Katie Denham Interiors on Bath Crashers

My plate has been very full of late, and I do apologize for not posting sooner! Last Monday night was the airing of  a Bath Crashers episode which featured a Master Bath I designed for the show. As I mentioned, it was a very interesting learning experience to see how a show like this is put together.

As a designer, I typically have a client who has a budget, a wish list and a particular style in mind. In the case of the Bath Crashers show, the client was not the home owner. I did get the home owner's input, but really the show producers and the host of the show, Matt Muenster, were my clients. And there is no budget. That's right...no money. All materials had to be procured from vendors who were kind enough to donate their products. Another challenge was that, since Bath Crashers is all about the DIY, I was charged with thinking about projects that could be done by the home owners.

So, how does one approach a design when all of the materials and fixtures are to be donated? Well....the design began with the layout of the space, which is par for the course. But when it came time to specify materials, it got a bit more tricky. I would give my ultimate "wish list" to the producers, and they would in turn approach the vendors to see if they would be interested in working with the show. If not, it was on to the next vendor.....and a new tile design for floors, shower walls and counters, and new plumbing fixtures as well. Luckily, I had Toto at the top of my list for providing the toilet (they have excellent products!).....and lo and behold, they had just come out with a new line for the other plumbing fixtures that they were anxious to promote. Hello cool faucets and shower trim! And I have to say, the sinks are gorgeous! Caesarstone was also on my list as a counter top material that is maintenance free (the home owners loved that!), and they came through with the counters. We were almost home! The hardest thing to procure was the flooring and the shower tile. It took several designs until a wonderful company by the name of Jeffrey Court stepped up and provided beautiful marble tile for the floors and a Moroccan patterned glazed mosaic wall tile for the shower. 

One of my very favorite sources for affordable lighting (and lots of other fun things!) is a company called Direct form Mexico. They provided the star lantern which I just love. The pendant lights at the sink was one of the DIY projects I came up with. I started with hurricane lanterns from Restoration Hardware and had the homeowners turn them into pendant lights by wiring them with lighting kit available through any hardware store. They painted the cord black, and the ceiling plates we got through Direct From Mexico.

So, I started with the "after" shots, but what did it look like "before"? If you got to watch the show, you already know, but for those that didn't, this is the best shot I took of what the room looked like:

There were old oak cabinets, no floor due to a recent flood, brass fixtures, lighting and shower enclosure, and that funny little plant shelf in the corner. Oh....and perhaps it's just me, but in the eighties and nineties, there was this feeling that Master Bathrooms needed to be open to the Master Bedroom. I never understood that. If my husband wants to get up and use the bathroom at 4:30 in the morning, and I want to sleep until 6:30.....please give me a door to the bathroom!!! The home owners were thrilled to be getting a new bathroom, and a new door!

After my design was complete on paper, I did a sketch so the home owners could give final approval. I think the final result looked pretty close to my sketch:

It was my favorite part of the show when the host of Bath Crashers, Matt Muenster, unrolled my drawing and showed it to the owners. (My next favorite part was seeing my name first up in the credits!!! Just a little thrill for the day).

So a little behind the scenes peek:

I came on the last day of shooting after demolition, framing, rough plumbing and electrical had already been completed. Tile had also been done. The Master Bedroom was cleared of all furniture and turned into a staging area for contractors and their supplies, as well as the producers, cameramen and sound technicians. I have to say, everyone was so much fun the 12 hour day flew by.

Matt Muenster, the host of the show is there for the days of filming, and as soon as this shoot is done, he is off to the next shoot. Here he is installing the automated mirror glides that reveal the hidden TV:

Meanwhile, counter tops are being completed outside in the driveway area:

The troop from Holmquist Glass were ready and waiting to install the shower glass:

And here they are hard at work:

The wall cabinets were painted by the home owners the previous day and ready to install:

The whole process was filmed all day long, as well as the previous few days....all to be edited down into a half hour show.

I came in to do the final staging and "fluffing" of towels at the end of the day, which turned out to be about 7 or 8 that night. The crew was getting their final shots and then there was the break down and clean up....we were there til the wee hours....a very long day. But we were very well fed, and it was so much fun, I barely noticed. 

The final product with Matt Muenster:

And the happy new Master Bath owners:

The end result turned out to be very fresh and pretty:

A big THANK YOU to the team at Idea Factory, Bath Crashers and the DIY Network for making the experience so much fun! And to all of the contractors and subs who worked so hard to make it all happen.

For more information about this episode and future repeat episodes (just in case you missed it! Hehe) click on over HERE.