Bathroom of the Week: Midcentury Tropical Style in Florida
A designer found on Houzz creates a classic Palm Beach room for clients who love midcentury modern style and color
These West Palm Beach, Florida, homeowners were drawn to midcentury modern designs and color and weren’t afraid to take some risks. They’d been thinking about how to transform their bland and dated primary bathroom for a while but didn’t have a vision in mind. So they looked to Houzz to find a local designer and admired the work of Julie LaBruna. As it turned out, the designer lived in their neighborhood, and they hired her.
LaBruna spoke with her clients about style and carefully observed the rest of their house. “When you walk through what appears to be the front door, you enter into a courtyard with a pool that has a lot of tropical plants. I also saw that they had a lot of colorful tropical artwork in their house,” she says. LaBruna determined that they liked midcentury style, lots of color and tropical flair. When she presented them with mood boards that incorporated midcentury and tropical style, they were fully on board.
LaBruna spoke with her clients about style and carefully observed the rest of their house. “When you walk through what appears to be the front door, you enter into a courtyard with a pool that has a lot of tropical plants. I also saw that they had a lot of colorful tropical artwork in their house,” she says. LaBruna determined that they liked midcentury style, lots of color and tropical flair. When she presented them with mood boards that incorporated midcentury and tropical style, they were fully on board.
After: LaBruna grounded the room with black-and-white tile. Her clients had mentioned that they liked the contrast of black and white and the wife liked the idea of penny tiles. This small-scale hexagonal tile brings in a timeless look that worked not only on the main bathroom floor, but also the shower floor. The small size of the tiles requires lots of grout, which makes the floor slip-resistant.
Speaking of grout, this was an important element in the room. “The tile store showed this tile with both black and white grout options. In terms of what each grout made the tile look like, the difference was night and day,” LaBruna says. “My clients loved the look of this grout color, jet black, and it keeps the bathroom floor looking much cleaner.”
Speaking of grout, this was an important element in the room. “The tile store showed this tile with both black and white grout options. In terms of what each grout made the tile look like, the difference was night and day,” LaBruna says. “My clients loved the look of this grout color, jet black, and it keeps the bathroom floor looking much cleaner.”
LaBruna brought in warmth through two new walnut vanities as well as champagne bronze, brass and dark bronze finishes. “My clients were going out of town for a few weeks and wanted to complete the renovations quickly, so we opted for ready-made vanities,” she says.
This vanity and the one on the opposite side of the room are by James Martin. They come with features like removable drawer inserts and electrical outlets with USB ports inside. “These models also come in floating versions, but the legs really brought in the midcentury look,” LaBruna says.
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This vanity and the one on the opposite side of the room are by James Martin. They come with features like removable drawer inserts and electrical outlets with USB ports inside. “These models also come in floating versions, but the legs really brought in the midcentury look,” LaBruna says.
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Knowing her clients loved tropical themes and green and that they were willing to take risks, LaBruna suggested a botanical wallcovering featuring bold tropical leaves. They loved the idea.
“This is vinyl, so I was sure to share a sample of this texture with them, which is very nice,” LaBruna says. “We needed something water-resistant because we were not putting in a backsplash. You can spill makeup on this wallcovering and it wipes right off.”
The vanities came with several countertop material options. “I recommended white quartz because I did not want any veining patterns to compete with the tropical print,” LaBruna says.
“This is vinyl, so I was sure to share a sample of this texture with them, which is very nice,” LaBruna says. “We needed something water-resistant because we were not putting in a backsplash. You can spill makeup on this wallcovering and it wipes right off.”
The vanities came with several countertop material options. “I recommended white quartz because I did not want any veining patterns to compete with the tropical print,” LaBruna says.
For the plumbing fixtures, LaBruna presented her clients with Delta’s Trinsic line, which has a versatile and streamlined look. “We knew we wanted to use gold tones with the green and walnut tones,” she says. “I recommended their champagne bronze finish.” The golden hues of the hardware nod to brass midcentury finishes but update it with a toned-down look.
The mirrors and sconces complement the vanity. The mirror has a dark bronze frame and is secured by brass clips. It provides some contrast and mixes metals. The sconce shades are handblown seeded glass. “The glass has a vintage look and the shape resembles a flower that is about to bloom,” LaBruna says. The backplates match the other metal finishes in the room, and their octagonal shape plays off the hexagonal floor tiles.
The mirrors and sconces complement the vanity. The mirror has a dark bronze frame and is secured by brass clips. It provides some contrast and mixes metals. The sconce shades are handblown seeded glass. “The glass has a vintage look and the shape resembles a flower that is about to bloom,” LaBruna says. The backplates match the other metal finishes in the room, and their octagonal shape plays off the hexagonal floor tiles.
The entry to the bathroom is on a wall to the left of this second vanity. Because this wall isn’t as long as the other vanity wall, LaBruna chose a matching vanity in a smaller size. Leaving enough room around it to show off the wallpaper from floor to ceiling was important.
