the original master bathroom is still there behind the wall of the shower, but there’s no access to it at all. It’s completely walled off. (Don’t worry, there’s no electricity or water going to that room anymore, so no fear of leaks or burst pipes that we can’t get to.) That room, along with the huge sunroom, will be torn down prior to us building the addition onto the back of the house.

This next photo is looking back towards the wall that had the walk-in closet on the left, and the bedroom doorway that led to the hallway on the right…

The closet was completely removed, the right half of the wall was moved back about four feet (our hallway is much smaller today), and the doorway into this room was closed up. That view now looks like this…

Here’s a bit of an angled view towards the original bedroom doorway.

With the closet removed, the doorway closed up, and the half of that original wall that had the bedroom doorway moved back and squared up with the back wall of the closet, that gave us plenty of room for the large curbless shower on the left, and the water closet on the right.

For now, the only interior entrance into the bathroom is through the door that you see in the photo above. That doorway leads to our home gym. But after our addition is built, which will include a new master bedroom, the bedroom will be our main access to the bathroom. For now, things are a little unconventional. 😀

You can see here that this wall of the bedroom was used to be a solid wall.

But now that wall has the only interior entrance into the bathroom.

But even after we build our addition, and have normal access into the bathroom through the master bedroom, I think we’re still going to keep this doorway. It just makes good sense in my mind to have direct access from the home gym into the bathroom.

And this is the final before and after of this master bathroom remodel. This is what the window wall used to look like…

And here’s what that wall looks like now. You can see the exterior door on the right below.

master bathroom remodel - turning a master bedroom into a master bathroom

It’s a bit unconventional to have an exterior door in a master bathroom, but we have to live with it for now. That will eventually be an interior pocket door identical to the one on the left wall in the picture above.

So those are all of the before and after pictures, but I have plenty more pictures to show you!

Let’s start with the water closet. I just love this room that’s tucked behind the mural wall. Since our shower is so large to accommodate Matt’s wheelchair, that made our water closet a bit larger than most standard water closets. And that gave me plenty of room to get creative.

To take up some of the room, make the area feel less cavernous, and to add some practical storage to the room, I built this cabinet using leftover French doors that I had taken off of our walk-in pantry.

On the wall to the left, I added a gallery wall of colorful butterflies and moths.

This space is larger than most standard water closets, but it’s still a small room, so I used my wide angle lens to try to get the whole view of the cabinet and the butterfly wall. Wide angle lenses always distort things a bit, but at least you can see everything in one photo.

But here’s a non-wide-angle, non-distorted view of the butterfly gallery wall…

On the other side of the butterfly gallery wall is the large curbless shower. Since Matt (my husband who has M.S.) uses a wheelchair, it was imperative that we have a large shower where he could have plenty of room to move around, and it absolutely had to be curbless for easy accessibility.

This shower is an absolute dream. It measures about 7′ x 7.5′, and this shower alone is about the size of our entire hallway bathroom.

I didn’t want anything obstructing his movement, so I didn’t want any kind of glass door or anything like that. But I did decide to add a shower curtain to separate the large shower into two areas — a wet area and a drying off area. Plus, the shower curtain keeps the warm air in. I actually love the softness and the spa-like feel that the shower curtain adds to the otherwise cold-looking shower area.

The shower is very wide, so there are two 36-inch linear drains on the floor to span almost the entire width. And to add more warmth to the shower, I made a little teak wood shelf for the shower niche to match the teak shower stool in the corner.

Here are a few more pictures of the shower, without commentary…

Okay, enough about the shower. 🙂 The main part of the master bathroom remodel is much more fun to look at than the shower, so let’s get a few more looks at these areas. But first, let me show you the drawing that I did back in April of this year…

And here’s the final vanity wall…

I love it when a plan comes together! 😀

I had a heck of a time coming up with a plan that I was pleased with for this wall. I’m a person who needs symmetry, so the vanities needed to match. But since Matt is in a wheelchair, they also needed to be wheelchair accessible.

