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Bathroom of the Week: New Layout Creates a Spa Retreat
An interior designer relocates a couple’s bedroom to enlarge their bathroom and add a more spacious shower and a tub
DeLisa Menton always wanted an inviting spa-like bathroom with a tub. But the bathroom she shares with her husband Mark had a tight layout that didn’t offer room for a tub, nor much opportunity to create the light and airy retreat she imagined. They attempted a refresh eight years ago but weren’t satisfied with the results.
Realizing there had to be a better way to get their dream bathroom, the couple asked designer Tara Lenney for help. Lenney came up with a radical idea to completely rethink the floor plan by moving the couple’s bedroom to an adjacent guest room and stealing space from the former bedroom and a closet to double the size of the bathroom. That allowed her to comfortably fit in a freestanding tub, a spacious new shower and an extra-long white oak double vanity. A calming color palette of creamy whites and blues completes the spa-like atmosphere.
Realizing there had to be a better way to get their dream bathroom, the couple asked designer Tara Lenney for help. Lenney came up with a radical idea to completely rethink the floor plan by moving the couple’s bedroom to an adjacent guest room and stealing space from the former bedroom and a closet to double the size of the bathroom. That allowed her to comfortably fit in a freestanding tub, a spacious new shower and an extra-long white oak double vanity. A calming color palette of creamy whites and blues completes the spa-like atmosphere.
After: Lenney converted a guest bedroom into the Mentons’ new bedroom, then incorporated space from the former bedroom and a closet into the new bathroom layout. (See before-and-after floor plans below.)
By adding space from the former bedroom, Lenney doubled the square footage of the bathroom. The extra space also changed the shape of the room, so most of the components moved around.
At one end of the wide, rectangular room stands a spacious new low-curb shower with a custom tempered-glass enclosure. A wall-mount shower head, a ceiling-mount shower head and a long teak bench create a spa-like vibe. “This shower gives them something bigger and more luxurious,” Lenney says. “Mark’s a tall guy too, so we made sure to get the shower head higher than what they had before.”
The back shower wall features 6-by-6-inch polished arctic blue crackled ceramic tiles that create a focal point and add a soothing, calm feel to the room. “That diamond pattern gave us some visual texture without being overwhelming,” Lenney says.
Grout lines between the warm white 2-by-2-inch mosaic tiles on the floor provide good grip. Dramatic blue-gray walls (Foggy Day by Sherwin-Williams) play off the blue wall tile.
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By adding space from the former bedroom, Lenney doubled the square footage of the bathroom. The extra space also changed the shape of the room, so most of the components moved around.
At one end of the wide, rectangular room stands a spacious new low-curb shower with a custom tempered-glass enclosure. A wall-mount shower head, a ceiling-mount shower head and a long teak bench create a spa-like vibe. “This shower gives them something bigger and more luxurious,” Lenney says. “Mark’s a tall guy too, so we made sure to get the shower head higher than what they had before.”
The back shower wall features 6-by-6-inch polished arctic blue crackled ceramic tiles that create a focal point and add a soothing, calm feel to the room. “That diamond pattern gave us some visual texture without being overwhelming,” Lenney says.
Grout lines between the warm white 2-by-2-inch mosaic tiles on the floor provide good grip. Dramatic blue-gray walls (Foggy Day by Sherwin-Williams) play off the blue wall tile.
Shop for bathroom tile
Instead of installing a storage niche in the shower, Lenney and the Mentons chose to do a shelf that runs wall to wall. “It gives you more flexibility on the number of products you can hold there,” Lenney says. It’s made from the same quartz used for the countertops.
The couple decant their shower products into refillable amber-colored plastic bottles that resemble glass apothecary bottles with custom labels. “I told Tara I don’t like to walk in and see a million different products,” DeLisa says. “This was a beautiful way to display the products. It makes everyday items upgraded.”
Shower wall tiles: Nabi Argyle in Arctic Blue, 6 by 6 inches, Tile Bar
The couple decant their shower products into refillable amber-colored plastic bottles that resemble glass apothecary bottles with custom labels. “I told Tara I don’t like to walk in and see a million different products,” DeLisa says. “This was a beautiful way to display the products. It makes everyday items upgraded.”
Shower wall tiles: Nabi Argyle in Arctic Blue, 6 by 6 inches, Tile Bar
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Before: The couple felt the former basic white vanity lacked storage and style. And DeLisa had grown frustrated with the faucet finish. “She hated how there were always fingerprints on those faucets,” Lenney says. “That’s why we went with a brushed nickel for their new faucets.”
The couple also took issue with the low-quality mirrors and light fixtures, which gave off a harsh, sterile light.
The couple also took issue with the low-quality mirrors and light fixtures, which gave off a harsh, sterile light.
After: The new layout allowed Lenney to add a custom wall-to-wall rift-cut white oak vanity on the opposite side of the room. It’s more than 3 feet longer than the former vanity, giving the couple tons of extra storage. “This vanity is my favorite thing,” DeLisa says. “It’s amazing how much storage we now have.”
The warm white quartz countertop and backsplash feature soft veining in tones of honey, gray and cream. “If we went with a solid white quartz, it would have felt too cold and modern for them,” Lenney says.
Brushed nickel faucets with cross handles mount on the quartz backsplash over two undermount white rectangular sinks. “It’s part of that spa-like feel, something different and special,” Lenney says.
Above the vanity, modern mirrors have an arched design and thin gold metal frames. Three slim sconces with cylindrical shades and a polished nickel finish flank the mirrors. Well-placed LED recessed lights in the ceiling (five in the bathroom, one in the water closet) provide general illumination.
T-shaped vanity knobs have an antique brass finish, giving the area a mixed-metals look.
