Bathroom of the Week: New Room Keeps the Feel of a 1920s Tudor
A designer gives a primary bathroom classic details while mixing in modern-day features
This Indianapolis couple had experience in historic preservation and restoration from renovating their historic home. And as they and their two daughters outgrew it, they were game to do it again. After looking for about a year, they discovered a 1926 Tudor-style gem in the heart of the city. Though the house had been neglected for a long time and needed extensive work, they fell in love with its original details such as curved openings, heavily plastered walls and steel casement windows, and they could see its potential.
Getting the right team together was paramount. It included architect Mark Demerly, contractor Rob Bennett and interior designer Tiffany Skilling. The entire second floor needed to be reworked, and the plans included moving the primary suite and transforming a spare bedroom into a new primary bathroom. Staying true to the home’s Tudor-style architecture was a priority. Skilling celebrated it by nodding to the 1920s with finishes and fixtures. At the same time, she brought in updated elements to work with the family’s lifestyle.
Getting the right team together was paramount. It included architect Mark Demerly, contractor Rob Bennett and interior designer Tiffany Skilling. The entire second floor needed to be reworked, and the plans included moving the primary suite and transforming a spare bedroom into a new primary bathroom. Staying true to the home’s Tudor-style architecture was a priority. Skilling celebrated it by nodding to the 1920s with finishes and fixtures. At the same time, she brought in updated elements to work with the family’s lifestyle.
Celebrating the home’s original architectural elements played a big role in maintaining its style. Skilling centered a claw-foot bathtub in front of the home’s original steel casement windows. All the original windows of the house were removed, completely refurbished and reinstalled. This included sandblasting them, powder-coating them and replacing any broken panes. “These windows will likely last another 100 years,” Skilling says. And she speculates that refurbishing them was actually more cost-effective than installing new windows.
While these homeowners aren’t necessarily big on bathtubs, Skilling pushed for the claw-foot. “In this type of bathroom, a tub was integral to the feel of the room. It needed a statement claw-foot tub, and the feet feel historic,” she says.
“I like to use lighting in an unexpected way that contrasts with the really traditional feel,” Skilling says. “The Sputnik chandelier and Visual Comfort sconces with etched glass above the vanity are a surprise.” Light fixtures are something that would have been replaced in an original bathroom over the years, so this was a good way to go more modern.
Trim and ceiling paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore
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While these homeowners aren’t necessarily big on bathtubs, Skilling pushed for the claw-foot. “In this type of bathroom, a tub was integral to the feel of the room. It needed a statement claw-foot tub, and the feet feel historic,” she says.
“I like to use lighting in an unexpected way that contrasts with the really traditional feel,” Skilling says. “The Sputnik chandelier and Visual Comfort sconces with etched glass above the vanity are a surprise.” Light fixtures are something that would have been replaced in an original bathroom over the years, so this was a good way to go more modern.
Trim and ceiling paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore
Shop for a white freestanding bathtub
Skilling wholeheartedly embraces mixing metal finishes in a room. “I really like to mix metals,” she says. “Layering different finishes rather than being matchy-matchy gives a room a timeless look.”
The plumbing fixtures are in Kohler’s Vibrant French Gold finish, which Skilling describes as somewhere between champagne and polished nickel. The light fixtures are in a bolder antiqued brass, the windows are black powder-coated steel and the shower enclosure is powder-coated in a brass hue. “It’s a fun little dance between the different metal finishes,” Skilling says.
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The plumbing fixtures are in Kohler’s Vibrant French Gold finish, which Skilling describes as somewhere between champagne and polished nickel. The light fixtures are in a bolder antiqued brass, the windows are black powder-coated steel and the shower enclosure is powder-coated in a brass hue. “It’s a fun little dance between the different metal finishes,” Skilling says.
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Benjamin Moore’s White Dove paint on the trim and ceiling plays off the white grout. The door seen here opens to the toilet room. “I always try to incorporate a separate toilet room whenever possible,” Skilling says. “It’s so important for privacy.”
The toilet room contains a fun surprise: Thibaut’s Ophelia wallpaper. The quatrefoil-esque design fits right in with the 1920s feel of the room. “I also used quatrefoil patterns in other places in this house,” Skilling says.
The toilet room contains a fun surprise: Thibaut’s Ophelia wallpaper. The quatrefoil-esque design fits right in with the 1920s feel of the room. “I also used quatrefoil patterns in other places in this house,” Skilling says.
The toilet room door is painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Roycroft Bottle Green, a hue that matches the tiles and the vanity cabinetry.
Adjacent to the toilet room door is the shower stall. It includes a bench topped in Rhino White marble, which was also used for the vanity countertop.
Adjacent to the toilet room door is the shower stall. It includes a bench topped in Rhino White marble, which was also used for the vanity countertop.
This photo offers a good look at the flooring, a 2-by-2-inch Carrara marble mosaic that plays off the white grout. “I didn’t want the flooring to compete with the strong statement of the green tiles,” Skilling says. She angled the pattern at 45 degrees, turning the mosaic’s squares into diamonds. She also used this tile on the shower’s ceiling.
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The shower is a steam shower. It also has a rain shower head, a regular shower head and a handheld wand that serves the bench area. The controls for these fixtures were placed outside the shower stall so the homeowners can adjust the water temperature before entering.
Skilling tucked the large components required for the steam shower into a bathroom linen closet that’s just past the shower.