After looking and looking at wheelchair accessible bathroom ideas, and not liking anything I was seeing, I finally decided to build some simple (and not so obviously “wheelchair accessible”) table-style vanities. Each one has two little drawers in it for things like toothbrush, toothpaste, and contact lens stuff. But obviously that wasn’t going to be enough storage in a master bathroom.

So for the bulk of our storage needs, I built a large dresser-style cabinet to go under the window.

This was my first time building with walnut, and it was a bit scary! Not only is walnut pricey, but I didn’t have my standard backups, like wood filler and caulk, that I generally have when building things that are going to be painted.

My one regret is that I used a piece of walnut that had a knot in it for the frame of the bottom right drawer. In hindsight, I wish I would have traded out that piece for one that didn’t have a swirly eye-catching knot in it, but hindsight is 20/20. It’s done, and I’ll live with it. But overall, I’m so pleased with how the vanities and storage cabinet turned out. You can see the vanity build here, and the storage cabinet build here.

This is another wide angle lens pic, so it’s a bit distorted, but at least you can see the whole wall…

I can’t believe it’s finished. It’s actually finished! This room has consumed my thoughts, my creative energy, and a great deal of my time for 18 months now, and it’s finally done! We can actually start enjoying this room now.

And with that, I’ll leave you with a few more pictures presented without commentary…

Like I said, I’ll follow up with another post to share the cost (along with a cost breakdown of each thing) and sources. So if you’re interested in that info, it’s coming!

 

 

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143 Comments

  1. It’s absolutely beautiful! Kudo’s to your exquisite vision and planning, Kristi, once again. And of course, all your hard work!

  2. Absolutely stunning!! You should be very proud of everything….and I admire how you do not settle when things don’t come together the way you want. Redoing the mural was a stroke of genius…it is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations

  3. Absolutely beautiful! So the million dollar question…have you luxuriated in a delightful bath in that tub to take it all in?😃

  4. Looks beautiful! Somehow I missed your decision about the rug in front of the sinks but I like your choice. Definitely keep that door from the gym to the bathroom – for convenience and your love of symmetry and balance. Looking forward to seeing what you do in 2023!

  5. Every room you finish, I think, is your most beautiful, but none of them compare to this master bath! It is architect digest worthy! Wow I am in awe. It is so perfect. I am nearly speechless. Great job!

  6. Spectacular! I hope you are doing something special for yourself for getting to the finish line of such a complicated project. Thank you for sharing all the trials and tribulations, never mind your amazing knowledge base, through the whole thing! You are a gift to all your faithful readers. Merry Christmas!

  7. Oh Kristi, this is stunning! It’s a master piece that deserves to be showcased in every home decorating magazine! Wow, wow, wow! Congratulations on yet another fabulous job. I can only imagine how much joy ot brings you to look at and enjoy this bathroom. Fa. Bu. Lous! Congrats angain!

  8. This room is totally beautiful. My favorite thing is the build you did of the armoire in the toilet room though.

  9. It really is stunning! Hard to pick a favorite, but I’d have to start with the mural. Are there any exhaust fans in the bathroom?

  10. Your bathroom is simply gorgeous! I am so excited to see it finished and excited for you to be able to enjoy your amazing creation. I am writing mostly to thank you for sharing your work and the process. You have inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and build pantry cabinets following your tutorial, a window seat with bookcase, and finishing a bathroom with paneling. I also purchased a bamboo shade like the one you have in your bathroom (for the window at my window seat) and couldn’t be happier with it. Thanks again, Kristi, and Merry Christmas to you and Matt!

  11. Beautiful. I don’t think having an exterior door from the master bath is that unusual. I have owned three houses with exterior doors including the one I live in now.

  12. Your abilities and your designing mind are so incredible that I am looking at these photos with my mouth hanging open(not a pretty picture!). I am in love with everything, especially the vanities, the background behind the tub and That bubble light!! Outstanding!!! Take a bow….take a dozen bows!!!! You are amazing!!!

