Before and After: A Bigger Bath for a Family’s Tudor-Style Home
A claw-foot tub, custom wainscoting and traditional fixtures and finishes add up to a timeless room
Before. The existing 75-square-foot bathroom was ’80s contemporary in style. It had a combination tub and shower and a small linen closet. The vanity was along the exterior wall under two small windows. The room felt too compact for the family, and it was only going to feel smaller as the family grew.
After. The clients chose the tub first, then worked with the team, including interior designer Jennifer Kowalski, to determine the rest of the palette. Once a marble-like porcelain floor tile was chosen, the designers plucked a gray color out of its veining and had the tub manufacturer, Barclay, custom paint it at the factory.
“The palette was stunning, but it really felt like we needed another element,” Moisan says. “That’s when we proposed a wallpaper above the wainscoting. The delicate vine wallpaper ties in beautifully with the rest of the materials.” The wallpaper is vinyl, which will stand up to moisture.
The floor-mounted tub filler has a polished chrome finish that matches the tub’s claw feet. It includes a handheld shower wand that’s helpful for bathing little ones and for cleaning the tub. Mirrored medicine cabinets over the vanity provide lots of storage and bounce the light around.
Tub filler: Tresa, Brizo; medicine cabinet: Verdera, Kohler; wallpaper: Vine, Simplicity New Classics Collection, Wallquest; find more moisture-resistant wallpaper
“The palette was stunning, but it really felt like we needed another element,” Moisan says. “That’s when we proposed a wallpaper above the wainscoting. The delicate vine wallpaper ties in beautifully with the rest of the materials.” The wallpaper is vinyl, which will stand up to moisture.
The floor-mounted tub filler has a polished chrome finish that matches the tub’s claw feet. It includes a handheld shower wand that’s helpful for bathing little ones and for cleaning the tub. Mirrored medicine cabinets over the vanity provide lots of storage and bounce the light around.
Tub filler: Tresa, Brizo; medicine cabinet: Verdera, Kohler; wallpaper: Vine, Simplicity New Classics Collection, Wallquest; find more moisture-resistant wallpaper
Here you can see one of the tub’s lovely feet — and how the tub’s color picks up on the veining in the floor tile. The 12-inch-square tiles have a honed finish for a matte look that fits in well with the bathroom’s relaxed style. This close-up also provides a glimpse of the traditional wainscoting.
The tub, tub filler and millwork were splurges, while the cabinetry, quartz countertop and porcelain floor tiles balanced out the budget.
Flooring: Florentine Carrara, Daltile; tub: Dawson cast-iron double roll top tub: Barclay
How to Make Your Millwork Shine | Browse claw-foot tubs
The tub, tub filler and millwork were splurges, while the cabinetry, quartz countertop and porcelain floor tiles balanced out the budget.
Flooring: Florentine Carrara, Daltile; tub: Dawson cast-iron double roll top tub: Barclay
How to Make Your Millwork Shine | Browse claw-foot tubs
The radiator provided a challenge. “In the very beginning we discussed replacing the old radiator with something newer that had an antique style to it but found this would have cost a small fortune,” Moisan says.
Custom-building a radiator cover not only saved money but also created a nice design element. The cover fits in with the room’s millwork and provides another surface for storage or display.
Custom-building a radiator cover not only saved money but also created a nice design element. The cover fits in with the room’s millwork and provides another surface for storage or display.
Before. This was the tub-shower situation before the renovations. The linen closet (behind the door on left) was removed to expand the floor space.
After. To create enough room for a separate walk-in shower, the team borrowed room from a closet in the adjacent nursery. The clear glass enclosure keeps the shower stall and the rest of the room light and airy. It’s lined with an elongated subway tile with a pleasing texture.
The shower niche is generously sized for the whole family — it’s 31 inches wide by 25 inches high, with a tempered glass shelf. The tile at the back of the niche introduces a small geometric pattern, creating a focal point.
Shower head: Brizo
The shower niche is generously sized for the whole family — it’s 31 inches wide by 25 inches high, with a tempered glass shelf. The tile at the back of the niche introduces a small geometric pattern, creating a focal point.
Shower head: Brizo
Rather than adding two sinks, the homeowners opted for a single sink and extra counter space on the new traditional-style vanity. The vanity is 5 feet wide and 36 inches high. The faucets, hardware, sconces and accessories are polished chrome. The countertop and backsplash are engineered quartz that resembles natural stone.
Counter and backsplash: Icelake, PentalQuartz; vanity: Brentwood Cathedral, Canyon Creek, painted in Cityscape by Sherwin-Williams; Buckle pulls and Mushroom knobs: Top Knobs; Antonio sconces: Park Harbor Lighting; faucet: Rook, Delta Faucet; find traditional bathroom vanities
Counter and backsplash: Icelake, PentalQuartz; vanity: Brentwood Cathedral, Canyon Creek, painted in Cityscape by Sherwin-Williams; Buckle pulls and Mushroom knobs: Top Knobs; Antonio sconces: Park Harbor Lighting; faucet: Rook, Delta Faucet; find traditional bathroom vanities
Before. At left you can see the old windows; at right is the oversize nursery closet from which space was taken to enlarge the bath. The designers also gained space by removing the bathroom’s small linen closet and cutting into the space under the eaves (at the bottom left corner in this plan). These moves added about 18 square feet to the bathroom’s footprint.
After. The new bathroom layout makes better use of the space. The new tub now sits along the window wall. By swapping the vanity and tub locations, the team was able to fit in larger casement windows to let in more light.
Takeaways
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Takeaways
- Consider frosted glass for privacy on bathroom windows if you don’t want the fuss of window treatments.
- It’s often possible to paint or reglaze a claw-foot tub in a custom color. Check with the manufacturer to see if it’s an option.
- Vinyl wallpaper is a good option for damp spaces.
- Wainscoting can help tie a room together — and help it relate to the rest of a home’s style.
- When considering whether to have one or two sinks at the vanity, think about how much counter space family members will need when getting ready in the morning.
- Be sure to size a shower niche (or set of niches) so that everyone in the family will have room for their products.
How to Remodel Your Bathroom
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A professional couple with one child and plans to expand their family
Location: Seattle
Size: 93 square feet (8.6 square meters)
Designer: Jennifer Kowalski of Six Walls Interior Design (interiors)
Builder: Potter Construction (remodeling)
The owners of this Seattle house are thinking ahead to the days when this one upstairs bathroom will need to work for a bigger family. They envisioned a space where they could comfortably get ready in the morning, bathe kids and relax with a soak in the tub at night.
They used Houzz to find a builder to help them increase the bathroom’s footprint by 18 square feet, install larger windows and design the space to suit their American Tudor-style home.
Two Must-Haves Drove the Design
The home is in a historic neighborhood, its architecture is American Tudor style, and the homeowners wanted the remodel to reflect that design. “This bathroom needed to feel historic — like it had been a part of the home since it was built,” project manager Matt Moisan of Potter Construction says. The couple’s must-haves — a claw-foot tub and traditional millwork — helped achieve the look. Because frosted glass was used, no window treatments are needed.
“The owners were adamant that the bathroom have enough space for a claw-foot tub and that we incorporate wainscoting into the design,” Moisan says. “This bathroom just wouldn’t be the same without either of those features.”