Plaster Norman archways are a prominent architectural motif in the rest of the house, and Skilling added two of them to the primary bathroom. This one is an entry to the hallway, and there’s a second arched entry between the bathroom and the primary bedroom.
“The question was how to create curved cuts in a glazed tile while maintaining a clean look. It took lots of people, including the tile installer, the contractor and the plaster specialist, to figure out how to create clean and refined edges,” Skilling says. “It’s so much fun to be part of making these beautiful designs happen and watching a contractor who can make what you dreamed up come true. I love hearing a contractor agree that something can be done.”
Plaster Norman archways are a prominent architectural motif in the rest of the house, and Skilling added two of them to the primary bathroom. This one is an entry to the hallway, and there’s a second arched entry between the bathroom and the primary bedroom.
“The question was how to create curved cuts in a glazed tile while maintaining a clean look. It took lots of people, including the tile installer, the contractor and the plaster specialist, to figure out how to create clean and refined edges,” Skilling says. “It’s so much fun to be part of making these beautiful designs happen and watching a contractor who can make what you dreamed up come true. I love hearing a contractor agree that something can be done.”
“These clients did not require a crazy amount of storage for everyday products,” Skilling says. “They also wanted to highlight the tile and be able to show it off on the wall beneath the vanity.” So she concentrated storage in the center of the custom-designed vanity with a base cabinet and a slim countertop tower.
Skilling hid the electrical outlets on the sides of the base cabinet, painting the switchplate covers to match the wood. The hardware is a natural stone that matches the marble countertop.
The open vanity was crafted using Kohler’s cast-iron legs. “These are great because while they come with some of their sinks, you can buy them separately to make something custom,” Skilling says.
Cabinet paint: Roycroft Bottle Green, Sherwin-Williams
Skilling hid the electrical outlets on the sides of the base cabinet, painting the switchplate covers to match the wood. The hardware is a natural stone that matches the marble countertop.
The open vanity was crafted using Kohler’s cast-iron legs. “These are great because while they come with some of their sinks, you can buy them separately to make something custom,” Skilling says.
Cabinet paint: Roycroft Bottle Green, Sherwin-Williams
One thing that wasn’t so great about the cast-iron legs was that, when paired with a standard countertop, they didn’t reach today’s favored countertop height of 36 inches. Skilling addressed this by adding a mitered countertop that’s 2½ inches thick. “This also gave our countertop a nice chunky look,” she says.
An open vanity means paying attention to an important element: the P-trap, or the exposed pipe underneath. These P-traps have a brass finish. “P-traps are so important, and the PVC ones are so ugly,” Skilling says. “I even use pretty P-traps underneath a closed vanity.”
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An open vanity means paying attention to an important element: the P-trap, or the exposed pipe underneath. These P-traps have a brass finish. “P-traps are so important, and the PVC ones are so ugly,” Skilling says. “I even use pretty P-traps underneath a closed vanity.”
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
The faucets and handles have Art Deco-inspired silhouettes. And the stepped backsplash profile is also reminiscent of the era.
The mirrors are vintage, found on an antique shopping trip Skilling took with her clients. The inlay on the wood frames plays off the various brass finishes in the room.
The mirrors are vintage, found on an antique shopping trip Skilling took with her clients. The inlay on the wood frames plays off the various brass finishes in the room.
This Norman arch leads to the primary bedroom. To the left of it is an important detail that was key to making the room feel like it had been like this since the 1920s. Skilling sourced push-button light switches throughout the home to mimic what was originally there. These are by Forbes & Lomax.
“These are really special and their unlacquered brass finish will patina over time,” Skilling says. “And this company even makes push-button switches that will work will smart home technology.”
“These are really special and their unlacquered brass finish will patina over time,” Skilling says. “And this company even makes push-button switches that will work will smart home technology.”
Floor plan: The bathroom is in the top left corner, with the primary bedroom below it. Looking specifically at the bathroom portion, there’s an entrance to the bathroom from the hallway on the right and another from the primary bedroom. You can also see the toilet room at the top left and the small linen closet to the right of the shower.
“This was a special project, and it’s really fun when your clients are as into re-creating the historic design as you are,” Skilling says. “It’s important to keep these homes alive.”
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“This was a special project, and it’s really fun when your clients are as into re-creating the historic design as you are,” Skilling says. “It’s important to keep these homes alive.”
See more photos of this home
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom remodeler
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Indianapolis
Size: 150 square feet (14 square meters)
Designers: Tiffany Skilling (interior design) and Mark Demerly (architecture)
Contractor: Bly Bennett
Though the room had been a bedroom, Skilling’s objective was to give it the feel of an original 1920s bathroom. “Generally speaking, these older homes have these beautifully detailed bathrooms that really aren’t done like that anymore,” she says. “It’s understandable, as tiling all the walls is a huge investment. But my clients really wanted this bathroom to reflect the home’s original feel.”
Such a project also calls for the right tiles, and in this case Skilling turned to Cincinnati’s iconic Rookwood Tile. Founded in 1880, the company has been producing handmade architectural tile since 1902, and it thrived during the 1920s Art Deco period. This particular deep green tile has the company’s Nebula glaze. “I nodded to Art Deco throughout this house,” Skilling says.
And while she celebrated the original style of the house, she threw in a few more modern curveballs to update it. “Using that crisp white grout was more modern and makes the tile pop in an unexpected way,” Skilling says.
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