1920s Guest Bathroom for a Parent Gets an Update
A Missouri couple remodel their guest bath into a modern-farmhouse dream space when a relative moves in
Sink and medicine cabinet: Honoring the architecture of the space, Spear kept the original medicine cabinet and complemented it with a pedestal sink, a common style for a home in this era, she says.
“A lot people go in and tear everything out,” Spear says. “Keeping the medicine cabinet is really a statement.”
Walls: The husband wanted to keep a monochromatic look throughout the house. To stay consistent, Spear chose a porcelain subway tile for the walls, with a marble chair rail to separate the tile and gray paint.
Art: The client already owned the decor above the toilet, but it was repainted the same color as the armoire.
Wall paint: Delray Gray, Benjamin Moore; wall tile: Rittenhouse Square in Arctic White, Daltile; sink: Town Square Suite collection, American Standard; sconces: Manhattan, Vienna Full Spectrum; browse bathroom lighting
“A lot people go in and tear everything out,” Spear says. “Keeping the medicine cabinet is really a statement.”
Walls: The husband wanted to keep a monochromatic look throughout the house. To stay consistent, Spear chose a porcelain subway tile for the walls, with a marble chair rail to separate the tile and gray paint.
Art: The client already owned the decor above the toilet, but it was repainted the same color as the armoire.
Wall paint: Delray Gray, Benjamin Moore; wall tile: Rittenhouse Square in Arctic White, Daltile; sink: Town Square Suite collection, American Standard; sconces: Manhattan, Vienna Full Spectrum; browse bathroom lighting
Armoire: Spear found this 1970s TV armoire at an antiques show and instantly envisioned it as a linen closet for this space. After bringing it to the house, they painted it and replaced the front of the doors with glass.
Colors: They first picked the marble flooring and then complemented it with gray on the walls and blue on the armoire and art to give the space a little color.
Pro tip: When you’re working with natural marble floors, Spear says, green and blues complement the material well.
Armoire paint: Bainbridge Blue, Benjamin Moore
Find a storage solution for your bathroom
Colors: They first picked the marble flooring and then complemented it with gray on the walls and blue on the armoire and art to give the space a little color.
Pro tip: When you’re working with natural marble floors, Spear says, green and blues complement the material well.
Armoire paint: Bainbridge Blue, Benjamin Moore
Find a storage solution for your bathroom
Shower: The glass-walled shower makes the room look bigger than its 60 square feet, Spear says. They also decided to go with a curbless shower to make it easier for the parent to navigate the bathroom. A step up would have limited its accessibility, Spear says.
Accessibility was a top priority so that the bathroom worked for the parent, who needs help showering.
Wall bar: The metal bar inside the shower doubles as a grab bar and towel bar.
Towel bar: Dryden collection, Delta
Accessibility was a top priority so that the bathroom worked for the parent, who needs help showering.
Wall bar: The metal bar inside the shower doubles as a grab bar and towel bar.
Towel bar: Dryden collection, Delta
Floor: The mosaic marble flooring was one of the first items chosen for the space. They liked the look of the tile, and they could use the material for the entire room. That’s because the small size allowed the contractor to install the tile on a slightly sloped surface inside the shower for water drainage.
“I am a proponent of natural material, even though a lot of people are afraid of marble because it stains,” Spear says. “The fact that it pits or scratches makes it even more beautiful.”
They chose a darker grout to show off the pattern.
The floor is heated, which allowed them to remove the radiator.
“I am a proponent of natural material, even though a lot of people are afraid of marble because it stains,” Spear says. “The fact that it pits or scratches makes it even more beautiful.”
They chose a darker grout to show off the pattern.
The floor is heated, which allowed them to remove the radiator.
Shower heads: To assist with washing, the shower has fixed and handheld shower heads.
Shower set: Relexa Rustic in chrome, Grohe; double robe hook: Dryden collection, Delta
More
6 Bathrooms Freshen Up With Farmhouse Style
What to Ask When Considering Heated Floors
Shower set: Relexa Rustic in chrome, Grohe; double robe hook: Dryden collection, Delta
More
6 Bathrooms Freshen Up With Farmhouse Style
What to Ask When Considering Heated Floors
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: The homeowners’ parent
Location: Webster Groves, Missouri
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Designer: Joni Spear Interior Design
The backstory: When a parent needed to move in, this couple decided to give the guest bathroom an update. Their grown children had moved out, and the room was getting minimal use.
This home was built in 1927, and the bathroom still had its original architecture and style. It previously had a large linen closet on the left and a claw-foot tub, surrounded by a plastic shower curtain, in the back corner. On the right, the room had a medicine cabinet, sink and radiator. These features were original to the home and needed to be replaced.
Scope of work: Designer Joni Spear and the homeowners envisioned a new layout for this room. They replaced the linen closet with a smaller and more practical antique armoire. This gave them space for a seamless shower. The designer kept the toilet and sink in their original locations, but removed the radiator to give the bathroom more space and added heated floors. In total, the remodel took seven to 10 weeks.
Lighting: By the time the designer and couple got to the lighting, the budget had run out. However, they still wanted to find a way to fulfill the original design plan with two sconces and a chandelier. To make it work, they found a similar chandelier for half the price of the originally intended one, and Spear was able to give the wife her requested “little bit of bling” in the space.
Mini chandelier: Crystorama