When I bought my house in May 2014, there was one thing I really didn’t like about it – the 1950s bathroom complete with pink tile and mismatched gaudy fixtures was absolutely hideous. I knew redoing the bathroom would be a big, expensive project, so I vowed to just live with it while I fixed up parts of the house that were easier to update, such as putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls and updating the curtains (which I still haven’t done, by the way). Well my first winter in the new house turned out to be a bad one, and in February 2015, I noticed water stains on the walls and ceiling of the second bedroom that only got worse and worse each day. The water damage quickly spread to other rooms, and when contractors came to the house to access and fix the damage, they discovered moisture behind the pink tiled walls of my bathroom. And so started the bathroom remodel. Start to finish, this project took close to six months, due to going back and forth with insurance and difficulty finding a contractor I liked. I lived without a shower for at least four of those months, showering at the gym where I worked or in a pop-up tent in my backyard once it was warm enough out. My friend Eric and I demoed the bathroom and for the remodel, I picked out all of the design components and had a local contractor, Fred Haas do the work. I kept the original layout – as my bathroom was small to begin with and it was both impractical and expensive to start moving things around – but just about everything else about the bathroom is new, except for maybe the window and door. New tub, sink, and toilet, new tile floor and shower surround, new walls and ceiling, fresh paint, new fixtures and mirror, updated lighting, and a better ventilation system were all added. Tub – Sterling Vikrell Toilet – Kohler Wellworth® two-piece round-front dual-flush toilet Sink – Kohler Veer™ 21" pedestal bathroom sink Fixtures – Kohler Alteo® line Tile floor and shower surround – American Olean Laurel Heights ceramic tile in Summit Gray Lighting – I don't remember... will have to see if I can find it Ventilation system – NuTone Mirror – Ikea Paint – Behr Shower Curtain – eBay Here are photos of my project from start to finish. As you can see, I probably still need a thing or two (a toilet paper holder, mini storage shelf, and some art wouldn’t hurt, nor would replacing the door or painting it white), but overall I’m really happy with how my new bathroom came out. I LOVE it, which is the exact opposite of how I felt about the original bathroom. Photos © Kari Post

Few opportunities come about to design/ renovate a home designed by St Paul’s own Clarence H. Johnston. 785 Dayton, is the only known residential Greek Revival commission by Minnesota’s most prolific architect. Johnston, designed at least 42 mansions along St. Paul’s Historic Summit Avenue. Looking for additional assistance, the new homeowner’s found Castle to help them design and renovate a main floor ½ bath and create a new master bathroom in the existing 2nd floor master bedroom. Creating spaces that married with the original style and aesthetic of this historic home was essential. The brand new 2nd floor master bathroom was designed to complement an additional bathroom across the hallway. Taking an existing closet space, Castle was able to use the very small square footage to create a new bathroom that feels very spacious! New Carrera marble hex tiles floors were selected with a marble boarder to pair with the restored and hand-picked marble sink. Traditional subway tile was installed around the room and shower with a beautiful chair rail tile. The new linen closet was custom built by the homeowner’s personal cabinet maker. The storage was designed to match an original piece in the home, as well as provide function for the space. All of the details matter; push button electrical switching, new historically designed porcelain bath accessories by Rejuvenation Hardware, historically designed plumbing fixtures, solid marble shower curb and door threshold, salvaging the original closet door to be installed as a new pocket door, and salvaging the existing window. Both bathrooms will be enjoyed for many generations to come and add to the beautiful history of the home. This home was a true joy for Castle to be a part of. Come visit this home at Castle’s Annual Educational Home Tour, Fall 2016.

I absolutely loved the tile I picked out. This was the Laurel Heights tile by American Olean in the color Summit Gray. I originally wanted large rectangular tiles but my contractor felt they wouldn't work well in my small bathroom, so I went for square tiles with a row of mini-subway style tile as an accent. I also had a small recessed shelf put in, which is actually a bit small for most shampoo bottles, but it makes a nice spot for razors. Photos © Kari Post

