With more time to spend on feathering our nests over the last year, many of us have turned our energy inward to home decor and design. As the Editor and Owner of The Scout Guide Huntsville, I focused my energy on renovating my primary bathroom in 2020. With the help of several Scouted experts in their fields, I learned so many tips and tricks that I just had to share in this segment of Tennessee Valley Living’s Scouted!

I was thrilled to engage the help of Interior Designer, Kelly Butler of K. Butler Interiors in my initial planning process. She helped me create the initial roadmap for the design and answered some of those burning questions that would have kept me scouring the internet until the wee hours. Also, since we intend to stay in the home for less than five more years, she helped me to make selections that would be “buyer friendly” one day.

Color Scheme

Kelly recommended soothing colors that served as a clean pallet for the overall design. We used Benjamin Moore’s Classic Grey on the walls and White Dove on the cabinetry and trim. 

I ultimately choose an accent wallpaper, Schumacher’s Abstract Leaf in navy to bring a pop of color around the vanity. I had seen this wallpaper on one of Kelly’s projects a couple of years ago and always loved it. Both my contractor and my husband thought I was crazy when I opened the box, but the finished result is fantastic. It is bold and striking but also soothing in a botanical sort of way. 

Finishes

I was so worried about choosing metal finishes that all went together and were the most progressive choices. Kelly recommended that I look at polished bronze which is sort of a softer, “goldier” version of chrome that would be good for the plumbing fixtures. And, I love it because it coordinates well with everything else. Kelly also quelled a major fear. What finish should my lighting be and what to do with the old, early 2000s oil rubbed bronze door hardware? She assured me that mixing finishes was ok and would give the bathroom some more interest. I went with brass and gold for lighting and accents, and I think she is right! 

Since we will want to sell one day, Kelly recommending choosing the more traditional finish of the plumbing fixtures as they are tougher to change out later. I feared that the gold finishes that I’m loving today would go out of trend, so she recommending doing lighting and accents in brass or gold because these are easy to change. Great advice!

I shopped for all of my plumbing fixtures at Heritage Kitchen + Bath with their designer, Jocelyn. She helped me to identify two complete line options in the style and polished bronze finish that I liked. I was struggling with what to choose and how much to spend, and it’s so overwhelming to make those decisions. Jocelyn created a whole package of every plumbing part I would need for the job from the showerhead to the drain using photos, descriptions, and pricing that she emailed me at home for my review. What a wonderful experience! I was able to sit down and pour through my options before making a final decision. Ultimately, with some time to reflect and review, I actually selected the more cost-effective option.

Tub and Shower

I learned a couple of quick tips and tricks when making these decisions as well:

Rather than a shampoo “nook” that a lot of showers have inset in the tile, Kelly recommended a tile ledge. The ledge runs all along the back wall of the shower and allows flexibility to arrange lots of products of different sizes.

We bathe our dog MooMoo in the human shower, so we elected to add the removable showerhead at the far end near the bench seat to make it easier to reach her and get her rinsed. Jocelyn at Heritage Kitchen + Bath helped ensured that the head would be right for that and that the hose would be long enough for both humans and canine alike.

I don’t love a tub and especially not the huge garden, jetted tub that had been built in my hours in the early 2000s. For resale purposes, we elected to come back in with a slipper tub from Heritage Kitchen + Bath that was a little bit smaller but so cute.

Tile

When you completely renovate a bathroom, the choices in tile, flooring, and grout can be extremely overwhelming! Kristi Haley with Haley’s Flooring and Interiors helped me make these selections that I’m extremely happy with.

I love the clean, unfussy look of glazed ceramic tile in a shower. Kelly Butler recommended elevating a simple look with a slightly larger subway-style tile that had a beveled edge. I took that idea to Haley’s and Kristi was able to order exactly what I was looking for and matched it to a very light grey grout.

Kristi recommended going with a fun herringbone pattern for the shower floor. Even though this was a bit more expensive, it covers a smaller area.

Kristi and Kelly both recommended a larger, oblong rectangular tile for the floor. Kristi helped me to identify a pretty ceramic tile in a grey, matte, almost-marble look. Kristi recommending running the tile long ways along the length of the bathroom as it helps draw the eye from the door and across the room giving it a larger look. Good one, Kristi!

Extra Touches

We elected to build a coffee bar area in the new bath. My husband’s home office is right around the corner, so we wanted him to have his own little break area. The cabinet maker custom made this cabinet with a refrigerator, dishwasher, and we added his own custom mugs and cups.

Reorganizing the shower and moving the towel bars opened up a wall that I didn’t know what to do with. Kelly recommended looking for a piece of art to fill the space. I was thrilled to find a pretty piece at the Arts Huntsville’s Monte Sano Art Festival last Fall. More color!

I’ve always loved the idea of a chandelier in the bathroom but wanted something different than a traditional crystal chandelier. I was able to find this slightly funky, botanical chandelier that I absolutely love! This pendant is from Anthropolgie, and I’m so thankful to our Huntsville Anthro and our wonderful Contributing Editor Aissa Castillo for her help with that!

The sweet occasional chair next to the tub gives a good spot to rest and put on shoes. Both it and the gold and brass countertop items were easy finds at Victoria’s Interiors.

Many thanks to our Scouted Bathroom Participants:

Kelly Butler, K Butler Interiors

Heritage Kitchen + Bath

Haley’s Flooring and Interiors

Victoria’s Interiors

Bill Joyner, Welcome Home Construction

“Scouted” is a video segment created in partnership with WAFF 48’s “Tennessee Valley Living.” Scout Guide Huntsville Editor | Owner Dawn Pumpelly contributes to Tennessee Valley Living on a biweekly basis where she shares her view of the very best of LOCAL HUNTSVILLE.

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