  13. Isn’t she lovely! (And,yes, you have to sing it to get the full effect!) Lovely, stunning, beautiful, amazing! I’m in love!

  14. Wow! Kristy you are so inspiring to me. I would love to have your talent and skill! I don’t think 18 months to do what you did is long at all! Bravo!

  15. Kristi, it’s absolutely STUNNING! I admire everything you create and I love watching everything come together! I do have a question – would Matt do a “write up” about the bathroom? I can’t imagine the PURE JOY he is getting out of this space compared to using the other “little” bathroom and I just think it would be neat to hear how wonderful this space is for him!

  16. Awesome, tranquil, gorgeous. You are amazing and should be so proud of yourself. Now you can enjoy the Christmas season.

  17. Absolutely positively unbelievably beautiful. Congratulations on designing and finishing this project. You’re one very talented lady.

  18. You hit it out of the park, Kristi. Nailed it. Killed it. Stole the show. My favorite part is that lighted cabinet in the water closet. Wow. I love the dark wood back panel looking all moody with the light through the glass.

    Onto the home gym!

  19. Kristi, Your bathroom is Amazing! Everything about it is perfection. Love the light fixture above the tub so don’t forget to include it in your sources post. Reminds me of soap bubbles. The colors and design, and to think you did lots of the work yourself. You are an artist.

  20. I’m imagining that you’ve had to pull in a big ole chair so that you can sit and sigh over all this beauty. Well done. Beautiful and so very functional all at the same time.

  21. I am so thrilled for you and Matt to be able to use this gorgeous bathroom!! It will make life so much easier for Matt! All your hard work paid off! It’s just beautiful!!!

  22. Wow, Kristi, to say that this room is GORGEOUS is an understatement. Everything is so professionally done, functionally designed for yours and Matt’s needs, and beautifully finished. What an achievement! I hope you and Matt will have many years of pleasure and function from all your hard work!

  23. Congratulations! It is stunning! It’s been a long journey and I have enjoyed every blog along the way. I am sure you are so relieved to have it done and that you and Matt can finally enjoy it. I have been reading your blog since just before you bought the house and am amazed at everything you have done. I am looking forward to the next few years as you continue to complete your home. You are simply amazing.

  24. Absolutely stunning!! It amazes me that it only took 18 months with everything that you did to this room. I know that seemed like forever to you but looking at the before and after pictures I’d say you are wonder woman in completing it in the amount of time that you did especially with all the material shortages and issues you faced. And you also managed to include family time and new outings with Matt as well as hosting a small group once a week. You are truly and inspiration and I love every time I see an update from you pop in my inbox. I can’t wait to see how you finish the gym and your plans for the new addition. You are truly well on your way to having your dream home and I’m so excited for you!

  25. Great job! And you found a rug that’s perfect. I also noticed that you left the finish alone on the mirrors, which is good call since it balances the darker wood on the vanities below. So much eye candy.

  26. Absolutely stunning! I can’t think of a thing I’d want to do differently. Congrats on getting huge project completed!

  27. It’s absolutely beautiful! I love everything, especially the linen cabinet you built from French doors. Looking forward to your next project.

  28. Your work is fantastic!! What a beautiful master bath space you created. I wonder if you would share where you found the plant and the basket in the toilet area? I need something like that for one of our rooms … it looks to be the perfect size. 😊

    1. Those are from Hobby Lobby. The little tree thing was actually much taller — about four feet high, I believe — and I pulled it out of the pot, cut off about a foot of the stem, and shoved it back into the pot.

  29. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Thank you for letting us come along on this journey with you. I am so impressed by your design eye and your attention to detail.
    You have the prettiest bathroom in Texas!

