Room of the Day: Coastal Bathroom Raises the Roof
Colorful tiles, nautical decor and a newly raised roof are part of an attic bathroom for 2 teenage boys in Texas
A desire for more “room to grow” is an oft-repeated reason behind many home renovations. For this bathroom makeover, part of an attic remodel in Texas, the roof was raised to literally give two tall adolescent boys room to grow.
The design team discovered during demolition that the shower, which cantilevers out over the driveway, was held up by beams that spanned the length of the bathroom floor. These beams dictated how and where the plumbing could be installed. An additional plumbing challenge was the plastered ceiling in the kitchen below, which the team took care not to disrupt when running plumbing lines upstairs.
Previously, the toilet sat in the middle of the room. Designer Shea Pumarejo knew she wanted to relocate it for comfort and privacy’s sake, but she didn’t want to chew up a solid 3-by-5-foot chunk of floor space with a completely enclosed water closet. Building this thick pony wall allowed the team not only to sequester the toilet for privacy, but also to hide built-in storage behind cabinet doors fitted with a discreet touch latch so that the cabinets are all but invisible. Not pictured is a handy toilet-paper niche on the other side of the wall.
When the crew demolished the exterior walls during the roof raise, they discovered a 2-foot perimeter of crawl space that enabled them to push the new walls back and gain square footage. This unexpected expansion meant Pumarejo had some extra space in the bathroom to have a little fun with.
She might have opted for more built-in cabinetry, but with so much clever storage tucked throughout the room, they really didn’t need it. Instead, she seized the opportunity to add a colorful bench to balance the multicolored vanity tiles on the opposite wall. It also serves as a platform where the boys can toss (or neatly fold) clothes or dry off after a shower.
She might have opted for more built-in cabinetry, but with so much clever storage tucked throughout the room, they really didn’t need it. Instead, she seized the opportunity to add a colorful bench to balance the multicolored vanity tiles on the opposite wall. It also serves as a platform where the boys can toss (or neatly fold) clothes or dry off after a shower.
Besides asking for the ceiling to be raised, the family requested more natural light; the original space had only a small glass-block window. The crew took advantage of the now-ample ceiling height to install transom windows on both sides of the room. These let in plenty of natural light without sacrificing privacy.
Vanity: Pottery Barn
Vanity: Pottery Barn
The doorway leading to the bathroom was originally squared off. The new arched style had to be custom made to fit the door opening, which is smaller than usual due to a roofline over the frame.
It was important to the homeowners and design team that the bathroom maintain the home’s overall cottage style with the sloping roof and casual coastal accents. And since the boys use the space, they wanted to keep the design fun and youthful. Staining the ceiling and door in vibrant colors drawn from the backsplash tiles gave the cozy shiplapped walls with a spark of energy. Now the homeowners affectionately refer to their narrow arched doorway as “the hobbit door.”
One of Pumarejo’s favorite features of the room is the wood tiling by Moonish covering the backsplash. She fell in love with the tiles when she found them a couple of years ago and kept them in the back of her mind, waiting for just the right project. They work so well with the coastal aesthetic she’s created here because they resemble nautical pennants. Likewise, the Restoration Hardware sconce and mirrors achieve a nautical feel without going over the top.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with two teenage sons
Location: San Antonio
Size: 147 square feet (13.7 square meters)
Designer: Shea Pumarejo of Younique Designs
When this family of four moved into their current home, the two boys were young and could navigate their enclosed attic comfortably despite the low ceilings. Adults, on the other hand, couldn’t even see themselves in the bathroom mirror because it was mounted at waist level, as high as the encroaching ceiling would allow. With multiple rooflines converging over the bathroom of this cottage-style bungalow, a full demolition and ceiling raise was an essential first step in transforming the space into a fully functional second story.