A Classic Bathroom Worth Losing a Closet For
This Delaware room has been expanded and updated with furniture-like cabinetry, a larger shower and classic finishes
Becky Harris
April 25, 2018
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
Photos by Jon Friedrich
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: Two busy parents who have three children
Location: Hockessin, Delaware
Size: 69 square feet (6.4 square meters); 13¾ by 5 feet
Designer: Liza Nicole Interiors
This Delaware couple was working with a seriously small master bathroom — it was just 30 square feet. To expand it and have a shower stall where their elbows weren’t knocking into walls as they washed their hair, they were willing to blow through a wall and sacrifice their walk-in closet. But they needed professional help to design the layout, create a cohesive look from the overwhelming number of inspirational photos they had found online, and figure out where they were going to store their clothes after giving up the closet.
Scope of work. This was a complete renovation that included expanding the bathroom to take over the closet, rearranging the doors on the wall between the bathroom and the bedroom, and updating the plumbing, millwork, tile and lighting.
Style. Interior designer Liza Nicole assessed her clients’ tastes, 1960s center-hall Colonial home and circumstances to land on a style that was traditional with fresh transitional elements. Because her clients had a high chance of relocating the family in the next few years due to a job, a potential resale situation also factored into the design equation. So she kept the permanent fixtures classic and went more transitional and eclectic with accessories that could be swapped out for a different look if needed.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: Two busy parents who have three children
Location: Hockessin, Delaware
Size: 69 square feet (6.4 square meters); 13¾ by 5 feet
Designer: Liza Nicole Interiors
This Delaware couple was working with a seriously small master bathroom — it was just 30 square feet. To expand it and have a shower stall where their elbows weren’t knocking into walls as they washed their hair, they were willing to blow through a wall and sacrifice their walk-in closet. But they needed professional help to design the layout, create a cohesive look from the overwhelming number of inspirational photos they had found online, and figure out where they were going to store their clothes after giving up the closet.
Scope of work. This was a complete renovation that included expanding the bathroom to take over the closet, rearranging the doors on the wall between the bathroom and the bedroom, and updating the plumbing, millwork, tile and lighting.
Style. Interior designer Liza Nicole assessed her clients’ tastes, 1960s center-hall Colonial home and circumstances to land on a style that was traditional with fresh transitional elements. Because her clients had a high chance of relocating the family in the next few years due to a job, a potential resale situation also factored into the design equation. So she kept the permanent fixtures classic and went more transitional and eclectic with accessories that could be swapped out for a different look if needed.
Before. The dated bathroom had a tight 6-by-5-foot footprint. There were ventilation and moisture issues, it had a small shower stall and just one sink, and it didn’t have any storage.
Storage. The toilet remained in the same place where the old toilet had been. But a tall cabinet (24 inches wide by 84 inches high by 16 inches deep) now stands where the sink had been. The new cabinet provides lots of storage for towels and toiletries. Its glass doors prevent the piece from feeling too hulking or heavy and allow for display, and its furniture look gives the bathroom a refined feeling.
Window treatment. A relaxed Roman shade in linen adds softness to the room.
Artwork. Nicole found two frames from Target’s Magnolia Home collection and affixed them to the walls with chains hanging from Anthropologie pewter knobs. “This was my way of giving my client some of the brass she liked,” she says. “And stacking them like this created a vertical element that makes the ceilings feel higher.” It’s easy to switch out the artwork whenever the feeling strikes them; for now they have sheet music inside.
Wall paint: Agreeable Gray, Sherwin-Williams
Window treatment. A relaxed Roman shade in linen adds softness to the room.
Artwork. Nicole found two frames from Target’s Magnolia Home collection and affixed them to the walls with chains hanging from Anthropologie pewter knobs. “This was my way of giving my client some of the brass she liked,” she says. “And stacking them like this created a vertical element that makes the ceilings feel higher.” It’s easy to switch out the artwork whenever the feeling strikes them; for now they have sheet music inside.
Wall paint: Agreeable Gray, Sherwin-Williams
Vanity. The new vanity is big enough for two, with double sinks and mirrors. Originally Nicole thought of a customized vintage furniture piece, but when water damage issues discovered during demolition unexpectedly soaked up some of the budget, she was able to find a ready-made vanity with a similar look at RH. The dimensions of the vanity are 72 inches wide by 34 inches high by 24 inches deep. Its antique-looking patinated pewter ring pulls lend a vintage furniture look.
