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Our Tree House Bathroom Mood Board: Green, Greige + Brass

We’re sharing the mood board for our next renovation: Our Tree House bathroom! Moody green, greige and brass accents will combine to create a layered, family-friendly design.

A 'before' photo of our bathroom, facing the window | A bathroom mood board using green, greige and brass via Yellow Brick Home, in partnership with Lowe's Home Improvement. #lowesparter #ad

This post is sponsored by Lowe’s.

I took the bathroom photo above the day we closed on our beloved Tree House. It’s been two-and-a-half years since then, and, well, it looks exactly the same! The same cracked tile floors, the same rusted tub drain, the same water-logged vanity and too-small medicine cabinet and overkill wall sconce. Same, same, same.

Our Bathroom | Before

A 'before' photo of our bathroom, facing the window | A bathroom mood board using green, greige and brass via Yellow Brick Home, in partnership with Lowe's Home Improvement. #lowesparter #ad
A 'before' photo of our bathroom, looking at the vanity | A bathroom mood board using green, greige and brass via Yellow Brick Home, in partnership with Lowe's Home Improvement. #lowesparter #ad

Everything is surface clean, but the bathroom is an extreme departure from the care and love that we’ve poured into the rest of Tree House. If I’m being honest, I don’t like walking barefoot in our own bathroom; it’s clean, sure, but it doesn’t look clean. In an attempt to prep the home for sale, the previous owners had the walls whitewashed in primer, but rather than brighten things up, it’s only contributed to the feeling of being ‘unfinished.’

During our home inspection, we were told that there were pinhole leaks in the plumbing beneath the floor, and ideally, we should replace all the pipes. It wasn’t serious – it could wait a year or two, we were told – but here we are, more than two years later, and in the back of our minds, we just know. There are leaks in our bathroom!

A 'before' photo of our bathroom tub and faucet | A bathroom mood board using green, greige and brass via Yellow Brick Home, in partnership with Lowe's Home Improvement. #lowesparter #ad

Improving the Layout

In addition to the plumbing, we knew we’d also want to change the layout to create the most welcoming space. This is the only bathroom in the home, so a double vanity was a non-negotiable for us. To make this happen, we always knew we’d want to swap toilet and vanity, but we’d need to get rid of this drywalled obstacle:

A 'before' photo of our bathroom, facing the old closet that we'll be removing! | A bathroom mood board using green, greige and brass via Yellow Brick Home, in partnership with Lowe's Home Improvement. #lowesparter #ad

That’s actually the back of the old closet from the second bedroom, which we had walled off during phase one of our renovation a couple of years ago! (Some might call us ‘planners,’ haha.) That bedroom got an adorable clothing rack, and in exchange, we’ll get the square footage we’re craving in the bathroom. Once demolition begins, our contractor will remove the former closet from the bathroom, and we’ll have a nice, smooth wall for a double sink!

A Green, Greige + Brass Mood Board

Needless to say, we couldn’t be more thrilled to kick start our head-to-toe bathroom renovation. It’s happening, it’s happening! This is the last untouched room in Tree House, which feels surreal and exciting, and in some ways, it feels a little bit weepy, too. A dream come true, really. And so to help us kick off the celebration, our friends at Lowe’s have swooped in to bring our bathroom vision to life!

A bathroom mood board using green, greige and brass via Yellow Brick Home, in partnership with Lowe's Home Improvement. #lowesparter #ad
  1. Deltra Trinsic Champagne Bronze bathtub and shower faucet (we’ll be swapping to this Delta rainshower head)
  2. Delta Grail Champagne Bronze handheld shower
  3. allen + roth Greer vanity light bar (available in nickel, but we have a fun DIY planned for this one!)
  4. Kohler Verdera medicine cabinet
  5. Jeld-Wen pre-hung door (to replace the closet bi-fold)
  6. Kohler Adair Watersense toilet
  7. 1-in x 6-in oak board
  8. Kohler Triton Bowe Polished Chrome sink faucets
  9. Kohler cast iron sink
  10. Boutique ceramic white 3-in x 12-in wall tile
  11. Beadboard wall panels
  12. Mapei grout in Alabaster
  13. Bedrosians Silver Sage porcelain penny round
  14. Kohler Bellwether cast iron bathtub

