Transformation in Turquoise Brings Guest Bathroom to Life
Vibrant tiles, open shelves and plenty of plants give this Los Angeles bathroom a contemporary new look
Marissa Hermanson
February 14, 2018
Houzz Contributor. As a freelance writer who spends most of my time working from home, I have a deep appreciation for the household and the time and effort people put into personalizing their spaces. I write about home and decor, food and drink, culture and travel. My stories have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Forbes Travel Guide, The Knot, Southern Living, among other publications.
Houzz Contributor. As a freelance writer who spends most of my time working from... More
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Photos by Amy Bartlam
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A single woman
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 55 square feet (5.1 square meters)
Designer: Marissa Cramer Interiors
A homeowner in Los Angeles’ up-and-coming Mar Vista neighborhood called on designer Marissa Cramer to update her gloomy guest bathroom. With dark wood paneling, navy tile and only 55 square feet of space, the room felt somewhat cramped. “We wanted to open it up and make it lighter but still have some fun with color and accessories,” Cramer says. “Her house is filled with treasures from all her travels. She is a really fun, eclectic woman.”
A renovation allowed Cramer to start from scratch. The old vanity, paneling, floor and shower were removed. The new space features walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White and floors tiled in a gray geometric encaustic cement tile. “Since I was going to do turquoise on the shower walls, I needed something neutral on the floors,” Cramer says. “Gray is such a great contrast with turquoise.”
Floor tile: Tulum II, Cement Tile Shop
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A single woman
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 55 square feet (5.1 square meters)
Designer: Marissa Cramer Interiors
A homeowner in Los Angeles’ up-and-coming Mar Vista neighborhood called on designer Marissa Cramer to update her gloomy guest bathroom. With dark wood paneling, navy tile and only 55 square feet of space, the room felt somewhat cramped. “We wanted to open it up and make it lighter but still have some fun with color and accessories,” Cramer says. “Her house is filled with treasures from all her travels. She is a really fun, eclectic woman.”
A renovation allowed Cramer to start from scratch. The old vanity, paneling, floor and shower were removed. The new space features walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White and floors tiled in a gray geometric encaustic cement tile. “Since I was going to do turquoise on the shower walls, I needed something neutral on the floors,” Cramer says. “Gray is such a great contrast with turquoise.”
Floor tile: Tulum II, Cement Tile Shop
The original shower had a low ceiling soffit that Cramer removed. The design team covered the shower walls in a handmade painted turquoise ceramic tile. “Each tile has a little bit of variation, which adds a lot of dimension in the shower,” Cramer says.
The shower features a quartz bench ideal for taking a seat or holding items that won’t fit in the wall niche. Cramer also carried the gray-and-white geometric tile into the shower to make the space feel connected.
Shower tile: Mercury Mosaics; shower bench: Whitehall, Cambria
Find turquoise tiles
The shower features a quartz bench ideal for taking a seat or holding items that won’t fit in the wall niche. Cramer also carried the gray-and-white geometric tile into the shower to make the space feel connected.
Shower tile: Mercury Mosaics; shower bench: Whitehall, Cambria
Find turquoise tiles
Embracing the open and airy feel of the layout, Cramer installed a new custom floating vanity to show off the tile that extends underneath it. The same quartz used on the shower bench also covers the top of the vanity. Shaker-style doors and drawers were gussied up with chrome knobs and pulls to complement the sink’s chrome Kohler faucet.
A wood cabinet was torn out and replaced with white oak floating shelves that are used for storage, plants and decorative items.
Browse floating wood shelves
Browse floating wood shelves
Cramer kept the vibe clean and minimal by installing a frameless wall-to-wall mirror above the vanity. Glass and nickel globe sconces were mounted directly on the mirror.
Sconces: Orbit, Schoolhouse Electric
More
World of Design: How Modern Geometric Designs Are Reinventing Cement
Tile Style: Beautiful Beach-Glass Blues for the Bath
Find bathroom designers and see their portfolios
Sconces: Orbit, Schoolhouse Electric
More
World of Design: How Modern Geometric Designs Are Reinventing Cement
Tile Style: Beautiful Beach-Glass Blues for the Bath
Find bathroom designers and see their portfolios
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The Tulum II shower floor tile meets ADA requirements for dynamic coefficient of friction (slip resistance when wet) standards when wet. Beautiful work!
Absolutely lovely., and especially appreciate the open shelving that clearly displays items guests would find useful. But would make a suggestion to those creating guest bathrooms: Use acrylic or other unbreakable materials for containers, not glass.
Laura Grosmaire, regarding your comment -- although I enjoyed the pictures of this bathroom I have to say I think the photos were manipulated slightly to overexpose them and make the space look lighter and brighter. Notice how you can barely make out any detail or edges in all that white. Unless you have skylights, I can see how a lot of colored tile would suck up too much light and make a space gloomy. Also, the first photo must have been taken with a wide lens because 55 square feet translates to 5 x 11, pretty tight.