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Complete Master Bathroom Bliss with Patterned Tile

The reveal of my modern master bathroom makeover, in all its patterned tile and brass fixture glory.

Remodeling projects never go as planned and this bathroom remodel was no exception. But it’s finally finished and I’m sharing the reveal today, along with before and after pics!

Recently, I gave my master bedroom an update, which I’ve been loving. But, as with most remodeling projects, once I was happy with the bedroom, I realized how unhappy I was with the adjoining bathroom.

Master Bath Makeover title overlaid on mirror and patterned backsplash

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Master Bath Before

My 1979 original bathroom started out as dated, dark, and dingy, but with good bones. When we bought the house, I knew it would be a functional space, and with a few updates, could be really beautiful.

I wanted bliss. What I got was… brown.

Brown toilet, brown tub, brown vanity, even brown towels!

Now, we’ve finally made the necessary changes to bring this tired old corner into a bright, cheerful, and modern room. I’m still surprised every morning when I wake up and stumble groggy-eyed into… a spa?

Modern Master Bathroom Makeover

First, let me remind you of how this room looked before:

Dark and dated bathroom

You can see the “Before” post for more pictures if you’d like, but personally I just want to look at the afters!

Here’s the overall effect:

Bright updated bathroom with patterned tile backsplash

We replaced just about everything, except for the vanity base. It was original custom built-in cabinetry, which means a new one would have been expensive, without much of a functional improvement.

New Bath Vanity, sort of

In other words, I like the way the vanity operated, just not the way it looked.

Nothing a little paint and beautiful hardware couldn’t fix!

Brass drawer pulls on a dark gray bathroom vanity

New Countertop and Fixtures

We removed the old green cultured marble topper and replaced it with a white quartz countertop and modern rectangular undermount sinks.

Brass sink faucet in front of patterned tile backsplash

These gorgeous modern brass fixtures made the whole thing pop. I could write a whole ‘nother article on how much I love my new fixtures.

New Patterned Tile Backsplash

But I must admit, it’s hard to truly appreciate the improvements to the bathroom vanity when all your eyes can see is this amazing Valencia patterned tile whole-wall backsplash.

I love it. Can I say that? It just makes me so happy every time I walk into the bathroom.

Patterned tile backsplash wall with round mirrors

I wanted the look of concrete tile, but these porcelain tiles are easier to install and maintain, not to mention more affordable! You can see more concrete tile alternatives here.

Round Mirrors and Accent Pieces

And these modern round mirrors were just the thing to break up all that pattern and contrast. I’ll be sharing a tutorial on how to hang heavy things like mirrors on tile because believe me, we were shaking in our boots drilling the holes for these guys!

I hung a few small pieces of art and then I used barn door handles as hand towel bars to bring a touch of industrialism to the space, as well as balance the brass and black fixtures.

A patterned tile backsplash with brass fixtures and black accent pieces

Shower and Toilet Makeover

Then I took the patterned tile from the backsplash and used it on the floor of the toilet/shower room, as well as to form two shower niches. I love how the pattern repeats throughout all the bathroom spaces.

White and patterned tile in a new shower room.

The oversized glossy subway tiles with just a touch of wavy imperfection break up the pattern nicely, and the light gray grout brings out the pattern of the tile just a little bit.

I completed the look of the shower with this lovely brass shower trim fixture from Delta, to match the brass sink faucets on the vanity.

White Bathroom with patterned tile floor and shower niches, and brass shower fixture

Of course, I replaced the icky brown toilet and matching jetted tub with clean, basic white. Ahhh, that’s better already.

Brass and Black Accessories

Again, I balanced the brass with a black shower curtain rod and toilet paper holder, and added two brass towel hooks from Hobby Lobby on the empty wall behind the door.

Brass towel hooks hold two white towels in a master bathroom shower room

I didn’t want to go too far in the direction of all brass or all black, so I balanced them together, all on a white and gray background. The touch of gray in the patterned tiles and the grout brings everything together in the middle of the color spectrum.

Master Bathroom Bliss

Now this bathroom is soothing and spa-like, instead of dreary and dreadful. It gets absolutely zero natural light, so the white and grays really brighten up the place, and the minimalist brass fixtures bring everything into modern style.

Make Your Remodel Easier

A master bathroom remodel can be daunting, especially if you’re already living in the house at the time. We helped ourselves by moving into our guest bathroom, and by keeping an eye on the remodeling budget with this worksheet.

A modern bathroom countertop with brass fixtures, round black mirror, and patterned tile backsplash

Modern Bathroom Design Style

The hardest part for me personally was picking the tile and committing to one style. I love modern style decor, but I also love just about every other style too!

I eventually settled on a modern bathroom with patterned tile because I like the clean lines of modern style, and the classic feel of patterned tile. It’s a match made in heaven, and that’s where I feel I’ve gone to every time I step into my oasis… I mean, bathroom.

In my opinion, bathrooms should be super-clean first, and pretty second. And if you can have both in one room, that’s bathroom design bliss. No brown toilet necessary.

Master Bathroom Remodel Resources

Remodeling our Master Bathroom has been a blast, and I couldn't be happier with the results! Here are the resources and materials we used, to help you make your master bath into that spa-like retreat you've been dreaming of.

I hope you can find some help and inspiration in these photos! Soon I’ll be sharing step-by-step guides on how we hung our mirrors, and how to install cabinet hardware.

Be sure to stop back by for those, or sign up for my newsletter, so you’ll know when they’re published.

And let me know if you have any questions about this master bathroom makeover or the patterned tile I used. I always love to see your comments!

Tile Installation San Diego

Tuesday 1st of June 2021

Looks beautiful! Your bathroom really looks good with its new design! The lighter color makes such a difference and how peaceful it looks. You picked the perfect color to make it shine. Great job!

Tile Installers Portland

Wednesday 20th of January 2021

Great looking designs, I have never seen such beautiful bathroom design ideas before and the tiles were fantastic. Love this post.

Barbara

Monday 14th of September 2020

Gorgeous & inspiring! What is the flooring in front of the vanity?

Meredith

Wednesday 16th of September 2020

Thanks Barbara! The flooring in front of the vanity is Pergo Wetprotect waterproof laminate in Anchor Grey. We fell in love with it in our family room, and decided to do the master bedroom and bath in it too. You can see more of it in this post: https://thepalettemuse.com/replacing-carpet-with-waterproof-laminate-flooring/

Erika

Sunday 3rd of May 2020

Fabulous job friend! I love the fixtures and the idea ? of using a barn door handle instead of the standard circle loop hand towel holders! I love it! What is the cabinet color? Is it indigo batik?

Meredith

Friday 8th of May 2020

Thanks Erika! The cabinet color is Valspar "Crucible" and I'm obsessed. I want to paint everything in it now!

Anita

Wednesday 1st of April 2020

Are you sure you won't miss that brown tub and toilet? :) Seriously, it looks great.

Meredith

Friday 3rd of April 2020

Not even a little bit! ;) And thank you!

ABOUT MEREDITH


Creating a color-filled life. Conquering my little world one DIY project at a time. With lots of coffee and chocolate. Albuquerque NM. Pinterest ~ Instagram ~ Facebook