We’ll actually be using the light bar (3) vertically on either side of the 40″ medicine cabinet (4). It comes in a nickel finish, but we have a little DIY planned for the finish! We’d like to install beadboard (11) on the lower half of the walls, and we’ll paint it a soft greige color, similar to the alabaster grout (12). We’ll be adding a wall-to-wall oak shelf (7) beneath the medicine cabinet, and the white ceramic tile (10) will continue above the beadboard and go all the way to the ceiling and into the shower! And that floor tile (13). It’s so beautiful!

Small Space = Something Unexpected

We like to think of small(er) rooms as a place to do something unexpected, and as soon as we saw this green penny tile, everything clicked into place! From there, we loaded our virtual Lowe’s shopping cart with the this stunning utilitarian sink (I get misty thinking about Lucy on her tippy toes, washing her hands here), tile with a handmade feel and the most handsome 40″ wide medicine cabinet. We knew that Lowe’s could be our one-stop shop to create a layered, family-friendly, looks-like-it’s-always-been-this-way bathroom, and it didn’t disappoint!

Tips on Kick-Starting Your Design Plan

A common question we receive as we kick off any renovation is, How do I know where to start? We get it. A top-to-bottom renovation can feel overwhelming, but we always remind ourselves that the only forward is one step at a time. That said, here’s our advice for getting off on the right foot.

  • What is the one item in the room that’s your must-have? For us, it was the green penny tile and the cast iron sink. This was our starting point.
  • We like to grab web images of the items we’ll be using (either by right-clicking and saving the file or grabbing a screenshot), and we start broad. If we can’t decide between two light fixtures, we save both images. These images make up the mood board you see above!
  • We round-up photos that inspire us, and we take a good look at what we’re loving. Are we noticing a theme? I’ve had the images below saved for months. I’m noticing dark green, black accents and the return of warm greys.
An image of 4 bathrooms that have inspired the decisions we're making for our bathroom renovation // via Yellow Brick Home
1. The Sweet Beast | 2. BrePurposed | 3. Heidi Caillier | 4. Deuce Cities Henhouse
  • Finally, Scott and I look at all the images we’ve saved as a whole. We select all the images, and then we slowly eliminate the multiples. We squint. We over analyze. We don’t settle.*

* Even if your budget doesn’t allow for, say, your dream tile, I promise that if you search hard enough, you can find that look for less. This takes patience, but the results are worth it for a space you love with your whole heart.

Our Lowe’s items have started arriving, and demolition begins in just a few short weeks. We’re looking forward to taking you along for the ride!

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  • Haley11.11.19 - 7:43 AM

    If you’re losing undersink storage, where are you going to keep the things that currently live there? I’m imagining like bathroom cleaning supplies, etc. And will the shelf serve as “counter space” like in the last image?ReplyCancel

    • Kim11.11.19 - 8:12 AM

      There’s a (small) closet in there, and we’ll have to come up with a clever shelving system! It’s currently where we’re keeping all the cleaning supplies and towels, but it’s a hot mess. And yes, that shelf will run the entire width of the room! AND the 40″ cabinet will have storage, too!ReplyCancel

  • Melissa11.11.19 - 8:23 AM

    So beautiful! Love having the sink off the floor – will give it a more expansive feeling. I assume this is going to be challenging to document because it’s your only bathroom. Do you have back up accommodations in the area? ReplyCancel

    • Kim11.11.19 - 8:51 AM

      Our contractor is really good and FAST! He’s going to get in there and do all the heavy lifting, and then when we come in to finish up the wall treatments and installation of final fixtures, it will be ready enough to use.ReplyCancel

      • Sarah1.3.20 - 5:30 PM

        Love your board, especially the green tile and light! Who’s your contractor? ReplyCancel

