When I saw your pictures, I thought I was looking in a magazine! That room is gorgeous! I think that bit of natural wood gives some warmth, but I don't think you could go wrong either way. Congratulations on all your hard work!

Wow, that's nice, especially the sink alcove. I'd paint the window frame, myself.

i'd paint the frame as well. it's a gorgeous room! i'm doing ik blue downstairs and i hadn't thoght of the bathroom....it's wonderful with the crisp white. great work!!

You did that yourself?? I'm so impressed, and jealous. What a fabulous room. Love the colors, the fixtures, the tiles, everything.

Funny you should mention your window frames. I live in a house built in the 1890s, and all of our woodwork is unpainted, which we love in the dining room and the gorgeous stairwell, etc. But we redid our kids' bath, in whites and blues, ala Pottery Barn, and I still can't decide whether to paint the door and the new door frame!

The kids have been in their bath since the beginning of the school year (one daughter is about to graduate from high school and go off to college!), and I still haven't decided what to do. One day the answer will come to me, as it will for you.

Here it is.

I expected nothing less, sombreuil :) You made that beautifully curved alcove? Bravo!

On the edge of the tub/shower--is that a floor-to-ceiling slab of marble? Or is it white wood?

And any more floor pics? I just love what I see. If I'm seeing correctly, the outside marble *might* be an argument in favor of natural wood millwork, as the warmer tones would give the marble something to talk to (besides the cabinet).

Hi Flyleft,
The strip is painted drywall. For some reason I didn't want to tile that- I did the tub surround first, and at that point I was still planning to do the wainscot in wood. But when that changed to tile, I couldn't then tile back around to the tub, so it was left drywall. The edge you are seeing is just smeared with grout; it could look like marble grain- so maybe faux mabre is called for!
The floor:

Better pic of sink:

I have promised myself not to do this kind of floor again, it was too intense and I lost to much sleep.
Casey

Your floor is gorgeous and well worth the lost sleep. What is the name of that tile? I love it. I love the entire bathroom.

I love it..where did you get the deep blue paint?

this bathroom is amazing! love every detail. I vote for painting the trim white, it will really help bring out the color of the cobalt.

Beautiful bathroom! I agree that it looks like something in a magazine.

Regarding the painted/unpainted door and trim. So far in our home renovation process, DH and I have ended up leaving the doors/door jamb and windows/window jambs in a natural or stained finished, but painted the trim. I wasn't sure if I'd like it at first, but now I think the white trim makes the wood "pop"...in a nice, warm way. I think we're going to do it throughout the house.

I'll try to get pictures to post this week.

Oh my lands, that floor...so expertly carried up to the wall...that is a *masterpiece* any professional would be proud of, I would think. And that teeny table next to the console--where did you find *that*?

Man, I just can't stop looking at that floor. The combination of the earth tones and the white and black is just so confident and *right*. Takes it beyond any of the beautiful white marble/basketweave floors. You nailed it. Or should I say, you thinset(ted?) it :)

WOW! LOVE that sink area. How dramatic! Like someone else said, I thought I was looking at a magazine layout :)
Congratulations on a very nice DIY :) I vote for painting the window trim.
Monica

Stunning! Agree about the sink alcove -- gorgeous!

I vote for leaving the window trim as-is; I like its relationship to that oh-my-god-I'm-drooling cabinet. Also like the way it plays off the warmer tones of the floor.

Best wishes for some catch-up sleep....

Stunning is right! Especially that floor! That took some time!

OMG, I'm tripping on the praise right now.
Paint: Valspar Satin "Batik" Eddie Bauer Collection, Home Despot.
I saw the two kinds of tile IIRC right here in a discussion of mosaic floor patterns; the basketweave+gray square outer border. I just added the little B&W mosaic listello. It's all from TheTileShop.com.
The little table is a survivor of a set of three such that nested together. They are older than I am, and my mom probably bought them with green stamps.
I was really happy to get to finally use that cabinet; it's been kicking around since 1997 when I built it as a sample for my prospective kitchen renovation. I decided to go with oak, so it's been an orphan for 11 years. I cut it down to 10" deep for over-the-toilet use.
Bill, your on the money, it was a royal pain. How do you get black grout colorant out of the hairline crevices in the marble? I think I already know the answer- you don't.
Casey

Pretty much. Where are you having problems with the colorant? It's certainly not obvious from the pics!

