Bathroom Makeovers
Before and Afters
Before and After: 4 Spa-Like Bathrooms in About 65 Square Feet
Discover ideas for tranquil color palettes and space-saving features in these restorative spaces
When your bathroom is on the smaller side, a nature-inspired palette based on soft blues or greens plus white or gray can feel like a deep, calming breath. Add elements such as light-bouncing tiles, special shower features and streamlined storage, and you’re well on your way to having a bathroom that washes stress right down the drain. Check out the four spaces below and see if any of their zen-like or space-saving features might give your own bath that blissful spa feel.
After: Griffin got rid of the radiator, had two cabinets recessed and took space from a hallway linen closet to expand the shower, adding 8 square feet to the floor plan. The shower offers a four-star spa experience with a steam feature, a waterfall system above a built-in bench, and rain shower and handheld shower heads.
The flooring, all the walls and the shower ceiling are clad in glass tile for a light-bouncing effect. Their colors recall the sea on a clear day: smoky green and mother-of-pearl.
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The flooring, all the walls and the shower ceiling are clad in glass tile for a light-bouncing effect. Their colors recall the sea on a clear day: smoky green and mother-of-pearl.
Find a bathroom designer near you
A bureau-style vanity replaced the pedestal sink on the near side of the shower. It has a hidden outlet for hair appliances and a wall-mounted faucet, enhancing the clean look. And the mirror has LED lighting, allowing the walls on either side to be clear of sconces.
Space savers: Wall-mounted toilet with hidden tank, recessed 6-foot-tall cabinet, recessed medicine cabinet with integrated lighting, heated flooring.
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Space savers: Wall-mounted toilet with hidden tank, recessed 6-foot-tall cabinet, recessed medicine cabinet with integrated lighting, heated flooring.
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Before Photo
“After” photos by Andrew Bruah
2. Sky Hook
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A busy couple with a child
Location: Dearborn Park neighborhood of Chicago
Size: 62 square feet (5.8 square meters)
Designer: Erica Lugbill of Lugbill Designs
Before: Dated and lackluster, this Chicago primary bath also had a vanity lower than a modern standard one and a tub the homeowners didn’t use. Designer Erica Lugbill came on board to make the 62-square-foot space feel more open, with better storage and a relaxing look.
2. Sky Hook
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A busy couple with a child
Location: Dearborn Park neighborhood of Chicago
Size: 62 square feet (5.8 square meters)
Designer: Erica Lugbill of Lugbill Designs
Before: Dated and lackluster, this Chicago primary bath also had a vanity lower than a modern standard one and a tub the homeowners didn’t use. Designer Erica Lugbill came on board to make the 62-square-foot space feel more open, with better storage and a relaxing look.
After: A tile accent wall in shades of blue stretches from the main wall to the shower wall, evoking an endless, ever-changing sky and creating a continuous sightline that makes the space feel bigger. Lugbill also used a single type of white tile for both the main floor and the shower floor, but in different formats.
Removing the unused tub made way for a more expansive, luxurious-feeling shower with a shower head at either end. Clear glass enhances the newly open feel.
How to Pick Out a Bathroom Vanity
Removing the unused tub made way for a more expansive, luxurious-feeling shower with a shower head at either end. Clear glass enhances the newly open feel.
How to Pick Out a Bathroom Vanity
The new double vanity is 3 inches higher and made of white oak with a white quartz countertop, enhancing the fresh look. Dark oil-rubbed bronze hardware adds soft punctuation marks. In the mirror, you can spot a reflection of the new floor-to-ceiling linen cabinet.
The walls are painted a cool white with a gray undertone (Sherwin-Williams’s Big Chill), creating a quietly soothing backdrop versus a blindingly bright one.
Space savers: Tub removal, shower niche, luggage rack over the toilet, floor-to-ceiling linen cabinet.
Cabinets: Guided Design
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The walls are painted a cool white with a gray undertone (Sherwin-Williams’s Big Chill), creating a quietly soothing backdrop versus a blindingly bright one.
Space savers: Tub removal, shower niche, luggage rack over the toilet, floor-to-ceiling linen cabinet.
Cabinets: Guided Design
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“After” photos by Brandon Heiser of Heiser Media
3. Green Is Good
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Bothell, Washington
Size: 69 square feet (6.4 square meters)
Designer: Brittney Heiser of Heiser Designs
Before: Charm and functionality were missing from this 69-square-foot Washington state guest bath. What it did have: worn vinyl flooring, a hard-to-clean tile countertop and a wall that chopped up the space. The homeowners tapped designer Brittney Heiser to create a bathroom their guests would love, with bold touches but an overall serene feel.
