Bathroom Remodel: Subway Tile Ideas

I live in an apartment building that was built in the 60s. I bought my place in 2006. The previous owner did an ugly update with pink tiles and after years and years of suffering by looking at it, we finally decided to update it this year.

My husband and I had been looking for ideas for years and we decided that we wanted subway tiles. We liked the look and we thought it would bring the apartment back to a classic look.

Although we wanted to go all the way up to the ceiling with it, an ugly vent (mandated by code) is in one of the walls by the bathtub and we are unable to make it that high. We compromise on many looks and thanks to the internet, I was able to collect plenty of looks in order to pick and choose what I like.

Here are a collection of pictures I collected to help me brainstorm with what I like.

Once I decided on the walls, I was ready to move to the vanity and Medicine Cabinet. I used Restoration Hardware Cartwright Collection.

Recycling Old Home Fixtures

As I embark in a construction adventure, I felt very sadden to know that many of the furniture and fixture that were in very good condition needed to be thrown out in the garbage. I searched all over the internet for ideas or suggestions of what I can do with this items but I found very few.

What I was able to do was reuse my old kitchen cabinets and created a bed for my guess room. I did this by arranging the cabinets to mold the bed. The short cabinets sat as is and the tall cabinets were laid sideways on the floor. In areas that were uneven, I used the inside shelves to balance it all out. I left a small hole on the side of the bed so I can store suitcases under the bed. Then I put on top the box spring and created the bed. You can add a bed skirt over the box spring and you hide the carpentry.
This idea created a lot of space and storage in my little guess room so I was very happy with it.

I wanted to reuse the fixture but did not find any company that would take them. So the rest of my items where thrown away.
As I started to remodeled my bathroom I did a similar search.


Connecticut
The Reconstruction Center  located in Newington, CT 06111 
731 New Britain Avenue (Rte 174) (Twin City Plaza)
I found my this place in Connecticut that may take some items if they are in good condition. They ask for the items to have its complete pieces (toilets with tank and tank cover). Their motto is that "if you wouldn't buy, they don't want it". Here is a link to this store criteria.

Pennsylvania
ShopDemoDepot located in Mount Pleasant PA
One Cooks Way, Mt. Pleasant PA 15666
This place also has a criteria. 

My 10 x 7 Kitchen Renovation

As I discussed in a previous post. I took me a lot of time to find the perfect contractor for my super custom Kitchen Cabinets (See Remodeling a Kitchen).
With a lot of work I found this company All Star Woodworking located in Thornwood New York that were able to create the cabinets that I wanted for so long.  This company was very professional and they cater to all my needs. At the end of the work, I was absolutely happy. I picked classic white for the cabinets and use black galaxy granite on the counter top and floors. The combination was gorgeous. We also painted the kitchen walls cranberry red, which looked fantastic with all the combination.
One thing I wanted was a back splash of cranberry red glass tiles for easy clean up, but because I wasn't able to find the tile I wanted I opted to hold on that till I find the perfect tile.
After this project was done. I was very happy with my kitchen. However, the need of a backslash was clear when the walls would splatter with water or with grease from cooking. It was in 2011 that I finally found the perfect tile. It was called Red Hot Mamma from Artistic Tile and it was exactly what I needed. I opted to work with my own contractor (Contractor #3), who kept telling me over and over again that he know what he was doing. But from the moment I saw the first tile go in, I knew the guy did not have my best interest at heart. I complained but he kept saying that he knew what he was doing and that at the end it would look great. As the job continued, I felt more and more frustrated till I reached I point when I told him to take it all out. He didn't and continued. I opted for black grout, but turned out the contractor used clear glue died clear and you could see the mesh in the back. Also when I used the black grout, due to little glue, the grout moved to the back of the red tile, staining it back, not longer looking red.
The job is sitting as is. Every time I see my kitchen I cry since I know it has the potential to be beautiful. I might just have to pay to get the job done all over again.
I will post pictures in the future.