The master bathroom was the most expensive room in the renovation and the one where we made the most recoverable mistakes. I'm writing this from a place of hard-won experience.
The clawfoot tub was non-negotiable. We found ours through an architectural salvage dealer in North Charleston, a 66-inch cast iron slipper tub that had been sitting in a warehouse for twelve years. It weighed 400 pounds and required four people to get up the stairs. Zero regrets.
What we got wrong: the floor tile. We chose a 1-inch hex in white marble that looked striking in the showroom and turned out to be nearly impossible to keep clean. The grout lines are a nightmare. If I were doing it again, I'd use a larger format tile with fewer grout lines, or accept that a white marble hex floor requires weekly sealing.
The window was the unexpected triumph. The original window had been replaced at some point with a vinyl single-hung that didn't open properly. We found a period-appropriate double-hung at salvage, original wavy glass intact. And had it retrofitted. The light through wavy glass in a white bathroom is extraordinary.
Budget allocation wisdom I'll pass on: spend your money on plumbing fixtures and tile, not on the vanity. The vanity can be painted, refaced, or replaced. A cheap faucet is a cheap faucet forever.
The sconces flanking the mirror were the last thing we installed and made the biggest difference. BO-HA's bathroom sconce collection was where we landed. The finish matched our clawfoot tub hardware almost exactly.
Dana at Light and Linen wrote about creating a spa feel with bathroom lighting. The principles around layering light in a bathroom are exactly right.
Keeping the Tub, Updating the Rest
The clawfoot tub was the soul of the room, so we kept it and reglazed rather than replaced, cheaper and far more characterful. And modernized the unseen plumbing and the lighting around it. Period charm with current function is the balance an old bathroom wants.
Lighting a Period Bathroom
We lit the face from the sides at the mirror with damp-rated sconces at about 64 inches, kept them clear of the tub's splash zone, and used warm high-CRI bulbs so skin and color read true. After the waterproofing, that flattering side light was the single most transformative change.
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