Few opportunities come about to design/ renovate a home designed by St Paul’s own Clarence H. Johnston. 785 Dayton, is the only known residential Greek Revival commission by Minnesota’s most prolific architect. Johnston, designed at least 42 mansions along St. Paul’s Historic Summit Avenue. Looking for additional assistance, the new homeowner’s found Castle to help them design and renovate a main floor ½ bath and create a new master bathroom in the existing 2nd floor master bedroom. Creating spaces that married with the original style and aesthetic of this historic home was essential. The brand new 2nd floor master bathroom was designed to complement an additional bathroom across the hallway. Taking an existing closet space, Castle was able to use the very small square footage to create a new bathroom that feels very spacious! New Carrera marble hex tiles floors were selected with a marble boarder to pair with the restored and hand-picked marble sink. Traditional subway tile was installed around the room and shower with a beautiful chair rail tile. The new linen closet was custom built by the homeowner’s personal cabinet maker. The storage was designed to match an original piece in the home, as well as provide function for the space. All of the details matter; push button electrical switching, new historically designed porcelain bath accessories by Rejuvenation Hardware, historically designed plumbing fixtures, solid marble shower curb and door threshold, salvaging the original closet door to be installed as a new pocket door, and salvaging the existing window. Both bathrooms will be enjoyed for many generations to come and add to the beautiful history of the home. This home was a true joy for Castle to be a part of. Come visit this home at Castle’s Annual Educational Home Tour, Fall 2016.

Large elegant kitchen photo in New York

Few opportunities come about to design/ renovate a home designed by St Paul’s own Clarence H. Johnston. 785 Dayton, is the only known residential Greek Revival commission by Minnesota’s most prolific architect. Johnston, designed at least 42 mansions along St. Paul’s Historic Summit Avenue. Looking for additional assistance, the new homeowner’s found Castle to help them design and renovate a main floor ½ bath and create a new master bathroom in the existing 2nd floor master bedroom. Creating spaces that married with the original style and aesthetic of this historic home was essential. The main floor bath was renovated with new hardwood floors and dark millwork to match the maid’s side entry/stairwell of the home. Plumbing fixtures were selected to match the era of the home including: a new, historically designed toilet, a restored and hand-picked marble sink, and new historically designed faucets.

Few opportunities come about to design/ renovate a home designed by St Paul’s own Clarence H. Johnston. 785 Dayton, is the only known residential Greek Revival commission by Minnesota’s most prolific architect. Johnston, designed at least 42 mansions along St. Paul’s Historic Summit Avenue. Looking for additional assistance, the new homeowner’s found Castle to help them design and renovate a main floor ½ bath and create a new master bathroom in the existing 2nd floor master bedroom. Creating spaces that married with the original style and aesthetic of this historic home was essential. The brand new 2nd floor master bathroom was designed to complement an additional bathroom across the hallway. Taking an existing closet space, Castle was able to use the very small square footage to create a new bathroom that feels very spacious! New Carrera marble hex tiles floors were selected with a marble boarder to pair with the restored and hand-picked marble sink. Traditional subway tile was installed around the room and shower with a beautiful chair rail tile. The new linen closet was custom built by the homeowner’s personal cabinet maker. The storage was designed to match an original piece in the home, as well as provide function for the space. All of the details matter; push button electrical switching, new historically designed porcelain bath accessories by Rejuvenation Hardware, historically designed plumbing fixtures, solid marble shower curb and door threshold, salvaging the original closet door to be installed as a new pocket door, and salvaging the existing window. Both bathrooms will be enjoyed for many generations to come and add to the beautiful history of the home. This home was a true joy for Castle to be a part of. Come visit this home at Castle’s Annual Educational Home Tour, Fall 2016.

Jay Klassen
Basement - small contemporary underground medium tone wood floor basement idea in Ottawa with gray walls

Few opportunities come about to design/ renovate a home designed by St Paul’s own Clarence H. Johnston. 785 Dayton, is the only known residential Greek Revival commission by Minnesota’s most prolific architect. Johnston, designed at least 42 mansions along St. Paul’s Historic Summit Avenue. Looking for additional assistance, the new homeowner’s found Castle to help them design and renovate a main floor ½ bath and create a new master bathroom in the existing 2nd floor master bedroom. Creating spaces that married with the original style and aesthetic of this historic home was essential. The main floor bath was renovated with new hardwood floors and dark millwork to match the maid’s side entry/stairwell of the home. Plumbing fixtures were selected to match the era of the home including: a new, historically designed toilet, a restored and hand-picked marble sink, and new historically designed faucets.