29th Avenue: A Dark and Dramatic Bathroom Makeover -- The BIG Reveal!

Okay, kids. This is it! My big, bold, dramatic bathroom makeover is finally ready to face the cameras (and the Internet). So, in the words of Samuel L. Jackson, "hold onto your butts" -- I'm about to drop some serious style up in this room.           

But, first! Another 'before' shot from earlier in the game:

Meh. The 'after', though? Well, see it for yourself:

BOOM. Black and white and brass all over, just like I promised. Wait, what's that? You want to see more? Okay then...

As I mentioned earlier this week, the original bathroom had suffered at the hands of a shoddy makeover by its previous owners (which isn't readily apparent in the 'before' photos, but trust me: broken tiles everywhere, leaky plumbing, mildew for days, and really low quality materials overall). That, and it just wasn't our style. So, when Lowe's reached out with the opportunity to work with them on a bathroom makeover, the answer was a big, fat "OMG YES".

When we got started, there were a few absolutes: we were keeping the original cast iron tub (because, HELLO, it's a cast iron clawfoot tub!! You can't not keep it.), the floor needed to be a statement piece, and there was going to be as much brass as we could get our greasy little hands on.

I quickly got to work scouring the Interwebz for the perfect floor tile, when I found The One: a bold, black and white patterned cement tile that was inspired by traditional quilting blocks. It blew my mind the second I saw it. So, with our 'statement piece flooring' all decided on, I hit up Lowe's to bring the rest of the drama this space so desperately needed.

Since this is a rather small bathroom, I knew I wanted a wall-mounted, semi-pedestal style sink (to open up the floor as much as possible and reduce the visual space the sink would occupy) as well as one that was pretty modern. We ended up going with the Reve series by Kohler for both the sink and toilet.

Once all the major pieces were figured out, it was time to start hoarding all the brass fixtures and accents I could find. We chose Kohler's Purist series in Vibrant Moderne Brushed Gold for the faucet, hand towel ring, and toilet paper holder as well as a few other brass pieces to finish up the space.

The original bathroom had a small splash wall around the tub, but since this makeover was all about the drama, we chose to use an over-sized subway tile, black grout, and to enclose the room *almost* up to the ceiling (which we painted black). The end result is a clean space that feels much larger.

And there you have it! Our dark and dramatic bathroom makeover in all its patterned, brassy glory. Let me know what you think in the comments below! Meanwhile, you can keep up with other 29th Avenue projects and progress on Instagram with the hashtag #29thAVE.

Materials and Source List

• Floor tile: Tulum from Cement Tile Shop
• Wall tile: Allen + Roth 4x12 White Ceramic Wall Tiles
• Ceiling paint: Allen + Roth for Valspar 'Tuxedo Tie'
• Door/trim paint: Valspar 'Bistro White'
• Tub: original (But! Kohler makes a really beautiful cast iron, clawfoot tub you can check out right here. Warning: she's a little pricey.)
• Shower rod and faucet: Barclay Polished Brass 2-Handle Bath and Shower Faucet
• Shower head: Victorian Polished Brass Shower Head
• Sink: Kohler 'Reve' in White
• Faucet: Kohler 'Purist' in Vibrant Moderne Brushed Gold
• Toilet: Kohler 'Reve' in White
• Medicine cabinet: Kohler 20x26" Aluminum Recessed Medicine Cabinet
• Light fixtures: Alabax 'Small, Black' from Schoolhouse Electric
• Light bulbs: G80-15 Clear Bulb from Schoolhouse Electric
• Wall cabinet: Lillangen Wall Cabinet from IKEA
• Bathroom fan: Broan 0.8-Sone 80-CFM
• Hand towel holder: Kohler 'Purist' in Vibrant Moderne Brushed Gold
• Toilet paper holder: Kohler 'Purist' in Vibrant Moderne Brushed Gold
• Towel hooks: Streamline Hook in Bronze from Anthropologie
• Wall cabinet knobs: Hex Knob 1.5" in Natural Brass from Schoolhouse Electric
• Trash can: Strapats Pedal Bin in Matte White from IKEA
• Towels: Pestemal Fouta Turkish Towel from Overstock

A huge, huge thank you to the awesome people at Lowe's (I now feel confident in my ability to special order just about anything) as well as our friendly local contractor ('sup Ryan!) for making sure we weren't stuck living in a portable toilet for the rest of our lives.

This project is sponsored by Lowe's and I'm excited to get their help renovating our bathroom. However, all opinions are mine alone.

Click here to see other great bathroom renovation ideas!