The Master Bath Dilemma

Have you ever made a costly decorating mistake?

I mean as in SUPER costly, like gutting your master bath, only to be less than happy with the results? 

Don't get me wrong...it's a nice bathroom...

...but when we renovated it eleven years ago, we made some mistakes.

And, I might add, if I were to re-do this bathroom today, I would NEVER choose such a dark tile. 

That was Mistake #1.

Maybe it's because we were in such a hurry to re-do the bathroom. 

When we moved into this house 11 years ago, the master bath was Disgusting. Vile. Beyond Ugly. Un-useable. 

In fact, that bathroom did not see one flush of the toilet, or wet towel on the floor, until we renovated it. 

Seriously, it was so horrendous, we used it as a storage room.

We gutted it down to the studs;

More than doubled its size by utilizing a walk-in closet next to it;

And, of course, bought new everything.

Mr. Goo Shoes wanted two things in this bathroom -- a clawfoot tub...

...and pedestal sinks.

Even 11 years ago, I was so OVER pedestal sinks, but I gave in on that. 

That was Mistake #2. 

Mr. Goo Shoes now admits that I was right.

Let me pause right here to savor that...

I Was Right!!!

Gosh, I love being right. 

You know...Mr. Right, and Mrs. Always Right? I think that was on a Valentine's Day card I bought once.

Where was I? 

Oh yes...I was ecstatic last week, when Mr. Goo Shoes suggested that we remove the pedestals, and build a vanity. Yes, Yes, Yes!!! I don't need more than a little nudge to have me off and running on a home improvement project. 

Do Not Stop at Houzz. 

Go Directly to the bathroom design showroom...

...which is exactly what we did.  

They did a quick sketch. We're not going for anything fancy here. I might want the middle section to be a little dressing table, but Mr. Goo Shoes thinks we need the drawers for storage.

"Ahem...the pedestal sinks???" said Mrs. Always Right.

Ba-DUMP-dump.

Since I'm not entirely sure about the vanity myself, I didn't push it. Yet. 

We started looking at options for counter-tops, but there were not many viable options, that would go with the existing copper slate tiles on the walls and floors. 

Feeling frustration set in, I deliberately innocently said...

"If I were starting from scratch, I surely wouldn't pick this copper slate."

I know exactly what I'd do...it would be light, bright and neutral, like we did in Junior Goo Shoes' bathroom (below).

We did manage to find a few granite samples to bring home, and thought this was the best option. It's hard to really capture it in a photo.

We picked a cherry wood for the cabinetry. 

At first, I thought, wow, that was easy...I can't believe we actually found something I like that goes with this slate. 

And then, as the plan started to crystalize in my brain...

...I began to PANIC. 

Usually, this happens right after we place an order, but at least my panic attack came before the American Express bill, this time. 

"IT'S ALL WRONG! " thought Mrs. I'm-Not-Always-Right-But-I'll-Never-Admit-It.  

On it's own, the vanity would be beautiful.  But, no more darkness in this space! Enough!

So it's back to the drawing board. We need to find a lighter countertop... or something.

I started to wonder if adding a vanity would really solve our problems, but I kept that thought to myself.

Mr. Goo Shoes, however, was not afraid to say it out loud.
 

There's something you should know about Mr. Goo Shoes and me, when it comes to spending money. 

He is K-mart; I am Louis Vuitton, if you know what I mean. 

BUT -- when it comes to big ticket home improvements, he becomes the big spender and I tend cheap out.

So, it wasn't a total surprise to me when he said, yesterday...

"Do you think we should consider re-doing the entire bathroom?"

My brain went...

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Ca-CHING! 

I started freaking out that only crazy people re-do their bathrooms TWICE, but then I thought...

Is it "throwing good money after bad" to try to salvage a bathroom we don't love?

So I gave some thought to What I Do Like About The Bathroom, and What I Don't Like. Seeing if the Don'ts outweigh the Do's, if you will. 

I do like the clawfoot tub, although the only one who uses it is the dog. Can I tell you how many times I have used that tub?

ZER-0.  

I love my copper tub faucet...

and my tub shelf.

 

If there's one place the copper slate tile looks good, it's the shower.

I like the copper towel rings...

and the medicine cabinets.

The wallpaper is on the dark side (possibly Mistake #3)... but it does have a sheen and reflects light.

Really, my only major gripe about the bathroom is that there's too much of the slate tile.

Which only covers about 60% of the bathroom. Oy...not a big deal...

Ca-CHING.

Frankly, I think it's the floor that bothers me most of all.

So there you have it. What to do, what to DO????

WHY OH WHY CAN'T I BE ON ONE OF THOSE HGTV SHOWS RIGHT NOW WHERE THEY'D FIGURE THIS OUT FOR US...FOR FREE????

Sooooooo....

Should we try to salvage the existing bathroom by adding a vanity?

Rip out the entire bathroom and start from scratch?

Or are there other things we can do to lighten up this dark bathroom --

    Replace the wallpaper? Put in a different floor?

That's my dilemma. What do you think? 
  
Don't hold back...I need to hear your thoughts!