Bathroom of the Week: Curbless Shower and an Aqua Vanity

“After” photos by LifeCreated

Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Matthew and Kasey Benson, their 8-year-old son and their Bullmastiff dog
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Size: 65 square feet (6 square meters)
Designer: Keira Schultz of KSDesigns

Before: The previous bathroom included a dark wood vanity with a beige tile countertop, a decorative tile backsplash and a large unframed mirror with Broadway-style lights. A mirrored medicine cabinet stuck out on the side wall.

After: Schultz removed the old vanity, mirror, backsplash tile and medicine cabinet. A custom maple vanity in a midtone aqua (Holly Glen by PPG Paints) now commands attention. “That jade color [the gray-green shade appears blue-ish in these photos] was the driving force of this project,” says Schultz, who used photos Kasey found on Houzz as inspiration when designing the vanity.

The wide drawer near the bottom is one detail Kasey discovered in a photo. “I had seen a drawer like that on Houzz and wanted our new vanity to have a big drawer for towels and other essentials,” she says.

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A white tile backsplash and bright white walls with subtle gray undertones (Snowbound by Sherwin-Williams) allow the vanity color to pop.

Live-edge acacia wood frames a new horizontal mirror, adding a touch of warmth that complements the brass faucet and cabinet hardware.

A midcentury-modern-style three-globe light fixture features antique gold and matte black finishes, the latter of which coordinates with a black hand towel ring and black hardware used for the glass shower enclosure.

A cotton bathroom rug with a black Moroccan-inspired pattern adds softness atop the honed stone floor tile set in a herringbone pattern, which the homeowners kept from the previous space.

A polished quartz countertop provides a durable surface with a marble look. “It has a hint of gold veining in it, and that’s why we chose it,” Schultz says. “It’s different than standard quartz with gray veining, and the gold adds some depth to the countertop. It was also about maintaining that element of warmth from the mirror frame.”

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After: Schultz removed the curved wall and raised the floor to create a spacious new curbless shower. “We gained about 6 or 7 inches of actual shower space by taking down that wall and reconfiguring the space,” Kasey says.

Matte black hardware on the shower enclosure provides a graphic element. “I showed the builder an image off of Houzz with our desired look for the rolling hardware,” Schultz says. “We did the matte black finish to bring in the black finish on the lights above the vanity.”

The rolling door also saves room compared with a swing door. “There’s not a lot of room for opening a shower door with the vanity there,” Kasey says.

The existing glass block window brings in light while offering privacy. The shower floor and backing tile in the niche are river rock.

The niche also features quartz shelves that match the vanity countertop and black Schluter tile edging. “It’s a cost-effective way to create a decorative tile edge detail,” Schultz says. “I selected black to bring the black in from the vanity lights to the shower.”

The Bensons use the shower to wash their large dog, so having a hand spray option was essential. “I like how the bar moves up and down, it gives you flexibility,” Kasey says. The satin brass finish adds style and coordinates with the brass elements in the vanity area.