How to Remodel a Bathroom
I recently renovated my master bathroom. My first attempt at such a thing, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I’d never been involved in this type of project before. Never had various contractors give me estimates, never had a room completely gutted down to the studs, never had people in my house working every day for a couple of months. And I’d certainly never picked out tile.
There was lots I didn’t particularly enjoy about the renovation, most notably the noise and the expense, but aside from loving the company I ended up hiring to do the work, the thing I loved most about the experience was, surprisingly, picking out all the stuff. Vanity, lights, mirrors, faucets, paint, shower glass, shower tile, floor tile. It was all quite fun. But nothing was more fun than the tile. I’d never been to a tile store before, and the nice lady who helped me was VERY patient as I looked at various combinations of shower tile, floor pan tile, and main floor tile.
The reason I tell you this is it was one of those situations where I was trying to find a balance between the choice I wanted to make and the one I felt like I should make. Because anyone can build their dream bathroom. You can put in any number of custom touches, colors, or finishings that are very unique to you and your tastes. The question is, should you? From a resale value standpoint, I was being given feedback that a super custom bathroom (particularly when it came to the tile color scheme) might not be a wise decision. And part of me thought, hey, not only am I the one paying for this, but I’m going to be the one using this bathroom every day. It’s for me. END OF STORY. So I will pick whatever tile I want. I did—pick the tile I want, I mean—but I went with a gray version instead of the blue version I had initially liked first. Just to make it a little more neutral. It’s a decision I felt very good about, and still do. My bathroom looks gorgeous, and I still very much think the tile is bold and reflects the look I was going for.
This principle comes up fairly often in book writing, whether it’s a cover decision (something you really like vs something someone on your book team advises would be more popular with your audience), an editing choice, or a story you really want to leave in even though it paints you or someone you care about in a slightly unflattering light. To be clear, these decisions are not always easy. And some of them that I’ve made either because I felt strongly (selfishly?) that I wanted them the way I wanted them or that I caved based on the suggestions of others I have come to deeply regret. My bathroom floor isn’t going to hurt anyone’s feelings (that I know of), but I still found myself wrestling a bit with the clash of the “what I want and totally deserve to have” and “what would probably be a better decision for me overall” stances. Of course, the best option is usually neither of those, but a third “what would involve only a slight amount of compromise and probably be a better decision overall” stance.
Bottom line is, it’s your bathroom, so make it what you want. Within (at least a small amount of) reason.