Inspiration for a transitional bathroom remodel in San Francisco

Erica Lugbill designed this primary bathroom to be an oasis after a long day. Featuring double sinks and mirrors, plenty of storage and a free standing tub, this primary bathroom is causally elegant.

"Brandon Stengel - www.farmkidstudios.com”
Dedicated laundry room - mid-sized mid-century modern l-shaped multicolored floor dedicated laundry room idea in Minneapolis with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, beige walls and a side-by-side washer/dryer

An Arts & Crafts Bungalow is one of my favorite styles of homes. We have quite a few of them in our Stockton Mid-Town area. And when C&L called us to help them remodel their 1923 American Bungalow, I was beyond thrilled. As per usual, when we get a new inquiry, we quickly Google the project location while we are talking to you on the phone. My excitement escalated when I saw the Google Earth Image of the sweet Sage Green bungalow in Mid-Town Stockton. "Yes, we would be interested in working with you," I said trying to keep my cool. But what made it even better was meeting C&L and touring their home, because they are the nicest young couple, eager to make their home period perfect. Unfortunately, it had been slightly molested by some bad house-flippers, and we needed to bring the bathroom back to it "roots." We knew we had to banish the hideous brown tile and cheap vanity quickly. But C&L complained about the condensation problems and the constant fight with mold. This immediately told me that improper remodeling had occurred and we needed to remedy that right away. The Before: Frustrations with a Botched Remodel The bathroom needed to be brought back to period appropriate design with all the functionality of a modern bathroom. We thought of things like marble countertop, white mosaic floor tiles, white subway tile, board and batten molding, and of course a fabulous wallpaper. This small (and only) bathroom on a tight budget required a little bit of design sleuthing to figure out how we could get the proper look and feel. Our goal was to determine where to splurge and where to economize and how to complete the remodel as quickly as possible because C&L would have to move out while construction was going on. The Process: Hard Work to Remedy Design and Function During our initial design study, (which included 2 hours in the owners’ home), we noticed framed images of William Morris Arts and Crafts textile patterns and knew this would be our design inspiration. We presented C&L with three options and they quickly selected the Pimpernel Design Concept. We had originally selected the Black and Olive colors with a black vanity, mirror, and black and white floor tile. C&L liked it but weren’t quite sure about the black, We went back to the drawing board and decided the William & Co Pimpernel Wallpaper in Bayleaf and Manilla color with a softer gray painted vanity and mirror and white floor tile was more to their liking. After the Design Concept was approved, we went to work securing the building permit, procuring all the elements, and scheduling our trusted tradesmen to perform the work. We did uncover some shoddy work by the flippers such as live electrical wires hidden behind the wall, plumbing venting cut-off and buried in the walls (hence the constant dampness), the tub barely balancing on two fence boards across the floor joist, and no insulation on the exterior wall. All of the previous blunders were fixed and the bathroom put back to its previous glory. We could feel the house thanking us for making it pretty again. The After Reveal: Cohesive Design Decisions We selected a simple white subway tile for the tub/shower. This is always classic and in keeping with the style of the house. We selected a pre-fab vanity and mirror, but they look rich with the quartz countertop. There is much more storage in this small vanity than you would think. The Transformation: A Period Perfect Refresh We began the remodel just as the pandemic reared and stay-in-place orders went into effect. As C&L were already moved out and living with relatives, we got the go-ahead from city officials to get the work done (after all, how can you shelter in place without a bathroom?). All our tradesmen were scheduled to work so that only one crew was on the job site at a time. We stayed on the original schedule with only a one week delay. The end result is the sweetest little bathroom I've ever seen (and I can't wait to start work on C&L's kitchen next). Thank you for joining me in this project transformation. I hope this inspired you to think about being creative with your design projects, determining what works best in keeping with the architecture of your space, and carefully assessing how you can have the best life in your home.

Peter Rymwid
Elegant formal living room photo in New York with a standard fireplace

Patio - modern patio idea in Atlanta

Entryway - transitional entryway idea in Phoenix

Inspiration for a country laundry room remodel in Philadelphia

This is the first room people see when they come into her home and she wanted it to make a statement but also be warm and inviting. Just before entering the living room was an entry rotunda. We added a round entry table with scrolled iron accents to introduce the Tuscan feel with an elegant light fixture above. Going into the living room, we warmed up the color scheme and added pops of color with a rich purple. Next we brought in some new furniture pieces and even added more chairs for seating. Adding a new custom fireplace mantel to carry in the woodwork from other areas in the house made the fireplace more of a statement piece in the room, and keeping with the style she loved we made some slight changes on the draperies and brought them up to open the windows and give the room more height. Accessories and wall décor helped to polish off the look and our client was so happy with the end result.

Our goal on this project was to create a live-able and open feeling space in a 690 square foot modern farmhouse. We planned for an open feeling space by installing tall windows and doors, utilizing pocket doors and building a vaulted ceiling. An efficient layout with hidden kitchen appliances and a concealed laundry space, built in tv and work desk, carefully selected furniture pieces and a bright and white colour palette combine to make this tiny house feel like a home. We achieved our goal of building a functionally beautiful space where we comfortably host a few friends and spend time together as a family. John McManus

Example of a beach style open concept living room design in Philadelphia with white walls

Ample amounts of storage were designed at lower heights to accommodate this petite family while colorful vases inserted behind glass doors were showcased at higher, less used ceiling heights. This combination married functionality with beauty seamlessly.

Example of a farmhouse light wood floor bedroom design in Minneapolis with white walls

The master bathroom is large with plenty of built-in storage space and double vanity. The countertops carry on from the kitchen. A large freestanding tub sits adjacent to the window next to the large stand-up shower. The floor is a dark great chevron tile pattern that grounds the lighter design finishes.

Living room - large rustic formal and enclosed light wood floor and brown floor living room idea with a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and beige walls

Powder room - transitional powder room idea in Boston with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, gray cabinets and black countertops

30" square bluestone steppers form a path through the lawn, leading to the bluestone and brick patio. Renn Kuhnen Photography
This is an example of a large traditional drought-tolerant and full sun backyard stone garden path in Chicago for summer.

Photo: Carolyn Reyes © 2016 Houzz Design: Kelly Mack Home
Bedroom - eclectic carpeted bedroom idea in Los Angeles

Wing Wong/Memories TTL
Mid-sized transitional u-shaped slate floor and gray floor eat-in kitchen photo in New York with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, brick backsplash, paneled appliances and a peninsula