Bathroom of the Week: Modern, Elegant and Low-Maintenance

Photos by Stephani Buchman Photography

Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two young children
Location: Toronto
Size: 150 square feet (14 square meters)
Designer: Diana Bastone
Builder: Old Orchard Properties

“I always start my design process with a lengthy questionnaire that covers every element,” Bastone says. This includes everything from whether they want double sinks to the types of metals they like. In this case, the homeowners wanted a double vanity, a curbless steam shower, a freestanding tub and low-maintenance finishes that had a natural look.

“I also ask them to share photos from Houzz. These show me the feeling they want the room to have,” Bastone says. She saw that the couple liked clean lines and an open and airy feel.

Here’s a glimpse of the bathroom from the bedroom. Note how the bathroom flooring complements the bedroom’s quartzite fireplace surround. The vanity plays off the bedroom’s white oak floors.

Bedroom wall paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore

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The opening between the rooms has a pocket door that tucks neatly into the wall. This saved space — a hinged door’s swing takes up space that a pocket door doesn’t.

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Bastone gave the double vanity a 5-inch apron for a more modern look. And she opted for drawers over cabinet doors. “I like to use drawers because they are easier to use than doors,” she says. The top drawers are U-shaped inside to accommodate the sinks’ P-traps. The bottom drawers are full-size. The inset slab drawers add to the modern look.

“Originally we were going for natural white oak on the vanity, but to save on the budget my clients wound up opting for laminate,” Bastone says. “It’s a very high-end laminate and looks like the real thing. It didn’t take away from the design at all.” The drawer fronts are bookmatched, which means the grain pattern continues across the entire front of the vanity.

The countertops are quartz with a concrete look. The backsplash is white porcelain tile laid in a chevron pattern, which matches the tile on the shower surround.

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The tub has a minimalist sculptural look. “The floor-mounted tub filler is a design feature, so I made it the first thing you see when you enter the room, rather than hiding it behind the tub,” Bastone says.

The floor tile is porcelain that looks like slate. The designer mixed two different tiles in a random pattern. One is a mosaic and the other is long planks. “This has the variation and tones that give it the natural look of slate, but it is much easier to clean and maintain,” Bastone says.

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The pocket door on the left leads to a toilet room. “The original plans called for a frosted glass enclosure for the water closet. But it was better to make it private,” Bastone says. “And it provided a wall for another towel bar and outlet on the right side of the vanity.” Also, a glass enclosure would have required a swing door, which would have taken up space.

The curbless shower entry allows the floor tile to extend seamlessly into the shower. “It’s great when I can work on the plans before construction begins. It allows me to plan for things like a curbless shower and adding supports inside the shower wall for a bench,” Bastone says.

A curbless shower requires that the shower floor slope gently toward the drain. Here, a linear drain is located next to the shower niche wall.

The shower is a steam shower and the main shower head is recessed into the tiled ceiling. The steam shower required glass panes that tilt open toward the shower enclosure to let out the steam. The pivoting panes are within reach and easy to open and close while standing in the shower.

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Bastone also installed a handheld shower head on the wall. The hardware and plumbing fixtures in the room are matte black, another modern touch. The shower surround’s tiles are composed in a chevron pattern. This is a clean-lined and modern update on the classic herringbone pattern.

The shower niche extends from wall to wall for a simple, minimalist look. Both the niche’s interior and the shower bench are wrapped in the same concrete-look quartz used for the vanity countertop.

Here’s a look at the other side of the bedroom. Bastone completed the interior design of the entire house.

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