Bathroom of the Week: New En Suite in a Converted Attic
A design-build firm gives a growing family more room, including a primary suite and living room
When this Canadian family started to outgrow its home, the last thing it wanted to do was leave behind its beloved neighborhood in Victoria, British Columbia. “This is a fantastic neighborhood that’s walkable to shops, restaurants and the beach,” Robbyn McDonald of MAC Reno Design Build says. “We finished the attic to create space for a primary suite and living room. They’d never had an en suite bathroom before, so they were really excited.” The new, light-filled bathroom is a fresh take on midcentury modern style.
“The jumping-off point for the room was the clients’ wooden towel stand,” McDonald says. “We echoed it in the vertical-grain walnut floating double vanity.” The vanity sets a midcentury-modern-inspired tone, emphasized by brushed gold fixtures.
Simple mirrors with rounded edges maintain the clean look. The room has a lot of straight lines, so the subtle curves of the mirror frames add softness.
Simple mirrors with rounded edges maintain the clean look. The room has a lot of straight lines, so the subtle curves of the mirror frames add softness.
The vanity has three large drawers in the center for efficient storage. There’s motion-activated lighting under the vanity. This makes navigating to the toilet alcove easy at night without turning on a bright light.
The countertop is a porcelain slab that looks like marble. The designers used the same porcelain on the shower bench. The bench is heated and serves as a toasty seat in the shower.
Browse vanities in the Houzz Shop
The countertop is a porcelain slab that looks like marble. The designers used the same porcelain on the shower bench. The bench is heated and serves as a toasty seat in the shower.
Browse vanities in the Houzz Shop
The flooring is also porcelain, composed of large-format tiles. The open door offers a glimpse into the primary bedroom. Heated floors keep the bathroom nice and warm.
The shower has a partial enclosure, which keeps the water inside. Tight insulation and energy-efficient glass on the windows and skylight help prevent drafts.
The shower has a partial enclosure, which keeps the water inside. Tight insulation and energy-efficient glass on the windows and skylight help prevent drafts.
One of the challenges in an attic renovation is addressing lower ceilings. Placing the tub beneath the sloped ceiling and adding the skylight was a good layout strategy here. It’s easy to get in and out of the tub without hitting the ceiling.
“The vaulted ceiling added height and visual interest, creating a cozy and inviting tub area,” McDonald says. “Positioning the skylight above the tub brought natural light throughout the room, reducing reliance on artificial lighting.”
Shop for a bathtub
“The vaulted ceiling added height and visual interest, creating a cozy and inviting tub area,” McDonald says. “Positioning the skylight above the tub brought natural light throughout the room, reducing reliance on artificial lighting.”
Shop for a bathtub
Midcentury modern style also inspired the sumptuous green tiles in the shower. Their vertical composition nods to the era. The tiles are glossy, with 3D beveled edges — a fresh update on the style. Tiles from the era would have been flat, while these have a lot of dimensionality.
Shower tile: Flauti in Sage Gloss, Ceramic Tileworks
Shower tile: Flauti in Sage Gloss, Ceramic Tileworks
The tucked-away toilet area behind the shower wall has privacy and light from a window. The green tiles and brushed gold accessories keep the space cohesive with the rest of the bathroom.
“High-quality materials and precise construction techniques ensured the bathroom met industry best practices for sustainability, water conservation and performance,” McDonald says. These include:
“High-quality materials and precise construction techniques ensured the bathroom met industry best practices for sustainability, water conservation and performance,” McDonald says. These include:
- Updated plumbing and mechanical systems
- Water-conserving shower fixtures
- Low-E energy-efficient windows that create a tight envelope
- Heated flooring that provides even, energy-efficient heat
- LED lighting
- Plenty of natural light to reduce use of artificial lighting
Here’s a glimpse of the new bathroom from the new primary bedroom.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family
Location: Victoria, British Columbia
Size: 118 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer-builder: MAC Reno Design Build
The new bathroom includes a double vanity, a generous shower stall, a freestanding bathtub and a private toilet alcove behind the plumbing wall in the shower. The shower has a long bench with a handheld shower wand above it. The shower stall is curbless, so the floor slopes imperceptibly to direct water to a linear drain next to the bench.
To increase the attic space, the firm removed the home’s existing hipped pyramid roof. It framed the walls a few feet higher, then added a new cross-gable roof.
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