Renovating the Master Bathroom in our 1800s Queen Anne Victorian | Camels & Chocolate

Renovating Our Master Bathroom: Selecting the Right Tile

[shareaholic app=”share_buttons” id=”20872686″]

The top request I get for posts are not, in fact, travel, but rather progress reports on our house. And while I’m not trying to keep anything from you guys, I’ll just say this: Apparently, when you’re on the road more often than not, your home does not renovate itself.

Go figure! I honestly thought that’s how it worked, guys. Then again, this is how I do yard work, so I’m hardly the most credible source.
Follow along as we renovate our 1800s Queen Anne Victorian, tile by tile

However. I do finally have a fun project to share with you. It’s not yet complete—we ran into a few bumps in the road, as seems to be our M.O. in travel, home renovating, life—so this is just part one.

In Nashville, there's only one place to go to get custom-made, hand-glazed tiles: Mission Stone + Tile.

For those of you who follow along on Instagram, you’ll know that amid a summer of travels, my sister getting married and all-around insanity, we’ve also been renovating our master bath. Since we live in an old Victorian built in the late 1800s, the space is, well you could call it…interesting. Don’t believe me? This is what it looked like when we bought the space:

Renovating the Master Bathroom in our 1800s Queen Anne Victorian

You can say it with me now: UG-LY. That wall color…that faux floor…I can’t even.

And to be honest, because of the odd dimensions of the room itself—and mainly, the inconveniently slanted walls that prevented us from actually being able to use the shower—we’ve been hesitant to tackle it, period. There’s a lot of ingenuity required for this particular project, and ingenuity often translates to cold, hard cash. The bathroom is not actually attached to a bedroom—in fact, there’s an awkwardly shaped hallway that separates the upstairs bath from our room and the Lemon Room—and eventually we plan to knock down some walls and perhaps make it all one big space, with a separate, smaller bedroom attached to the guest room (we have to raise the roof line to do all of that, so it’s no small undertaking).

But for now, we’re working with limited monetary resources, so we’re going to make do.
In Nashville, there's only one place to go to get custom-made, hand-glazed tiles: Mission Stone + Tile.

This project was very much a case of finding a product we wanted to use and then planning the space around it. In this instance, it was the gorgeous Hex Appeal tile from Mission Stone + Tile. You may recall if you’ve been following along for some time that we re-tiled two of our six fireplaces when we first moved in. If you’re new to this space, I’ll give you a peek at the final product here:

In Nashville, there's only one place to go to get custom-made, hand-glazed tiles: Mission Stone + Tile. Available in 80 different skews, multiple colors and presses, the new Essentials line reigns supreme for budget-friendly artisan tiles.

At the time, we were new to town and had no idea where to go for resources. Our friend who works in construction told us that Mission had the best, well, stone and tile as the name may suggest, so we headed on over there shortly after moving into our lovely old Queen Anne.

In Nashville, there's only one place to go to get custom-made, hand-glazed tiles: Mission Stone + Tile. Available in 80 different skews, multiple colors and presses, the new Essentials line reigns supreme for budget-friendly artisan tiles.

Not only does the showroom have so many gorgeous products, I left wanting to tile my entire house, but the prices are very reasonable and they can get in product quite quickly. At the time, we wanted a very specific safety yellow subway tile. We were told by other tile shops in the area that it could take eight weeks to get it in; Mission Stone + Tile had it to us within a week. We’ve been fans ever since (and they sell everything online for those of you not in the Nashville area!).

In Nashville, there's only one place to go to get custom-made, hand-glazed tiles: Mission Stone + Tile. Available in 80 different skews, multiple colors and presses, the new Essentials line reigns supreme for budget-friendly artisan tiles.

But back to the Hex Appeal. Everywhere I went in Nashville, it seemed to pop up. It’s on the bar at Moto. It’s in Jason Aldean’s bathroom. It’s in one of the homes I profiled for the magazine. I loved it from the moment I first laid eyes on it, and seeing it crop up left and right was further indicator that this was my pattern.

Renovating the Master Bathroom in our 1800s Queen Anne Victorian

The owner, Mary Elizabeth Oropeza, designed this lovely pattern, and when we went to meet with her about our bathroom renovation—Mission Stone + Tile also provides its client with free design consulting services, which we definitely took advantage of—she showed us her new Essentials line, too. I fully intend to use some of these products—they come in 80 skews, seven colors, five textures and are oh-so-lovely—in our kitchen remodel next year or the next, but for the bathroom, I knew the Carrara marble Hex Appeal was our guy.

