14 Top Bathroom Moments, Details, & Accessories

Sources: Shower Door Handle | Shower Head | Shower Arm | Hand Shower | Hand Shower Holder | Lever | Hand Shower Hose | Bath Mat | Bath Towel | Towel Hook | Floor Tile (12 x 24″)| Shower Tile (2.5 x 8″) | Niche and Shower Floor Tile | Outside Shower Curb Tile (12″x24″ – cut) | Towel Hook (polished nickel) |  Bath Towel

1. Under Cabinet Motion Lighting

After experiencing bathroom motion lighting in a hotel we stayed at while on vacation last year, this became an idea I knew I wanted to incorporate. A reader even wrote in suggesting it. But, after already being so far into the project and being overwhelmed by $$$ and coordinating contractors and multiple corrected mess-ups, I didn’t want anyone else involved and I didn’t want the potential added expense. A permanent solution would be ideal, but for someone who wanted an easy fix on a budget after the bathroom was finished, I am so pleased with our tape light solution underneath the vanities. THESE tape lights come as a set of two in both white and warm white color options (ours are warm), and can be cut to fit where you need them to go. They have rechargeable power sources, so the tape lights can stay in place when you recharge the power banks via the USB cable it comes with. Ours seem to be lasting 10 days to two weeks between charges, getting dimmer the closer they come to being recharged. The motion detector operates up to 10′ and turns off automatically after not detecting motion for 20 seconds. I moved ours after initially installing them because they were picking up movement in the bedroom. After moving the motion sensor to the back corner of the cabinet, they work exactly as I want them to. And, I love not having to search for a light switch in the dark! You can find them HERE for $23.99/set of two; there’s also a clickable 10% off coupon attached to the listing right now.

Sources: Under the Vanity Strip Lighting | Vanity | Sconces (polished nickel finish) | Mirror (31 x 48″ brushed brass finish) | Faucet (polished nickel) | Marble Tray | Soap Dispenser | Soap Dispenser Labels

2. All Lights on Dimmer

I add dimmers in pretty much every room but one of my favorite spaces to have dimmers installed is in the bathrooms. The ambient light sets the tone and mood and I love the option to have soft lighting. I have all our vanity sconces operating on one switch and dimmer, and the light above the shower operating on a separate dimmer. The toilet room pendant is on a separate one, also.

Sources: Vanity | Sconces (polished nickel finish)| Mirror (31 x 48″ brushed brass finish) | Faucet (polished nickel) | Soap Dispenser | Soap Dispenser Labels | Silver Bamboo Picture Frame | Black Gallery Picture Frames | Tree Sketch Print Art

This isn’t a difficult project — Dave has installed most of ours — but if you don’t want to mess with electricity, it’s a super simple and inexpensive project for an electrician. If you have any other projects for an electrician, just add this to the punch-list. It probably wouldn’t be worth it to have them install a single dimmer as their entire trip, but if you have other items they’re tackling, they will make this switch within minutes. You do, however, have to make sure the bulbs you’re using are dimmable 😉

3. Custom Shower Niche

Even though there was a bit of a saga when it came to the elongated niche and it isn’t divided as it was supposed to be, I love it. It’s about 12″ish wide (it falls between the studs and the mosaic tile came in 12″ sheets so it worked out). I planned the spaces, depth and dimensions based on the width and height of our largest bottles and considered how many shelves we would need for me to have a full shelf, Dave to have a full shelf, for there to be a shaving ledge. etc.

Sources:  Floor Tile (12 x 24″) | Shower Wall Tile (2.5 x 8″)| Niche and Shower Floor Tile | Outside Shower Curb Tile (12″x24″ – cut) | Tub | Tub Filler

The bottom of the niche was based on an even tile height, where my foot could naturally and comfortably fall to shave. Just having this custom detail makes it feel special. The shelves and niche surround are fabricated quartz — the same quartz as the top of the shower curb.

Sources: Niche and Shower Floor Tile | Facial Cleansing Brush | Foaming Cleanser

4. Automated Shades

This one actually stumped me a little bit. The side of our house faces a neighbor’s house so the option (and ease) of privacy is a necessity. In our former bathroom, we had faux wood blinds that stayed closed. They weren’t cute and they stayed closed, leaving our brown bathroom even darker. I considered different types of window glass and I just don’t love glass or film like that. Shutters felt a little too traditional and for aesthetics, streamlined fabric or woven shades would have been pretty, but I didn’t want to — nor would we have — raised and lowered them multiple times a day. I knew they would stay down, leaving the space feeling dark and unfinished. Then, I thought of program-able automated shades. If there was one single decision I am most happy we made for our bathroom, this is it.

Sources: Tub | Tub Filler | Black Gallery Picture Frames | Tree Sketch Print Art 

They are Serena Shades by Lutron — I ordered several free samples and held them up and taped them all along the window before deciding. They come with a switch/remote control, which is mounted to the wall, but we rarely use the remote since we have them scheduled to raise every morning at 8:00 a.m. (after everyone is finished getting ready) and lower every evening at 7:00 p.m., when it’s starting to get close to bedtime. They can be set at multiple heights, can be activated by Alexa, phone app, and more. I am so in love with them, I want the blackout version for my office! They give us perfect privacy and we don’t even have to think about it — just what I wanted.

5. Scent Trays

Without having to keep my makeup tower on the counter, I was able to display my pretty perfumes without the countertop looking cluttered. Having them out and easy to grab ensures I’ll spritz myself in something every day. Even though I stay in loungewear most of the time, this one simple thing makes me feel better. With several modern elements and lots of clean, hard lines, I like that this little bit of glitz gives a bit of a feminine touch.

