Before and After: 3 Bathroom Remodels Add Drama With Dark Blue
See how pros used deep blue finishes to bring depth and personality to bathrooms under 121 square feet
Blue is classic, crisp and calming, which makes it a perennially popular choice for bathroom finishes like vanities, walls and tile. In these three transformed bathrooms, deep shades of the color contrast with light wood and soft neutral tones to lend a sense of style that’s both bold and timeless.
After: Kaplan wanted to create a showstopper of a bathroom that pulled in the blues, gray and chestnut she used in the kitchen update. Style-wise, she aimed for a modern (but not too modern) farmhouse feel.
She kept the basic layout but swapped in a new double vanity with Shaker-style doors. Its blue paint (Gale Force by Sherwin-Williams) coordinates with the washable indigo wallpaper, which is a durable faux grasscloth.
Dove gray quartz with subtle white veining tops the vanity, and a blue-and-charcoal woven area rug (Abstract by Safavieh) softens the new wood-look vinyl flooring.
White paint on the walls and ceiling and matte black and satin nickel finishes add variety and contrast.
Shop from a curated collection of bathroom vanities
She kept the basic layout but swapped in a new double vanity with Shaker-style doors. Its blue paint (Gale Force by Sherwin-Williams) coordinates with the washable indigo wallpaper, which is a durable faux grasscloth.
Dove gray quartz with subtle white veining tops the vanity, and a blue-and-charcoal woven area rug (Abstract by Safavieh) softens the new wood-look vinyl flooring.
White paint on the walls and ceiling and matte black and satin nickel finishes add variety and contrast.
Shop from a curated collection of bathroom vanities
Before: Behind the door to the right of the vanity was a toilet and a shower-tub combo with the same blah look.
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New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
After: Since the homeowner had another bathroom with a tub and prefers showers anyway, Kaplan replaced the shower-tub combo with a spacious low-curb shower and frameless glass enclosure. She replaced the old toilet as well.
The shower walls are covered in textured 3-by-12-inch ceramic tiles from Arizona Tile’s Flash series. The stacked pattern all the way to the ceiling adds visual height to the room, and the dark cobalt color creates a sense of depth.
Kaplan says she took a little risk without adding more color by covering the shower floor and the floor outside it with wood-look porcelain tiles in navy, sky blue, light gray and off-white (Taco Melange Blue by SomerTile).
A pair of floating lacquered pine shelves above the toilet add an organic touch as well as storage and display space, while also tying in the wood-look vinyl flooring in the vanity area.
Read more about this bathroom renovation
The shower walls are covered in textured 3-by-12-inch ceramic tiles from Arizona Tile’s Flash series. The stacked pattern all the way to the ceiling adds visual height to the room, and the dark cobalt color creates a sense of depth.
Kaplan says she took a little risk without adding more color by covering the shower floor and the floor outside it with wood-look porcelain tiles in navy, sky blue, light gray and off-white (Taco Melange Blue by SomerTile).
A pair of floating lacquered pine shelves above the toilet add an organic touch as well as storage and display space, while also tying in the wood-look vinyl flooring in the vanity area.
Read more about this bathroom renovation
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Before Photo
Photos by WE Studio
2. From ’80s Awkward to Clean-Lined and Colorful
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A single woman
Location: Seattle
Size: 117 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer: Lisa Price of Jackson Design Build
Before: This primary bathroom’s former tub-shower design took up a lot of space, and its worn 1980s finishes were showing their age. Even worse, it was so awkward and uncomfortable to use, the homeowner had taken to showering in a downstairs bathroom.
2. From ’80s Awkward to Clean-Lined and Colorful
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A single woman
Location: Seattle
Size: 117 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer: Lisa Price of Jackson Design Build
Before: This primary bathroom’s former tub-shower design took up a lot of space, and its worn 1980s finishes were showing their age. Even worse, it was so awkward and uncomfortable to use, the homeowner had taken to showering in a downstairs bathroom.
After: Lisa Price of Jackson Design Build reconfigured the layout, which included removing the large tub and installing a new vanity farther to the left. The tall cabinet on the left has rollout drawers for easy access to towels and toiletries.
The vanity is made from quartersawn oak in a vertical orientation. Price chose touch-release hardware to keep the focus on the cabinetry’s beautiful wood grain.
The countertop is PaperStone, an FSC-certified composite made of postconsumer recycled paper and resin from industrial byproducts. It looks great but does require careful wiping up to avoid watermarks, Price says.
Fitting perfectly between new mirrored medicine cabinets and the countertop are Heath Ceramics tiles in a color range and layout inspired by the homeowner’s beloved Welsh bedroom linens. Note the subtle variation in the tiles’ width and color.
The vanity is made from quartersawn oak in a vertical orientation. Price chose touch-release hardware to keep the focus on the cabinetry’s beautiful wood grain.
The countertop is PaperStone, an FSC-certified composite made of postconsumer recycled paper and resin from industrial byproducts. It looks great but does require careful wiping up to avoid watermarks, Price says.
