Bathroom Makeovers
Bathroom of the Week
Bathroom of the Week: Updated Traditional Style and a Spa Feeling
A designer gives her clients a lighter, brighter and freshened-up primary bath
“Make it feel like a spa and be low-maintenance” is a bathroom remodeling request interior designer Jena Bula often gets from her clients. This primary bathroom she designed for two empty nesters near Charlotte, North Carolina, was no exception. Their wish-list items included lightening the space up, incorporating the look of natural stone on the floor and creating an updated traditional style.
After: One element the couple liked about the existing bathroom was the tower cabinet storage. Bula made the most of the high ceilings by extending these cabinets to the ceiling. She married the tall cabinets to the architecture by continuing the existing triple crown millwork around the tops of the cabinets.
She placed the cabinet towers atop the vanity counter. This allowed for a handy drawer at the bottom of each. Inside, the cabinets have rollout shelves to make it easy to reach things stored in the back. They also have outlets for electric toothbrushes.
She placed the cabinet towers atop the vanity counter. This allowed for a handy drawer at the bottom of each. Inside, the cabinets have rollout shelves to make it easy to reach things stored in the back. They also have outlets for electric toothbrushes.
Bula was thoughtful about the composition of the cabinetry. Their arrangement gives each person their own bank of drawers and another bank of drawers to share in the center. The cabinets beneath the linen towers contain laundry hampers.
The designer went through many shades of light blue before finding the perfect cabinet color. This is Feather Gray by Benjamin Moore.
The designer went through many shades of light blue before finding the perfect cabinet color. This is Feather Gray by Benjamin Moore.
The hardware and sconces have brushed brass finishes and the plumbing fixtures are polished nickel. Though polished nickel has silver tones, it leans warm and therefore works well with brass.
The homeowners wanted to replace the large mirror with a pair of mirrors. “Their frames are mirrored, which gives them a kind of silver look,” Bula says. The bevels and mirrored frames also add depth to the wall. Note that there’s a double sconce in the middle that matches the single sconces on either side.
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The homeowners wanted to replace the large mirror with a pair of mirrors. “Their frames are mirrored, which gives them a kind of silver look,” Bula says. The bevels and mirrored frames also add depth to the wall. Note that there’s a double sconce in the middle that matches the single sconces on either side.
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“My clients like traditional style but not anything too ornate,” Bula says. “At the same time, they don’t lean too sleek. So while we could call this transitional style, I think calling it ‘updated traditional’ is more accurate.”
The Shaker-style cabinets with a subtle beaded inset detail mixed with flat-front top drawers are a good example of the updated feel. So are the faucets. They have traditional cross handles and a gooseneck faucet silhouette. “The gooseneck isn’t so rounded, which would have been more modern,” Bula says. The brushed brass and polished nickel finishes are traditional. However, look closely to see the modern touch of acrylic on the sconce bases and the 2-inch mitered edge of the countertop. These little details freshen up traditional style.
Sink and tub fixtures: Rohl
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The Shaker-style cabinets with a subtle beaded inset detail mixed with flat-front top drawers are a good example of the updated feel. So are the faucets. They have traditional cross handles and a gooseneck faucet silhouette. “The gooseneck isn’t so rounded, which would have been more modern,” Bula says. The brushed brass and polished nickel finishes are traditional. However, look closely to see the modern touch of acrylic on the sconce bases and the 2-inch mitered edge of the countertop. These little details freshen up traditional style.
Sink and tub fixtures: Rohl
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Bula finds that a countertop thicker than the standard 1¼ inches, with a mitered edge, adds a special touch. In keeping with her clients’ request for low maintenance, she recommended quartz for the countertop. This one resembles marble but is much more durable and easier to clean.
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The door on the left leads to the toilet room and the one on the right leads to a closet. Both spaces were remodeled as part of the project.
The homeowners loved the look of a slightly rugged natural stone floor. Because they also wanted low maintenance, the designer steered them toward porcelain. “As someone with a trained eye, I can usually tell the difference between natural stone and porcelain, but in this case I really can’t,” she says. “We used a wide range of color in the tiles, and they have a texture to them. There are even little faux chips in them. Also, the texture makes it slip-resistant.” Bula had the tiles laid in a classic herringbone pattern.
