The lower level bathroom was the first bathroom of the three that we tackled. It had not been renovated since the 70’s/80's — it still had a taupe tulip sink, pebble glass sliding shower doors, and a travertine tile floor 😱. Hate at first sight is how I would explain my initial reaction to the space. Although this should have been an obvious and easy cosmetic redo, I of course had to complicate matters. The apartment washer dryer was an all in one upright (ugh!) and it was located in the coat closet on the main level of the apartment — that would definitely NOT work for the needs of the Lividini/Speredakos clan.
First order of business was relocating the washer dryer. After much debate on upstairs vs. downstairs we made the decision to relocate the unit to the lower level bathroom. In order to make this work I had to decide to either make the full LL bathroom into just a powder room or split the existing shower space and install a new stackable washer and dryer. I choose to keep the full (3/4 technically) bath and make the shower cozier.
Lesson #1 - Never get rid of a shower! Ever! Even though it may fit your need for the moment, resale value always needs to be in the back of your mind.
For our Connecticut house, after much searching I found the washer and dryer of my dreams — Beko, I bought the same exact pair for NYC. They're compact; the washer has both a delicate and sanitize option (plus others) and the dryer comes either vented or ventless (key for a NYC apartment), with both an extra dry and timed dry option. Heaven!
Lesson #2 - Always go with the tried and true, if you find something you like stick with it.
Now on to the creative — first stop the shower enclosure. I had collected barn door tear sheets for years and thought this was finally the perfect situation for a frosted glass barn door. It would cover the washer dryer when slid to the right and the shower when slid to the left. Voila! Now we just had to find the door my imagination conjured-up and Artur my contractor found it!
Lesson #3 - Nothing is ever that easy. Always plan for the worst, while hoping for the best.
The door arrived, but the polished chrome hardware did not match — how could that be, aren’t hardware finishes all standard? NOT. The manufacturer insisted it was the correct finish even though it was closer to polished nickel than polished chrome. Next issue, we couldn’t hang it properly without jury rigging it to death. At this point I needed a reality check and had to move on, dashed dreams and all.....
Months went by as I deliberated on how to solve the problem of the shower enclosure while trying to hide the washer/dryer. After hours and hours of searching Houzz, Apartment Therapy, home magazines, etc. I finally came up with the most low-tech, unoriginal solution — a SHOWER CURTAIN. I actually needed two, stretched across both the washer/dryer and shower. I ordered custom white pique curtains from Gracious Homes with a polished chrome rod and rings.
Lesson #4 - The most obvious solution is usually the best, although I resisted a curtain in the beginning, it would have saved me much time and money if it had been my first choice.
Stay tuned for my next post, which will continue to detail our LL bathroom reno…
