Bathroom Makeovers
Before and Afters
Bathroom of the Week: Elegant Makeover in a Designer’s Home
See a before-and-after reveal of a master bath with lighting and flooring designed for an older couple
When interior designer Elizabeth Walther and her husband designed and built their home in Covington, Louisiana, 23 years ago, they dedicated more of their budget to a riverfront lot than to finishes. Recently they finally had the opportunity to transform their master bathroom into the glamorous retreat they’d always wanted. Walther used her background in commercial design to improve the room’s durability and make elements in it, such as lighting and flooring materials, work well for them as they get older.
After: The footprint of the bathroom remained the same, and Walther kept the plumbing fixture locations. She removed the closets, creating more floor space within the bathroom for beautiful custom cabinetry. She located his vanity on the right, and her vanity, complete with a makeup area, on the left. (She uses a freestanding makeup mirror that she tucked away for the photo shoot.)
Before, there was no full-length mirror in the master suite, so Walther integrated one in a new pocket door between the bathroom and bedroom. The special aged gold pull on the door was a splurge.
Before, there was no full-length mirror in the master suite, so Walther integrated one in a new pocket door between the bathroom and bedroom. The special aged gold pull on the door was a splurge.
For a good part of her career, Walther worked in commercial design. This gave her the idea to use a durable commercial-grade vinyl wallpaper in the bathroom. “Not even Windex will hurt this wallpaper,” she says. She found a dramatic pattern that resembles a dark glittering slab of stone.
The wallpaper inspired the use of grays and golds. After waiting far too long for back-ordered mirrors, she decided to custom design her own, using aged gold bamboo frames. The sconce backplates look like tortoiseshell and are framed in gold.
Walther’s commercial work and expertise in ADA compliance meant she had a thorough understanding of how to make a space work for herself and her husband as they experienced some of the inconveniences of aging. They were both nearing 60 when she designed the bathroom. “We wanted to make the bathroom easier and safer for everyday life but also pretty,” she says. “As we age, we need more lighting to see, so I made the room as bright as it could be.” She strategically placed ample LED task lights in the ceiling, while the sconces and drum pendant light can change up the mood of the room. The lighting is adjustable and the switches she chose are easy on aging hands. She also added USB outlets for charging devices.
Charade sconces: Currey & Co.
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The wallpaper inspired the use of grays and golds. After waiting far too long for back-ordered mirrors, she decided to custom design her own, using aged gold bamboo frames. The sconce backplates look like tortoiseshell and are framed in gold.
Walther’s commercial work and expertise in ADA compliance meant she had a thorough understanding of how to make a space work for herself and her husband as they experienced some of the inconveniences of aging. They were both nearing 60 when she designed the bathroom. “We wanted to make the bathroom easier and safer for everyday life but also pretty,” she says. “As we age, we need more lighting to see, so I made the room as bright as it could be.” She strategically placed ample LED task lights in the ceiling, while the sconces and drum pendant light can change up the mood of the room. The lighting is adjustable and the switches she chose are easy on aging hands. She also added USB outlets for charging devices.
Charade sconces: Currey & Co.
Shop for brass-and-glass sconces
Walther chose the cabinet hardware carefully. These acrylic-and-aged-gold pulls add a glamorous touch to the room and are easy for arthritic hands to grip. The coordinating knobs are hexagonal in the same gold finish. They require pinching to open but can be replaced later if needed. She also installed soft-close glides — a gentle nudge closes the drawers completely.
Cabinet hardware: Addison Weeks
Cabinet hardware: Addison Weeks
Walther knew she wanted marble flooring for the room, but she also knew the material could be slippery. So she created a tile rug in the center of the space. It’s composed of small Winter Frost marble tiles laid in a chevron pattern, with a black-and-white marble border. The grout between the tiles makes it slip-resistant. She also notes that they usually keep rugs in front of the tub and the shower.
The Broan 744 recessed fan-LED light in the shower also plays a big role in slip prevention. “There have been so many advances in ventilation,” Walther says. “It is so quiet and it sucks up all the humidity from the air. When there isn’t any humidity in the room, the floors are not slippery.”
As for the rest of the tile, Walther used 12-by-12-inch Kalta Bianco marble on the floors and coordinating 12-by-24-inch Kalta Bianco tiles on the walls around the shower and tub. Because the house is close to a river, it’s raised off the ground. This made the bathroom cold, so Walther added radiant heat in the floors.
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The Broan 744 recessed fan-LED light in the shower also plays a big role in slip prevention. “There have been so many advances in ventilation,” Walther says. “It is so quiet and it sucks up all the humidity from the air. When there isn’t any humidity in the room, the floors are not slippery.”
As for the rest of the tile, Walther used 12-by-12-inch Kalta Bianco marble on the floors and coordinating 12-by-24-inch Kalta Bianco tiles on the walls around the shower and tub. Because the house is close to a river, it’s raised off the ground. This made the bathroom cold, so Walther added radiant heat in the floors.
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Before: A bathtub that was big enough for two was center stage in the design and was on the must-keep list for the couple. “While showers have become all the rage and freestanding bathtubs seem to be the ‘piece of sculpture to be admired but rarely used,’ this was not the case for this renovation,” Walther says.
After: “We loved our old two-person tub, so when it was time to renovate we just upgraded to a new one with hydrotherapy, chromotherapy and a heated surface for your back and shoulders,” Walther says. “It has all these bells and whistles and truly we rarely use the features. But at the end of the day, to soak in a warm bath, talk about our day and wash away the day’s toils — it’s refreshing and almost spiritual. It’s definitely healing to me.”
