One Room Challenge WEEK 6 KIDS BATHROOM: When things don't go as planned...I'm not a quitter!

 Hi.

I realize that the title says week 6 but it has technically been 496 weeks since the last update. I won't even go into all the life that happened in between. What is important is that we are back and I want to update you on this beautiful project because we have another huge one coming after and I feel like 2026 has re-awaken my creative juices and has me wanting to write and share again so I am going with it. I will work on some blog posts on life but first Zev's amazing bathroom! SO we left off sharing the floor the tub and all the fixtures we went with! SO... here is where we are!!!!! In order of coarse! and technically it took us 12 weeks not 8 so I will share it in order and share where we ran into issues! 

The next step was the tile that Zev picked out! It was a beautiful hand made italian tile so it was uneven but not a problem. We wanted to do a herringbone not only becuase we love it but we have herringbone wood flooring in the bedrooms so to carry that story... I wanted the grout to be as THIN as possible....THIN.....and here is how it turned out. 

I mean. It looks good here. But let me tell you..I shed a tear...a lot actually...I know not big...but with everything going on in my life this felt like such a disappointment. I have 1 son...maybe my only child...and we had a vision...and this WAS NOT IT. Daniel talked me off the cliff and we moved on to keep the project moving. It just is showing too much white and not as much blue...but it will be fine this is a seperate room and I had an idea for the vanity area that would make me feel better More importantly ZEV love it! so there is that. 

THEN...haha The plumbers installed the shower head and tub faucet and well haha do you see how close together they are? Its funny becuase the next bathroom will be so different as now I know what I need to micro manage but its fine...it looks really pretty and I LOVE the shower head it is amazing! so A+ there

Let me remind you of the vision....

See how the grout is thin on that tile? I mean I probably could have gone with a different color grout but at this point it is what it is.... Some things have changed from this mood board.. lighting some art wallpaper etc 

and even this has changed!!! But you see the evolution of my brain! 

So next was the vanity placement so we can start on the tile here!

See the wall..well this house was built in 1963 so they were not straight. We paid guys to do the dry wall and make the walls straight . When the tile guys came out they literally laughed at us...The wall wasn't straight and $1200 later Adam had to do it himself...yep not me no way haha So 2 weeks went by cuz Adam isn't a dry wall guy and produces movies haha he finally was able to get it done beautifully I might add... and we began to work on the vanity! 

It is seriously so pretty...go WestElm... I am so glad we went with this one! 

This is in Acorn the exact wood Zev's crib was so that was also special! 

Mid-Century Vanity

When I say it fit perfectly haha I was nervous as we were bringing it in!! WOW We mad a few trips for some floor trim... We are not going expensive here...

Well...NEXT I will show you how the tile in this room turned out and we have a door folks! haha Stay tuned for next week...and random days I am excited to be back and writing! 

One Room Challenge WEEK 5 KIDS BATHROOM: Toilets, Sinks, & Towel Racks Oh My haha

 

I'm not panicking, you are panicking haha I know I still have to post week 6 it's coming was having some technical difficulty in this new house haha among other things. The One Room Challenge is almost done and I have a lot to do! But I love a challenge so here we are. This week I am sharing updates on the plans for the plumbing fixtures for the new vanity, the toilet, and accessories!

With so many styles I was at a loss until I found Speakman! If you know me I love anything unique and I was trying to find the right mix of vintage with modern. Speakman came to my rescue and are collaborating with me!!! Speakman shower heads are the go-to for hotels, architects, and homeowners around the globe if  you haven't heard about them! Those relaxing showers you take while traveling most likely come from a Speakman shower head! Speakman also specializes in everything from faucets to towel hooks to toilets and I was honored when they agreed to help make Zev's bathroom a reality!

I had decided on a brushed bronze finish months ago when we were thinking about the tile for all of the fixtures. They give an antique finish and a classic look. You can see what I chose below! Again a very special thank you to Speakman for making this a reality and sponsoring this portion of my One Room Challenge! I am so excited to see everything installed!!The toilet is going in today!!! And as much as I love vintage the old fixtures and toilet were from 1963 and they didn't work!!!

Here is what I went with and why!!!

SPEAKMAN GLENWYNN T-5000 SKIRTED TWO PIECE LEFT HAND FLUSH TOILET

Love the skirted look! 

• All porcelain components come backed by a limited lifetime warranty
• Fill valve comes with a 7-year warranty and features a powerful siphonic flushing system for a more hygienic flush with less water
• High efficiency (1.28gpf/4.8lpf) operation is WaterSense Certified
• High-quality porcelain features a smooth glazed finish all the way through the 2" trap designed to inhibit the growth of stain- and odor-causing bacteria, mold and mildew
• Left Hand Flush Toilet
• Rimless design eliminates common crevices inside the bowl, creating a smoother, easier-to-clean toilet
• The Speakman Glenwynn T-5000 Skirted Two Piece Toilet delivers modern style that's backed by today's most sought-after functional features. The two-piece design is easy-to-clean both inside and out, with a linear bottom for an updated look and a rimless interior that reduces grime-collecting crevices inside the bowl. Includes everything needed for installation, including a soft-close lid and our best and longest-lasting fill valve. Elongated seat meets ADA requirements.
• Unit ships ready to install: includes two-piece fixture, supply line, wax ring, fill valve, flapper, soft close seat and chrome-plated lever

SPEAKMAN LURA CD521BBZ WIDESPREAD FAUCET WITH CROSS HANDLES

Love the cross handles! Very NY !

