Primary Bath With Timeless Style and a Spacious Feel
A design-build firm introduces rich character and a better layout to a couple’s remodeled bathroom in a historical home
After years of admiring a historical home in their Wilmington, Delaware, neighborhood, a couple with three children made it their own. But the primary bathroom felt cramped and outdated and wasn’t serving their needs. Pine Street Carpenters & The Kitchen Studio helped them craft a timeless space that honors their home’s architecture.
“The wife really enjoys the design and remodeling process and she drove the design,” says interior designer Dana Bender, who led the design-build team. “She was a really fun client to work with.”
“The wife really enjoys the design and remodeling process and she drove the design,” says interior designer Dana Bender, who led the design-build team. “She was a really fun client to work with.”
Before Photo
After: After demolition, Bender started with a blank slate. She wrapped raised-panel wainscoting around the room, which created a continuous visual line and connected the room to the home’s traditional style. The height of the wainscoting was keyed to the existing windowsill and dictated the height of the vanity backsplash and the shower’s partial wall.
Above the vanity, the team camouflaged the low sloped ceiling with wallpaper and vanity mirrors. It also reduced the depth of the soffit above the vanity and made the new recessed lights flush with the drywall for a streamlined look.
The bathroom flooring is elongated Calacatta gold marble subway tile arranged in a classic herringbone pattern. The floor was another key element in making the bathroom fit in with the home’s architecture.
Wallpaper: Pine in gray, Sandberg
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Above the vanity, the team camouflaged the low sloped ceiling with wallpaper and vanity mirrors. It also reduced the depth of the soffit above the vanity and made the new recessed lights flush with the drywall for a streamlined look.
The bathroom flooring is elongated Calacatta gold marble subway tile arranged in a classic herringbone pattern. The floor was another key element in making the bathroom fit in with the home’s architecture.
Wallpaper: Pine in gray, Sandberg
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Before Photo
Before: This photo shows a wider view of the original bathroom, with the entry on the right just beyond the glass shower enclosure.
The vanity was long but it had mostly cupboards rather than drawers and didn’t make the most of the storage space. The homeowners liked to watch the news on the wall-mounted TV between the two mirrors while getting ready in the morning.
The vanity was long but it had mostly cupboards rather than drawers and didn’t make the most of the storage space. The homeowners liked to watch the news on the wall-mounted TV between the two mirrors while getting ready in the morning.
After: Bender designed the new walnut vanity with an abundance of drawers. To maximize storage, she installed rollout drawers behind the cabinet doors, offering easier access to items in the back. The doors are extra thick at 1¼ inches for more dimension and a premium look, Bender says.
“My client fell in love with walnut wood for the vanity,” she says. The rich wood balances the strength of the new green shower tile, seen in the mirror. For the vanity countertop, the homeowners selected polished Calacatta Caldia marble to contrast with the wood.
The vanity mirrors’ frames, made at a local framing shop, complement the polished nickel faucets and the brass cabinet and lighting hardware. The mirror in the center of the wall is actually a TV. “They didn’t want to have anything portable or have devices out on the counter, so this was a great solution,” Bender says.
Faucets: Transit, Waterworks; sconces: Hyde, Urban Electric
“My client fell in love with walnut wood for the vanity,” she says. The rich wood balances the strength of the new green shower tile, seen in the mirror. For the vanity countertop, the homeowners selected polished Calacatta Caldia marble to contrast with the wood.
The vanity mirrors’ frames, made at a local framing shop, complement the polished nickel faucets and the brass cabinet and lighting hardware. The mirror in the center of the wall is actually a TV. “They didn’t want to have anything portable or have devices out on the counter, so this was a great solution,” Bender says.
Faucets: Transit, Waterworks; sconces: Hyde, Urban Electric
The new shower measures 3¾ by 4 feet and features a partial wall. Beyond framing the glass, the wall creates room for a towel bar; the door handle doubles as a second one. The shower door was moved away from the bathroom entry on the left. (The door on the right leads to the toilet room.)
The shower’s sumptuous green wall tile was the first thing chosen for the room and the starting point for the material palette. Penny rounds on the shower floor match the bathroom floor tiles.
The homeowner wanted to keep the line of crown molding continuous across the top of the shower, so Bender added a dropped ceiling to accommodate it.
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The shower’s sumptuous green wall tile was the first thing chosen for the room and the starting point for the material palette. Penny rounds on the shower floor match the bathroom floor tiles.
The homeowner wanted to keep the line of crown molding continuous across the top of the shower, so Bender added a dropped ceiling to accommodate it.
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“This tile has a watercolor kind of opacity to it,” Bender says. “It’s not as saturated and solid as other tiles.”
Shower wall tile: R139 with semitransparent glaze, Pratt + Larson
Shower wall tile: R139 with semitransparent glaze, Pratt + Larson
The bathroom wallpaper adds a botanical touch and brings softness to the room. It was the last thing the homeowner chose. “I loved that she was bold with her selection and comfortable with pattern,” Bender says.
The wallpaper, wainscoting and marble floor continue into the toilet room, which is located in the same spot as before.
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The wallpaper, wainscoting and marble floor continue into the toilet room, which is located in the same spot as before.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos for ideas
Find design and remodeling pros
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: Wilmington, Delaware
Size: 136 square feet (13 square meters)
Design-build firm: Pine Street Carpenters & The Kitchen Studio
Before: The goal was to modernize the bathroom while making it compatible with the home’s traditional style. The homeowners also wanted a layout that made the room feel more spacious.
This photo was taken from the bathroom’s entry. The door to the shower, left, was near the entrance, and because water sometimes splashed out, the couple often found themselves stepping onto a wet or damp floor as they entered the room. There were no built-in towel bars near the shower so the homeowners had attached a bar with suction cups to the glass wall to hang wet towels.
On the vanity, right, a jagged countertop edge created by the cabinetry’s pilasters caused bruised hips. On the back wall, vanity shelves and the windowsill collected clutter. The jetted bathtub’s surround took up a lot of space, and the couple wanted to replace the tub with a freestanding model.