Walther surrounded the tub in a marble mosaic tile and topped it with black leathered granite. The individual tiles in the mosaic are small enough to move with the curve of the tub surround. Walther used the same granite on the windowsill and in the niche on the left side of the tub. The tub also has a handheld shower wand that makes cleaning easier.
The window treatment is pinch-pleated fabric that provides privacy while allowing light to filter through. “It adds softness to all of the hard surfaces,” Walther says. This photo also shows the glass panel between the tub and shower.
Pendant light: Ariadne, Currey & Co.
Walther surrounded the tub in a marble mosaic tile and topped it with black leathered granite. The individual tiles in the mosaic are small enough to move with the curve of the tub surround. Walther used the same granite on the windowsill and in the niche on the left side of the tub. The tub also has a handheld shower wand that makes cleaning easier.
The window treatment is pinch-pleated fabric that provides privacy while allowing light to filter through. “It adds softness to all of the hard surfaces,” Walther says. This photo also shows the glass panel between the tub and shower.
Pendant light: Ariadne, Currey & Co.
Before: The shower door was narrow and had a dated look.
After: The shower stall remained the same size, but Walther reconfigured the angled wall to accommodate a larger frameless glass door. She also added a clear glass panel in the wall between the shower and bathtub. The increased natural light makes the shower feel more spacious. She hung hooks for used towels to dry just outside of the main bathroom area because she doesn’t like to see them drying in the beautiful new bathroom. They grab them before a shower or bath and place them on the tub deck, which is convenient to both the bathtub and the shower, or on the shower pull, which is sized to hold a towel.
Walther’s commercial experience also inspired the design of the contrasting shower floor, which is black with a white pinwheel pattern. “The contrast provides a visual cue that there is a change,” she says. While they didn’t add grab bars to the shower during the renovation, Walther included the infrastructure to support them in the walls. This will make it easy to install them if they’re needed in the future.
While bathrooms designed for aging in place often include a curbless shower, this one did not provide enough space for the required sloped shower floor that prevents water from spilling out and making the floor slippery. Because the house is raised above ground level, it is not a home the couple would stay in if one of them required a walker or wheelchair. So plans to accommodate either of those things were not a part of the bathroom design. “One thing I have done for clients with bad knees or other mobility issues that don’t have room for a curbless shower is create a lower-than-standard curb that is easier to step over,” she says.
Walther’s commercial experience also inspired the design of the contrasting shower floor, which is black with a white pinwheel pattern. “The contrast provides a visual cue that there is a change,” she says. While they didn’t add grab bars to the shower during the renovation, Walther included the infrastructure to support them in the walls. This will make it easy to install them if they’re needed in the future.
While bathrooms designed for aging in place often include a curbless shower, this one did not provide enough space for the required sloped shower floor that prevents water from spilling out and making the floor slippery. Because the house is raised above ground level, it is not a home the couple would stay in if one of them required a walker or wheelchair. So plans to accommodate either of those things were not a part of the bathroom design. “One thing I have done for clients with bad knees or other mobility issues that don’t have room for a curbless shower is create a lower-than-standard curb that is easier to step over,” she says.
Before: On his side of the bathroom, a storage closet added another awkward door to the space. If left open, the door prevented the main door into the bathroom from opening.
After: Removing the closet made room for an extended vanity and a cabinet tower. The mirrored doors help bounce light around the room. The countertops are an elegant quartzite. Walther matched the cabinet paint to a hue in the quartzite’s veining.
The designer has no qualms about mixing metals. In fact, mixing is her preference. “I love to mix finishes. It looks so much better than matchy-matchy — there’s more depth and it keeps a room from feeling sterile,” she says. She chose aged golds for the mirror, sconces and pocket door hardware. “The aged effect means they aren’t too bright,” Walther says. And she found that the gold hardware worked beautifully with the acrylic of the pulls and warmed up the gray cabinetry. The polished nickel faucets, shower heads and tub plumbing play nicely off the gray-and-white counters.
Quartzite counters: Oceania Supreme, Omicron Granite and Tile
The designer has no qualms about mixing metals. In fact, mixing is her preference. “I love to mix finishes. It looks so much better than matchy-matchy — there’s more depth and it keeps a room from feeling sterile,” she says. She chose aged golds for the mirror, sconces and pocket door hardware. “The aged effect means they aren’t too bright,” Walther says. And she found that the gold hardware worked beautifully with the acrylic of the pulls and warmed up the gray cabinetry. The polished nickel faucets, shower heads and tub plumbing play nicely off the gray-and-white counters.
Quartzite counters: Oceania Supreme, Omicron Granite and Tile
On her side, the right side of the large cabinet has a hamper that the couple share. The left side conceals a return. “I did not add a knob to the fixed panel. I know a lot of people would for symmetry, but I find that people pull so hard trying to open something that won’t open that sometimes they damage it,” Walther says. “Again, this is about visual cues.”
Browse bathroom stools and benches
Browse bathroom stools and benches
This floor plan shows the separate water closet (not photographed) at the bottom right of the plan.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: Interior designer Elizabeth Walther of Design Studio and her husband, Jimmy
Location: Covington, Louisiana
Size: 157 square feet (15 square meters)
Before: At 157 square feet, the master bathroom was luxurious in size. But as a designer, Walther likened the room and its bland style to the cobbler’s kids with no shoes.
“When we built the house, it was cheaper to install closets instead of cabinets for storage. So our bathroom had a lot of doors,” she says. The two white doors seen here open to small closets. The Walthers were also tired of the fluorescent lighting, cultured marble countertops and boring color palette. “We couldn’t take it anymore,” she says.
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