• Crafted in partnership with award-winning designer Clodagh, the Lura Widespread Faucet marries elements of both modern and traditional design with seamless operation. It features a singular, minimalistic spout paired with industrial-inspired cross handles. The solid, low-lead brass body is coated with a corrosion-resistant finish, assuring it maintains its brilliant brushed texture over time.
• Durable, low-lead brass construction
• Enduring, corrosion-resistant finish
• Industrial-inspired cross handles
• Modern, minimalistic spout
• WaterSense Certified 1.2 GPM flow rate

SPEAKMAN SA-2506-BBZ LURA ROBE HOOK IN BRUSHED BRONZE

Such a cool design! 

• Coordinates with a full collection of Lura faucets and accessories
• Crafted in partnership with award-winning designer Clodagh, the Lura Robe Hook is a study in sculptural design. It carries the same signature design details found throughout the Lura collection: sleek and serene lines. Used alone or in groupings, the simple piece creates a striking statement. The all-metal body is coated with a corrosion-resistant finish, assuring it maintains its polished exterior/matte interior for years to come.
• Mount alone or in groupings to create a visual statement
• Mounting hardware included
• Polished Chrome exterior is backed by a Limited Lifetime warranty
• Side entry creates a clean, sculptural appearance from any angle

SPEAKMAN SA-2505-BBZ LURA PAPER HOLDER IN BRUSHED BRONZE

• Crafted in partnership with award-winning designer Clodagh, the Lura Paper Holder brings a clean, minimalist look to the bath for stylish sensibility. It carries the same signature design details found throughout the Lura collection: sleek and serene lines. The all-metal body is coated with a corrosion-resistant finish, assuring it maintains its beautiful brushed texture for years to come.
• Deep design works with most sizes of paper
• Durable metal construction
• Easy to install
• Mounting hardware included
• Use in conjunction with the optional add-on phone shelf (SA-251) for extra versatility and convenience (sold separately)

SPEAKMAN SA-2507-BBZ LURA 24IN. TOWEL BAR IN BRUSHED BRONZE

• Brushed Bronze finish is backed by a Limited Lifetime warranty
• Coordinates with a full collection of Lura faucets and accessories
• Crafted in partnership with award-winning designer Clodagh, the Lura 24-inch Towel Bar brings a clean, minimalist look to the bath. It carries the same signature design details found throughout the Lura collection: sleek and serene lines. The all-metal body is coated with a corrosion-resistant finish, assuring it maintains its beautiful brushed texture for years to come.
• Designed to hold up to 50 pounds of weight
• Mounting hardware included

I am so excited to see how all of this turns out! Week 6 coming Sunday with more progress!!

One Room Challenge WEEK 4 KIDS BATHROOM: Choosing the right grout for blue tile, ordering the vanity & mirror/medicine cabinet!

 

Welcome back! It is WEEK 4 of the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE and let me tell you...the pressure is on my friends. If you missed what I am doing check out WEEK 1 HERE  to find out the details! But if you didn't know we actually don't live in this house just yet..yeah long story I may go into soon but thanks to our brother and law and my sister we have been blessed beyond belief....but the pressure is on and we basically have two weeks. That is why the bathroom has taken the priority to get running water and well a shower haha This house has been done backwards and we haven't followed any sort rules when it comes to what you should do first haha Between budget and well time we have just been winging it basically haha with the help of Daniel who basically has been our angel and voice of reason and well therapist if you will. More about Daniel but check out my first part of my interview in WEEK 2 HERE! 

On on to PROGRESS! 

It turned out amazing..now we are just trying to seal the grout but the black keeps getting everywhere stay tuned for that. We went with the Mapei sealant boy was that hard to find. Also we went with ULTRA BLACK Grout from Mapei as well in case you were wondering...

SO...the next step was finalizing the tile which we did last week...and put the order in FINALLY after giving up on my dream of COBALT blue I am really happy with the color we went with!

Not the best lighting but Daniel came by so we could choose grout. Did I mentioned I HATE choosing grout it stresses me out and for some reason it just seems so difficult to visualize haha but I am getting better...Daniel has helped me see and I feel like I have the hand of it. As you can see with the above pic.

FIRST you must take it in the space it will be in with the lighting and the flooring we can truly see how it will look. 

These are some Mapai options...will share more on the process on instagram if I can sit down and just post some stories! Some were slightly too yellow, maybe a little too blue it was so interesting...we then brought it over to the bathtub and knew the color we wanted needed to be more on the less yellow and more blue toned white it will make the tile pop as we plan on doing a herringbone pattern excited about that! 

