Before & After: Cottage Guest Bath

At the risk of overloading my blog with traditional cottage style interiors I'm going to catch up on posting some before and after pics of the Stony Lake cottage project before the end of this summer.  I completed the cottage last year...and returned this spring to get some updated photos, but there are a lot of rooms!  You can check out my first post on the project here.  Most of the reno work involved the kitchens and bathrooms.  The cottage is relatively large and has 5 bathrooms in total.  You can see the boathouse bathroom before and after here,,,and today I'm posting the first of two bathrooms in the main cottage that I'd like to share.  The objective for all the bathrooms was to update the finishes and fixtures and keep the demolition and new construction to a minimum.  All the new materials and fittings would have to be readily available from the local building supply store (and nothing custom, nothing special order).   In addition to 2 ensuites the cottage has 2 hallway baths that are shared by several guest bedrooms. This before and after is the larger of the two hall bathrooms.

Bathroom Before

This hall bathroom's finishes and fixtures were dated but the vanity was excellent quality and in perfect condition - it would stay as would the entire walk-in shower except for new chrome trim pieces to replace polished brass.

The very first thing I set my sights on replacing was the floor and wall tile outside of the shower.  With its tan tile and peach paint and beige corian counter, it was looking a bit 80's suburban and not very Kawartha's lakefront cottage.  Because the wall tile in the shower was less prominent and in excellent condition, I opted to keep the shower as is and splurge on updating the vanity area.  Below is a concept board of all the new selections.  

In addition to new wide plank pine flooring (also throughout the cottage), the bathroom makeover included new wainscotting, mirror, lighting, toilet, sink, faucets, accessories and a new quartz countertop.  Switching out all the polished brass fittings for chrome was an obvious update and pairing the chrome with white beadboard wainscotting and deep navy blue paint would amp up the nautical cottage charm. 

I drew up the details for a new wainscotting and mirror treatment from stock materials which the contractor made all on site.  I chose a new drop in style sink because its a simpler install and a bit of cost savings versus an undermount, the rim profile adds to casual cottage vibe as does the new vintage style single lever chrome faucet (the shower received the same new chrome trim pieces).  Rectangular chrome knobs give the vanity a fresh update.  I found a set of flower print towels at the HomeSense in Peterborough which were perfect for this room as well as the yellow and white bathroom on the other side of the cottage.

A pair of vintage industrial style chrome scones from Restoration Hardware flank the mirror and illuminate the room in a soft complimentary glow.  Excuse the bad photo they were incredibly hard to photograph as the room has no natural daylight so they needed to be on.

All that's left on the to do list for this room is to find a couple of framed prints for the wall above the toilet, i'm on the hunt for either a pair of vintage nautical charts or fern botanicals.  : )

But nonetheless i'm told its been a busy space this summer accommodating a steady stream of my client's family and friends.  

Note: Please excuse the inconsistency of the colour in the above photos, the original files aren't like this,  the images only appear this way once uploaded into blogger and I havn't been able to figure out how to correct it or come up with a work around - never had this problem before.  The true colour of the wood vanity and flooring is somewhere between the light and dark versions above.

All photos and room design:  Carol Reed