Bathroom Design
Bathroom of the Week
Bathroom of the Week: Warm Organic Midcentury Modern Style
A designer and a contractor carve out space for a primary bathroom with a roomy shower stall
As they got ready to welcome their first baby, this Long Beach, California, couple bought a 1951 midcentury modern home, with plans to immediately remodel it to better suit their growing family. In the extensive renovation, interior designer Heather Knight-Willcock and contractor Bryan Luu reconfigured much of the home’s floor plan, expanding it from three bedrooms and two bathrooms to four bedrooms, two full bathrooms and one powder room.
Creating a primary suite with a comfortable bathroom was an important part of the project. Knight-Willcock’s design for the new primary bathroom embraces the original spirit of the midcentury house through materials and details, but it updates them.
Creating a primary suite with a comfortable bathroom was an important part of the project. Knight-Willcock’s design for the new primary bathroom embraces the original spirit of the midcentury house through materials and details, but it updates them.
Knight-Willcock designed the custom vanity. It has an interesting composition of Shaker-style drawers. The geometric play and the walnut nod to midcentury style.
The center pullout drawer stores hair appliances and has outlets inside. The drawer pulls have transitional silhouettes and a champagne bronze finish. Warm finishes on the hardware and faucets recall the brass that was popular during the time the house was built.
The squares and rectangles within the floor tile also nod to geometric patterns that were popular during the era. However, the marble material of the intricate mosaic tile elevates the look.
The center pullout drawer stores hair appliances and has outlets inside. The drawer pulls have transitional silhouettes and a champagne bronze finish. Warm finishes on the hardware and faucets recall the brass that was popular during the time the house was built.
The squares and rectangles within the floor tile also nod to geometric patterns that were popular during the era. However, the marble material of the intricate mosaic tile elevates the look.
A large mirror with a black metal frame is simple and streamlined. The frame plays off the black metal sconces that flank the mirror.
Specifying the location of everything was key to the success of the room. For example, Luu made sure the new window was precisely centered above the toilet. In addition to this window, there’s a transom window in the shower and a sun tunnel in the ceiling that fill the room with natural light.
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Specifying the location of everything was key to the success of the room. For example, Luu made sure the new window was precisely centered above the toilet. In addition to this window, there’s a transom window in the shower and a sun tunnel in the ceiling that fill the room with natural light.
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The countertop and backsplash are Calacatta Luccia quartz, which looks like marble but is more durable and easier to maintain. It also adds to the organic feel of the room. Continuing the countertop material up the backsplash maintains a clean and uncluttered look.
The single-handle faucets have a streamlined design that befits the home’s era. The luxe gold finish adds warmth to the room.
The single-handle faucets have a streamlined design that befits the home’s era. The luxe gold finish adds warmth to the room.
Expanding the original hall bath’s footprint made room for a generous shower stall. It measures 6¼ by 3¾ feet. The new transom window lets in light, while its height provides privacy.
Hanging the shower door from the half wall on the left allows easy access to the shower controls from outside the shower. It also makes it easy for the homeowners to grab a toasty towel from the towel warmer before exiting the shower. Placing the door here presented some challenges solved by physics. “We beefed up that low wall to create the proper support and located the middle hinge as high as we could to carry the weight of the shower door,” Luu says.
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Hanging the shower door from the half wall on the left allows easy access to the shower controls from outside the shower. It also makes it easy for the homeowners to grab a toasty towel from the towel warmer before exiting the shower. Placing the door here presented some challenges solved by physics. “We beefed up that low wall to create the proper support and located the middle hinge as high as we could to carry the weight of the shower door,” Luu says.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Inside the shower is a blocky, minimalist bench finished in the same quartz used on the countertop and backsplash. Above, a ledge topped in the quartz runs along the entire shower wall.
The handmade zellige shower tiles add an earthy element to the room. While midcentury design typically had gridded tile patterns, Knight-Willcock composed these tiles in a vertical staggered pattern to update the look.
The handmade zellige shower tiles add an earthy element to the room. While midcentury design typically had gridded tile patterns, Knight-Willcock composed these tiles in a vertical staggered pattern to update the look.
Before: The existing hall bathroom, seen here on the right, was very tight, and it doubled as the home’s powder room. It had a 3-by-3-foot shower stall and a 2-foot-wide vanity. The new bathroom’s footprint took over the space from that bathroom, as well as the adjacent hallway, closet No. 2 and a sliver of closet No. 1.
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After: The light dashed lines represent where the walls in the “before” plan were. The shower is on the right side of the new primary bathroom, with the double vanity running along the top of the room. The toilet sits between the two.
A new hallway off the primary bedroom on the left provides easy access to a new laundry closet.
A new hallway off the primary bedroom on the left provides easy access to a new laundry closet.
As seen on the “after” floor plan, the adjacent laundry closet occupies the area that juts into the room next to the vanity. Knight-Willcock and Luu made the most of the remaining alcove in the bathroom by adding additional storage. The walnut cabinetry and quartz match the vanity, and the backsplash extends all the way up to meet the upper cabinets.
There is undercabinet lighting to illuminate the countertop at night. This provides a soft night light for late-night bathroom trips.
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There is undercabinet lighting to illuminate the countertop at night. This provides a soft night light for late-night bathroom trips.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a local remodeling professional
Shop for your bathroom
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family of three
Location: Long Beach, California
Size: 97 square feet (9 square meters)
Designer: Heather Knight-Willcock
Contractor: Bryan Luu of BLuu Construction
A large part of the project involved relocating the primary suite. Knight-Willcock found space for the primary bathroom by taking over a small existing hall bath, part of a hallway and space from two small closets. (See before-and-after floor plans below.) This allowed room for a double vanity, a generous shower stall and additional storage.
“Heather named this project ‘MCMR,’ which stands for Midcentury Modern Revival,” Luu says. Style-wise, this meant the design honors the home’s midcentury modern vintage while giving it modern conveniences and a warm organic feel.
This view from the bedroom shows a new paneled pocket door partially open on the left. “There is a small hallway to the left of this door. Using a pocket door optimized the space,” Luu says.
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