In fact, choosing exactly the right amount of space for the wallpaper was important. LaBruna used it on the vanity walls and in the toilet room to make the right impact without overwhelming the design. “Painting the tub wall white left us room to place towel hooks,” she says. “My clients wanted to use a fun color on the towels, so we played off the blush in the wallcovering.”
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In fact, choosing exactly the right amount of space for the wallpaper was important. LaBruna used it on the vanity walls and in the toilet room to make the right impact without overwhelming the design. “Painting the tub wall white left us room to place towel hooks,” she says. “My clients wanted to use a fun color on the towels, so we played off the blush in the wallcovering.”
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Before: The shower is on an angled wall next to the bathroom entry door. The way the pebble tile on the shower floor met the bathroom floor tile was less than ideal. The homeowners also didn’t need the grab bars and wanted them removed.
“One thing my clients did like was the fact that the shower was open. They did not want to add any glass to the enclosure,” LaBruna says. “There were no issues with draftiness or water spilling out, so we were able to keep it open.”
“One thing my clients did like was the fact that the shower was open. They did not want to add any glass to the enclosure,” LaBruna says. “There were no issues with draftiness or water spilling out, so we were able to keep it open.”
After: The color inspiration for the bathroom began in the shower stall. “The wife told me that she loved green and would love to incorporate green tile in the bathroom,” LaBruna says. “My first move was to pull green tiles from the tile store to show them.” These tiles have a beautiful variation in tone that adds depth to the walls.
“The edges of the tile have vintage brown tones, so we used a grout color called Urbane Bronze to go with them,” LaBruna says. She continued the black-and-white flooring from the bathroom floor into the shower stall for a seamless look.
The designer also continued the champagne bronze plumbing fixtures in the shower, and the color also shows up on the niches. “I usually like to miter the edges of the tile for niches but that wasn’t possible with this tile,” she says. Instead, she chose to pick up on the gold tones used throughout the room, using brass tile edging strips. There’s a shampoo niche with a shaving niche below it.
“The edges of the tile have vintage brown tones, so we used a grout color called Urbane Bronze to go with them,” LaBruna says. She continued the black-and-white flooring from the bathroom floor into the shower stall for a seamless look.
The designer also continued the champagne bronze plumbing fixtures in the shower, and the color also shows up on the niches. “I usually like to miter the edges of the tile for niches but that wasn’t possible with this tile,” she says. Instead, she chose to pick up on the gold tones used throughout the room, using brass tile edging strips. There’s a shampoo niche with a shaving niche below it.
Before: The bathtub had a squared-off surround that jutted into the room. The large size of the tub surround made circulation in the bathroom awkward.
“My clients told me that they like to take baths, but because they disliked this tub so much, they didn’t take them as often as they usually would have,” LaBruna says.
“My clients told me that they like to take baths, but because they disliked this tub so much, they didn’t take them as often as they usually would have,” LaBruna says.
After: LaBruna replaced the drop-in tub with a 67-inch freestanding model. The black-and-white color scheme and the fact that the tub is freestanding nod to vintage bathroom style. However, the tub has a sculptural, minimalist shape that updates the look.
The tub filler is floor-mounted. It includes a handheld wand and the finish is champagne bronze.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
The tub filler is floor-mounted. It includes a handheld wand and the finish is champagne bronze.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
The window has a lovely view of a golf course, but that meant it needed a full-coverage window treatment for privacy. LaBruna recommended a walnut woven shade to play off the vanities and add warmth to the white wall. The shade is battery-operated and lined. She also added a small walnut table that can hold items such as a plant or beverage.
LaBruna says the midcentury tropical approach resulted in a classic Palm Beach look. “There is an iconic hotel called The Colony Hotel on Palm Beach Island, and this bathroom reminds me so much of that aesthetic,” she says. Now whenever her clients walk through the bathroom door, they feel like they’re in a luxurious hotel.
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LaBruna says the midcentury tropical approach resulted in a classic Palm Beach look. “There is an iconic hotel called The Colony Hotel on Palm Beach Island, and this bathroom reminds me so much of that aesthetic,” she says. Now whenever her clients walk through the bathroom door, they feel like they’re in a luxurious hotel.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom remodeler
Shop for your bathroom
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida
Size: 170 square feet (16 square meters)
Designer: Julie LaBruna of Sunny Interior Design
Before: The original bathroom was lackluster and didn’t reflect the homeowners’ love of midcentury tropical style. It had a bathtub with a large surround in the center and a vanity on each adjacent wall. The homeowners noted that they never used the makeup table at the vanity seen here, so it was wasting space.
LaBruna served not only as the designer, but also the project manager. She scheduled and supervised a team of trusted subcontractors during construction. From the design phase through to completion of the construction, she used Houzz Pro software to keep track of the proposals, invoices and purchase orders.
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