3. Green Is Good
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Bothell, Washington
Size: 69 square feet (6.4 square meters)
Designer: Brittney Heiser of Heiser Designs
Before: Charm and functionality were missing from this 69-square-foot Washington state guest bath. What it did have: worn vinyl flooring, a hard-to-clean tile countertop and a wall that chopped up the space. The homeowners tapped designer Brittney Heiser to create a bathroom their guests would love, with bold touches but an overall serene feel.
After: Glossy green tiles nodding to seawater pull focus to the back wall and off the narrowness of the room. Light gray patterned floor tile adds interest without being overwhelming.
Tucked between the new tub and vanity, the toilet still has come privacy despite the removal of that wall seen in the previous photo.
Shower tiles: Sartoria T-brick in Eucalyptus, 2 by 6 inches, Tileshop; floor tiles: Cascais in Silver Sky, 9 by 9 inches, TileBar
Tucked between the new tub and vanity, the toilet still has come privacy despite the removal of that wall seen in the previous photo.
Shower tiles: Sartoria T-brick in Eucalyptus, 2 by 6 inches, Tileshop; floor tiles: Cascais in Silver Sky, 9 by 9 inches, TileBar
The wall removal allowed for a longer double vanity. Made of white oak, it has nine drawers and two cabinets for ample storage. As in the previous project, dark hardware creates a defined look. In this one, however, the dark finish has been carried through to the mirror frames as well.
Space savers: Wall removal, floating shelves over toilet, lots of vanity drawers.
Cabinet hardware: Miseno; mirrors: Simply Arched in matte black, Shades of Light
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Space savers: Wall removal, floating shelves over toilet, lots of vanity drawers.
Cabinet hardware: Miseno; mirrors: Simply Arched in matte black, Shades of Light
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“After” photo by Regis Vogt
4. Playing It Cool
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Todd Wooten, Stacy Chin and their son
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 65 square feet (6 square meters)
Designer: Amy Herbert of Aesthetic Answers
Before: With impractical storage, a jutting-out radiator, a tile floor with hard-to-clean grout lines and a dull color scheme, this Washington, D.C., primary bath lacked both functionality and style. Using Houzz to gather ideas, the homeowners worked with designer Amy Herbert to give the space a zen-inspired makeover.
Browse blue tile in the Houzz Shop
4. Playing It Cool
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Todd Wooten, Stacy Chin and their son
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 65 square feet (6 square meters)
Designer: Amy Herbert of Aesthetic Answers
Before: With impractical storage, a jutting-out radiator, a tile floor with hard-to-clean grout lines and a dull color scheme, this Washington, D.C., primary bath lacked both functionality and style. Using Houzz to gather ideas, the homeowners worked with designer Amy Herbert to give the space a zen-inspired makeover.
Browse blue tile in the Houzz Shop
After: Herbert got rid of the underused tub, creating a roomier no-curb shower with a frameless fixed glass partition — all the better to see the intriguing new shower wall tiles in different shapes and varying shades of blue. Penny round mosaic shower floor tiles bring in more calming blue. Bamboo veneer cabinetry warms up all the cool tones, including the blue-gray walls (Steely Gray by Sherwin-Williams) and white-and-gray porcelain floor tiles.
Joining the color palette in creating a spa-like vibe are a floating vanity (which has a single sink versus the previous double sinks), a frameless mirror and a rain shower head.
Space savers: Single sink, mirror with integrated lighting, shower shelving, heated flooring, two tall cabinets.
Vanity: Summit horizontal door style in bamboo with natural finish, Kitchen Craft Cabinetry, MasterBrand Cabinets; mirror: Image illuminated, 42 by 36 inches, Slique collection, Madeli
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Joining the color palette in creating a spa-like vibe are a floating vanity (which has a single sink versus the previous double sinks), a frameless mirror and a rain shower head.
Space savers: Single sink, mirror with integrated lighting, shower shelving, heated flooring, two tall cabinets.
Vanity: Summit horizontal door style in bamboo with natural finish, Kitchen Craft Cabinetry, MasterBrand Cabinets; mirror: Image illuminated, 42 by 36 inches, Slique collection, Madeli
Read more about this project
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
1. Euro Splash
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two sons
Location: Summit, New Jersey
Size: 67 square feet (6.2 square meters)
Designer: Griffin Designs
Contractor: Hacklebarney Contracting
Before: At 59 square feet and with a radiator, a bulky cabinet and a hexagonal shower stall impeding floor space, this New Jersey primary bath looked and felt cramped. Designer Alison Griffin took her cues from modern European hotel bathrooms, which one of the homeowners loved, to create a serene yet engaging space with an especially luxurious shower feature.