Bathroom of the Week: Calming Retreat for a Busy Couple
A designer creates a relaxing atmosphere with a blue-and-white palette, marble mosaics and smart space planning
Becky Harris
March 23, 2021
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
This busy working mother had been sharing her Toronto home’s one full bathroom with her husband and two preteen boys. “She told me that all she wanted to be able to do was take a bath at night without anyone knocking on the door needing to come in,” interior designer Staci Edwards says. Though the new en suite bathroom would be shared with her husband, she was the one who worked with Edwards to drive the design. The goal was to create something beautiful, spa-like, light and bright.
Photos by Stephani Buchman
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two sons
Location: Toronto
Size: 90 square feet (8.4 square meters)
Designer: Staci Edwards
Contractor: Mike Carling of Steadfast Construction and Renovations
The modest-size home is in The Beaches, a neighborhood of Toronto. The renovation took the second floor from a four-bedroom, one-bath layout to a three-bedroom, two-bath layout. Edwards and builder Mike Carling replaced one of the bedrooms with this new en suite bathroom for the couple.
The homeowner’s No. 1 must-have was a soaking tub for a relaxing bath after a busy day. “Placing the tub under the windows framed it very nicely and made it a beautiful focal point as they walk into the long, narrow space,” Edwards says. She added two large windows to let in natural light, with frosted glass for privacy. She also custom-designed white linen Roman shades for mornings when the sun is too bright.
Getting the space planning right was key to creating a light and airy feel in the room. Edwards placed the toilet area and shower stall along the left wall and the vanity on the right. “Because the space was narrow, I designed a custom vanity that’s only 18 inches deep with small sinks,” she says. The toilet area wasn’t photographed — it’s behind a frosted glass wall in front of the shower stall.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two sons
Location: Toronto
Size: 90 square feet (8.4 square meters)
Designer: Staci Edwards
Contractor: Mike Carling of Steadfast Construction and Renovations
The modest-size home is in The Beaches, a neighborhood of Toronto. The renovation took the second floor from a four-bedroom, one-bath layout to a three-bedroom, two-bath layout. Edwards and builder Mike Carling replaced one of the bedrooms with this new en suite bathroom for the couple.
The homeowner’s No. 1 must-have was a soaking tub for a relaxing bath after a busy day. “Placing the tub under the windows framed it very nicely and made it a beautiful focal point as they walk into the long, narrow space,” Edwards says. She added two large windows to let in natural light, with frosted glass for privacy. She also custom-designed white linen Roman shades for mornings when the sun is too bright.
Getting the space planning right was key to creating a light and airy feel in the room. Edwards placed the toilet area and shower stall along the left wall and the vanity on the right. “Because the space was narrow, I designed a custom vanity that’s only 18 inches deep with small sinks,” she says. The toilet area wasn’t photographed — it’s behind a frosted glass wall in front of the shower stall.
Find an interior designer on Houzz
A jumping-off point for the room’s style was the blue vanity with satin brass pulls. “My client hired me because she’d admired my work on a kitchen with blue cabinets and brass hardware,” says Edwards, who had the cabinetmaker match the color she’d used in that project, Newburyport Blue by Benjamin Moore. Then she selected a satin brass finish for the cabinet pulls. The countertops are durable quartz.
Elegant hurricane-lamp-style sconces, a leaf-motif ceiling light over the tub and other accessories add more satin brass finishes to the room.
Ceiling light: Hampton chandelier, Visual Comfort
Shop for faucets with a warm metal finish
Elegant hurricane-lamp-style sconces, a leaf-motif ceiling light over the tub and other accessories add more satin brass finishes to the room.
Ceiling light: Hampton chandelier, Visual Comfort
Shop for faucets with a warm metal finish
Edwards selected a calming seascape by Brian Sostrum to place over the bathtub. It plays off the blue vanity beautifully and contributes to the relaxing vibe of the room.
Wall color: Simply White, Benjamin Moore
Browse bathroom lighting in the Houzz Shop
Wall color: Simply White, Benjamin Moore
Browse bathroom lighting in the Houzz Shop
A sweet brass table with a faux shagreen top offers a spot for a book, a drink and a plant next to the bath.
The flooring is a marble mosaic pattern called Square Dot, composed of Thassos and Carrara marbles. It adds an eye-catching, sophisticated pattern to the room.
Hire a local tile professional
The flooring is a marble mosaic pattern called Square Dot, composed of Thassos and Carrara marbles. It adds an eye-catching, sophisticated pattern to the room.
Hire a local tile professional
In the shower, Edwards used a 12-by-12-inch marble mosaic tile for the floor that adds medium gray contrast to the white in the room. Then she had her tile installer cut that same tile into strips and place them in a striped pattern on the shower walls. She used the same mosaic tile to back the shower niche.
The homeowners now have the en suite bathroom of their dreams. “It was really special, especially for her, to have a room like this,” Edwards says.
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The homeowners now have the en suite bathroom of their dreams. “It was really special, especially for her, to have a room like this,” Edwards says.
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Read more bathroom stories
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Simply beautiful in very way. Even with just two of us in our home - we need two bathrooms!
The glass surround and door on the shower is fabulous. I just don’t like how tall it is... cleaning will be a stretch.
This is just stunning. I’m doing a full bath remodel for a similar footprint. I’m just having trouble picturing where the toilet is. Would you have a link with the layout?