Bathroom Design
Bathroom Makeovers
Modern Bohemian Touches for a New Family Bathroom
An eclectic remodel makes room for bathing twins, storing everything and showering in a super-size stall
Before Photo
Before: With just a pedestal sink and no vanity, their tub surround was stacked with all of their toiletries. And without a linen closet, their 3-by-3-foot master closet was stuffed not only with all of their clothes but also with their extra bath towels and supplies. The original bathroom was fairly generous in size at about 70 square feet, but as this photo shows, there was a lot of wasted space where there could have been things like a vanity and a shower stall her husband could comfortably use.
Three Style-Setters
Three things drove the style of the bathroom.
1. The cement-tile floor. “The floor was a non-negotiable. I love the look of cement tile and its funky pattern,” Horton says.
2. The claw-foot tub. “I have always had a weakness in my heart for claw-foot tubs. They are classic and fit so many bathroom styles — a claw-foot tub is really a universal piece,” Horton says. In addition to being a designer, she refinishes furniture and has worked in antique pieces throughout the house. “So the vintage look of the tub fits in with the rest of the house,” she says. Including a handheld shower makes it easy for her to bathe her 2-year-old twin daughters.
3. Strong touches of black throughout. “I love black. Black and I are never going to part,” Horton says. She brought the color in via the floor tile, matte black faucets, lighting fixtures and hardware, the shower floor and niches and the window trim.
Previously the windows in the room were small and high, providing no view. With a view off the side of the house that doesn’t look out on any neighboring houses, this was another wasted opportunity. The new windows flood the room with natural light. Their black sashes and grilles are another graphic black touch.
Freestanding acrylic claw-foot tub: Victoria + Albert, Modern Plumbing Supply; windows: Andersen Windows; window paint: Tricorn Black, Sherwin-Williams; tile: Safi White, Cement Tile Shop
Find patterned cement tile
Three things drove the style of the bathroom.
1. The cement-tile floor. “The floor was a non-negotiable. I love the look of cement tile and its funky pattern,” Horton says.
2. The claw-foot tub. “I have always had a weakness in my heart for claw-foot tubs. They are classic and fit so many bathroom styles — a claw-foot tub is really a universal piece,” Horton says. In addition to being a designer, she refinishes furniture and has worked in antique pieces throughout the house. “So the vintage look of the tub fits in with the rest of the house,” she says. Including a handheld shower makes it easy for her to bathe her 2-year-old twin daughters.
3. Strong touches of black throughout. “I love black. Black and I are never going to part,” Horton says. She brought the color in via the floor tile, matte black faucets, lighting fixtures and hardware, the shower floor and niches and the window trim.
Previously the windows in the room were small and high, providing no view. With a view off the side of the house that doesn’t look out on any neighboring houses, this was another wasted opportunity. The new windows flood the room with natural light. Their black sashes and grilles are another graphic black touch.
Freestanding acrylic claw-foot tub: Victoria + Albert, Modern Plumbing Supply; windows: Andersen Windows; window paint: Tricorn Black, Sherwin-Williams; tile: Safi White, Cement Tile Shop
Find patterned cement tile
Storage Wars
Before, the couple had been desperate to find even a spot to place their toothbrushes. Now there is an expansive double-sink vanity and a linen closet in the bathroom. “After living with no storage before the renovations, I found myself telling the contractor to add storage wherever he could during the building process,” Horton says. For example, she knew that upper cabinets would provide good, easy-to-grab spaces for everyday things. But this left no space for outlets, so she worked with her cabinetmaker and electrician to install outlets into wood panels that are part of the cabinetry.
The reclaimed pine of the cabinets adds a warm, natural, textured element to the material palette. “The reclaimed wood adds a nice contrast to the black and white,” the designer says. Limitless Woodworking custom-made the cabinets and used a stain with a custom color combination from Minwax to finish them. She added matte black hardware to coordinate with the faucets and light fixtures. The rustic wood is topped with elegant cultured-marble countertops with a matte finish.
The vanity is 34 inches high, a nice middle ground in the standard vanity height range, as Horton is not tall.
