Simplicity in the South

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The Modern Farmhouse Master Bathroom Reveal: Turning a Bedroom into a Bathroom

1915 Bungalow master bathroom· 1915 Bungalow Room Reveals· DIY Projects· Most Popular Posts· Remodeling· Room Reveals· Room Reveals and Organized Closet Reveals

Imagine this. You’re house searching and you fall in love with a home as soon as the realtor opens the front door. She begins by telling you it has everything you were hoping for…a fixer upper with great bones, 100-year-old heart pine floors, high ceilings, wainscoting. Then she whispers in my ear “By the way, the main bathroom is down the hall from the master bedroom”.

I could hear the brakes screech in my mind…

Wait. Backup. You’re kidding, right?

At this point, it wasn’t a deal breaker but it certainly was something I could use to negotiate on the price.

Old homes come with their quirks. Sometimes you just have to step back and reimagine and reconfigure in your head the spaces you have. Our home was built in 1915 and it didn’t have a full bathroom until the 1940’s so it ended up on the back side of the house.
 
Fortunately, there was a bedroom adjacent to our master bedroom that we could turn into a master bathroom, walk-in closet and half bathroom off the hallway.
before picture of master bathroom
You can read about our initial plans for turning a bedroom into 3 spaces and why this made sense for our particular home in this post.

Before and after layout of the master bathroom, walk-in closet and half bath floor plans

I’m excited to say that we’ve finished our modern farmhouse style master bathroom and I get to show you how old house quirks can turn into blessings. Welcome to our new en suite master bathroom!
 
 Modern farmhouse master bathroom remodel a bedroom is turned into an en suite bathroom on a budget
 
 
I’ll follow up with all the DIY projects that went into this remodel later. If you’re like me, you search for pictures to get ideas for your own master bathroom. Lucky you, today is all about the pictures, how the room is laid out and our thought process behind the remodel.
 
There are also links at the end of this post of the projects we’ve done along the way.
 

Click this link to see all the details on the budget, the source list and paint colors.

 

Modern farmhouse bathroom remodel with shiplap walls and Restoration Hardware knock off mirrors

 
The old bathroom down the hall had just one light overhead, so more lighting was at the top of our list of wants. We installed 4 recessed lights, a wooden chandelier, a pendant light at the entry, and sconces beside the mirrors. There’s no lacking of light for us now.
 
The Restoration Hardware inspired mirrors and the wooden chandelier tutorials will be coming up soon. We’ll also go over how we made the white concrete countertops for the vanity.
 

Update: Click here to see how we made the Knockoff Restoration Hardware Bristol Flat Mirrors 

 
Jason built the vanity but, unfortunately, I didn’t get all the pictures taken before he finished so I won’t have a tutorial on it. You can see how the basic frame looked before he built the drawers and shelves in this master bathroom progress post. 
Modern farmhouse master bathroom remodel a bedroom is turned into an en suite bathroom on a budget
We decided on wall mount cross handle faucets to free up counter space and they remind me of something that would’ve originally been in our house. Plus, they were such a good deal, I couldn’t pass them up.
 
accordian style chrome mirror
We wanted the room to feel open but also have the toilet area feel somewhat hidden, so we built a 3-foot high pony wall around the shower area.
 
A modern farmhouse style bathroom remodel with glass shower enclosure and french door with frosted panels
 
To incorporate as much storage as possible, we made a cubby in the shower.
White subway tile is a classic. I love the charcoal gray grout and the patterned tile that looks like cement tile in the shower cubby
And my favorite, the hidden cubby in the pony wall.
Add a hidden cubby in the shower for soap and shampoo. This is a good way to add storage in a bathroom and make it look neat and organized.
The old shared closet that separated the 2 rooms was removed to make the entry to the new bathroom. Here’s a reminder of how it looked before.
before picture looking towards old closet
An old church door was repurposed as our entry to the master bathroom. The panels were frosted for privacy. I found the pendant light at the Habitat for Humanity store. The brass finish was covered in matte black spray paint and I replaced the beveled glass with seeded glass to match the sconces by the vanity.
A door from a church was repurposed for the bathroom entry
We used the space between the studs to add a built-in cabinet. It’s been a while since I’ve done an organizational post, so I’ll be following up with a bunch of ideas on how to keep your bathroom cabinets and vanity organized. You’ll really like what we added to the vanity. I can’t wait to show you! Update: Click here to see the master bathroom organization post. 
 
