Bathroom of the Week: Sunny and Bright With a Large Shower
A designer creates a playful and happy primary bathroom in this 1970s California ranch house
A homeowner’s joyful and sunny disposition was the inspiration for this primary bathroom design in Modesto, California. Interior designers Wendy Glaister and Stephanie Poulsen redesigned the primary bedroom in the 1970s ranch house first, while the adjoining bathroom was a later renovation phase. “The bedroom had been really depressing, so we went with a color palette of sunny yellows, white and gray,” Glaister says. When it came time to renovate the bathroom, the homeowners were fully on board with continuing the playful color combination into the en suite bath.
After: In spite of all those problems, the designers were able to keep the plumbing locations the same, which saved money for more fun things, like tile. They replaced the bathtub with a large shower stall with two sets of showerheads, a must-have on the homeowners’ list. And they designed a custom vanity that maximized storage and countertop space. The bathroom also includes a toilet room, located beyond the right side of the vanity.
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“These clients were not at all risk-averse, so we were able to go bold,” Glaister says. “And one of them had such a sunny, bright, sparkly and cheery personality that she inspired the same personality for the bathroom.” In fact, this homeowner noted in her glowing Houzz review that she wants spaces that make her smile every time she walks into them and that the mission was accomplished here! The sunny yellow, white and gray accent wall in the shower was the jumping-off point for the design.
Getting a wall like this exactly right takes careful time and attention from a design professional. “Stephanie was the client and contractor lead on the project,” Glaister says. “The tile was going to be installed while she was away on vacation, so she went to the job site in advance and laid the whole back wall tile pattern out on the floor for the subcontractor to make sure it would be perfect.”
A new charcoal-and-white terrazzo tile for the floor was just the right complement to the bold accent wall. “The new bathroom had so much lightness and brightness coming at you that we knew we needed to ground it with something,” Glaister says. “The homeowners liked midcentury modern design, so this terrazzo was a wonderful complement that fit their tastes.”
Hexagonal tile and floor tile: Artistic Tile; large-format tile: Bedrosians
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Getting a wall like this exactly right takes careful time and attention from a design professional. “Stephanie was the client and contractor lead on the project,” Glaister says. “The tile was going to be installed while she was away on vacation, so she went to the job site in advance and laid the whole back wall tile pattern out on the floor for the subcontractor to make sure it would be perfect.”
A new charcoal-and-white terrazzo tile for the floor was just the right complement to the bold accent wall. “The new bathroom had so much lightness and brightness coming at you that we knew we needed to ground it with something,” Glaister says. “The homeowners liked midcentury modern design, so this terrazzo was a wonderful complement that fit their tastes.”
Hexagonal tile and floor tile: Artistic Tile; large-format tile: Bedrosians
Browse bathroom tile in the Houzz Shop
The rest of the shower tiles are 24-by-36-inch white tiles. The large-format choice means fewer grout lines, making the shower easier to clean. These tiles also help bounce light from the skylight around the room.
The shower also has a shaving ledge in the corner and a large niche. “It was important to put the niche in this wall,” Glaister says. “We didn’t want shower clutter distracting from the view of the wild and fun tile wall.”
They don’t appear in the photos, but there are towel hooks on the bathroom wall within easy reach of the shower.
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The shower also has a shaving ledge in the corner and a large niche. “It was important to put the niche in this wall,” Glaister says. “We didn’t want shower clutter distracting from the view of the wild and fun tile wall.”
They don’t appear in the photos, but there are towel hooks on the bathroom wall within easy reach of the shower.
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After: The vanity is a custom design that stretches from wall to wall. This gave the homeowners more counter space, as well as two sets of drawers on either side. The designers matched the vanity paint to the sunny yellow in the shower tile. The hexagonal cabinet pulls also play off that tile.
“It was important to maximize storage in here,” Glaister says. Mirrored medicine cabinets with integrated lights help with that. The medicine cabinet doors have magnifying mirrors inside.
The light fixtures play off the gray in the terrazzo floor. “These are custom-made ceramic fixtures by California company Justice Design — they paint them to match any color you choose,” Glaister says.
Wall paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore; countertop: Calacatta Gold, Cosentino
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“It was important to maximize storage in here,” Glaister says. Mirrored medicine cabinets with integrated lights help with that. The medicine cabinet doors have magnifying mirrors inside.
The light fixtures play off the gray in the terrazzo floor. “These are custom-made ceramic fixtures by California company Justice Design — they paint them to match any color you choose,” Glaister says.
Wall paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore; countertop: Calacatta Gold, Cosentino
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The homeowners opted for a trough sink with two faucets, which left more countertop space than double sinks would have.
“We didn’t want to go too contemporary with the faucets,” Glaister says. “These have character and interest and match the style of the rest of the house. Polished chrome can be cold with blue undertones, so we recommended polished nickel because it’s a little warmer.”
At 2¼ inches thick, the countertop is an inch thicker than standard, and it has a flat mitered polished edge. “This thickness mirrors the cabinet profile,” the designer says. “Repetition of themes or dimensions is something the eye might not recognize, but when you repeat these things, it makes your eye like a space more because it puts your brain at ease.”
“We didn’t want to go too contemporary with the faucets,” Glaister says. “These have character and interest and match the style of the rest of the house. Polished chrome can be cold with blue undertones, so we recommended polished nickel because it’s a little warmer.”
At 2¼ inches thick, the countertop is an inch thicker than standard, and it has a flat mitered polished edge. “This thickness mirrors the cabinet profile,” the designer says. “Repetition of themes or dimensions is something the eye might not recognize, but when you repeat these things, it makes your eye like a space more because it puts your brain at ease.”
The terrazzo tile continues into the toilet room, where the wallpaper plays off the shower accent wall. There’s also additional storage in here — not seen in the photo are floor-to-ceiling, 12-inch-deep cabinets.
Glaister used Houzz Pro business software to keep track of all the invoices and billing throughout the process. “I love it,” she says. “It made the billing super fast and easy.”
Wallpaper: Cole & Son
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Glaister used Houzz Pro business software to keep track of all the invoices and billing throughout the process. “I love it,” she says. “It made the billing super fast and easy.”
Wallpaper: Cole & Son
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: A family of five
Location: Modesto, California
Size: 120 square feet (11 square meters)
Designers: Wendy Glaister and Stephanie Poulsen of Wendy Glaister Interiors
Before: The primary bedroom had been depressing, and its en suite bathroom was even worse. “It had this giant tub with only a shower wand in it — it was very impractical,” Glaister says. “And it was dated and dark, had terrible storage and was a little moldy.”