Wall paint: Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams; countertops: Custom Marble Design, Modern Plumbing Supply; hardware: Houzz; gooseneck light fixtures: Houzz
Before, the couple had been desperate to find even a spot to place their toothbrushes. Now there is an expansive double-sink vanity and a linen closet in the bathroom. “After living with no storage before the renovations, I found myself telling the contractor to add storage wherever he could during the building process,” Horton says. For example, she knew that upper cabinets would provide good, easy-to-grab spaces for everyday things. But this left no space for outlets, so she worked with her cabinetmaker and electrician to install outlets into wood panels that are part of the cabinetry.
The reclaimed pine of the cabinets adds a warm, natural, textured element to the material palette. “The reclaimed wood adds a nice contrast to the black and white,” the designer says. Limitless Woodworking custom-made the cabinets and used a stain with a custom color combination from Minwax to finish them. She added matte black hardware to coordinate with the faucets and light fixtures. The rustic wood is topped with elegant cultured-marble countertops with a matte finish.
The vanity is 34 inches high, a nice middle ground in the standard vanity height range, as Horton is not tall.
Wall paint: Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams; countertops: Custom Marble Design, Modern Plumbing Supply; hardware: Houzz; gooseneck light fixtures: Houzz
This floor plan shows how the water closet (W.C.), or toilet area, relates to the rest of the bathroom. One element missing from this plan is the linen closet storage — it is located in the lower left corner of the W.C.
A Separate Water Closet
After the space grab, the main bathroom measures about 103 square feet, and there was room to add a water closet that measures 25 square feet — nice and roomy.
While the bathroom was completed a few months ago, Horton just recently had the water closet wall seen here painted black. “It’s the first thing you see once you enter the bathroom and turn right,” she says. She realized its original paint job in the same Alabaster paint as the rest of the bathroom was a wasted opportunity. Now it serves as the perfect backdrop for the graphic “Just Five More Minutes” poster and plays off the floor tile beautifully. With a new window over the toilet, the room gets plenty of natural light to keep the black from making it too dark.
Another neat trick was adding linen closet storage to the wall opposite the toilet. It is composed of custom cabinetry from floor to ceiling.
When it came to decor, Horton saved money by tapping other creatives and using her own creativity. She made some of the artwork on her computer and found other pieces on Etsy. “I like to let the decor add the personality and pops of color. This is where I popped in the yellow I used throughout my home,” she says. “And it’s flexible and easy to change out if needed later.”
Black paint: Caviar, Sherwin-Williams; poster: Etsy
11 Reasons to Paint Your Interior Doors Black
After the space grab, the main bathroom measures about 103 square feet, and there was room to add a water closet that measures 25 square feet — nice and roomy.
While the bathroom was completed a few months ago, Horton just recently had the water closet wall seen here painted black. “It’s the first thing you see once you enter the bathroom and turn right,” she says. She realized its original paint job in the same Alabaster paint as the rest of the bathroom was a wasted opportunity. Now it serves as the perfect backdrop for the graphic “Just Five More Minutes” poster and plays off the floor tile beautifully. With a new window over the toilet, the room gets plenty of natural light to keep the black from making it too dark.
Another neat trick was adding linen closet storage to the wall opposite the toilet. It is composed of custom cabinetry from floor to ceiling.
When it came to decor, Horton saved money by tapping other creatives and using her own creativity. She made some of the artwork on her computer and found other pieces on Etsy. “I like to let the decor add the personality and pops of color. This is where I popped in the yellow I used throughout my home,” she says. “And it’s flexible and easy to change out if needed later.”
Black paint: Caviar, Sherwin-Williams; poster: Etsy
11 Reasons to Paint Your Interior Doors Black
Before Photo
Before: The existing shower stall was very cramped, especially for the long arms of a tall person.
One Shower Fits All
After: One of the biggest design challenges was finding the right place for the shower stall within the layout. “We not only had to size the stall for my husband but also use an extra-large custom door,” Horton says. This meant locating the stall in a place where the door would not bump into a wall or the vanity. The corner worked out just right, and the stall measures 5 feet 6 inches by 4 feet 3 inches.
