Bathroom of the Week: Clean-Lined Traditional Style

“After” photos by Miranda Estes

Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two daughters
Location: Seattle area
Size: 150 square feet (14 square meters)
Designer: Design Harmony
Builder: Remont Construction

Before: The existing bathroom had a tub with a large deck surround that took up a lot of space. The shower was small, with the toilet to the left of it. But perhaps the biggest issue was that there wasn’t a door between the bedroom and the bathroom — or the bathroom and the toilet room.

After: Weihs borrowed a bit of space from the bathroom to expand the closet. Keeping the bathroom feeling as spacious as possible was a top priority. The couple wanted a bathtub and a large shower stall, as well as a vanity with ample storage. But the top item on their list was doors. The designer moved the shower and replaced that spot with a long double vanity. This still left plenty of room for a freestanding tub beneath the windows.

“Luckily this bathroom already had a skylight and two windows, so there’s lots of natural light,” Weihs says. “Here in the Pacific Northwest we have a lot of gray days, so we need as much natural light as we can get.” The window over the tub overlooks a lake.

Wall paint: Pure White, Sherwin-Williams

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Weihs had used a lot of high contrast in the rest of the house, and the jumping-off material here was the black-and-white basketweave floor tile. This tile also suited the traditional style of the house. From there, she carefully balanced the black within the color scheme, including on the bathtub, tub faucet, cabinet hardware and shower enclosure frame. “I had to be really selective about how and where I used the black so it didn’t feel too heavy,” she says.

“I also used black on the window treatments. I used a wider pinstripe to throw some pattern in there. Using a pattern with a larger scale kept it from competing with the floor tile pattern. I had them inset-mounted to show the millwork around the windows.”

The couple both work in technology and wanted smart features in the home. This includes the motorized Roman shades, which are operated by remote control. “Having these windows uncovered would leave them pretty exposed, so it’s handy to have the remote,” Weihs says. And they don’t have to step into the tub to get to the shades.

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The custom double vanity includes plenty of drawers for storage. “We installed LED motion-activated lights underneath, and the legs left room for that to show,” Weihs says. “And the curves of the legs gave my clients the traditional style they like.” The beaded cabinet profiles are traditional too. Also nodding to tradition are the Carrara marble countertops.

The mirrored medicine cabinets have integrated LED lights. The homeowners can change the lights’ color and brightness.

The toilet room is just past the vanity on the left. Weihs added a door to it as part of the renovation.

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Weihs took the backsplash higher than the standard 4 inches. “It makes it look more custom and substantial,” she says. “I played around with the elevations to get the height just right.” She also had the mirrors furred out from the wall. This means the contractor built a frame behind them on the wall so that they overlap the backsplash.

Weihs also mixed metals on the hardware and faucets. “To me, mixing metals also makes things look more custom and eclectic,” she says. “Matchy-matchy can make a bathroom feel like it’s in a showroom.” Mixing also bucks trends, providing a more classic look, since different finishes can fall in and out of favor.

Before: The vanity at right ran along the wall from the bathroom entry to the tub.

After: Weihs took over the existing vanity’s spot with the shower stall and a linen cabinet. At 3 by 6 feet, the stall is spacious. She deliberately placed it under the skylight to take advantage of the natural light. “The rain shower head is also under the skylight, so you almost feel like you are standing in the rain,” she says.

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A zero-threshold shower enclosure allowed the designer to continue the tile seamlessly into the shower stall. This makes the room feel more spacious rather than chopped up with a curb or a different floor tile. The floor slopes imperceptibly toward a linear drain at the back. “The curbless aspect gives it a clean, seamless look,” Weihs says.

“Because they are in tech, my clients were excited to get some of the latest bathroom technology. One item on their list was a voice-activated shower, where they can say, ‘Turn on shower for Amy,’ and it turns on the water at the temperature it knows she likes.” In addition to the rain shower head, there’s a wall-mounted shower head and a handheld wand.

Weihs also included a pair of shower niches — one for each homeowner. “I always like to tuck these where you don’t see them as you enter the room,” she says.

Before: Here’s a look at how the vanity related to the doorless bathroom entry. There was a smaller second vanity across the room from this one. The towel bar on the right of the photo is mounted to the end of it.

After: Weihs left enough room to craft a custom linen cabinet between the shower and the bathroom entry.

Here’s a look through the bathroom’s new door toward the bedroom, which Weihs redecorated at the same time. The newly enlarged closet can be glimpsed on the right off the bathroom.

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