Bathroom of the Week: Open Spa Feeling for Empty Nesters
Design-build pros update a couple’s en suite bathroom with sage green vanities and a light and airy design
In 1993, Doug and Patty Grogan built a traditional Colonial-style home in Easton, Massachusetts, then raised five kids there. After becoming an empty-nest couple, they decided it was time to freshen up their home. Top of list was their en suite bathroom, where floral wallpaper, back-to-back oak vanities and a large built-in, step-up jetted tub didn’t feel as charming as they did almost 30 years ago.
While the layout worked for the Grogans, they wanted better storage and a more soothing, spa-like feel with elegant traditional style. The couple turned to design-build pros Jason and Megan Hoffman for help. The Hoffmans added new vanities in a soothing sage green color. A modern-day freestanding tub, a curbless shower and lots of fresh white paint give the updated space a light and airy atmosphere.
While the layout worked for the Grogans, they wanted better storage and a more soothing, spa-like feel with elegant traditional style. The couple turned to design-build pros Jason and Megan Hoffman for help. The Hoffmans added new vanities in a soothing sage green color. A modern-day freestanding tub, a curbless shower and lots of fresh white paint give the updated space a light and airy atmosphere.
After: The design-build team took the former space down to the studs. It leaned on a bright and fresh color scheme to create a light and airy feel. The white shiplap and trim were painted in a mildew-resistant semigloss paint (Regal Select White by Benjamin Moore). The walls have a soft gray-green undertone (Sebring White by Benjamin Moore) that complements the new sage green vanities, a color that’s repeated throughout the Grogans’ home. “Also, my backyard has a lot of trees,” Patty says. “I just love that color, and wanted to break up all the white in the bathroom.”
For the floor, 4-by-12-inch marble-look porcelain tiles set in a herringbone pattern add elegance and interest. A matte finish gives them grip. Radiant heat keeps them warm.
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For the floor, 4-by-12-inch marble-look porcelain tiles set in a herringbone pattern add elegance and interest. A matte finish gives them grip. Radiant heat keeps them warm.
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Marble-look quartz countertops with blue-gray veining on a white background coordinate with the flooring. Brushed nickel widespread faucets add a traditional touch, while chrome sconces lend a bit of coastal flavor that complements the shiplap. Oval mirrors soften all the horizontal lines.
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Before: The back-to-back oak vanities had a large wraparound counter that protruded into traffic flow. With only two drawers and one cabinet in each vanity, the couple were using a portable rolling cart (not shown) to hold bathroom essentials. “It looked awful, it really did,” Patty says. “And the mirror part didn’t go all the way to the ceiling, so it felt like it was just hanging out in the middle of the space.”
After: The Hoffman team kept the back-to-back arrangement the same but upgraded the area with a shiplap partition that runs to the ceiling and vanities that offer more storage and a streamlined countertop. “We made sure we added furniture feet on the bottom to give the vanities a credenza look,” Jason says. “I custom-made the feet in my cabinet shop.”
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Before: Apart from being imposing and out of date, the aging gray tub was just plain dangerous. “It was too big for the space,” Jason says. “It was goodbye and good riddance.”
The couple wanted to keep the saloon-style swinging door, a nod to Doug’s roots in Texas. It leads to the water closet.
The couple wanted to keep the saloon-style swinging door, a nod to Doug’s roots in Texas. It leads to the water closet.
After: A new freestanding soaking tub with pedestal base gives the bathroom a more open feel. “We pulled the tub a little away from the wall so it allows access to the windows and cleaning back there,” Jason says.
Shiplap helps tie the space back to the vanity area. (After these photos were taken, the homeowners added a glass-and-metal pendant-style chandelier over the tub and white cafe shutters to the windows.)
A fresh coat of white paint updated the window trim and saloon door.
Shiplap helps tie the space back to the vanity area. (After these photos were taken, the homeowners added a glass-and-metal pendant-style chandelier over the tub and white cafe shutters to the windows.)
A fresh coat of white paint updated the window trim and saloon door.
The floor-mount tub filler in brushed nickel has a traditional style that suits the bathtub, and it includes a hand shower for rinsing off oneself or the tub.
The new curbless shower features a brushed nickel shower head and handheld spray. “We installed a linear drain that goes completely from one end of the opening of the shower to the other to make sure it captures all the water,” Jason says.
“It’s good for us as we’re getting older,” Patty says. “There’s no lip to trip over.”
The same 4-by-12-inch marble-look porcelain tiles used on the floor cover the shower walls and ceiling, but in a brick pattern. The floor is 2-by-2-inch marble-look porcelain hexagonal tiles in a matte finish for grip.
“It’s good for us as we’re getting older,” Patty says. “There’s no lip to trip over.”
The same 4-by-12-inch marble-look porcelain tiles used on the floor cover the shower walls and ceiling, but in a brick pattern. The floor is 2-by-2-inch marble-look porcelain hexagonal tiles in a matte finish for grip.
A new shower niche stores bathing products and is backed with real Carrara marble hexagonal tiles. Two quartz shelves in the corner offer more storage.
Before: This floor plan of the former bathroom shows how the overall layout was workable, but the large curved counters of the old back-to-back vanities (bottom center) stuck out, and the short shower door (upper left corner) swung open into the space.
After: Removing the jetted tub and replacing it with a freestanding tub (top center) and removing the shower door opened up the bathroom considerably. The upgraded back-to-back vanities gave the couple the added storage they needed. “Drawers are so much easier to use than cupboards,” Patty says. “We just love the bathroom now, it’s so pretty and relaxing.”
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Empty-nest couple Doug and Patty Grogan
Location: South Easton, Massachusetts
Size: 167 square feet (16 square meters)
Designer: Jason and Megan Hoffman of J.P. Hoffman Design Build
Before: After almost three decades, the Grogans had grown tired of the finishes and other features in their en suite bathroom. The floral wallpaper and ceramic tile flooring had to go. And the gray jetted step-up tub was a hazard. “It was always dangerous to get in and out of,” Patty says.
The shower was spacious but also out of date with frosted glass and aging tile. Back-to-back wood vanities with a large double-sided mirror and a wraparound countertop seemed especially from another era. (See “before” photo below.) And each vanity had only two drawers and a cabinet.