oh my god, I love this. Exactly what I want out of a bathroom. Well, maybe I’d include a bathmat or floor towel. otherwise, it’s flawless

Oh wow I love that shower/tub stall!! Although now that I think about it, all that glass would be a bear to keep clean. Let’s hope they know to use a squeegee…

What color paint is the final design in? I love it!!

oh wow – gorgeous! Amazing work!!

i love the detail on the wall. looks like a those beautiful cuckoo clocks… if you know what i mean? colour wise, it’s perfect.

Perfect job!

(hehe, I am not envy for the glass-cleaning.)

woah! the bathroom seriously just visually doubled in size!

It’s great, but I really liked the tongue and groove board. Really great work though.

Love the redo, but miss the old tub. If you ever have a old claw foot tub…end it my way!

wow.

Wow! Absolutely lovely!

Anyone know where I could find that clock, or one similar to it?

picks jaw off of floor. wow! love everything about this room. kudos to the pros!

I love the color combination – so serene! Gorgeous.

I actually liked the before bathroom better, It had more ‘retro’ character to it, and the tub was great. The after looks great too, just very different from the first.

Why does the before picture look like two pictures were pasted together? Doesn’t look right.

I love the wall/tile color, the clock and the bulb. But honestly I’m bummed there wasn’t a way to save the beadboard and the old tub.

Yesssss! Floors! Wall color!

I”m with Cat, I sort of liked the before better ,as well.

The re-do makes me laugh – this room looks like something that would have to be completely cleaned, squeegied, vacuumed, dusted and wiped down every hour. Perhaps if you lived with a staff of 16 – but not for me – pretty but pretty funny too.

Wow! A fabulous redo. Did they replace the window as well, or is the larger window due to how the images were stitched together to display the entire room?

Good! I’m glad I’m not the only one who liked the first!

I love the colour of the new bathroom but I also would have kept the old tub.

Nooooo! Why would anyone get rid of that tub? I feel like the room has been stripped of its character. It’s pretty, yes, but too sterile and catalogue-y for my taste.

Absolutely stunning. Great job!

It’s nice, but most of the character and charm has been stripped away. It is possible to renovate and update without ending up looking like all the other West Elm or Crate & Barrel catalogue style renovations. Oh, well I guess most folks prefer a trendy, of the moment look.

Interesting how the shower door is on the end of the tub.

OOH, I need that clock! And the flooring! And that shower wall!

Sorry, I prefer the before.

Love it! Esp. love the cuckoo.. I also like the spa-like wall color

How on earth do you actually get into the shower? And when you’re sitting in the tub, wouldn’t you feel like you were at the bottom of a (really pretty) well?

such a lovely transformation — so wonderfully clean + spacious-looking

Oh I just love it :D Makes me want to go more modern

This is my second comment.

I looked at it again and I think the redo with not age well, and will look dated in a very short time. The before was classic and could have been cleverly updated instead of redone. Though nice now, the after just looks like every other copycat bathroom of the moment that you see in Dwell.

Beautiful!

Does anyone happen to know where can I find these sort of glass tiles similar to the ones on the left?

Urban Outfitters had a similar clock in black.

As a historic preservationist, I am so sad.

I loved the before.

Did they at least salvage the materials for someone else to use?

:(

I would not want to clean that glass. Nope. Not in the least. It is pretty though.

I love the finished bathroom and would be very interested in finding out the paint color. I’ve got a bathroom redo in my future and that color might be just right.

While I like the after I think that the before had so much more charm. I do agree that the bathroom needed some work but it is a bit sad to see the lovely old details lost.

Lovely, but OMG the tub! Who gets rid of a claw foot tub?! Maybe it was dinged up, though. Either way, I hope it went to a good home.

Beautifully done. I can’t help but think that the shower would be a nightmare to clean, though.

I suuuper adore the “before and after” posts!!!!
I wishto do the same in my little apartament!!! shoul I?!!!
hugs from Brazil!

Awww!!! :-(

They got RID of the clawfoot tub?????

So sad!!

Not able to see the rest of the house, but you do describe it as victorian…this seems very out of step with that style. I agree with previous posters that it has no charm and will be soon dated. Sort of like the 70s bathrooms you see in some craftsman homes. ick.

This makeover is amazing. Although it’s not my stile, I think one of the best I’ve seen on the site, or at least most dramatic

I would love to use this space daily in my home. I find it both calming and refreshing – cool but soft at the same time. Is it possible to find out the paint color? Are the tiles glass?