Countertop and backsplash. The Pure White quartz by Caesarstone came with the vanity and creates a crisp contrast to the lovely wood and antique look of the cabinetry.
Find wood vanities with double sinks
Countertop and backsplash. The Pure White quartz by Caesarstone came with the vanity and creates a crisp contrast to the lovely wood and antique look of the cabinetry.
Find wood vanities with double sinks
Before. This photo shows you how they expanded the bath. The door on the left led to the closet, and the shower stall was behind the dresser. During construction, Nicole salvaged two small doors (each 2½ feet wide) from another renovation completed within the house and used them as double doors for the bathroom entry. She placed them where the dresser was, so that her clients can walk straight toward the vanity when they enter the bathroom.
Mirrors and sconces. While at first they discussed elements like a focal wall in a patterned tile behind the vanity, the fact that the clients could have to move in the next few years made them go for a more classic, universally appealing look that would be better for resale. It still expresses the homeowners’ style through the not-so-permanent fixtures.
“It’s better to take chances with items that are easier to switch out down the line,” Nicole says. If they have to put the house on the market, it would be difficult and expensive to change out a tiled wall. Instead she gave them mirrors and sconces that were more modern in style than the rest of the elements in the bathroom.
Finishes. The faucets, mirror frames and other accessories are chrome. “Chrome will never go out of style in a bathroom, not ever,” Nicole says. “It’s classic, and while I love antiqued brass, chrome’s tones are more complementary to Carrara marble.”
Sconces: Visual Comfort; faucets: California Faucets; mirrors: RH; browse chrome bathroom mirrors
“It’s better to take chances with items that are easier to switch out down the line,” Nicole says. If they have to put the house on the market, it would be difficult and expensive to change out a tiled wall. Instead she gave them mirrors and sconces that were more modern in style than the rest of the elements in the bathroom.
Finishes. The faucets, mirror frames and other accessories are chrome. “Chrome will never go out of style in a bathroom, not ever,” Nicole says. “It’s classic, and while I love antiqued brass, chrome’s tones are more complementary to Carrara marble.”
Sconces: Visual Comfort; faucets: California Faucets; mirrors: RH; browse chrome bathroom mirrors
Flooring. This shot gives us a good look at the hexagonal Carrara marble tile on the floor. This detail also shows how they built out the trim molding to completely conceal the plumbing underneath the vanity (where it bumps out on the left side).
Find a designer to help with your bathroom makeover | Browse tile styles
Find a designer to help with your bathroom makeover | Browse tile styles
Vase. Nicole gave her client another dash of brass tones with this vase. Again, it’s easy to bring in an element like a metallic finish with items that aren’t permanent or expensive to replace.
Vase, Magnolia Home collection, Target
Vase, Magnolia Home collection, Target
Before. Here’s a look at the tight shower that made the couple ready to give up their closet.
Shower. The new shower is spacious and bright, with the elbow room the old shower did not afford. Features include a custom niche, a grab bar, a handheld shower and a multifunctional shower head. The walls are classic subway tile. Nicole advised her clients to choose glass with a coating to protect against water spots. She advises her clients with clear glass surrounds to squeegee after each shower.
Splurges. Some of the splurges are not visible to the eye. They include radiant heat flooring and a top-of-the-line fan with an exhaust system to prevent future problems with moisture.
Shower head and body spray: Kohler; browse shower systems
Splurges. Some of the splurges are not visible to the eye. They include radiant heat flooring and a top-of-the-line fan with an exhaust system to prevent future problems with moisture.
Shower head and body spray: Kohler; browse shower systems
Shower niche. The niche and the sills around the wall that separates the shower from the vanity are lined in quartz that looks like Carrara marble. Nicole says it’s much easier to clean than tile and grout.
You may be wondering where the couple stores their clothing now that their closet is gone. Nicole designed a custom closet system along another wall of their bedroom with drawers and spaces for shoes and hanging clothing.
Contractor: RMR Services
More
Read other stories about bathroom design
Find a bathroom designer
You may be wondering where the couple stores their clothing now that their closet is gone. Nicole designed a custom closet system along another wall of their bedroom with drawers and spaces for shoes and hanging clothing.
Contractor: RMR Services
More
Read other stories about bathroom design
Find a bathroom designer
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@susie loor: that vanity looks like Restoration hardware. I do believe it's called the "Maison" design. It matches the tall cabinet in a photo in the article with the toilet.
May I have the exact name for the Carrara Hexagon tile on the floor? There are several to choose from.
Thanks.
I’d like to see the floor plan.