Bathroom of the Week: Inspired by Spas and Resorts
A designer transforms a dated bathroom into a luxe retreat
These Austin, Texas, homeowners had landed their dream house but needed to make a few tweaks before moving in. “My clients, who have two children, knew this would be their forever home,” project designer Kaelee Pearson says. However, the existing primary bathroom did not fit in with those long-term plans. “It was a spacious bathroom, but a large Jacuzzi tub took up a lot of room in the corner and it had a small shower stall,” Pearson says. And the style was tired and out of date. The transformed bathroom is a spa-like space with a long vanity, roomy shower stall and a linen storage alcove.
“My clients knew that a bathtub in their primary bathroom would be a dust collector they never used. They preferred to have a larger, resort-like shower stall,” Pearson says. The new stall measures 5 by 5½ feet, which left plenty of room for a shower bench inside and a linen storage alcove to the right.
“The blue tile was the star of the room, so we used 12-by-24-inch white glazed tiles on the other walls,” Pearson says. “We aligned the joints so that the grout lines were aligned with the shower niche and the windows.”
For linen storage, her clients preferred the look of open shelving and a hamper. Her cabinetmaker crafted the shelves in the same white oak he used for the vanity. The shelves are the same thickness as the shelf on the bottom of the vanity. This helped create a cohesive look that’s easy on the eyes.
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“The blue tile was the star of the room, so we used 12-by-24-inch white glazed tiles on the other walls,” Pearson says. “We aligned the joints so that the grout lines were aligned with the shower niche and the windows.”
For linen storage, her clients preferred the look of open shelving and a hamper. Her cabinetmaker crafted the shelves in the same white oak he used for the vanity. The shelves are the same thickness as the shelf on the bottom of the vanity. This helped create a cohesive look that’s easy on the eyes.
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Pearson also reconfigured two 4-by-4-foot windows that were here when the Jacuzzi tub occupied the corner. She used the existing headers and openings but made the one on the left shorter to provide privacy from the neighbors and to make room for the shower bench and niche. She used the existing header for the one on the right but made it longer and narrower, using obscure glass for privacy.
Another detail worth noting is the black Silestone quartz Pearson used to line the jambs. “This allowed us to create clean joints where the cement tile meets the windows,” she says. She gave the window on the left a black Silestone sill, then used Miami White Silestone around the rest of the window.
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Another detail worth noting is the black Silestone quartz Pearson used to line the jambs. “This allowed us to create clean joints where the cement tile meets the windows,” she says. She gave the window on the left a black Silestone sill, then used Miami White Silestone around the rest of the window.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
“My clients had a vanity with a heavy profile in their last home. They didn’t find that the base cabinet doors offered much practical storage,” Pearson says. “They wanted something that would feel lighter in here.” She designed a long double vanity that provides each of them with two drawers as well as a shelf below for extra storage. She also gave each of them an electrical outlet in one of their drawers.
A toilet room sits on the other side of the wall at the left. Pearson thickened this wall to allow for a recessed makeup cabinet. In addition to the storage it provides, it has an extendable makeup mirror and an outlet inside.
Browse cabinet hardware in the Houzz Shop
A toilet room sits on the other side of the wall at the left. Pearson thickened this wall to allow for a recessed makeup cabinet. In addition to the storage it provides, it has an extendable makeup mirror and an outlet inside.
Browse cabinet hardware in the Houzz Shop
Pearson notes that she prefers to place sconces to the sides of mirrors instead of over them because they provide better light for applying makeup that way. The curved silhouettes of the lights and the gentle curves on the mirror add some softness to the clean-lined room.
“My clients love black hardware and we used it on the doors throughout the house. But I advised that they use a mix of finishes in here for a more timeless look,” Pearson says. The faucets and shower fixtures are in a finish called Luxe Steel, which has a blackened steel look.
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“My clients love black hardware and we used it on the doors throughout the house. But I advised that they use a mix of finishes in here for a more timeless look,” Pearson says. The faucets and shower fixtures are in a finish called Luxe Steel, which has a blackened steel look.
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The designer thought carefully about the vanity’s proportions. In addition to its dramatic 9-foot length, its countertop has a substantial presence. “I used the same marble on the shower bench that I used on the vanity,” Pearson says. The line of that heavy profile transitions nicely into the shower as the solid form of the shower bench.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two children
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 150 square feet (14 square meters)
Designer: Kaelee Pearson of CG&S Design-Build
The star of the room is the 2-by-8-inch blue concrete tile by Clé, laid in a herringbone pattern. “My clients originally chose a beautiful chevron limestone mosaic tile, but due to supply chain issues, it wasn’t available,” Pearson says. Knowing they weren’t fans of glossy finishes, she nudged them toward adding some color in a cement tile that was available for quick ship. This was necessary to keep to a tight construction schedule. “This is more of a neutral Federalist blue,” Pearson says. “It has a natural variation in color that isn’t too bold.”
The tile continues from the floor up the back shower wall. “There is so much directionality in the herringbone pattern,” Pearson says. That draws the eye to the focal wall in the shower.
“While it’s nice to have the uninterrupted look of a curbless shower, these clients didn’t care about that,” Pearson says. “Sometimes a curb is more practical, because the shower doors allow clearance for a bathmat to be placed in front of them, and the curb is more effective at keeping water from spilling out onto the bathroom floor.”
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