For all the people bemoaning the loss of the tub, they are not always wonderful…yes they look great but they are very difficult for older guests and/or someone with foot or hip injuries to manage. They take up a lot of space, they collect dust underneath and the 3 shower curtains trap moisture and require frequent upkeep. I live in a SF Victorian and cannot wait to get rid of ours and yes I will donate it for resale.

I recognize the clock from Anthropologie! (explains why Urban Outfitters would have one, too)

i love the bathroom. they kept the most interesting detail (the window trim) and updated the rest. as someone who has actually lived in a victorian and had to deal with showering in a claw-foot tub, with the multiple shower curtains cut apart into little pieces to fit on the metal ring, i can understand why the folks would want to modernize! that said, i probably wouldn’t want to squeegee all that glass either :) i am sure the old tub will go to someone who wants it…

I liked the old bathroom too, but that’s more my style. The re-do looks like a bathroom in a luxury hotel. Guess it’s well done if you like that sort of thing, but it feels cold and impersonal to me.

meh. looks like a hotel.

Can I use the words ‘decadent’ and/or ‘tasty’ to describe this bathroom?!

LOVE it.

I want to replace the floors in ours with similar old siding…hope ours will hold up in our damp environment.

i don’t think the glass would be hard to clean. cleaning windows is easy. it’s climbing into the bath/shower from the far end and then sitting in it while cleaning just in order to get the tub clean that seems ridiculous. beautiful concept, but not functional.

I LOVE IT!….congrats

Love this! The paint color is perfect.

The after is beautiful, but my taste is more for the classic look of the Before, especially in a Victorian home. I remodeled our bathroom to look like the Before pic with the vintage tub, sink and fixtures. I too hope the tub went to a good home!!

Please let us know what the wall color used was.

Looks fabulous!!!! Great job!

Amazing !

I prefer the ‘before’ bathroom too; the tub is gorgeous & I do like those circlular/oval curtain rails. Needed a lick of paint and some pretty accessories is all. I’m not a fan of modern bathrooms though; too clinical, and they look dirty in about 10 seconds. That bath looks really uncomfortable!

Seems sentimentality prevails and like the others the colour and that quirky cuckoo piques my interest, but my greatest joy was jumping to Thomas Wolds’ site. Amazing, inventive and a little bit eco, a new one to add to my favorites, thanks for the link.

Nope. Sorry, I agree with the others who think the ‘before’ was much better. More character, more warmth, and such a travesty to get rid of the original features. I would never buy a Victorian if I didn’t actually appreciate its features.

I prefeer the before too, I could kill for a bathtub like that!!!

The after is nice, but I’m agree, it lost character, and now is a catalogue bathroom.

Ahhhh… so gorgeous… What a lovely modern bathroom and I’ve never seen a glass covering on top of a tub. The white cuckoo clock is the perfect detail. Oh so soothing…

I liked the before better also – it just needed a little love, not a supermodern redo – which looks nice, but more like a hotel – not as cozy at all.

It looks nice … but I have to laugh at all these renovations where they stress how eco-friendly it is. The eco-friendly thing to do is update, not renovate!

Wow wow wow! Seriously, its an amazing transformation and so inspiring for our own bathroom reno!!

WOW that is one room I would be spending A LOT of time in… it’s beautiful… great job. So refreshing… it’s like a breath of fresh air…

yes….please let us know what the paint color is, it’s so serene. Starting our bathroom remodel next week.

I liked the before bath, too!. All it needed was e fresh paint job. Clawfoot tubs are wonderful.

I liked the before bath, too!. All it needed was a fresh paint job. Clawfoot tubs are wonderful.

I love the cuckoo clock!! Where is it from?

the reno looks lovely, but I am definitely a bigger fan of the old bathroom. those beautiful character homes have so much personality – to strip it away for a new trend seems so sad. and i really hope the tub went to someone who could use it – it’s my dream to have a clawfoot one day!

There’s no debating that’s a visually striking bathroom, but it’s better suited for a modern style home. They missed a great opportunity to update the bath while honoring the home’s Victorian architecture. I guess the owner wasn’t overly concerned with resale value. Love the aqua paint color.

I join the “it was better before” crowd. The dark wood that there’s a glimpse of off to the right could have been lightened to more of a honey color for a cleaner look without stripping away the Victorian character of the place. I know not every one appreciates said character, but if you don’t like it don’t buy Victorian.
The new bathroom is lovely, however it seems such a shame that in order to get the new bathroom such a beautiful old bathroom had to be stripped down.

Wait.. do you really think this bath will damage resale?