In Nashville, there's only one place to go to get custom-made, hand-glazed tiles: Mission Stone + Tile. Available in 80 different skews, multiple colors and presses, the new Essentials line reigns supreme for budget-friendly artisan tiles.
“Mom, can I have the Essentials line in my room? Pretty please?

Back in April, SVV had torn out the floor, and we spent the following months sanding, patching, ripping out the baseboard, moving the plumbing and all those other things you have to do when you fully gut a bathroom (we did hire a drywall guy to fix the lumpy walls, but other than that, everything was done on our own).

How we gutted, sanded and tiled our way to the master bathroom of our dreams

Neither of us were sad to see the floor go. Especially when we ripped it up to find another layer of old linoleum creeping beneath.

How we gutted, sanded and tiled our way to the master bathroom of our dreams

How we gutted, sanded and tiled our way to the master bathroom of our dreams
How we gutted, sanded and tiled our way to the master bathroom of our dreams
How we gutted, sanded and tiled our way to the master bathroom of our dreams

Relocating the plumbing turned out to be a bit of a headache, but ultimately, we moved it to the other side of the room with few issues.

SVV was particularly proud of this part of the renovation process, as it was no small feat. I will say, I hit the jackpot when marrying this resourceful dude, who can figure out how to do anything.
Master Bathroom Renovation

We kept the old clawfoot tub, which we have since painted a dazzling shade of yellow, but relocated it to the other side of the room (or rather, it rested on its side in our guest bedroom for three months while we figured things out!) so it can actually be used. Instead of spending money on a pricey, new vanity, we kept the old one and put it where the tub originally was.

How we gutted, sanded and tiled our way to the master bathroom of our dreams

Don’t worry: We’ve since painted it a charcoal gray and changed out the knobs, as well as installed a new vessel sink in place of the old in-set one. We’re still trying to figure out what to use for a countertop—we threw out this crap slab of fake marble and currently are using a piece of plywood in the interim—so stay tuned for later updates.

All that to say, I was glad we’d gotten all of the big stuff out of the way, so that when our tile order arrived in the store in August, we were ready to lay it.

Mission Stone + Tile's Hex Appeal | Camels & Chocolate

COMMENTS
  • November 1, 2015

    The house is really starting to look stunning! I love reusing old furniture and giving it a new twist! Good luck with the rest of the renovations, can’t wait to read about it!

    • November 12, 2015

      Thank you, Dominique! We’ve still got a looooong way to go. But given that we’re not millionaires, we always knew this would be a long-term project as we had the funds (and we’re definitely boostrapping a lot of it!) =)

  • November 2, 2015
    Kathryn

    What a tease! I can’t wait to see the yellow tub! As well as the rest of the bathroom. You guys are an awesome, inspiring team.

    • November 12, 2015

      Ha! Right now, the tile is installed and that’s about it. I promise a full post of the finished product, whenever that may be!

  • November 2, 2015

    What a project! But the end finish will be amazing!!! LOVE that tile. Gorgeous!

  • November 2, 2015

    I married a carpenter, too. Smartest, hardest-working guys on earth. You did hit the jackpot, but so did HE. Love this blog and wow, that HOUSE. Too awesome. Gorgeous. Well done on the choices you’re making for it. Looking forward to more posts!

    • November 12, 2015

      Thank you, Karla! I definitely hit the jackpot with Scott, there’s no denying that 😉

  • November 2, 2015

    Yellow tub?! I cannot wait to see that! Your house is beautiful!

    • November 12, 2015

      Thank you, Krishna! I admit: I was a bit skeptical when Scott said he was painting the tub yellow, though it is an accent color we’ve used in the bedrooms. But I’m super happy with how it came out! Now, we just have to figure out a cool shower curtain that works with both the tile and the yellow and isn’t too busy…

  • November 3, 2015

    I sure will be waiting for the lovely finish. I like the ideas that you came up with. This will surely be a cozy bathroom.

    • November 12, 2015

      Thank you, Marie! It’s been one of our trickiest projects to date with the sloped walls and whatnot. Hoping to finish by winter *crosses fingers*

  • November 3, 2015

    Ooooh, I love this post! I am currently in the early stages of planning a full gut and replacement of our (boring, Arizona suburban builder-beige-blah-ugh!) master bath. Marbley hexi tile is very near the tippy top of my wish list. 🙂

    xox

    • November 12, 2015

      YES! Let me know what you decide on. And I hope you blog all your projects, too =)

  • November 9, 2015

    This post is motivating! We’re getting ready to start on a bathroom remodel as well before moving on to the kitchen. Like you, we’re going to try to do most things ourselves to cut costs which has me kinda nervous. But my hubs is also very handy, so fingers crossed. Mission Stone + Tile definitely has some beautiful selections – I’ll have to check them out.