Fitting perfectly between new mirrored medicine cabinets and the countertop are Heath Ceramics tiles in a color range and layout inspired by the homeowner’s beloved Welsh bedroom linens. Note the subtle variation in the tiles’ width and color.
Before Photo
Before: The original bathroom had double sinks, but the homeowner lives alone and preferred extra counter space to a second sink.
After: Removing the tub and moving the vanity and toilet to the left allowed Price to install a 3-by-5½-foot shower stall. Because of the angled ceiling, installing a shower head at the correct height also required straightening out an existing angled wall that jutted into the bathroom from a closet, then claiming a few feet from the closet space.
A clear glass shower enclosure allows the tile to shine. Zoom in to see the ombre-like effect of the tile as it travels from the backsplash behind the toilet and onto the shower walls and ceiling. And click on the link below to see the shower niches’ 3D-patterned panot tile, inspired by Barcelona’s sidewalks.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
A clear glass shower enclosure allows the tile to shine. Zoom in to see the ombre-like effect of the tile as it travels from the backsplash behind the toilet and onto the shower walls and ceiling. And click on the link below to see the shower niches’ 3D-patterned panot tile, inspired by Barcelona’s sidewalks.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Before Photo
“After” photos by Breanne Ash Photography
3. From Blah and Blocky to Bright and Beautiful
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Modesto, California
Size: 120 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer: Lindsay Kjellberg of LHK Interiors
Before: After living with this tired white bathroom and its space-wasting glass block shower enclosure for 15 years, the owners hired designer Lindsay Kjellberg to give it a bright, open feel and transitional style that better matched the rest of the 1940s home.
3. From Blah and Blocky to Bright and Beautiful
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Modesto, California
Size: 120 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer: Lindsay Kjellberg of LHK Interiors
Before: After living with this tired white bathroom and its space-wasting glass block shower enclosure for 15 years, the owners hired designer Lindsay Kjellberg to give it a bright, open feel and transitional style that better matched the rest of the 1940s home.
After: Kjellberg removed the glass blocks and took the bathroom down to the studs.
For the main flooring, she installed a wood-look porcelain tile in a matte finish that closely matches the wood floors in the rest of the house.
A new custom poplar vanity that’s 10 inches longer than the original offers more storage and has a clean-lined, transitional style. The navy blue paint (After Midnight, in a satin finish, by Kelly-Moore) makes it a fun focal point, and its bronze pulls (Blackrock in Golden Champagne from Amerock Hardware) add just the right amount of shine and warmth.
The metal coordinates with the rectangular undermount sink’s widespread faucet, two 30-inch towel bars (reflected in the mirror) and the brass finish on the LED sconces flanking the recessed medicine cabinet.
To the right of the vanity and across from a new linen closet is a new Highline toilet by Kohler.
For the main flooring, she installed a wood-look porcelain tile in a matte finish that closely matches the wood floors in the rest of the house.
A new custom poplar vanity that’s 10 inches longer than the original offers more storage and has a clean-lined, transitional style. The navy blue paint (After Midnight, in a satin finish, by Kelly-Moore) makes it a fun focal point, and its bronze pulls (Blackrock in Golden Champagne from Amerock Hardware) add just the right amount of shine and warmth.
The metal coordinates with the rectangular undermount sink’s widespread faucet, two 30-inch towel bars (reflected in the mirror) and the brass finish on the LED sconces flanking the recessed medicine cabinet.
To the right of the vanity and across from a new linen closet is a new Highline toilet by Kohler.
Before Photo
Before: Here’s a better view of the original glass block wall, which, counterintuitively, made the space surprisingly dark.
After: The new shower has a custom frameless glass surround, which creates a more open feel and lets more light into the bathroom through the new double-pane, energy-efficient operable window.
The glass enclosure also shows off the shower’s creamy stone-look porcelain wall and bench tile and its basketweave-pattern marble mosaic floor and niche tile. As a bonus, the glass has a special coating that causes water to bead up, making cleaning easier.
The finishing touch is a matte black shower set featuring a handheld shower head that reaches across to the bench.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
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The glass enclosure also shows off the shower’s creamy stone-look porcelain wall and bench tile and its basketweave-pattern marble mosaic floor and niche tile. As a bonus, the glass has a special coating that causes water to bead up, making cleaning easier.
The finishing touch is a matte black shower set featuring a handheld shower head that reaches across to the bench.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
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1. From Basic Beige to Inspired Indigo
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A single man
Location: San Diego
Size: 75 square feet (7 square meters)
Designer: Sarah Kaplan of Blythe Interiors
Before: The former primary bathroom in this townhome was as plain as they come, with a white hardware-free vanity, an off-white countertop and walls, and a beige carpet that attracted water spots.
The homeowner hired designer Sarah Kaplan of Blythe Interiors, who had recently refreshed his kitchen, to punch it up.
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