Bill,
There are hairline fissures and such in the carrara (or whatever flavor it is) and the black took and won't let go. There was also an unpolished strip at the and of a white one that took color. The kind of things I would have known to look for before laying it, if I had more (or at least some) experience.
I should probably acid-wash and then re-grout for a uniform look. ;-)
Oh, and how the he11 do you get the tiny little black squares to sit up level with the big white ones; mine ended up all kinda sunken. I lightly embedded the sheets with a rubber float to adhere/level them (so I thought). Didn't discover it until too late. I had to re-set a dozen or so because the little buggers were loose. Used plaster of paris.
Casey

I should probably acid-wash and then re-grout for a uniform look.

NNNNNNNOOOOOOOO!! DO NOT use acid on marble of ANY kind!! Depending on how strong you make it you could conceiveably end up taking off a 1/16" of stone OR MORE off the face!! You wanna sit there an' watch that beautiful floor disappear before your very eyes?? (Nothin up my sleeve! :-) )

Oh, and how the he11 do you get the tiny little black squares to sit up level with the big white ones; mine ended up all kinda sunken.

I would think that being they were all mounted together that this shouldn't be an issue!! THat's a HELLUVA lot of dots to lift!! Short of digging each one out individually, the only thing I can think of would be to get a marble refinisher in there. They could ground the floor down to where it would be perfectly flat, and then bring the finish back.
I know this isn't what you're going to want to hear, but you might try using a stiff bristled toothbrush and water to remove the colorant from the fissures in the tile. it's going to be time consuming and exasperating, depending on the extent, but short of using something like epoxy solvent, I don't know what else you could do at this stage of the game. How long as the colorant been down?

Absolutely stunning !! I vote to paint the trim

When grout colorant got in places I didn't want it on our onyx-slice shower floor, I cleaned it out with dental tools that I use in mosaic work. I love dental tools :) You can get them on eBay.

I add my oohs and aahs to the above, and vote for painting the window trim.

Just beautiful!

It's gorgeous! I really like the paint color too!

gorgeous bathroom. i think the floor is wonderful...if the dots are a little sunken it's more like a basket, no? i would vote to paint the trim, the style of the wood doesn't go with the wood in the beautiful cabinet, in my opinion. please tell me where you got your radiator...i desperately need a smaller one for a tiny bathroom. i am guessing it's not original :-) kren

Yeah, the old cast iron rad stood, crookedly, at the point where the right impost of the arch now is. The new rad is from Myson, made in England, available on the web. It's so much more space-efficient; the piping has to be run very exactingly, but at least it's soldered-together 1/2" copper, not threaded black iron.
Bill V, I knew about acid vs. marble, I was pulling your leg. I didn't realize it could be ground down. Now if they would grind it and re-polish for about $10/sq ft, I might go for it.
Casey

Here is a link that might be useful: Myson Hydronic radiators

Not sure, but that doesn't sound out of the realm of possibility. Sure wouldn't hurt to look into it.

Love the bathroom. Amazing.

Silly question. How t=do you post images? I want to put my own images up and can't seem to find it on the help (do you have to do it my HTML tags?

Thanks!

go to photobucket.com and get a free account. For every pic you upload, they give you what's called an "html line". Click on it to highlight it, copy it, and paste it into the text of your message, and when you post it, the picture will show.

A B S O L U T E L Y G O R G E O U S!

That dark blue paint is perfect for bringing out the drama and richness of the space, and your incredible floor.

It's perfect!

And I vote a strong NO! on painting that wonderful woodwork. The deeper, richer wood tones really enhance the deep, rich blue and contribute to a "refined masculine" vibe. Painting it white would tile the space more "conventional vintage" -- which while pretty, is not nearly as nice as you've got now.

You've got me rethinking the bath we're about to start next!

That floor! That alcove! That blue paint! This is one of the most stunning bathrooms I've seen. You are certainly talented to make such "unsafe" choices and have them all work so beautifully!

Can you post some details about the sink, the medicine cabinet (or is it just a mirror?), the light fixtures! Copying minds want to know!

Floor: basketweave carrara & black marble, 3/4x3/4 outer perimeter in "perlata" marble, 1.5" B&W marble listello strip. Laid over Schluter system Ditra Isolation mat.
Wall tile: American Olean white gloss 3x6 subway (lowes) with blue liner and a chair rail tile molding. Set with versabond thinset over old plaster.
Tub surround: same tile as above, set over hardibacker with Schluter system Kerdi waterproofing membrane, unmodified thinset.
Tub: Am/Std. Americast.
Tub Valve: Elements of Design. Chrome, x-handle.
Sink: St. Thomas Creations, Nouveau Console.
Sink Faucet: Elements of Design, widespread Chrome x-handle.
Toilet: Kohler Devonshire one-piece.
Sconces: Progress Lighting Chrome & Opal Glass.
Medicine Cabinet: Hampton Bay 24x30 silver leaf frame.
Ceiling Light: generic glass/chrome Home Depot special.
Toilet light: 3" halogen can with gimbal mount.
Fan: Nutone, 75CFM with white metal grill.
Cabinet: custom, cherry with birdseye maple panels.
Paint: Valspar Eddie Bauer Collection "Batik", satin finish.