  30. WOW!!! Looks absolutely amazing, and beautiful. Apparently you are very talented with not only design, but you built those beautiful vanities, that chest and the armoire. And you built that bubble light? I can’t wait to read about that.
    Happy Holidays!

  31. It’s exquisite, it really is! If you haven’t already answered this, does Matt have an opinion on the final result?

  32. Wow! Fabulous room! So pretty, so spacious, so practical! You have worked very hard and your designs are nothing less than inspiring. Now I’m going to be “that person”. 😉 Where is the wastebasket going to live?

    1. I thought about getting pretty wastebaskets to go under each vanity, but I decided to just use the one that’s next to the toilet. I don’t mind taking a few steps to throw things away, and I’ll always be helping Matt when he’s in there, so if he has anything that needs to be thrown away, I’ll do it for him. We’ll see if this will work. If not, I’ll put a pretty one under his vanity.

  33. Kristi, this bathroom is spectacular. I’m impressed with your style and artistic touches every time, and this beautiful bath room is no exception. Hope you and Matt, enjoy the newly finished room and have a wonderful holiday too. Those romcoms are waiting for you……maybe as you enjoy the spoils of your labor in a nice warm bubble bath! Peace

  34. Just one word for this space, GORGEOUS! and from someone with a mobility impairment, that shower makes my little heart sing!!

  35. Kristi, your bathroom is absolutely stunning! Truly a masterpiece! I’m so glad your vision became a reality! That’s a bathroom anyone would love to have in their home! Great job! xo

  36. Kristi, I’m running out of adjectives to use. #1, I can’t imagine having a bathroom this gorgeous in my home, ever, and #2 being able to say I did this.
    So pull out every synonym for fabulous, fantastic, stupendous and you’ll get the idea. Also wondering, does Matt have a wheelchair that can get wet? Do you then have to dry it before he leaves the bathroom? I’d assume doing a transfer from chair to a stool and back in a wet environment is tricky at best.
    Well, congratulations on this monumental accomplishment.

  37. Your bathroom looks so good! Thank you for sharing your challenges and how tos. You are an inspiration to many and I’ve enjoyed following along.

  38. Kristi, I found myself tearing up looking at this beautiful room! What a beautiful thing you have created, but it’s more than that. It is a labor of love, truly. How comfortable and nice for both of you to enjoy this gorgeous space! So happy for you and so in awe of your amazing skills. You just slay me!

  39. Like others have said… this is truly beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, AWESOME!! I love everything about it. I hope that you and Matt are now able to enjoy the rewards of all your hard work over the past 18 months. Merry Christmas to you both and I look forward to seeing what you have in store for us in 2023.

  40. Kristi, you’re a magician or a superhero or a creative genius—actually, you’re in the running for all 3! You have more talent in your little finger than most people have in their whole bodies. For me, nothing can compete with your swoon-worthy PINK drapes in your living room, but this master bath comes awfully close. The bathtub area with that jaw-dropping mural & bubble chandelier is such a MOMENT! I think I’d get mesmerized just standing there & wouldn’t be able to move on. But I also LOVE the blue walls. I know how hard you worked on getting that exact shade of blue, & giiirrlll it was worth it! Extraordinary & timeless. You have outdone yourself. What a beautiful way to ring out 2022! Another job well done, Kristi! I’m sending you a field of wildflowers, butterflies, & birds (in my mind). Merry Christmas!

  41. Kristi, the rest of the commentors have left NOTHING to be said so I say DITTOS to all of it! I so admire your character, full of love, courage, dedication, diligence and honesty among many other amazing attributes. Matt seems to be an amazing man and great match to you. It is so gratifying to see what you have accomplished with his support and encouragement and I know it will be such a blessing to you both. Caregiving is really hard and this wonderful and dreamy bathroom will make the routines so very much easier and pleasant for you both. Good decision to start the bedroom addition asap, all things considered. Crowd sourcing for such a decision is great! Prayers and love for you both!

