How stunning is the result of this bathroom renovation?  

Well, maybe I am a bit to bias,  since it is the culmination of a cross country home renovation completed last year in Rancho Santa Fe, California.  (Yes!  I will travel for Work.)  What was dated and sad is now a sleek, sophisticated, tranquil retreat.   With the use of custom cabinetry, chic marble floors and a free standing pedestal tub it was a total transformation.  That tub is just begging for someone to jump in!  

Roxy, the homeowners Bernese Mountain Dog is in the final photo for good measure, just to make the bathroom that much more appealing.  Who can resist an adorable big dog...?  Not me! 

This is a long way away from the original bathroom - from the layout to the selections - Everything in this bathroom renovation is new.  Take a look at the transformation and all the details in between from Tired and Dated to

A Master Bath Suite Retreat.

Below are 5 Must Have for any Bathroom Renovation to create a Master Bath Suite Retreat.

1 - Cabinets

Cabinets are Key to any bathroom remodel.  Whether you design custom cabinets or purchase them off the shelf - cabinets are one of the main items that are crucial to any bathroom makeover.  The cabinets in this bathroom are completely custom, custom designed, custom fabricated and custom stained in place.  Each and every aspect of the vanity was thought out, in detail to accommodate the homeowners needs.  In order to achieve a more contemporary look and to avoid a wall of mirror we opted for a full wood cabinet panel back and a custom framed mirror hung on the panel.  

Every detail was designed and thought out carefully to ensure each design item would fit accurately and in the end we would have exactly the look we created.  

Elevation Drawings with exact dimensions were prepared for the contractor to plan the room, locate the junction boxes for the light fixtures, the cabinet fabricator to create shop drawings and for us to order the correct size mirrors.

2- Marble Flooring & Shower Walls

Critical to every Bathroom is the hard surface materials.  In this bath classic Carrera Marble is center stage.  The same material was used throughout the bath, on the dry floors, shower floor, wall and in slabs on the countertops.  

In order to get a more modern feel a herringbone pattern was used on the shower walls and in the back of the shower niches.  A larger size tile of the Carrera on the main dry floor was laid in a running bond pattern or staggered joint pattern.  

3- Counter Tops

Just like flooring, countertops are a BIG part of design in a bathroom renovation/remodel.  This Master Bath Redo called for the same material on the tops as the floors.   White, classic Carrera Marble in slabs.  

Keeping things simple to create a sleek, sophisticated contemporary look.  The color is white with gray veining - a classic choice utilized in a modern way.

Check out some of the other bathrooms I have designed on my website here

The tub filler selected is a sleek modern fixture from Rohl and the tub is from Blu Blathworks

Check out more Tubs in this Post Tub Roundup

4- Fixtures and Fittings

Faucets, fixtures, tub fillers, tubs, toilets and drains are all considered part of the plumbing package, the Fixtures and Fittings.  The part you actually see - the Fixtures are much more exciting than, the stuff inside that makes it work - the Fittings.  

None the less all are important items that need to be selected early in the design phase to get everything done correctly.  Tub drains can be located in different pots, center or at either end so the drain location is a critical aspect of any renovation.  Placement of the tub filler, shower heads and controls are all design decisions that must be made long in advance.

In this shower we used a linear drain with the marble tiles cut in to create an integrated look and a cool design element.  Who knew you didn't have to use just any old drain?!

5-  Lighting

Lighting is such a critical aspect of life in general, and especially in the bathroom.  When you are at a vanity facing the mirror your  lighting should be coming toward you, illuminating your face not shining down on your head!  Wall sconces are great for projecting light at you and getting your best "glow" on.  These are super high intensity lights that show every last little thing....even the thing you don't want to see!

Before Images of the Master Bath

This is the BEFORE Photo of the tub as seen when walking into the bathroom prior to a total renovation that changed the layout of the bathroom completely.  Down below I've shown the two images side by side.

I don't know about you, but I just do not understand (or Like) the layout and position of this tub in the before image.

The vanities, tops and splash were not that bad, and did give two separate areas in the bath, but the style, color and materials are a bit dated.  The dark wood cabinets on the dark wood floor are... well Dark!

Hope you enjoyed the journey from Bad to Fab!  Here is another Before and After Bathroom Renovation Project I did that you may like to see.