Master Bathroom Mixes Traditional and Modern Touches

A new addition to a transitional-style bungalow bath combines calming colors, clean lines and classic elements

Becky Harris May 2, 2018

Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected." I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.

Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More

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Photos by Amy Bartlam Photography

Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple with two young children
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 109 square feet (10 square meters)
Designer: Irene Lovett of designstiles

With a toddler and another child on the way, this family was about to burst out of their cute 1950s bungalow in L.A.’s Studio City. So they planned a master suite addition. From the brainstorming stage in the design process, interior designer Irene Lovett helped them design a master bathroom that would feel open and light and be cohesive with the transitional style in the rest of their home.

Style. “I think smaller rooms like powder rooms and guest baths are a place where you can have fun and go bold or dark with tile and wallpaper,” Lovett says. “But in a master bathroom you want to keep classic elements and make everything feel calm, crisp and clean.” The result is a pleasing blend of traditional and more modern elements.

Must-haves. “It was most important to my clients to maximize the space that they had and make it feel open and light,” the designer says. On their wish list was a double vanity, a separate toilet room, a freestanding bathtub and a separate shower stall.

Scope of work. This was an addition built from the ground up. The entire addition included a master bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet and guest bathroom.

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Layout. The main portion of the master bathroom lies between a new walk-in closet on the left and a small separate toilet room on the right. Both doors are frosted glass to share the natural light. The freestanding bathtub fits in beneath the pair of double-hung windows, with the shower stall next to it on the right. The layout makes it easy for two people to get ready in here at the same time.

Flooring. The flooring is porcelain tile in a chevron pattern, a fresh update on a traditional herringbone pattern.

Paint. Lovett painted both the walls and trim in Simply White by Benjamin Moore, using a different finish on each — eggshell on the walls and a semi-gloss on the trim. Using the same color gives the room a clean, modern look.

Floor and wall tile: Imperial Tile & Stone

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Vanity. To bring some color into the room, the homeowner went with a pleasing blue on the double vanity. Classic touches in the transitional mix are the polished nickel crossbar faucets, the Shaker-style cabinetry and quartz countertops that look like Calacatta marble. Modern touches are the clean-lined bathtub and countertop edge, the simple globe shapes on the light fixtures and the matte black cabinet hardware. “They have black hardware in their kitchen, so this was also a way to bring some cohesion to the new addition,” Lovett says.

Vanity paint: Providence Blue, Benjamin Moore; counters: Calacatta Nuvo, Caesarstone; faucets: Newport Brass; cabinet hardware: Rejuvenation

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Storage. In addition to the storage in the vanity, there is a slim tower that sits on the countertop and recesses into the wall about 4 inches. “By painting it the same color as the wall, it blends right in,” Lovett says. The tower has outlets for electric toothbrushes and hair appliances.

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Mirrors. The mirrors have oak frames that bring warmth to the room.

Mirrors; Rejuvenation; browse wood-framed bathroom mirrors

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Pocket doors. Here’s a peek into the walk-in closet and how the frosted-glass pocket door functions.

Tip: Remember when planning for a pocket door that you won’t be able to use the wall it pockets into for anything else — in this case the tub filler could not be placed on this wall.

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Lighting. The lights are a nice combination of old and new. Edison bulbs lend a vintage look while the black matte is a fresh touch. There is also recessed lighting throughout the room.

Lighting: Amazon; browse vanity lighting on Houzz

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Bathtub. The bathtub has a wall-mounted tub filler — with the shower stall on one side and a door pocketing behind the opposite wall, the exterior wall was the only spot to place it. Centering it between the windows is a pleasing choice that will function just fine in the warm Los Angeles climate. They are planning on some natural woven shades that will play off the oak of the mirror frames but haven’t gotten around to that task yet.

Tub: ADM; tub filler and shower fixtures: Newport Brass; tile: Imperial Tile & Stone; see more freestanding tubs

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Shower stall. The shower stall is curbless and has a clear glass partition that lets the natural light stream in. There are three niches in here, giving the couple plenty of room for all of their supplies.

There is a long bench topped with the same quartz as the countertops. The tile is a handmade ceramic subway tile. Its elongated dimensions update the traditional choice. “It has such a nice texture to it that it really catches the light,” Lovett says. She continued the same tile on the walls around the bathtub. The texture of pebble tile feels great on tired feet. There is a long linear drain along the far wall of the shower floor, another subtly modern touch.

Transitional style can be a tricky balance of traditional and modern. Lovett advises, “When in doubt, try to stay as classic as possible.”

Takeaways

Consider light, classic, crisp and clean for a calm feeling in a master bathroom.
Paint the trim and walls the same color for a fresh, modern look.
Shaker-style cabinetry is a good choice for transitional style — it’s a traditional choice with unfussy modern lines.
Recess a bathroom tower cabinet so it’s not a hulking piece sitting on the countertop. This is a good place to install concealed outlets for shavers, hair appliances and electric toothbrushes.
Mirror frames are an opportunity to bring in a warm texture, whether in wood or a warm metallic finish like brass, bronze or gold.
If aging in place is something you’re planning for, install a curbless shower and a shower bench.

Contractor: Eden Builders
Carpentry: Mike’s Fine Woodwork

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