New Layout and Materials Create a Luminous Spa Bathroom

Photos by Julie LaBruna

Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida
Size: 195 square feet (18 square meters)
Designer: Julie LaBruna of Sunny Interior Design

Before: A large bathtub flanked by vanities consumed much of the room, making the space feel crowded. The homeowners had no interest in keeping a tub. Across the room, the shower was enclosed by tall drywalled walls with a low soffit overhead. “My clients were really struggling to figure out how to lay out this bathroom,” LaBruna says.

The homeowners loved the warm neutral palette in their bedroom and wanted it to extend into the en suite bathroom. During the design process, they told LaBruna they wanted the space to feel like a spa, and she noted that they were especially drawn to herringbone marble flooring.

To create her proposal and track the project’s invoices, LaBruna used Houzz Pro software. “The invoicing syncs with my QuickBooks,” she says.

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After: Removing the bathtub opened up the floor plan, creating space for a streamlined vanity wall with abundant storage. Just out of frame on the left, an expanded shower gives the room a bright, airy and open feel.

After reviewing the bedroom and the inspiration photos the homeowners shared with her, LaBruna presented a material palette featuring a honed marble herringbone floor tile they loved, slim Shaker-style white oak cabinetry, large-format porcelain tiles that resemble Taj Mahal quartzite and a warm neutral wallcovering. “It was a home run,” she says. Once the plans were finalized, she managed construction over the summer while her snowbird clients stayed at their Pennsylvania home. Their new primary bathroom was ready when they returned in the fall.

On the floor, marble mosaic tile adds an elegant pattern to the calm palette. “We used honed marble because my clients’ biggest priority was making sure the floor was not slippery,” LaBruna says. The copious grout lines between the 1-by-2-inch tiles provide plenty of traction.

Floor tile: Arabescato Venato, MSI Surfaces; wallcovering: Shelter Linen in Pumice, Winfield Thybony Design

Texture also comes from the wallcovering, which resembles grasscloth but is actually a performance vinyl. “I love to use vinyl wallpaper in bathrooms because it’s very easy to clean and it stands up to moisture,” LaBruna says.

The countertops are quartz with subtle marble-look veining. LaBruna installed the electrical outlets horizontally in the backsplash and matched their finish to the faucets.

The cabinetry has a traditional Shaker profile with slim rails for a more contemporary look. Throughout the room, traditional elements — gold accents, the herringbone marble flooring and quartzite-look shower tile — are balanced by the clean-lined plumbing fixtures, hardware and sconces, creating a transitional style.

Plumbing fixtures: Trinsic collection in Champagne Bronze, Delta; mirrors: Lennox in brushed brass, Uttermost; light fixtures: Keaton 30-inch vanity sconce, Visual Comfort

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Before: Although the husband and wife each had their own vanity, neither had enough storage, and the makeup counter went unused. Electronics such as shavers and toothbrushes added to the countertop clutter.

The double entry doors are on an angled wall, and the shower enclosure also had an angled wall to accommodate the entry door on the left. On the right, the husband had installed a temporary door to create privacy around the toilet alcove.

After: The toilet room now has a proper enclosure. Made of frosted glass panels and painted wood, the new pocket door, seen at right, provides full privacy while maintaining the bathroom’s airy feel. “We had to sacrifice a small closet in the toilet room to allow for this pocket door to slide into the wall,” LaBruna says. “Adding a storage tower made up for that loss.”

Wall, trim, door and ceiling paint: Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams

One of the wife’s must-haves was a laundry hamper in the bathroom. A cabinet door conceals the pullout hamper in the base of the storage tower.

To eliminate electronics clutter from the countertops, each homeowner has a charging drawer equipped with USB ports and electrical outlets. They use them for toothbrushes, shavers and hair tools.

Replacing the shower enclosure with clear glass opened up the space and made the bathroom feel larger. Although the shower remains in the same location, LaBruna expanded its footprint to 4½ by 5 feet.

Before: Thick shower walls cut off a large portion of the room, and the wall on the left was oddly angled to accommodate the bathroom entry door.

To reinforce the warm, spa-like aesthetic, LaBruna recommended large-format (24-by-48-inch) porcelain tiles that resemble Taj Mahal quartzite. The tiles cover the shower walls, niche, floating bench and knee wall. In addition to creating a serene, minimalist look, the large tiles reduce grout lines, making the shower easier to clean.

When planning a shower with a clear glass enclosure, one decision is whether to hide storage for shower products. “My clients decided that they wanted to go with a statement niche instead,” LaBruna says.

An LED strip tucked into a recess above the niche washes it with light. The fixture is on a dimmer, allowing the homeowners to adjust the shower’s ambiance. It also doubles as a nightlight — they dim it to its lowest setting and turn it on for nighttime bathroom visits.

Wall and bench tile: Legions in Taja Ivory, MSI Surfaces

To maintain a sophisticated, minimalist look, LaBruna chose mitered tile edges instead of standard metal or plastic trim. Because traditional grout at mitered edges can show wear over time, the tile installer hand-mixed a custom color into epoxy grout. The result is a highly durable edge with a crisp appearance. “This looks so much better, and it feels softer and smoother than standard grout,” LaBruna says.

The curbless shower will help the homeowners age in place. “Their old shower was a step-down and they didn’t really understand how a curbless shower worked,” LaBruna says. “I explained that another advantage was that the bathroom floor tile would continue uninterrupted onto the shower floor for a very cohesive look.” The shower floor slopes imperceptibly toward the linear drain located beneath the bench.

The floating bench is positioned so users can sit while using the handheld shower wand, another aging-in-place feature.

The shower controls are located behind the knee wall so the homeowners can turn on the water and let it warm up without getting soaked.

“Of course my clients wanted a place to hang their towels right outside the shower,” LaBruna says, “so I said, ‘Let’s make it a moment.’” She specified crisp white towels and paired them with a glamorous bench featuring a fluffy white seat and a brass base.

Bench: Uttermost

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