There is definitely a delicate balance between honoring the bones and soul of an older home and being a time capsule. Old bathrooms aren’t that space efficient, showering in a clawfoot is not a great experience, and sometimes there are stains and inefficiencies you can’t see.

I would hate to clean this but there are nods to tradition – the cabinet, original woodwork, the reclaimed floor.

Yeah, I like the old one better, too. It just needed a pick-me-up is all.

And as for these kind of tubs being difficult for people with hip problems and all that, it doesn’t look like that tub is any easier to get into. But that overhead showerhead is awwweesssommme. I’ve always wanted one of those.

I love this reno. I am so tired of renos being done for the sake of resale. Do renos that speak to your heart and YOUR personality, great bathroom!

This is awesome. I am so over so-called victorian design. why live in the past especially if that’s not your style?

My only question: is the tub wide enough? I could totally see bumping my elbow against the side of the wall.

The after tub doesn’t look very comfortable for long baths.

@ Lauren-

This clock was available at Anthropologie, but a wood version is now available at it’s sister store, Urban Outfitters, for about $50- could always be painted! I love it, too.

Wow, this is very close to the bathroom i´d love to have at home. Gorgeous!

Can you provide a cost estimate of the makeover? It would be nice if it could be broken down by parts: shower/floor/window panes/sink/counter so those of us who tackle things one at a time can figure out cost planning.

I join the before bandwagon. I am getting ready to redo/freshen up my old 1870s bathroom (with clawfoot tub) but I would NEVER get rid of my tub.

Why mess with something that obviously has stood the test of time?

The before needed some better accessories and maybe some enamel for the tub – but it was beautiful. I HATE the after. I would hate it even if it hadn’t destroyed something lovely, but it’s even worse for that. What person with taste takes a beautiful piece of history and turns it into an anonymous minimalist wasteland that could be in absolutely any condo built in 2008?

I realize this is strong language for a blog celebrating lovely ideas (and which I very much enjoy, BTW). But I think something needs to be said when minimalism ceases to be a fun idea and becomes a weapon to destroy the beauty that remains from the past.

Hm, as a clean-freak I can testify that cleaning smooth surfaces (as in, the ‘after’ picture) is way easier than cleaning bead board, under and around a clawfoot tub, and a super long shower curtain. Also, I am weary of using clawfoot tubs because I am such a klutz and I can totally see myself falling over while showering only to grab a handfull of shower curtain and crash to the floor. Scary! One last point, why do so many people equate ‘modern and sleek’ with ’soul-less’? Odd. I do understand that some people like cozier styles though and that’s fine… doesn’t mean the other options are soul-less though!

love the little cookie jar light

amazing amazing amazing. Love it—so clean and crisp

I can’t believe how rude some people are when viewing such a pretty design blog. “I HATE the after…What person with taste takes a beautiful piece of history and turns it into an anonymous minimalist wasteland”

Do you ever think that maybe people’s tastes differ to yours? Some people need to grow up.

The bathroom is gorgeous and I love that little clock :)

Beautiful, but I agree with others that it is too sterile and the style will age quickly. I adore the new window – the more light the better. With a better shower curtain set-up, a victorian sink, and some new fixtures, the old bathroom would be just lovely.

Wow! I’m glad that design can spark such heated discussion. Please remember that you are seeing one angle of a whole room, within an entire Victorian flat.We restored all of the original materials and details in the rest of the home, except for in the kitchen and bathroom which were redone in the ’70s (leaving only the beadboard and tub). The owners are modernists at heart, but left the original medicine cabinet (back left corner), window, and door as a reminder of the past. When you experience the flat, you have a dynamism between old and new. The original tub was small, and a bear to keep watertight. (Clawfoot tubs are great when there’s a separate shower, but there wasn’t room. Of course, everything re-usable was taken to salvage yards.) The owners wanted a deep soaking tub (it’s the BC02 by Wetstyle), that had to also be a shower. They actually love to squeegee. Bathroom color is discontinued Martha Stewart/Sherwin Williams, but close to Ben Moore AF-495. Design ages gracefully when it’s built well, with quality materials. Modernism is a century old! I believe good design relies on an emotional connection for the user. The clients wanted a clean, airy, and serene bathing environment to unwind from a long day. In this we succeeded.

I’m in agreement with some folks here–I understand the difficulties of maintaining certain original items (TUB!!), but I think it would have been much nicer to try a contemporary simplistic version of Victorian without ultramodern boxy units (which feel very UNVictorian to me). I think it’s always better (even if a gut-job) to do a style that fits with the era of the home/flat.