I may have model numbers, which I will sell for a price. ;-)

It is an amazing thing to have a bath like this, as amazing as finishing my kitchen. I never knew I could live like this in "abject luxury" running water & all. I'm officially taking a well-deserved break before tackling the downstairs bath. I need some new ideas.
Casey

I am in love!!! you might not know me because I hang out on the kitchen forum where I am constantly telling everyone that there are only two colors in my world, Blue and Not-Blue, and Blue is better. This is exhibit A! (exhibit B is my granite, of course) It takes a certain amount of bravery to do a small room in an intense dark color and you've pulled it off with panache! Cobalt is one of my very favorite shades of blue and I may end up copying your color scheme someday (if my kitchen ever finishes, I have a bathroom or two to redo).

Thanks,
I hang out at kitchens as well, and recognize your handle.
The chrome and cherry wood do a lot to make the blue pop, IMO.
I saw an inspiration pic on another site and realized, as cobalt blue is my favorite, and that my fixtures were going to be white, I thought why not? and YES!!! I'm going for it. The mid-process change of direction came from doing the whole wainscot in tile, not tile/stained wood. I'm really glad I tiled.
Casey

I'm so excited to see your pictures because I've been planning my boys' bathroom with a very similar color scheme...white subway with cobalt liners and dark blue paint on the walls. I figured if I didn't like the dark blue I could always paint over it. But after seeing your beautiful pictures, I know I'm going to love it!
Thanks for the eye candy!

I don't post often, but I just had to comment on your incredible bathroom!!! You did an amazing job. I especially love that basketweave floor tile. I vote for leaving the woodwork around the window as it is.

re: the radiator...now i just have to find a plumber willing to do this! i have a very strong and irrational attachment to our hot water radiator heat...just a few more rads to move and then i can actually place some furniture in the rooms! thanks
kren

Gorgeous! I vote for *not* painting the trim. It adds warmth and ties in with the cabinet above the toilet.

Heavenly. I am so impressed!!!!

I 'vote' for not painting as well.

I love your beautiful cobalt blue bathroom!
Love... love... all your choices (cobalt is my fav color). Love the floor tile and the way you bordered it, simply devine. I'm so glad you posted pics on the Gallery (only wish you had included cobalt blue in the subject line).

Stunning! Beautiful taste and well done! That floor is too beautiful to have to put a bathmat on!

How stylish!! It all works together really well. What a great DIY job. Now if only my contractors could get my bathroom finished that they started around the same time as your DIY ....

What a work of art. I can't imagine all the sweat and tears you put into this. I think this is a bathroom worth crowing about. Have you thought about calling your local newspaper to come in and take pictures, or be on some sort of hometour for charity? I know our local paper has a "Homes" section where they show off great rooms like the one you just pulled off.

sombreuil_mongrel,

I haven't been posting to THS a lot lately (had a baby in 2006 and she has been running my life ever since) but we are putting a new bath in our 1926 bungalow and I just wanted to tell you that your bath is truly breathtaking.

I ran across this post while looking into carrara basketweave and as soon as your pics came up, I knew that was exactly the bathroom I have been trying to design. I have looked at hundreds--maybe thousands--of pictures of bathrooms in the past couple of months and although many are really beautiful, yours is the only one that has genuinely inspired me. It is just absolutely gorgeous.

Thank you so much for sharing the photos and information...and if in the future you run across a nearly identical bath with slightly Streamline touches, it might be my house. :)

-Lori

(...fantasizing about how stunning the rest of your home must be...)

Casey, just wondering if you decided to keep the stained trim or paint white. We ended up with a similar surprise in our bathroomÂthe guys reused our living room trim which is stained medium dark and as much as I didn't think I would like it, I LOVE it. Now the dilemma is do we stain the new doors and trim to match or paint them all?

Your bathroom is beautiful and will look fab.either way.

Hi,
I was surprised to see this rise back up to the active end of the list. Thanks for the effusive praise. _My_ inspiration also came from this and one other site: I saw a similar tile combo, and a blue+ wood+ white fixture bathroom. I was lucky in finding the way to combine both inspirations, and still make it work in my space.
The trim will stay wood. It can always get painted sometime, but stripping it _once_ was enuff. I refinished the door in a deep red varnish, and still need to strip its frame. But there are more pressing issues to finish out the summer months.
Casey