Source: White Marble Tray

I got Dave a matching marble tray for the same purpose, and he shares my sentiments 😉 You can find the tray HERE, also available in a pretty black marble.

Source: White Marble Tray

6. Tool Display

They may be overdue for a wash but I prefer keeping my brushes out and easily “grabbable,” too. You can use anything (I’m using a lid-less apothecary jar) but just make sure it has a wide enough base or is heavy enough to not tip over. Similar to the perfumes, I love that such a simple, practical, functional moment adds femininity to my vanity. THIS faceted crystal jar — affordable and on Amazon — would be gorgeous! And if not for makeup brushes, for cotton swabs, cotton rounds, etc.

Sources: White Marble Tray (similar) | Foaming Soap Dispenser | Soap Dispenser Label 

7. Special, Cheeky Photo Opp

A photo of one of Eliza’s first sink baths at home, in our bathroom. Fitting, special, and so sweet.

Sources: Silver Bamboo Picture Frame | Foaming Soap Dispenser | Soap Dispenser Label 

8. Custom Soap Pumps

I love B&BW foaming soap but I don’t love trying to color coordinate their plastic bottles and decor. So, I’ve been a fan of THESE foaming bottles for a few years now. They hold 12 fl. oz. and contain the B&BW foaming soap perfectly. (They also sell regular soap pumps, but the foaming option is what got me.) Their pumps also come in lots of colors options. Using one for both mine and Dave’s vanities is another good way to make them cohesive, too.

But, with motivation of the bathroom remodel, it was the first time I was motivated to have custom (water-resistant) soap pump labels printed. THIS SHOP has predetermined sets (like bath, home, laundry, etc.) or, you have the option of custom labels. I wanted all soap pump labels to be the same so I went with the custom option but they sent a full page I’ve been able to put on my soap pumps all over the house. You can have them have your name, saying… literally whatever you want. You can find them HERE.

Sources: Foaming Soap Dispenser | Soap Dispenser Label 

9. Green Life

In the midst of white and black, bringing in a little nature was key. She may be small but currently, this is one of my longest living plants in our house.

Sources: Fluted Side Table (13″ Diameter) | Stoneware Plant Pot

10. Linear Shower Drain

As a warning, you do have to clean out your drain catch more often with this style drain — there’s a tiny cylinder basket that catches hair in the center of the rectangular trough just below this tiled in drain. It comes with a little key tool to lift it up 😉 But, it looks cool, clean and sleek and I’ve really enjoyed it for its design element! You can find the drain HERE on Amazon, in multiple lengths, from 12″ all the way up to 60″.

Sources: Linear Shower Drain | Shower Wall Tile (2.5 x 8″)| Niche and Shower Floor Tile |

11. Smart Trash Can

I did a whole reel on why THIS trash can is so smart which you can view HERE. Basically, the outer shell comes off and there’s a groove on each side to seamlessly hold and hid a trashcan liner. BUT, I actually reuse my plastic bags from the grocery store and the grooves hold the handles perfectly! I initially found it because I was looking for something really slim and this fit the bill, but the brilliance of the design won me over! You can find it HERE.

Source: Trash Can

12. In-Cabinet Vanity Power Outlets

There are so many vanities with power mounted inside the cabinets now! And if you’re having cabinets custom made, this is a feature I would definitely request to be included. I don’t use mine for hair tools — I instead use them to power my facial tools but my favorite is being able to keep my toothbrush plugged in and hidden!

Sources: Vanity | Plastic Cup (set of 2) | Microdermabrasion Wand | Facial Steamer

13. Tassel Hand Towels

I cannot sing the praises of THESE tasseled hand towels enough! They wash so well, they have a linen-feeling quality to them. The best part — they are made at a shop in Turkey and are only $4.50/towel (current sale price). I was nervous about the white but just as I’d hoped, they wash perfectly and still look pristine. I love them so much, I just ordered a big batch of them (I easily hit the free shipping mark!). I have several other patterns and colors in this shop’s towels but I’m in awe over the quality and price of THESE. They are the only hand towels we each keep at our vanities and I just toss them in with our towels as needed. We don’t baby them at all.

Source: Tasseled White Hand Towel

14. Coordinating Shower Squeegee

With the many benefits of our new bathroom, we do have to put in more effort to keep everything looking good. While we paid little attention to our old bathroom except for general cleans, the white paint, marble accents, glass, etc. require more maintenance. That said, it’s still worth it, in my mind. Something new to us is wiping down our shower after using it to prevent water spots. It doesn’t take long but we do try to give it a quick once-over after each shower — at least for now ;). Because we’re doing it so often, I think if we had our “tools” stashed away, we would easily and likely fall out of practice. For that reason, I knew I needed to keep a squeegee in the shower. We have no bench or hiding spot, so it has to hang. And if it’s gonna hang, I want it to blend as well as possible. THESE squeegees come in several metal tones and a few sizes. The mount with strong adhesive even comes in the matching metal tone. While our shower fixtures are polished nickel, the chrome doesn’t stick out and still blends perfectly. You can find it on Amazon for under $14 HERE.

Source: Shower Squeegee

What are some of your favorite moments/features/accessories in your own bathroom? What about other bathrooms you’ve seen? This remodel was a big learning experience for me — I’m proud of most decisions; some decisions I would make a little differently next time. You can see the full before and after remodel reveal HERE — and, stay tuned for more projects and room reveals coming soon! If you aren’t already, you can click HERE to subscribe to emails to be the first to see projects come to fruition!

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