Bathroom of the Week: Terrazzo Dazzles in a 68-Square-Foot Space

“After” photos by Tramp Studio

Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Long Beach, California
Size: 68 square feet (6.3 square meters)
Designer: Linette Dai Design

Before: “The girls were really little, but the bathroom they shared was already overflowing with baby clutter,” Dai says. “It was cramped and hardly had any counter space.” She approached the design as if the girls were already teenagers with hectic mornings getting ready for school.

Dai got to know her clients’ style through talking with them, looking at inspiration images and checking out how they had furnished the rest of their home. “The house was a California bungalow without a lot of detail,” she says. “I could tell that my clients liked midcentury modern design, so I leaned into the midcentury aesthetic. I went for a timelessly retro look rather than baby pink so that the bathroom would grow with the girls.”

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After: “I knew we needed a vanity that would go from wall to wall,” Dai says, to maximize countertop and storage space. She expanded the tiny bathroom by taking over an adjacent closet, which expanded the room from 42 square feet to 68 square feet. This allowed her to move the toilet to the opposite side of the room, making space for the wall-to-wall vanity.

The jumping-off point for the style was the dazzling terrazzo countertop. The material was popular during the midcentury era and is also versatile. “The terrazzo has colored flecks in it, but overall it was like a neutral to me,” Dai says. Terrazzo is more commonly used on floors than countertops. “When I put together a design concept, I like the idea of putting a twist on something that’s unexpected,” Dai says.

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Of course, when you do something unexpected, you can run into challenges. Dai sought out the longest slab of terrazzo she could find. Concrete Collaborative had a stunning piece that was almost long enough. Almost.

To make up for the few inches the slab fell short, Dai extended the sides of the vanity above the counter, creating oak bookends on either side of the terrazzo. The result is a stronger presence for the warm wood, and the curving edges Dai designed add softness. “Sometimes the best designs come out of solutions to problems,” she says.

The curved vanity edges were part of a careful balance. “I think carefully about balance in every design — shapes, temperature and color,” Dai says. “In here, it was a balance of straight lines and curves, a balance of cold terrazzo and warm wood and a balance of a soft concrete floor tile and glossy glass wall tiles.”

The globe sconces also add round shapes to this wall, playing off the strong rectilinear grid of glass tiles behind them. Instead of using mirrored medicine cabinets, Dai designed recessed oak shelving for storage. “This comes back to balance,” she says. “The wood adds warmth to balance out the coolness of the glass tiles.”

The balance also lets certain elements play leading roles while others are supporting players. Here, the terrazzo countertop and patterned floor are the stars. “I went with matte white faucets because I thought a metal finish would be a distraction,” Dai says. “These are quiet and they add a very cute pop of modern-day design.”

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Before: The bathroom had a tub-shower combo. This was the most efficient option for the room.

After: The new tub is elongated. Dai added another curve to the room by rounding the top corner of the hinged shower enclosure. She minimized the size of the enclosure to make bathing easier while the girls are little. The toilet’s new location is out of frame to the left.

Balance and minimalism came into play with the mix of tiles. Dai was inspired by the pretty green flecks in the terrazzo. “The floor tile was an early selection, and it is a statement tile,” she says. “I kept the shower tile simple to complement it.” The floor has a playful geometric pattern that nods to midcentury design without looking stuck in time.

The designer chose glass tiles in the same shape for the shower walls and tub surround in three different colors. Then she used a color-blocking strategy. The darkest green is on the side of the tub, the lighter green extends up the side walls, and the back wall is covered in white tiles. “The white glass tile on the back wall mirrors the white tile behind the vanity across the room,” Dai says. She lined the inside of the niche in the white tiles to maintain a minimalist feel.

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Before: This photo shows how the family had to address the lack of storage by using temporary hooks and organizers and placing everyday items on the window ledge.

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After: The new space has plenty of storage, even for teenagers, thanks to the niches, the large vanity’s many drawers and the long bottom shelf. Overall, Dai was inspired by midcentury design in terms of materials, playing with geometry and creating a sense of playfulness. Because hers is a fresh take, the room will transcend trends and work for this house for many years to come.

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