Bathroom Makeovers
Bathroom of the Week
Bathroom of the Week: Classic New England Style Gets an Update
A designer creates a timeless look and adds a makeup area in the bathroom of a Colonial home
In this traditional New England Colonial home, kitchen and bath designer Whitney Nelson helped her Concord, New Hampshire, clients keep things classic but with an edge. “This room is truly transitional in a timeless way,” Nelson says. “We kept it traditional with the faucets, light fixtures and the marble look of the flooring and countertops. We gave it some edge with the vertically stacked tiles in the shower and the slab-style doors on the cabinetry.”
Before: On the other side of the room, the bathtub occupied a lovely spot under the windows. However, its surround was gigantic and took up a lot of floor space. “There was all this natural light coming into the room, but the tile didn’t do anything for it,” Nelson says. “It made everything look kind of dingy.”
The bathroom also had a fireplace, which the clients never used. It was housed within a bump-out that also took up significant space.
The bathroom also had a fireplace, which the clients never used. It was housed within a bump-out that also took up significant space.
After: Nelson got rid of the existing tub and deck, which immediately made the room feel more airy and open. She replaced the drop-in tub with a freestanding one. “It feels so dreamy in here now that you walk in and you feel like you’re floating,” she says.
With its minimalist shape, the tub is one of the modern elements in the room. “My clients aren’t bathtub people, but their kids are,” Nelson says. “This tub has the right proportions for the room and a really simple shape.”
Bathtub: Unwind, Sterling; tub filler: Artifacts floor-mount trim with hand shower, Kohler
Browse bathtubs in the Houzz Shop
With its minimalist shape, the tub is one of the modern elements in the room. “My clients aren’t bathtub people, but their kids are,” Nelson says. “This tub has the right proportions for the room and a really simple shape.”
Bathtub: Unwind, Sterling; tub filler: Artifacts floor-mount trim with hand shower, Kohler
Browse bathtubs in the Houzz Shop
After: Now there’s breathing room between the shower and the tub. This thoughtful spacing is what makes the room feel so open and airy. Removing the tub surround also allowed Nelson to expand the shower stall. It measures 78 by 48 inches.
Find an interior designer on Houzz
Find an interior designer on Houzz
The floor tile in the shower has the same pattern as the tile on the bathroom floor, but in a 2-inch hexagonal size.
The shower has a built-in bench, and a long ledge runs across the back. “Instead of doing a shower niche in here, I bumped the bottom wall of the shower out to create a ledge on top of it,” Nelson says. She topped the ledge, bench and curb in quartz.
The shower has a built-in bench, and a long ledge runs across the back. “Instead of doing a shower niche in here, I bumped the bottom wall of the shower out to create a ledge on top of it,” Nelson says. She topped the ledge, bench and curb in quartz.
“The shower tile is so pretty, it’s an undulating 3-by-8-inch subway tile with various shades of white,” Nelson says. “It has a really soft artisan feel.” Composing the tile in a vertical grid pattern added a modern touch to the classic room.
The shower has a wall-mounted rain shower head and a regular shower head with a handheld shower wand on a bar. Nelson also placed hooks just past the door on the right for robes and towels. They’re just outside of this photo’s frame, but you can see them in the first photo.
Shower tile: Blanco, Passion series, Emser Tile; shower quartz: Breeze Blanc, Quartzforms Spa; plumbing fixtures: Artifacts collection, Kohler
The shower has a wall-mounted rain shower head and a regular shower head with a handheld shower wand on a bar. Nelson also placed hooks just past the door on the right for robes and towels. They’re just outside of this photo’s frame, but you can see them in the first photo.
Shower tile: Blanco, Passion series, Emser Tile; shower quartz: Breeze Blanc, Quartzforms Spa; plumbing fixtures: Artifacts collection, Kohler
Before: The house was built in 1999 and still had its original finishes and fixtures. “The homeowners were looking to improve the storage in here,” Nelson says.
The existing bathroom had a linen closet to the right of the vanity. The door to the bathroom is past the linen closet on the right. The toilet room door is on the left.
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
The existing bathroom had a linen closet to the right of the vanity. The door to the bathroom is past the linen closet on the right. The toilet room door is on the left.
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
After: Nelson removed the linen closet to make room for a larger double vanity. The vanity has 12 drawers, with a tower for even more storage. “She uses the cabinet beneath the tower for bathroom towels,” the designer says.
The room has 9-foot ceilings. “In order to make everything proportional, we used large mirrors in here,” Nelson says. This one has a polished nickel frame.
The room has 9-foot ceilings. “In order to make everything proportional, we used large mirrors in here,” Nelson says. This one has a polished nickel frame.
The vanity is plain sawn whitewashed white oak. The countertops are a marble-look quartz. Nelson continued the same quartz up the backsplash 6 inches, higher than the standard 4-inch backsplash height. “This was also about getting the proportions right, and it looks nicer than 4 inches,” she says. Continuing the countertop quartz up the backsplash also contributed an edgier, updated element to the mix.
The faucets have classic silhouettes and the finish is polished nickel. They’re another timeless element in the room. “I mixed polished nickel and aged brass finishes because both have warm undertones and therefore work well together,” Nelson says. “We used classic finishes throughout rather than going with trends. This will make the bathroom timeless.”
Faucets: Artifacts column bathroom sink spout, Kohler
Browse bathroom faucets in the Houzz Shop
The faucets have classic silhouettes and the finish is polished nickel. They’re another timeless element in the room. “I mixed polished nickel and aged brass finishes because both have warm undertones and therefore work well together,” Nelson says. “We used classic finishes throughout rather than going with trends. This will make the bathroom timeless.”
Faucets: Artifacts column bathroom sink spout, Kohler
Browse bathroom faucets in the Houzz Shop
Getting rid of the unused fireplace bump-out and the tub deck created room for a makeup table vanity. “I always make sure this kind of vanity is one that my clients will really use,” Nelson says. “In this case, my client told me that every morning her daughter joins her as she sits down to do her makeup.”
This mirror is custom with a white oak frame that matches the vanities. The sconces are mounted to the mirror and provide graceful curves in the space.
“There is longevity in the design because of the classic elements we chose,” Nelson says. “We didn’t want to include anything that they might tire of in a few years. I think they will still love it at least 20 years from now.”
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom remodeler
Shop for your bathroom
This mirror is custom with a white oak frame that matches the vanities. The sconces are mounted to the mirror and provide graceful curves in the space.
“There is longevity in the design because of the classic elements we chose,” Nelson says. “We didn’t want to include anything that they might tire of in a few years. I think they will still love it at least 20 years from now.”
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom remodeler
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their three children
Location: Concord, New Hampshire
Size: 160 square feet (15 square meters)
Designer-builder: Granite State Cabinetry
The bathroom measures 160 square feet. On the left, the toilet room is behind the shower. A makeup vanity is on the right, and the door to the primary bedroom is behind it. The flooring is 24-by-48-inch porcelain tile with digitally printed marble-look veining — one of the classic choices in the room.
Wall paint: Cloud Cover, Benjamin Moore
Find a bathroom remodeler on Houzz