Bathroom of the Week: Traditional Style for Two Girls
A designer creates a traditional-style space that’s also fresh and youthful
Becky Harris
March 1, 2022
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
This Chicago-area family of four needed to transform a roomy bathroom with a lot of wasted space into something that worked better for everyone. Before, there had been a large vanity area with a separate shower and toilet room behind it. The homeowners hired interior designer Leah Phillips to make better use of the space. She transformed the shower-toilet area into a walk-in closet and laundry room off the primary suite, and she turned the 70-square-foot vanity area into this full bathroom for the couple’s two elementary-school-age daughters. As for style, she incorporated the parents’ traditional tastes with youthful touches, making it a classic space that will grow up with the girls as they mature.
Photos by Margaret Rajic Photography; photo styling by Jenny Officer
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two young daughters
Location: Wilmette, Illinois
Size: 70 square feet (6.5 square meters)
Designer: Leah Phillips
Builder: McDermott Construction
The homeowners had worked with Phillips on their home in Chicago, then hired her again after moving to the suburb of Wilmette. So she had a strong sense of their style, which leaned traditional. When changing the original bathroom’s layout, she left a space that measured 7 by 10 feet for the girls’ bathroom. “It was important to make room for both girls to get ready at once in the morning,” the designer says. In addition to this vanity area, there’s a makeup table on the other side of the room.
“My client had seen a reeded vanity from one of my other projects and wanted to incorporate that detail here,” Phillips says. “This is the most traditional take I’ve used with reeded cabinetry.” The furniture-like look of the custom vanity, the dark stain on the wood, the unlacquered brass hardware, the Carrara marble countertop and the polished nickel faucets keep it traditional. “I like to mix metals because it makes things more interesting,” Phillips says.
She used Houzz Pro business software for project management and billing.
Browse vanities in the Houzz Shop
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two young daughters
Location: Wilmette, Illinois
Size: 70 square feet (6.5 square meters)
Designer: Leah Phillips
Builder: McDermott Construction
The homeowners had worked with Phillips on their home in Chicago, then hired her again after moving to the suburb of Wilmette. So she had a strong sense of their style, which leaned traditional. When changing the original bathroom’s layout, she left a space that measured 7 by 10 feet for the girls’ bathroom. “It was important to make room for both girls to get ready at once in the morning,” the designer says. In addition to this vanity area, there’s a makeup table on the other side of the room.
“My client had seen a reeded vanity from one of my other projects and wanted to incorporate that detail here,” Phillips says. “This is the most traditional take I’ve used with reeded cabinetry.” The furniture-like look of the custom vanity, the dark stain on the wood, the unlacquered brass hardware, the Carrara marble countertop and the polished nickel faucets keep it traditional. “I like to mix metals because it makes things more interesting,” Phillips says.
She used Houzz Pro business software for project management and billing.
Browse vanities in the Houzz Shop
Though Phillips was tasked with creating a room that fit in with the rest of the home’s traditional style, she also wanted to keep it a bit playful for the girls. Her client had shared inspiration photos of bathrooms with black-and-white tile floors and paneled walls. Phillips sourced this classic yet fun rosette design composed of 2-by-2-inch hexagonal tiles.
The window is a fiberglass picture window with frosted glass. The clear glass shower enclosure lets the whole room enjoy the natural light. The large mirror over the vanity and a second mirror over the makeup table help bounce the light around. Artificial sources of light include three recessed lights in the ceiling, two mirror-mounted sconces over the vanity and a fixture with two lightbulbs over the makeup table.
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The window is a fiberglass picture window with frosted glass. The clear glass shower enclosure lets the whole room enjoy the natural light. The large mirror over the vanity and a second mirror over the makeup table help bounce the light around. Artificial sources of light include three recessed lights in the ceiling, two mirror-mounted sconces over the vanity and a fixture with two lightbulbs over the makeup table.
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“My very favorite thing in this room is the curved light over the makeup table,” Phillips says. “It’s a nod to the girls — it’s youthful and playful and not so traditional.” She also used a different-style mirror to distinguish this area and add more curves to the space. The dark-stained wood, ribbed drawers, Carrara marble countertop and hardware of the makeup table tie it to the vanity.
Paneling, door and ceiling paint: Super White, Benjamin Moore
Hire a local tile professional
Paneling, door and ceiling paint: Super White, Benjamin Moore
Hire a local tile professional
The homeowners and designer had always agreed there would be wallpaper in the room, but the pattern was a last-minute pick. “Originally they had wanted pink, so I’d pulled a lot of pink wallpapers for them,” Phillips says. “But then they wound up doing both girls’ bedrooms in pink, and we agreed that this whole floor should not be pink.” The girls’ mother found this dynamic and whimsical blue Schumacher print and everyone agreed it was a great fit.
“The paneling on the walls was important,” Phillips says. “We didn’t want the wallpaper to take over the space and feel too busy. The paneling helps calm it down.”
Shop for a bathroom mirror
“The paneling on the walls was important,” Phillips says. “We didn’t want the wallpaper to take over the space and feel too busy. The paneling helps calm it down.”
Shop for a bathroom mirror
A bonus space in the tub-shower area is this alcove above the back end of the tub. “We had this leftover space off the tub, and at first I thought we could do an alcove with open shelving next to the makeup table,” Phillips says. “But that wound up being too small to be very useful.” Instead she shared the bonus space within the tub-shower, creating both a shelf for products and a spot where the girls will be able to sit and shave their legs when they’re older. It also provided a place to add a handheld shower wand. This will help with the leg-shaving and cleaning the tub and its surround.
The shelf seat is Carrara marble that matches the countertops. The shower tile has a subtle variety of tones that mirror the colors found in the marble. The colors in the zellige-like 4-by-4-inch ceramic tiles also keep the room from feeling sterile.
Now the remodeled space suits the whole family. The parents were able to expand their closet and place a laundry room on the second floor. The girls’ bathroom’s classic traditional style matches the rest of the house, while touches like the brass light, the wallpaper and the ribbed details on the cabinetry make it fresh. The thought Phillips put into how the girls will use the room as they get older will serve them well for many years to come.
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The shelf seat is Carrara marble that matches the countertops. The shower tile has a subtle variety of tones that mirror the colors found in the marble. The colors in the zellige-like 4-by-4-inch ceramic tiles also keep the room from feeling sterile.
Now the remodeled space suits the whole family. The parents were able to expand their closet and place a laundry room on the second floor. The girls’ bathroom’s classic traditional style matches the rest of the house, while touches like the brass light, the wallpaper and the ribbed details on the cabinetry make it fresh. The thought Phillips put into how the girls will use the room as they get older will serve them well for many years to come.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
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Source of arched mirror?
I love the wallpaper! The whole room is lovely. I have a question about "reeded" surfaces - are they difficult to clean? I am wondering about their practicality - particularly for cabinetry in bathrooms and kitchens. Does anyone have experience? They seem to be a very popular trend recently.
@Pam Smith You can have thermal controls outside the shower. But one much less expensive workaround a designer told me about is to use a showerhead that also has a handheld wand. You can divert to the water to the handheld and have it pointed in a way that won't soak you when you turn the water on.