A 50-Square-Foot Bathroom That’s All His
This Atlanta-area bathroom integrates the home’s Craftsman style with a crisp, tailored look
Becky Harris
August 8, 2017
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
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A married man
Location: Just outside Atlanta
Size: 50 square feet (4.6 square meters); 5 by 10 feet
Designer: Michelle Fee, Change Your Bathroom
Before: This bathroom was dated and had a tub-shower combination that the homeowners did not need.
The challenges: This is a tight, windowless space. Bathroom designer Michelle Fee needed to make it feel roomy and bring in ample light.
The backstory: Many couples who live together have discovered that having their own separate bathroom domains is healthy for their relationships. This couple began by renovating their master bathroom. Then, after recovering for a while, they got started on this bathroom just off his study. Due to the location, they decided that this would be his bathroom, while she would take over the master bath.
Who uses it: A married man
Location: Just outside Atlanta
Size: 50 square feet (4.6 square meters); 5 by 10 feet
Designer: Michelle Fee, Change Your Bathroom
Before: This bathroom was dated and had a tub-shower combination that the homeowners did not need.
The challenges: This is a tight, windowless space. Bathroom designer Michelle Fee needed to make it feel roomy and bring in ample light.
The backstory: Many couples who live together have discovered that having their own separate bathroom domains is healthy for their relationships. This couple began by renovating their master bathroom. Then, after recovering for a while, they got started on this bathroom just off his study. Due to the location, they decided that this would be his bathroom, while she would take over the master bath.
The scope of work: This was a complete down-to-the-studs renovation.
The style: Fee describes their house as Craftsman style but also eclectic, and the bathroom suits it well. But this room is uniquely his with its deep blue color that he loves, warm finishes not seen elsewhere in the house and a crisply tailored look.
The must-haves: “It really needed to flow with the rest of the house, but he also wanted it to stand out,” the designer says. Also, he loved the vanity with an integrated sink.
Find bathroom vanities
The style: Fee describes their house as Craftsman style but also eclectic, and the bathroom suits it well. But this room is uniquely his with its deep blue color that he loves, warm finishes not seen elsewhere in the house and a crisply tailored look.
The must-haves: “It really needed to flow with the rest of the house, but he also wanted it to stand out,” the designer says. Also, he loved the vanity with an integrated sink.
Find bathroom vanities
The faucets: Antique brass finishes, not seen elsewhere in the house, are one of the elements that gives the room its individuality. Crossbar handles and classic style befit the home’s Craftsman architecture.
The layout: The floor plan remained more or less the same, except the tub-shower was replaced with a roomy shower stall.
The floor: The bathroom and shower floors are both black limestone, which grounds the room in a dark color.
The walls: He loves dark blues, so first Fee found a beautiful glass mosaic tile to use for accents in the shower. Then she plucked a deep hue from the tiles for the walls. But she had to keep the dark color from making the room feel like a cave. So she tiled the walls from floor to chair-rail height in white subway and added trim pieces to the base and the top to give the room a crisp appearance.
Wall paint: Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball
The floor: The bathroom and shower floors are both black limestone, which grounds the room in a dark color.
The walls: He loves dark blues, so first Fee found a beautiful glass mosaic tile to use for accents in the shower. Then she plucked a deep hue from the tiles for the walls. But she had to keep the dark color from making the room feel like a cave. So she tiled the walls from floor to chair-rail height in white subway and added trim pieces to the base and the top to give the room a crisp appearance.
Wall paint: Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball
The vanity: Fee custom-designed the vanity to incorporate an integrated sink and to bring in a Craftsman element. There is an open shelf beneath the cabinet for storing extra towels. She used maple wood and had it custom-stained dark to give it a rich, handsome look.
The mirror: The mirror has a brass frame and tilts.
Tip: “There’s not a lot of room to back up and see yourself in a tight space, but with a tilt mirror, you can,” Fee says.
The lighting: In addition to putting a light fixture over the mirror, Fee installed a ceiling light. “We really needed this light to get proper lumens in here, especially with the darker color on the walls,” she says.
Tip: Think about which way you want to hang your lights. “By hanging the fixture so that it points up, we allowed the light to bounce off the ceiling. We get a lot more light than we would have if we had pointed them down,” she says.
Sink: Ronbow
Tip: “There’s not a lot of room to back up and see yourself in a tight space, but with a tilt mirror, you can,” Fee says.
The lighting: In addition to putting a light fixture over the mirror, Fee installed a ceiling light. “We really needed this light to get proper lumens in here, especially with the darker color on the walls,” she says.
Tip: Think about which way you want to hang your lights. “By hanging the fixture so that it points up, we allowed the light to bounce off the ceiling. We get a lot more light than we would have if we had pointed them down,” she says.
Sink: Ronbow
The shower: Frameless glass keeps things clear and bright. The aforementioned glass accent tile brings in deep, dark ocean blues and also ties into the black limestone floor.
Worth noting: The controls are on the left side of the shower so that he can open the door, reach in and get the water running without getting soaked.
More
5 Ways With an 8-by-5-Foot Bathroom
Browse other bathroom makeovers
Find bathroom showers
Worth noting: The controls are on the left side of the shower so that he can open the door, reach in and get the water running without getting soaked.
More
5 Ways With an 8-by-5-Foot Bathroom
Browse other bathroom makeovers
Find bathroom showers
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Not much storage, where does he put his toothbrush, and other toiletries?
sub65czar In the design phase we did discuss a medicine cabinet, but this particular client did not feel the need for that.
What size is the shower?