  • Carrie11.11.19 - 8:39 AM

    What a beautiful design! I have been loving muddy greens for the last several years, longer than I have loved any other color in design. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
    Any chance you are thinking pocket door for the entry? It would be sad to lose that door hardware, but would open up soooo! much space in the bathroom. In our little 925 sq ft second home, we did all pocket doors, and what a difference!!ReplyCancel

    • Kim11.11.19 - 8:50 AM

      Thanks, Carrie! We actually considered a pocket door for a looooong time, but after using a pocket door in a bathroom at a few recent hotel and short term rental stays, we realized it was a bit of a hassle for a bathroom door. We LOVE a good pocket door (our Chicago home has 2!), but we’ll live with the regular door for now, and I suppose we can always change our mind down the road.ReplyCancel

      • nicole11.11.19 - 1:38 PM

        oh man, can you share more about the downsides of a bathroom pocket door? i had this in mind for our bathroom as its entrance is in a vvvv narrow hallway and the current door is a hassle but if it makes life annoying then we’ll have to come up with a new plan!ReplyCancel

        • Kim11.11.19 - 1:55 PM

          I really think it’s just a liiiittle more of a hassle to close a pocket door. And anything that takes even a little more effort, the way we think about is, chances are they won’t do it! But especially in our case, since the bathroom is right off of the living room, we want to encourage that the door is closed more often than not. Also, locks can be finicky on a pocket door. Don’t let us discourage you though! There’s a lot of great reasons to use them (cuteness and space saving!), so do what’s best for you.ReplyCancel

          • monica11.12.19 - 6:48 AM

            Also, FYI, pocket doors offer much less noise protection than a regular door – so depending on placement of your bathroom they may not be the best choice for privacy!

        • Colleen11.11.19 - 2:45 PM

          Not sure if this is the case for all pocket doors and I’m sure there’s a way to fix the issue, but in the neighborhood I grew up in a lot of the homes were built in the 90s to early 00s – about half had pocket doors on the main floor half bath off the garage entry or front hallway. There would often be football parties during game days. A lot of those pocket doors would have this latch type lock (very weak and still easy to open door when locked) that while the door would be closed most of the way – wasn’t closed all of the way. In fact, it usually was a quarter inch view into the hallway, making it uncomfortable for privacy purposes to use that bathroom when 20+ people were nearby and all checking to see if they could use the bathroom. Like instead of the pocket door tuck into the frame a bit to close completely, it would stop at the trim and lock there. I normally would intentionally walk to another floor to use a different bathroom with a regular door or even walk over to my house or a friends house to use the bathroom as it had regular doors. Think if it’s done correctly there could be a way to avoid this and save space, as well as look cute. Also, think type of pocket door makes a difference for noise as well (most of the home I reference had those hallow core doors, not solid wood). And if it’s actually tucked back into the wall, make sure it is easy for people of all hand sizes to open – usually the above mentioned ones would have this tiny skinny handle to push in to grab and most of the adults couldn’t actually get this latch to pop up or grab properly as their fingers were too big- so they would leave the door peaking out a bit to just grab the door itself or have to ask someone to come get the door out for them in order to go. :) Think if you could address those issues (closure, easy to use, good lock, better quality door) it could be a great idea!ReplyCancel

        • Sarah11.11.19 - 4:42 PM

          We did a pocket door into our small bathroom during our remodel and I’d definitely recommend. Our bathroom feels so much more open, flows better, and allowed us to recess a glass front cabinet in the wall that the door would’ve hit if we’d opted for a traditional door. We got more floor space and more storage space. I guess it is a little more work to open and close to Kim’s point, but I’m a big fan of ours and the benefits and space gained far exceeded any cons for us. New guests to our house have a littlest trouble with locking it, but still not a big issue. ReplyCancel

        • Mandy11.11.19 - 8:05 PM

          I’ve always found pocket doors to be awkward to fully close. They seem fine to me in a master bath that is already privately tucked away in a bedroom. But in a main space I’ve never felt fully comfortable/private with a pocket door bathroom. ReplyCancel

