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Room Tour: A Dated Bathroom is Given a Gorgeous New Look
A new pale palette, unfussy fittings and better storage have given this bathroom a fresher and much roomier feel
After 27 years of living with carpet on their bathroom floor, Mike and Janet Bryant had had enough. “I couldn’t stand it any longer,” Janet says. “I’d retired, and we’d been putting it off, and I finally had time to work on this project.”
The carpet was the most significant source of frustration, but it wasn’t the only one. The Bryants had grown tired of the limited storage in the low double vanity unit, the chocolate brown walls, the hulking built-in bath and the narrow shower enclosure.
Armed with years of ideas collected from Houzz, the couple hired designer Brittney Heiser and Alpental Construction to create a brighter bathroom with more storage, a fresh style and an airy layout. The now spa-like space has a hardworking vanity unit, a freestanding bath, a roomy shower, a calming colour palette and, best of all, no carpet.
The carpet was the most significant source of frustration, but it wasn’t the only one. The Bryants had grown tired of the limited storage in the low double vanity unit, the chocolate brown walls, the hulking built-in bath and the narrow shower enclosure.
Armed with years of ideas collected from Houzz, the couple hired designer Brittney Heiser and Alpental Construction to create a brighter bathroom with more storage, a fresh style and an airy layout. The now spa-like space has a hardworking vanity unit, a freestanding bath, a roomy shower, a calming colour palette and, best of all, no carpet.
Brittney and the Alpental Construction crew stripped out the carpet, bath, vanity unit and shower cubicle, including the soffit.
Fog-coloured tiles in a glossy finish with a handmade look cover the walls that wrap around the shower, bath area and vanity unit. Large-format (30cm x 60cm) porcelain floor tiles in a similar colour cover the floor. “Tile is more durable than having painted [plasterboard],” Brittney says. “It protects the [plasterboard] and is easier to clean. I also like to use tile on the walls because it makes a big impact in the space.”
The soft grey tones of the tiles join the dark, warm grey vanity unit colour (Bear Creek by Benjamin Moore) to create a soothing atmosphere. “I’ve been looking at Houzz for years and started ideabooks for a bunch of different spaces,” Janet says. “I gathered ideas for this bathroom from Houzz, too. Brittney actually created a special ideabook that I added photos and comments to, to help her in the gathering of the materials for the room.”
Find a bathroom designer near you in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Fog-coloured tiles in a glossy finish with a handmade look cover the walls that wrap around the shower, bath area and vanity unit. Large-format (30cm x 60cm) porcelain floor tiles in a similar colour cover the floor. “Tile is more durable than having painted [plasterboard],” Brittney says. “It protects the [plasterboard] and is easier to clean. I also like to use tile on the walls because it makes a big impact in the space.”
The soft grey tones of the tiles join the dark, warm grey vanity unit colour (Bear Creek by Benjamin Moore) to create a soothing atmosphere. “I’ve been looking at Houzz for years and started ideabooks for a bunch of different spaces,” Janet says. “I gathered ideas for this bathroom from Houzz, too. Brittney actually created a special ideabook that I added photos and comments to, to help her in the gathering of the materials for the room.”
Find a bathroom designer near you in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
The former off-white vanity unit sat below standard countertop height. The Bryants had long ago outgrown its storage capacity. Oval drop-in basins and a tiled top made it difficult to clean. “Because it wasn’t a full overlay vanity, it was less functional,” Brittney says. “It was shorter than what we have now, and the interior was smaller.”
Broadway lights over the large mirror cast the room in a dingy glow.
Broadway lights over the large mirror cast the room in a dingy glow.
The new bespoke paint-grade maple vanity unit with double undermount basins includes nine soft-close drawers and two large cabinets. “We had an electrician put an outlet inside one of the cabinets so I could plug in my hair dryer,” Janet says. “I also have a caddy in there for my hair dryer and curling tongs that helps to keep things off the counter.”
Polished nickel knobs and pulls coordinate with polished nickel mirror frames, three LED sconces and a towel ring.
The toilet is in its own room to the left of the vanity unit.
You might also enjoy How to Turn a Piece of Vintage Furniture Into a Vanity Unit.
Polished nickel knobs and pulls coordinate with polished nickel mirror frames, three LED sconces and a towel ring.
The toilet is in its own room to the left of the vanity unit.
You might also enjoy How to Turn a Piece of Vintage Furniture Into a Vanity Unit.
The taps also feature a polished nickel finish. The basins are a rectangular undermounted style. “We wanted to maximise the sink space, but also make them feel more modern,” Brittney says.
The countertop is marble-look polished quartz. “It’s much easier to clean than the grout on the tiles, and it’s beautiful, too,” Janet says. The style coordinates with real marble accent tiles used near the bath and in the shower.
The countertop is marble-look polished quartz. “It’s much easier to clean than the grout on the tiles, and it’s beautiful, too,” Janet says. The style coordinates with real marble accent tiles used near the bath and in the shower.
A white, 150cm freestanding bath takes up less physical and visual space than the previous built-in tub and allows for an expanded shower. “That’s my favourite part of the bathroom,” Janet says. “I love opening up the door and seeing that tub and the niche behind it. I consider it a beautiful focal point.”
Calacatta Oro marble tiles laid in a chevron pattern accent a long niche behind the bath. “Marble is great to use in a niche as an accent,” Brittney says. “Natural stone has certain characteristics you can’t find in manufactured stone. We wanted to have it visually stand out and be a focal point.”
The floor-mounted bath filler and handheld spray are also polished nickel.
The floor-mounted bath filler and handheld spray are also polished nickel.
Before, a basic brass-and-glass enclosure framed the narrow shower, which was made more cramped by the soffit. “It was a small shower, and there was nowhere to put shampoo bottles or soap,” Brittney says. “It didn’t function for them at all.”
With the soffit and built-in bath removed, Brittney was able to create a taller, wider and deeper shower. A frameless tempered glass enclosure keeps things light and airy.
The shower floor is marble mosaic basketweave tiles. “If we went with the same colour as the bathroom floor, it would have felt too monochromatic,” Brittney says.
The shower floor is marble mosaic basketweave tiles. “If we went with the same colour as the bathroom floor, it would have felt too monochromatic,” Brittney says.
Calacatta Oro marble tiles in a chevron pattern also line the new shower niche. “It’s definitely more convenient than having the shampoo on the shower floor,” Janet says.
The shower hardware is polished nickel.
The shower hardware is polished nickel.
This wide view of the bathroom shows the door to a linen closet to the right of the shower.
By eliminating the built-in tub and going with a freestanding one, Brittney was able to give the Bryants an airier layout with a larger shower. “We achieved our goal of creating a beautiful, tranquil and light-filled space with a spa-like feel,” Janet says. “It was a huge improvement to our home.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this calm, airy bathroom? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Tell us…
What do you like about this calm, airy bathroom? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? Mike and Janet Bryant
Location Bellevue, Washington, USA
Size 144 sq ft (13 sq m)
Designer Brittney Heiser of Heiser Designs
Builder Alpental Construction
‘After’ photos by Brandon Heiser of Heiser Media
In the old bathroom, carpet covered the floor, including the step up to the massive built-in bath that took up a lot of visual and physical space. The bath made the shower cubical feel jammed into the room. A soffit above the shower didn’t help things. Plus, chocolate brown walls gave a dated look to the space and the low-height vanity unit offered limited storage.
“It was a classic old bathroom, very traditional, with a lot of [woodwork],” Brittney says. “They’d done updating in other areas of the home, but this space wasn’t touched.”