Mediterranean to Transitional Bathroom: By Jen Oliak and Danijela Zaric, Interior Designer

Are you thinking about remodeling projects for your home but need some guidance on how to begin? We remodeled most of our house last year from a Mediterranean to Transitional style.  

The project took about 6 months and can you believe we lived at the house throughout the work? Probably not the smartest decision in hindsight, but we live and we learn. I will discuss the broader scope of our remodel in a future post, but today I want to focus on the transformation of our Powder room from a

Mediterranean to Traditional style

A small bathroom like this is a good place to start if you aren’t sure how big of a project you can handle. 

Originally, we wanted to leave this bathroom as is, since it seemed wasteful to demo.  I mean, nothing was “wrong” with it other than being a bit dated. But since we were already fully changing the kitchen, moving walls in the family room and refinishing the floors on the same floor as this bathroom, it was recommended we update the powder room to match the rest of the space.

One thing you will find when you get started on remodeling your home is the snowball effect that takes place.  An update in one area amplifies the need to change things you didn’t even notice before. But I digress.  Back to the powder room.

I absolutely love our new bathroom! Let me take you through the changes.

bathroom remodel powder

Before

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After. Replaced all but cabinet.

Before

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After (note the cute little succulent arrangement I made!)

I worked with a local designer, Danijela Zaric (who is a contributor on Ounce of Salt, click here to see her post on pink sheets).  Her and I had wonderful chemistry. I was grateful I could trust her to make most of our decisions without too much of my involvement.

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Penny Tile Marble Floor

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Hand painted Italian marble tiles

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Toto fixtures and marble counter top

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Toto toilet paper holder

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Toto toilet handle

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Toto towel holder

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Restoration Hardware Lights

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Restoration Hardware cabinet knobs

Summary of Materials in New Powder Room

  • Floor tile: pricing is about $10/sq ft, ~ we spent about $400 (good value and love the clean look of the penny tile)
  • Marble baseboards: $20/linear ft (makes a big difference on finish)
  • Hand painted Italian wall tile: pricing is about $160/sq ft ~ we spent $80/sq ft due to vendor’s pricing quote mistake (~$2900 still a big splurge for the tile)
  • Sink: $200 Toto (I love this wide sink)
  • Fixtures: Faucet $350, towel rack $115, toilet paper holder $85 Toto
  • Toilet: $800 Toto
  • Counter Top Marble Slab: About $450 for stone, fabrication & installation
  • Lights: $800 Restoration Hardware (glad I splurged on these)
  • Mirror: $70 Home Goods
  • Window Treatment: $450 Shade Store
  • Cabinet Knobs: $50 Restoration Hardware

The Powder Room is an important room of the house because it’s the room your guests use. When in doubt about budget, consider “splurging” on finishes in this room.  Save money on the kids’ bathrooms!  Put more into the Powder Room…you will be happy you did.

What do you think of this bathroom?  I hope it gave you some inspiration if you are thinking about a similar project!

Designer:  Danijela Zaric, Owner of Space Intervention. Tel: (818) 203-9875 Email: [email protected]

Flavor Your Life with an Ounce of Salt. A lifestyle blog by Jen Oliak.