      • Brittany11.12.19 - 3:29 PM

        I’m sure you’ve already though of changing the swing of the door though! Otherwise it’ll be swinging right into your beautiful new sink.ReplyCancel

        • Scott11.13.19 - 9:14 AM

          Hi Brittany! We thought about reversing the swing of the door, but don’t like the idea of the bathroom door opening into the living space. The plan is to center the sink between the toilet and door wall so the door can swing completely open without hitting the sink. The math checks out, but we’re excited to see how it feels when it’s done!ReplyCancel

  • Hannah Gokie11.11.19 - 9:47 AM

    Dreamy! Help me convince my husband how wonderful penny tile can be because he’s been hesitant for years and I’m not getting anywhere in that argument. ;)ReplyCancel

  • at home with Ashley11.11.19 - 10:44 AM

    I love this look! It’s so consistent with the rest of your home and it’ll be such a classicly beautiful room!ReplyCancel

    • Kim11.11.19 - 11:55 AM

      Aw, thank you! Exactly what we were going for. :)ReplyCancel

  • Katy11.11.19 - 11:35 AM

    I love the look of penny tile, but in 90% of the pictures I see of it online, I can tell where the sheet seams are. I wonder if it’s less noticeable in real life? Do you notice this as well?ReplyCancel

    • Kim11.11.19 - 11:55 AM

      That’s our only fear!! I have a feeling it’s WAY less noticeable in person, so fingers crossed.ReplyCancel

      • Mary E11.12.19 - 7:41 AM

        I hate to be Debbie Downer but it’s visible in person.  We had penny tile installed in our bathroom.  The seams are very visible.  And you don’t realize it until after it’s grouted.  The tile that I had wanted for so long is now covered with a throw rug.  It makes me so sad.ReplyCancel

    • Ryan11.11.19 - 3:07 PM

      Making sure to stagger the edges of tile sheets will significantly cut down on visible seams since they won’t all line up and it helps lock in the proper spacing. I have one spot in my bathroom floor that really bothers me but it’s only 12″ long since we staggered the sheets and if it wasn’t right in front of the toilet where I sit and stare at it I would probably hardly notice.ReplyCancel

      • Kim11.11.19 - 5:18 PM

        Love this tip, THANK YOU.ReplyCancel

      • Kathi11.13.19 - 1:01 PM

        This – we have a penny tile backsplash in our kitchen (thanks YHL for the inspo there) and the seams aren’t visible…but I was very specific with the contractor to ensured they were laid properly.  The secret is to make sure the seams are staggered and to be a stickler with the spacers between sheets.ReplyCancel

  • AmandaKB11.11.19 - 2:48 PM

    I love your plan for this room! Also, Lowe’s is the closest big box home improvement store in our area (at over a half hour away, ugh), but I love how they partner with awesome people like you guys :)  Thanks for sharing.ReplyCancel

  • Tana11.11.19 - 10:32 PM

    It’s going to look sooo gorgeous! I just love the colours!!! Do you have another separate toilet/powder room?ReplyCancel

    • Kim11.12.19 - 7:02 AM

      This is the only bathroom at tree house.ReplyCancel

  • Katy11.12.19 - 6:11 AM

    Just a heads up, I had been planning on using that exact delta trinsic line in all of our new bathrooms (we’re building new) but saw them in person for the first time yesterday and they look totally different in real life! I have loved the finish in alllllll the photos I’ve seen over the years but in person, the finish is much more nickel  than brass.  I was super disappointed but glad I visited a showroom before pulling the trigger. Just letting you know in case you haven’t seen it up close in person yet – definitely do! 
    Can’t wait to see what you do, it’s going to be so cute. Also can’t believe it’s been 2.5 years since you bought this place. Like…how can that be??! :)ReplyCancel

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We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

Join us as we renovate and nurture vintage homes across Chicago + SW Michigan!

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