Hi all! I'm back!!! Hope you enjoy this guest post from guest blogger Tom Coan of Case Birmingham.
Katie, thanks so much for giving me the chance to talk to your readers about redoing
their bathrooms. One of the objectives of remodeling a room is to make it look new
again. But when you live in an older home and its antiquity is an inherent part of its
character, it’s essential to preserve the original look of the home in the remodeled
and updated spaces. In many cases we need to update older spaces to improve
comfort and energy efficiency. And sometimes we want to make a space look fresh
while still maintaining an old-fashioned aesthetic.
Get a sense of your home’s style. Understand both what your home is and what
it is not. There are dozens of different architectural and design styles celebrated in
our country’s historic homes. Learning more about your home’s specific style can
provide a compass for choosing new materials with a look that’s consistent with the
rest of the home. Professional >bathroom renovators can help you locate materials specific to your home’s
style.
Brass fixtures help create an elegant, old-world look.
Keep in mind that an older home does not follow to a modern or contemporary
design aesthetic. While you may love the sleek look of modern cabinets or the open-
space feeling of contemporary, making a conscious decision to shy away from the
hallmarks of other architectural styles will help keep your bathroom in tune with
the rest of the home.
Look to the rest of the home for features that can be replicated in the
bathroom. Help your updated bathroom “match” the rest of your home by
repeating themes used in other spaces. Try using the same types of wood and
matching stains, similar hardware, and the same style of window treatments. Pay
attention to architectural features as well, which can differ drastically according to
period.
A Gothic arch in a master bath reiterates the architectural style of the home.
Reuse materials from the original bathroom. What better way to create a
seamless bathroom than to keep with its original features? Salvaging and reusing
materials in an older home helps to keep it original and gives it a richer history.
Fixtures, vanities, tiles, wood, countertop materials, and features such as crown
molding and wainscoting can be refinished and reused countless times in a home
that’s well cared for. If reusing some of the original finishes proves to be difficult
due to over time ware and poor upkeep, there are many places to find refurbished
or replicated materials that fit within the period of your home.
A reproduction claw-foot bathtub and vintage vanity blend perfectly with the
updated bathroom. Antique shutters and other design accents support the old-
fashioned look of the room.
Transfer materials from other areas of the home. Perhaps you’ve remodeled
other areas of your home and salvaged some of the materials, or perhaps you can
transfer certain materials from other areas of the house to help integrate an older
look in the new space. Borrowing a piece of furniture and a few design accents from
another room can help create a seamless look throughout the house.
Vintage furniture, materials, and accents keep this newly remodeled Birmingham
bathroom in the same era as the rest of the house.
All photos shown in this article belong to Case Design/Remodeling Birmingham.