The shower wall tiles are a classic white 3-by-6-inch subway tile, while the floor and niche tiles are charcoal hexagons. “We have so many squares and rectangles in here that I wanted to do something different for the shower floor and niche,” the designer says. “The hexagonal tiles also worked well with the Arabesque pattern on the floor.”
Tile: Darlene Flooring Carpet One
After: One of the biggest design challenges was finding the right place for the shower stall within the layout. “We not only had to size the stall for my husband but also use an extra-large custom door,” Horton says. This meant locating the stall in a place where the door would not bump into a wall or the vanity. The corner worked out just right, and the stall measures 5 feet 6 inches by 4 feet 3 inches.
The shower wall tiles are a classic white 3-by-6-inch subway tile, while the floor and niche tiles are charcoal hexagons. “We have so many squares and rectangles in here that I wanted to do something different for the shower floor and niche,” the designer says. “The hexagonal tiles also worked well with the Arabesque pattern on the floor.”
Tile: Darlene Flooring Carpet One
The niche is located on the wall to the left of the shower head wall. Now there’s plenty of space for both of them to store their toiletries in here.
When it comes to balancing modern and bohemian styles, Horton knows it’s all in the editing. “Do clean lines in the build such as on windows and doors for your modern,” she says. “Bohemian can be cluttered — simplify it so that you’re not overwhelmed by too many objects and plants.”
Takeaways From This Bathroom Remodel
Architect: Rob White
Contractor: Aztech Builders
See more of this home
More
What’s Your Bathroom Style? 9 Great Looks to Consider
The 10 Most Popular New Bathrooms
Find a bathroom remodeler
When it comes to balancing modern and bohemian styles, Horton knows it’s all in the editing. “Do clean lines in the build such as on windows and doors for your modern,” she says. “Bohemian can be cluttered — simplify it so that you’re not overwhelmed by too many objects and plants.”
Takeaways From This Bathroom Remodel
- Size a bathroom to fit everyone in the family — tall people need elbow room in the shower; more petite people may need a lower vanity.
- To jump-start your design style, choose one element you absolutely love and work from there. Here it was the cement floor tile.
- A tub faucet with a handheld shower is a big help when bathing toddlers.
- There are creative ways to work the required outlets and upper cabinet storage into a vanity wall.
- For a lasting design, go classic with the permanent elements and add personality via easy-to-switch-out decorative items.
- Shower floor tile is a good opportunity to introduce a tile in a different shape, material and/or color.
- Likewise, a shower niche is always a fun little design opportunity.
- To accomplish a modern bohemian look, limit your color palette and carefully curate your decorative items.
Architect: Rob White
Contractor: Aztech Builders
See more of this home
More
What’s Your Bathroom Style? 9 Great Looks to Consider
The 10 Most Popular New Bathrooms
Find a bathroom remodeler
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Kimberly Horton, her husband and their four children, ages 4 to 8
Location: North Haven, Connecticut
Size: 130 square feet (12 square meters)
Designer: Kimberly Horton of KH Home Design and Furniture
Interior designer Kimberly Horton and her husband bought their 1970s home in North Haven, Connecticut, for its potential, which it had in spades. But while they lived in it and planned a full renovation, they struggled with a lack of storage and lots of wasted space in their master bathroom. And the proportions within the bathroom did not suit the couple at all.
“My husband is 6 feet 5 inches tall, and he has a big ‘wingspan,’” Horton says. She needed to locate and size the shower stall and even its door size to accommodate his larger-than-average stature. By relocating an existing powder room and swiping some space from a laundry room, she was able to expand the bathroom from around 70 square feet to 130 square feet.
“We went nine months without bathroom storage. Storage was the utmost priority,” Horton says. In addition to storage and a large shower for him, other items on their wishlist were a double-sink vanity, an oversize walk-in shower and a claw-foot tub with a handheld shower for bathing their 2-year-old twins.
Defining Their Style
As for style, Horton defines theirs as modern bohemian. The modern part shows up in the clean-lined architecture and mostly neutral color palettes that include graphic matte black. The bohemian comes via the Arabesque pattern on the floor, the reclaimed-wood vanity, a vintage-style claw-foot tub and pops of color and personality in the accessories.