Pink Tile Charms in a Family Bathroom
Seattle designers craft a space that’s classical, practical and charming
This Seattle family of four had outgrown the second-floor bathroom in its 1920s home. So the homeowners called Jackson Design Build, which had designed and executed their kitchen remodel, for some assistance. Having worked with these clients before, designer Lisa Price had a strong sense of their aesthetic. “Three words drove this design: classic, practical and charming,” she says. The result is a roomy bath the couple share with their two young daughters.
After: Price removed a wall behind the tub, taking over space from an adjacent closet. The shower and black cabinet occupy that space.
The original dusty rose tiles inspired both designers, but the homeowners said there was no way they were going to live with them. So the duo schemed to get a bit of pink into the room somehow. “Tamar got some penny rounds, planning for a small splash of pink. But then she proposed they just go for it on the floor. The husband loves it and says that now this pink is like a neutral to him,” Price says. “Tamar has this great detailing brain and came up with the pattern. The black tile anchors the shower.” Because the shower is curbless, this was an important intersection. “We had to be very careful about where the glass enclosure hit the tile,” Price says.
She worked a bench into the shower, which is handy for leg shaving and for parents helping little ones as they get the hang of showering. The designers topped it in the same marble they chose for the vanity. “These clients are extremely neat and tidy, so with a finish like marble, the extra maintenance was not an issue for them,” Price says.
Not sure where to start on your home project? Click here to learn the basics
The original dusty rose tiles inspired both designers, but the homeowners said there was no way they were going to live with them. So the duo schemed to get a bit of pink into the room somehow. “Tamar got some penny rounds, planning for a small splash of pink. But then she proposed they just go for it on the floor. The husband loves it and says that now this pink is like a neutral to him,” Price says. “Tamar has this great detailing brain and came up with the pattern. The black tile anchors the shower.” Because the shower is curbless, this was an important intersection. “We had to be very careful about where the glass enclosure hit the tile,” Price says.
She worked a bench into the shower, which is handy for leg shaving and for parents helping little ones as they get the hang of showering. The designers topped it in the same marble they chose for the vanity. “These clients are extremely neat and tidy, so with a finish like marble, the extra maintenance was not an issue for them,” Price says.
Not sure where to start on your home project? Click here to learn the basics
The homeowners preferred an open shower entrance rather than a door. Price notes that the shower enclosure’s glass panel is larger than it appears in this photo. “I warned them that there could be some minimal water splatter with an opening like this, but like I said, this is a very neat and tidy family. They’ve told me that hardly any water escapes the stall,” she says. And when it does, the bath mat catches it.
The train rack gives them a spot to air dry the bath mat and store extra towels. “They hang their bath mat up here after every shower,” Price says. The shower controls are located on the right side so they can turn on the water and let it warm up before stepping into the stall.
The tile is an elongated subway tile (2½ by 8 inches), arranged in a vertically stacked pattern. “This was a way to use a classic material that matched the house, but in a more contemporary way,” Price says. (As seen in the previous photo, the bench tile is arranged in a horizontally stacked pattern.) Finally, Price installed a long niche across the entire width of the shower. “This is a great way to make room for lots of products. It can’t always be done because of framing issues, but in this case we were able to frame the new wall to accommodate it,” she says.
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The train rack gives them a spot to air dry the bath mat and store extra towels. “They hang their bath mat up here after every shower,” Price says. The shower controls are located on the right side so they can turn on the water and let it warm up before stepping into the stall.
The tile is an elongated subway tile (2½ by 8 inches), arranged in a vertically stacked pattern. “This was a way to use a classic material that matched the house, but in a more contemporary way,” Price says. (As seen in the previous photo, the bench tile is arranged in a horizontally stacked pattern.) Finally, Price installed a long niche across the entire width of the shower. “This is a great way to make room for lots of products. It can’t always be done because of framing issues, but in this case we were able to frame the new wall to accommodate it,” she says.
Hire a local tile professional
“The wife was drawn to vintage apothecary style, while the husband — not so much,” Price says. The designers forged a compromise by using crisp and classic black and white contrast. They brought in charm through the antiqued mirror panes on this cabinet door. A polished nickel sconce adds a stylish and practical touch, and there’s a handy hamper below. Also, there’s a towel hook for each family member conveniently located on the adjacent wall.
Wall paint: Repose Gray, Sherwin-Williams
Shop for robe and towel hooks
Wall paint: Repose Gray, Sherwin-Williams
Shop for robe and towel hooks
Before: The vanity was adequate but didn’t suit the style of the homeowners or the 1920s architecture.
After: Kestenbaum worked with the firm’s cabinetmakers on this semicustom piece. “We wanted to create something that felt more like furniture than a typical bathroom vanity. We toyed around with converting a reclaimed dresser, but in the end Tamar was able to create something new and special,” Price says. The cabinets are quartersawn red oak.
For Kestenbaum’s floor tile pattern, every black tile had to be inserted within sheets of pink penny rounds, so it required very detailed drawings and a meticulous tile professional to achieve the result. Like the shower floor, the space beneath the vanity is anchored in black tile.
For Kestenbaum’s floor tile pattern, every black tile had to be inserted within sheets of pink penny rounds, so it required very detailed drawings and a meticulous tile professional to achieve the result. Like the shower floor, the space beneath the vanity is anchored in black tile.
Kestenbaum placed the vanity on feet so the pattern underneath would be visible. The feet also give the piece the furniture feel they wanted.
Two mirrored medicine cabinets offer additional storage as well as outlets inside. They opted for wall-mounted faucets because they make cleaning easier and add a contemporary touch. The matte black finish also updates the look of the bathroom.
The countertop and backsplash are marble. The backsplash is 6½ inches high to accommodate the wall-mounted faucets. Price designated a spot to stash a step stool next to the vanity.
A trio of sconces provides lighting at the mirror. “This room gets so much natural light that even on Seattle’s gray days, they don’t need to turn the lights on,” Price says. She completed the lighting scheme with two recessed lights in the ceiling and a fan light in the shower.
Browse black bathroom sink faucets
The countertop and backsplash are marble. The backsplash is 6½ inches high to accommodate the wall-mounted faucets. Price designated a spot to stash a step stool next to the vanity.
A trio of sconces provides lighting at the mirror. “This room gets so much natural light that even on Seattle’s gray days, they don’t need to turn the lights on,” Price says. She completed the lighting scheme with two recessed lights in the ceiling and a fan light in the shower.
Browse black bathroom sink faucets
Before: On this floor plan of the existing conditions, the white line to the left of the bathtub represents the wall that separated the bathroom from the closet.
After: Now the shower stall and cabinet occupy the former closet space. One other detail to note is that the toilet remained in the same spot. Price was able to turn it 90 degrees while using the existing toilet stack. Reorienting it worked better with the new layout. Relocating the stack would have been expensive and necessitated ripping up the room below during installation.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two young daughters
Location: Seattle
Size: 86 square feet (8 square meters); 9½ by 9 feet
Designer: Lisa Price of Jackson Design Build and Tamar Kestenbaum of Sienna & Sage Interior Design
Before: The only bathroom on the second floor of the home had a tub-shower combo, poor light and dated finishes. Because they had a bathroom with a soaking tub on the main floor, the homeowners decided they could get rid of this bathtub to make room for a spacious shower stall. Price tackled the space planning and called interior designer Tamar Kestenbaum to collaborate on the project and choose the finishes.
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