The wall paint, Etiquette by Benjamin Moore, is a shade Bula tested in her own home. “Before I used it, I did a bunch of blind paint color tests and I chose this color every time,” she says. “It’s a really nice warm neutral that does not lean too beige. And it looks so nice next to white trim.” The white paint is Benjamin Moore’s Simply White.
The homeowners loved the look of a slightly rugged natural stone floor. Because they also wanted low maintenance, the designer steered them toward porcelain. “As someone with a trained eye, I can usually tell the difference between natural stone and porcelain, but in this case I really can’t,” she says. “We used a wide range of color in the tiles, and they have a texture to them. There are even little faux chips in them. Also, the texture makes it slip-resistant.” Bula had the tiles laid in a classic herringbone pattern.
The wall paint, Etiquette by Benjamin Moore, is a shade Bula tested in her own home. “Before I used it, I did a bunch of blind paint color tests and I chose this color every time,” she says. “It’s a really nice warm neutral that does not lean too beige. And it looks so nice next to white trim.” The white paint is Benjamin Moore’s Simply White.
Mood board for the bathroom created with Houzz Pro software
Bula says her firm often uses Houzz Mood Boards to build design concepts to present to clients. Here’s an example from this project. She also uses Houzz Pro software to invoice clients.
Bula says her firm often uses Houzz Mood Boards to build design concepts to present to clients. Here’s an example from this project. She also uses Houzz Pro software to invoice clients.
Before: The overmount drop-in tub and its surround were dated. The shower enclosure was framed glass. The corner bench in the shower took up a lot of room.
After: The shower was a generous size and didn’t need expanding. However, it now appears bigger for a few reasons.
One, the new glass is frameless and takes up less visual space. Two, Bula extended the shower tile to meet the crown molding at the ceiling. Third, she placed the rain shower head 7 feet above the floor, a practice she employs in all her bathroom designs these days. “Standard height for a shower head is 6 feet,” she says. “For tall people, that is less than ideal. Even if you’re 5-foot-10-inches tall, you don’t want your head that close to the shower head.”
One, the new glass is frameless and takes up less visual space. Two, Bula extended the shower tile to meet the crown molding at the ceiling. Third, she placed the rain shower head 7 feet above the floor, a practice she employs in all her bathroom designs these days. “Standard height for a shower head is 6 feet,” she says. “For tall people, that is less than ideal. Even if you’re 5-foot-10-inches tall, you don’t want your head that close to the shower head.”
Bula has a few other functional shower elements she’s made standard practice whenever possible. One is creating a leg-shaving niche. Another is using a door that swings both ways. This makes it possible to turn on the water without getting wet.
She also likes to use a horizontal bar on the outside of the shower door. “Some people like to hang a towel here when they take a shower. It also gives them a good place to hang the bath mat,” she says.
She also likes to use a horizontal bar on the outside of the shower door. “Some people like to hang a towel here when they take a shower. It also gives them a good place to hang the bath mat,” she says.
The shower also has a detachable wand shower head on a slide bar. The tiles are porcelain. Bula recommended them because of their lightness and subtle variation in tones. “They have a very natural look to them,” she says.
Shower fixtures: Kohler
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Shower fixtures: Kohler
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
The new tub is an undermount built-in. Bula repeated the same marble-look quartz she used on the vanity around the top of the tub.
The new millwork surround has a cleaner, quieter look. In other words, more spa-like. The millwork mimics the profile of the beaded Shaker-style cabinetry.
The new millwork surround has a cleaner, quieter look. In other words, more spa-like. The millwork mimics the profile of the beaded Shaker-style cabinetry.
The designer continued the quartz up the wall to meet the windowsill. This is a material that’s very easy to wipe down. The bathtub’s hand shower wand makes cleaning even easier.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Marvin, North Carolina
Size: 170 square feet (16 square meters)
Designer: Jena Bula of Delphinium Design
Contractor: Nordic Builders
Before: The room had a great window, but the finishes made it feel dark. The only ceiling lighting was provided by a lone chandelier. “Also, the ceiling had some sort of faux painting in a dark color, which didn’t help,” Bula says.
While the ceilings were high, the cabinetry and shower tile ended a few feet short of the crown molding. This gave the room a chopped-up feel. In addition, the ornate cabinetry and busy pattern of the countertop didn’t suit the homeowners’ desire for a quiet and light aesthetic.
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