Bathroom of the Week: Bold and Flexible Design for a Young Boy
A designer creates a bathroom to fit her 5-year-old son’s tastes now and to grow with him into the future
When designing her family’s new-build home in Lafayette, California, designer Gita Jacobson asked for her daughter’s and son’s input on the look of their bedrooms and en suite baths. The resulting bathroom for her 5-year-old son pops with a bright orange vanity cabinet (his favorite color), Tyrannosaurus rex cabinet pulls (he’s obsessed with dinosaurs) and stylishly rugged tile work that will hold up well as he ages. “It’s a bathroom that works well for him now and can easily transition as he grows,” Jacobson says.
Jacobson’s son loves the color orange and it was a given that it would show up somewhere in his bathroom. The designer went with a bold, playful shade of orange for the vanity cabinet (Adventure Orange by Sherwin-Williams).
“I felt like the vanity cabinet was a safe place to add orange,” Jacobson says. “If he doesn’t like the color as much when he’s older, it’s an easy thing to change compared to tile.”
“I felt like the vanity cabinet was a safe place to add orange,” Jacobson says. “If he doesn’t like the color as much when he’s older, it’s an easy thing to change compared to tile.”
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Jacobson’s son is also obsessed with dinosaurs, and while she suspected that incorporating them into the bathroom design would prove more challenging than the color orange, she was thrilled to find cabinet pulls in the shape of a Tyrannosaurus rex that fit the bill.
“It’s another easy thing to swap out in the future if he outgrows them,” she says.
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“It’s another easy thing to swap out in the future if he outgrows them,” she says.
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Jacobson went with blue as an accent color because it goes with with orange and it also ties in with the blue walls in her son’s bedroom. She found pendant lights with blue shades on Houzz that add visual interest to the room and bring some light down closer to the sink area.
Dark blue accents such as the soap holder in the shower niche, the soap dispenser on the sink countertop and a hand towel on the towel bar complete the look.
Pendant lights in navy blue and brass: Golden Lighting
Dark blue accents such as the soap holder in the shower niche, the soap dispenser on the sink countertop and a hand towel on the towel bar complete the look.
Pendant lights in navy blue and brass: Golden Lighting
All of the hardware and fixtures throughout the house are satin brass. “I really like to use the same metal tone throughout a project to keep a consistent feel,” Jacobson says.
The sink countertop is white quartz and the vanity mirror is satin brass with rivets that add a slight industrial touch.
The boy’s blue bedroom walls (Downpour by Sherwin-Williams) can be seen in the mirror reflection.
Metal-framed mirror in brass: Restoration Hardware
The sink countertop is white quartz and the vanity mirror is satin brass with rivets that add a slight industrial touch.
The boy’s blue bedroom walls (Downpour by Sherwin-Williams) can be seen in the mirror reflection.
Metal-framed mirror in brass: Restoration Hardware
The shower window brings in natural light and offers pretty views of a rolling hill. The light gray roller shade can be closed for privacy.
The satin brass shower head can be adjusted to almost 7 feet high or be used as a handheld. “No matter how tall he grows, I think we should have him covered,” Jacobson says.
Solar shade in light gray: The Shade Store
The satin brass shower head can be adjusted to almost 7 feet high or be used as a handheld. “No matter how tall he grows, I think we should have him covered,” Jacobson says.
Solar shade in light gray: The Shade Store
The weathered gray subway tile for the shower and bath surround is another selection influenced by the designer’s son. “He thought it looked like the exterior of a castle, so he loved it right away,” Jacobson says.
The mosaic floor tile is made of porcelain but looks like encaustic cement. “It has that cool concrete look, but it’s much easier to clean and care for,” the designer says.
Shower tile: Castle Hazy Trail, Tile Bar; floor tile: Quartetto in blue, Daltile
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The mosaic floor tile is made of porcelain but looks like encaustic cement. “It has that cool concrete look, but it’s much easier to clean and care for,” the designer says.
Shower tile: Castle Hazy Trail, Tile Bar; floor tile: Quartetto in blue, Daltile
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: Designer Gita Jacobson’s 5-year-old son
Location: Lafayette, California
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Designer: Gita Jacobson of In the Deets
This bathroom is the only one in the house with a tub, which is a an amenity that’s important for now and potentially down the road. “Since he’s only 5, it was important to have a tub for bath time,” Jacobson says. “But I could also see him using it to soak in after a game or practice if he plays sports when he’s older.”
The shower enclosure has a glass pivot door instead of a sliding one for both aesthetic and practical reasons. “I love the clean lines of a pivot door compared to a shower frame,” Jacobson says. “Also, my son will likely be well over 6 feet tall, so he won’t have to worry about hitting his head on a frame.”
Wall color: Pediment, Sherwin-Williams
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