  42. Your talent, vision and skill are AMAZING! The bathroom turned out even better than I imagined. Congratulations – what a great big ticket item to mark off your to do list before the end of the year. Now it’s time for you guys to relax and finally enjoy the space! Merry Christmas!

  43. I can’t believe exactly how excited I am for you to have this HUGE project off your list going into the New Year! My master bathroom will never be this large (more the size of what yours used to be), but I love many of the elements you used and have tucked them away to perhaps use in our own remodel of the space. It’s a 1970s bathroom going to have to come all the way down to the studs and slab and will ultimately have all new everything in it (goodbye avocado tile and fixtures 🙄😂) replaced…along with our main bathroom (in that case, goodbye rose colored tile and fixtures, lol). Love the spa feel but also the usability of the space. Thank you for sharing all of your work and ideas!

  44. Wow! Absolutely beautiful and you are amazing! God has blessed you with wonderful talents! Your work is always beautiful! Merry Christmas to you and Matt! 🎄

  45. Such a lovely room! Do you plan to add grab bars, and how would you place them? As I age, I find grab bars remarkably helpful.

  46. Absolutely beautiful! Especially love the mural. Where did you find it? Is it available for sale?
    Congratulations on a job so well done!

  47. I’ve been following you from the condo days and just when I think you’ve hit it out of the park, you top it with a new project! Your new master bath is beautiful! I have learned something new with every post, start to finish. Thank you so much for sharing the process.

  48. That’s really a amazing room.

    My favorite aspect is that it is a wheelchair accessible bathroom that doesn’t resemble a wheelchair accessible bathroom. So creative.

    I had to laugh — if your one regret about a major project is “Well, there’s this one knot on the front of a piece of furniture,” that is a supremely successful project. 🙂

  49. Absolutely gorgeous!
    And while you’ve always gotten good photos, your photos of this room are the best you’ve ever done, in my opinion.

  50. It is beautiful, however, more important it is functional and so perfect for both you and Matt! I love when ascetics and function come together so perfectly.

  51. As much as I have looked forward to this post, I cannot even imagine how much YOU have looked forward to posting. Congratulations – it’s perfect.
    I also want to say to you what a difference you make in the lives of others simply by making such a huge difference in your own life (and Matt’s of course).
    I bought a house whose interior is painted Agreeable Gray throughout – every room. Following along on this bathroom and all the trials and challenges you have faced gave me the courage to paint a room. I know – it’s only paint, but I have been irrationally terrified of “ruining” the house with my decorating decisions. On Tuesday, I painted the powder room a lovely shade of blue (Sherwin Williams Agua Fria) while my husband was out of town. I thought of you the entire time and with shaky hand applied that first daub of paint on the wall. It turned out lovely and hubs loves the color. Your fearlessness gave me the courage. I appreciate all you do,
    Thank you and Merry Christmas.

  52. WOW, WOW…I am so happy to see the completed project – it is stunning…your ideas/design are beautiful and the detailed work you do unbelievable. I adore so many of your choices, in colors and design – wish I could even THINK of the things you so expertly do. Just love that gorgeous blue wall, the penny tile trim, all the cabinets, and all your choices for the tile, etc. Like so many here already said, the mural and that water closet cabinet are wonderful. I am so happy you and Matt now get to use this wonderful bath, and you have made it so special for him. Time to sit back and enjoy life and the Holidays, and next year we will all be looking forward to your plans. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you both.

  53. Your master bath remodel is gorgeous…so tranquil! I absolutely love the bubbly ceiling light and the colorful butterflies display; can you please tell me where you found these great pieces? Enjoy your beautiful master bath!

  54. Truly, this is one of the most beautiful rooms, not just bathrooms, that I have ever seen. Every detail is exquisite. You are one amazing woman and we are so lucky that you post!!!

  55. Wow this is stunning and I love everything, especially the mural, bubble light, vanities, linen cabinet, dresser, butterfly prints, ok really everything. You are amazing. Thank you for taking us on your journey.