Vanity counter: Ironsbridge, Cambria; sinks: Caxton, Kohler; wall paint: Foggy Day, Sherwin-Williams
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The warm white quartz countertop and backsplash feature soft veining in tones of honey, gray and cream. “If we went with a solid white quartz, it would have felt too cold and modern for them,” Lenney says.
Brushed nickel faucets with cross handles mount on the quartz backsplash over two undermount white rectangular sinks. “It’s part of that spa-like feel, something different and special,” Lenney says.
Above the vanity, modern mirrors have an arched design and thin gold metal frames. Three slim sconces with cylindrical shades and a polished nickel finish flank the mirrors. Well-placed LED recessed lights in the ceiling (five in the bathroom, one in the water closet) provide general illumination.
T-shaped vanity knobs have an antique brass finish, giving the area a mixed-metals look.
Vanity counter: Ironsbridge, Cambria; sinks: Caxton, Kohler; wall paint: Foggy Day, Sherwin-Williams
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
A window by the vanity overlooks the backyard. An inside-mount white woven wood shade provides privacy and a clean look.
The 65-inch white freestanding tub topped the list of DeLisa’s dream features. A floor-mount faucet has a gooseneck spout and includes a handheld option. “I do love the tub,” DeLisa says. “I’ve always wanted one, and for me it completes that idea of a spa retreat.”
10 Great Features to Consider for a Bathroom Remodel
10 Great Features to Consider for a Bathroom Remodel
The 4-by-12-inch bright white glazed ceramic tiles with white grout give the side wall a clean and cohesive look.
A budget-friendly abstract piece of digital art on canvas features deep blues that coordinate with other blue tones in the room. Flashes of pink add a wow factor. “Having a digital print like that in a bathroom is awesome, because you don’t have to be too precious with it,” Lenney says.
Wall tile: Linear in Arctic White, Color Wheel collection, Daltile
A budget-friendly abstract piece of digital art on canvas features deep blues that coordinate with other blue tones in the room. Flashes of pink add a wow factor. “Having a digital print like that in a bathroom is awesome, because you don’t have to be too precious with it,” Lenney says.
Wall tile: Linear in Arctic White, Color Wheel collection, Daltile
Lenney was able to create a new water closet featuring a white elongated comfort-height toilet with a sleek, skirted design. She also added an electrical outlet behind the high-efficiency toilet in case the couple want to add a high-tech bidet in the future.
A white cabinet above the toilet offers open and closed storage. “It seems like cabinets over toilets went out of style and open shelves became popular,” Lenney says. “This gives them a bit of both.”
The bathroom flooring is warm white-gray porcelain tile in a matte finish. “We wanted something in a large format for that clean, nonfussy look,” Lenney says. “But this tile also has a slight texture to it, to keep it from being dull.”
Floor tile: Ambassador in Wanderlust White, Daltile; toilet: Cimarron comfort-height two-piece elongated, Kohler; wall paint: Foggy Day, Sherwin-Williams
A white cabinet above the toilet offers open and closed storage. “It seems like cabinets over toilets went out of style and open shelves became popular,” Lenney says. “This gives them a bit of both.”
The bathroom flooring is warm white-gray porcelain tile in a matte finish. “We wanted something in a large format for that clean, nonfussy look,” Lenney says. “But this tile also has a slight texture to it, to keep it from being dull.”
Floor tile: Ambassador in Wanderlust White, Daltile; toilet: Cimarron comfort-height two-piece elongated, Kohler; wall paint: Foggy Day, Sherwin-Williams
A new short hallway connects the reconfigured bathroom to the new bedroom. A built-in linen cabinet sits to one side. “It wound up being a happy accident when we laid out where the master bedroom, bathroom and his-and-her closets would be,” Lenney says. “This gives them bonus concealed storage and a centralized spot for the laundry.”
A pullout has three sections for sorting clothes. (Since this photo was taken, the homeowners have added canvas liners.) “We didn’t have anything like this before,” DeLisa says. “Everything has a place and everything is organized.”
The cabinet above contains shelves that keep baskets of clean rolled towels and other bathroom essentials within easy reach but out of sight.
The cabinet above contains shelves that keep baskets of clean rolled towels and other bathroom essentials within easy reach but out of sight.
The floor plan on the left shows the former layout of the bathroom (bottom right) and bedroom (top), illustrating the limitations of the small footprint. The former guest room is shown on the far left, with a broken sauna taking up valuable square footage.
The floor plan on the right shows the updated space. Lenney converted the former guest room into the new bedroom and used the former main bedroom space to expand the new bathroom layout (far right). “It’s great that they took over something in their house that was not utilized for something they can get enjoyment out of every single day,” Lenney says.
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The floor plan on the right shows the updated space. Lenney converted the former guest room into the new bedroom and used the former main bedroom space to expand the new bathroom layout (far right). “It’s great that they took over something in their house that was not utilized for something they can get enjoyment out of every single day,” Lenney says.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Mark and DeLisa Menton
Location: Richardson, Texas
Size: 128 square feet (12 square meters)
Designer: Tara Lenney Design
Before: The quick and low-cost update the Mentons tried eight years ago left them unhappy with the quality of materials and the lack of change in the way the layout functioned. “They knew it was a Band-Aid fix,” Lenney says. “They chose very inexpensive finishes just to get by.”
There was just enough room for a basic vanity, a cramped shower stall and a tiny toilet. “And it was a teeny, tiny toilet,” Lenney says.
The Mentons endeavored to get it right the second time. They turned to Houzz for inspiration, gathering photos and ideas to help Lenney realize their vision. “I’ve been a Houzz fan for years and pulled photos to give Tara a jumping-off point for this project,” DeLisa says.