Tomorrow, I’ll being sharing some simple summer decorating ideas as I join 25 other talented ladies in the Seasonal Simplicity Summer home tour. Hope to see you then!
 
P.S.
I wasn’t sure if I should keep it a secret but there are some things you can’t wait to tell the world because it seems so surreal. We’ve had a couple of phone interviews with a production company that works with HGTV and the DIY Network that are interested in us having our own show.
 
Please wish us luck, keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer for us. If nothing else ever comes of it, just getting the phone calls is something we never expected in a million years!
 

Catch up on all the posts and projects that went into our master bathroom remodel here:

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Comments

  1. Joan Lewis says

    Hi. . I just found this & wondered what the dimensions of the spare bedroom was?
    We would like to try something like this in our 1956 house.

    Reply

    • Tricia @ Simplicity in the South says

      Hi Monica,
      We used Mapei grout in Pearl Gray for the shower tile. It’s sold at Lowes and we got the one that has the integrated sealer. We used the same color for our pantry floor tile too because we love the color so much.
      Tricia

      Reply

  3. Giselle says

    I am new to your blog and am amazed at you and your husband’s talent! I was going to ask if he was a pro and then I saw you got a call from HGTV, I guess that answers my question! I am so excited for you! I hope it all works out. You bathroom looks fantastic! (I’m not sure how old this post is and I’m in Canada so if you are already on tv congrats! Lol!)

    Reply

  4. Suhana Morgan says

    Hello Tricia,
    This is a wonderful hacking tutorial You share that gives me a piece of resourceful information. A proper guideline of bathroom renovation.

    Reply

  5. Joette Tavernise says

    Tricia, love reading all that you write and show. I think HGTV needs you. Good luck! I do have a question. I wondered why Spartanburg,SC was at the bottom of your blog. Is that where you are?!

    Best of luck!

    Reply

  6. Fern Henley says

    Wall makeup mirrors are so useful. What source for very large magnification, fairly large, reasonably priced, sturdy, reasonably priced wall makeup mirrors have you located?

    Reply

    • Tricia says

      Hi Fern! Yes, a makeup mirror is so nice to have. The one I have is affordable, has held up well over the past 2+ years and can be found in this link. It’s 8.5″ round, has a magnification mirror on the other side, and extends up to 13.5″. This mirror was a close contender and it has a larger 9.8″ mirror. But my favorite is one that I saw in a hotel that I stayed at recently. I love it because it lights up and has a plugin so it doesn’t have to be hardwired. It’s 9.75″ but part of that has the light ring but it’s still a nice size. You can find that one here.

      Reply

  7. Luanne Smith says

    Lovely! We are in the process of beginning a bathroom remodel. Can you give me info on the shower faucet system? Thank you!

    Reply

  8. Trish Cree says

    Hi! I LOVE your bathroom!!! We are in the midst of redoing ours and are using many of the same elements. The patterned shower niche will actually be our flooring and I will be using subway tile in the shower. Just trying to figure out a coordinating shower floor simple pattern that complements, not overwhelms. . . suggestions welcome!! Main reason for my comment though – WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR TOILET PAPER HOLDER?!?! I LOVE IT!!!!! thank you! xo trish.

    Reply

  10. Carrie says

    Love! And can’t wait for the tutorial on the mirrors! Exactly what I’ve been wanting and figured there was a way! Hope to see posted soon!

    Reply

  14. Jennifer says

    I can’t wait to see how you made the wooden chandelier. I’ve been wanting one just like it since I saw it on Fixer Upper. The whole bathroom remodel is fabulous! Kudos to both of you!

    Reply

  15. Missy says

    Husband and wife team with amazing taste and multitudes of talent…PRICELESS…job well done!

    Reply

  17. Offrs says

    Your bedroom bathroom is gorgeous. Everything about it is modern, fresh and bright. I really love it!!

    Reply

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