    • November 12, 2015

      You can do it! I knew NOTHING about home renovation until we bought this house, and it’s been doubly fulfilling completing a project knowing we did it with just our own four hands =)

  • November 19, 2015
    Barbara Kanter

    This is my hex bathroom. I could take more pics if you’re interested. I live in Wilmette, IL.

    It turned out well.

  • November 24, 2015

    So much hard work that has paid off in SPADES! The Bird Ave city prints are absolutely perfect over the bed. Love the pop of color with the yellow, I go for red, but really like the yellow.

  • April 15, 2016
    Hazel Owens

    First off, I have to say that the outside of your house is absolutely beautiful! I love the castle-like architecture. I also really like the pattern that you chose for your bathroom. I agree that the old design and floors didn’t work, so I’m glad that you did the work to start your renovation. I hope it’s all gone well, and thanks for sharing!

  • July 18, 2016
    Fred Wingg

    Hey Kristine!

    Great share buddy!

    I am suffering from the same situation where I wonder what should I do with this old stuff.I decided to keep it in my store room and I will get it repaired despite purchasing a new one. The idea of keeping the old tub is really good.Old things can be remodelled well,instead of being thrown away .You also utilised your bathroom sink .Great job.I will follow it and surely gonna remodel my old stuff and will put it in my remodelled bathroom.

    Regards
    Fred Wingg

  • August 31, 2016
    Ajdak

    Wow!!
    What a lovely post.Some really fabulous ideas shared by you regarding home renovation. The tile looks amazing. What a comprehensive project undertaken. But seeing your involvement and the pictures of your house, I strongly feel the end finish will be breathtaking. Thanks for sharing…

    Keep posting and Keep sharing.. 🙂
    Regards;
    Ajdak

  • December 12, 2016

    That tile is so neat! You made a great choice. I can’t wait to see the yellow claw-foot tub!

  • May 9, 2017
    Heather

    I can’t wait to see what the finished product looks like! A new floor really makes a difference when renovating. It almost transforms the room! Thanks for sharing.

  • May 11, 2017
    Ruth R. Nero

    Looks great! I love all the fixtures and tile you chose! Thanks for sharing.

  • May 19, 2017
    Selene

    Wow, great post! Home renovation can certainly always be a fun project while adding value to your house. Thanks for sharing!

  • June 7, 2017
    S. Strong

    Awesome post! Love the claw foot tub, I’ve personally always wanted one. Can’t wait to see the finished project. Thanks for sharing!

  • June 27, 2017
    Precious Leyva

    Wow, I didn’t know that replacing linoleum floors could be a lot of work in bathroom renovation. My husband and I are thinking about renovating our bathroom; the floors definitely need to go. I love the choice that you made for the tiles. The art deco pattern adds a vintage vibe, and would look great with your clawfoot tub!

  • August 2, 2017
    Victoria Luisus

    I appreciate your work, its inspiring to me 🙂 even i am thing to renovate my home and could be similar bit ! anyways you did a great job. thanks for sharing.

  • October 7, 2017
    Grant Williams

    Wow, the amount of work going into that is astounding. Much respect to you for being willing to go that far, as I’m sure most people wouldn’t.

    Great looking tile, too!

  • September 10, 2018
    Kate W

    Never been big fan of tiles until I saw your chic hexagon tiles. No carpenter in my life so I guess somebody has to do the job “(“

  • January 20, 2019
    Neil Dimapilis

    Your place is so lovely! Thank you for sharing this with us! I love how everything is so aesthetically pleasing to the eyes

  • February 5, 2019
    Emery Ocampo

    I love the tiles that you have used in your home, most especially the blue one with several lines on it! Your home renovation journey is so inspiring, I will definitely save this for future reference! Thank you so much for sharing this!

  • March 7, 2019
    Mr Showerhead

    Hey, Nice job dude I am thinking to renovate my bathroom and will surely apply these ideas given for you. These ideas are inspiring and amazing.

  • January 15, 2020
    Meg

    Wow, I love your creativity! Props on finding a way to make doogs awkward space more efficient. That vanity sticking out into the middle of the room in the original is so weird! Can’t wait to see the finished product. As someone with a long, skinny bathroom that needs renovation, your post gives me hope!

  • November 19, 2021
    james

    Really useful, renovation idea for bathroom and toilet. Really nice.

    Could you share the full list of materials used?

Leave a Comment