But we ultimately ended up going with a Custom Color in Arctic White Not sanded...FYI take pics so you don't forget what you are doing haha

I ddin't even realize it but I was wearing a shirt with a WOLF on it that was literally the color of the tile...my son's name is wolf in hebrew...and with that I took it as a sign! haha 

If you saw my inspiration pic you may have seen the Vanity that I ended up choosing in addition to the medicine cabinet/mirror. I did explore other options but honestly we just didn't have the time to search for a mid century piece of furniture and when we priced out a slab of quartzite or marble for the bathroom it turned out to be the SAME cost as this vanity from WEST ELM. I also had a credit card so NO interest AND 10% cash back ( maybe I can get lighting with it ) So they should be delivered this week so follow along on INSTAGRAM for more updates! BUT I loved the color of the wood and it is the same as Zev's Crib that was in his bedroom!

Mid Century Closed Bath VanityDouble V2 QuartzWoodAcorn72 inch

I was initially wanting some sort of vintage mirror but again with timing and also functionality and also the size it must be I was so excited when I found this one!! 

Arch Double Wide Metal Framed Medicine Cabinet

With two small windows on each side I needed something to fit in between...PLUS the fact that it was a medicine cabinet was a plus...now I will be honest is it going to bother me that there is a slit in the center...I am not sure...but I think overall I really loved the look we went with the gold brass...

Next week we will be talking fixtures..toilets...and accessories for the bathroom and MORE PROGRESS!!! 

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One Room Challenge WEEK 3 KIDS BATHROOM: The FLOOR IS IN! All things TILE! Color, Pattern, Grout

WOW. Week 3 of the One Room Challenge is HERE! . October is flashing before my eyes and while I am enjoying the process I am STRESSED. See, this isn't the only thing going on for me right now...more will come I promise I am just trying to stay above water but it will all be worth it soon! This week was the week of making final decisions and TILE! I have just loved being able to explore options, colors..and while in the end I wasn't able to go with my initial inspo, I think I am actually even more happy with what we decided on! I also have a few designer tricks and tips thanks to Daniel of Desired Space! In case you missed out on who Daniel is, check out Part 1 of my Interview with him HERE!  This house was old and while I LOVE old, I am not sure we would have made it to this point without Daniel. This bathroom was oddly shaped, small and big at the same time so I am excited about our direction we are going! 

In case you missed the first 2 weeks of the challenge, you can catch up here! Week 1 ( Before & Inspo) and Week 2 ( Demo, tub, & Daniel's Interview Part 1)

Last week we prepped the bathroom, insulation, dry wall, as well as leveling the floor which was a disaster haha I would rather get into that when we do another room in this home! We did use a waterproof dry wall in the tub area and Adam added in a niche. It is set up to where we could do a double shelf which now that I am realizing haha we need to get! ugh I swear this seems never ending. 

Before I go into the PROGRESS of the room I wanted to share some of tile selection process. Not gonna lie, this picture doesn't show the many other placed we went to, the nights I spent scrolling through inspiration, the trips with my son to the tile store ( arguably my favorite part of this process) and the many phone calls with Daniel exploring all of the BLUE's in all the land haha and realizing that no one knows what COBALT is.. NO ONE. 

The floor tile was probably the easiest. Zev said he wanted the floor to look like the floor in NY. He specifially remembers the bathroom from the Pizza place that Spiderman went to. Our trips to NY during my IVF process was absolutely amazing and I immediately LOVED the idea. The black and white, the small hex it was perfectly classic yet felt so modern. 

I won't even show you the original COBALT blue. I have tons of clips I will share on Instagram of Zev basically picking the tile. He wanted the COBALT but long story short Fire Clay tile just didn't fit into my budget AT ALL. Like $4k over my budget. So we started looking at ALL the other blues. 

Grey blues, Blue Blues, Green Blues...This is at DALTILE here in Vegas and they were so amazing...and thankfully Daniel is a superstar there so we got treated like we had money to remodel like the rich haha 

Anyway if you know me you know I don't do WHITE. I know...it would look so CLEAN...but I don't want clean. I want to feel a spark...and NY made me feel a type of way.. I also don't love anything that seems normal haha but I did want to make Zev happy! 

So we decided on the floor and don't forget the grout! Have you guys ever had to pick grout? I haven't and why have I never even considered grout? Like before now I don't think it ever really came to mind unless it was dirty...and that brings us to our decision. We could have gone with white...but lets be honest, this is a kids bathroom and we all know it was going to turn black anyway haha SO...HERE is the PROGRESS of the floor! 

SOOOOOOO UGH I LOVE IT! It turned out so good and makes the space feel even bigger! Love the shine...didn't think I would like the shine but I do and the black grout is perfect!

I would love to hear your thoughts on the process and progress!! Are you experience with tile or grout? Which blue do you love? I have been loving everyone's progress and excited to post more videos on Instagram! check us out there! CLICK the LOGO below for the other participants! 

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