Beige Windowless Bathroom Gets a Fun, Colorful Makeover
A designer transforms a 1980s bathroom in Austin, Texas, for 3 sisters
Before: The original bathroom had a shower-tub combination that cluttered the room and didn’t provide the functionality the family needed. Additionally, the single-sink vanity didn’t offer the most efficient storage and enabled only one person to use the sink at once. “As is often the case with older homes, size of space was the biggest challenge,” Saether says.
While the girls may come and go at different times, “we felt it imperative that the space be easy and spacious to [accommodate] all three of them being in there at any given time,” she says. For that reason, a double sink, improved lighting and plenty of organized storage were must-haves.
While the girls may come and go at different times, “we felt it imperative that the space be easy and spacious to [accommodate] all three of them being in there at any given time,” she says. For that reason, a double sink, improved lighting and plenty of organized storage were must-haves.
After: A new double vanity painted Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball gives the girls an extra sink and better fits the scale of the room. It has brass hardware, a quartz counter and brushed-nickel faucets.
The vanity has only drawer storage, as opposed to cabinets, something Saether said made the most sense for this project. The drawers are “a great way to provide immediate visibility and accessibility,” the designer says. “They also give each girl her own dedicated space.”
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The vanity has only drawer storage, as opposed to cabinets, something Saether said made the most sense for this project. The drawers are “a great way to provide immediate visibility and accessibility,” the designer says. “They also give each girl her own dedicated space.”
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A new freestanding cabinet adds even more storage — including anything the parents might want to keep out of reach for now — and breaks up the wall with its height and pink color. The linen cabinet came from Houzz, and the designer customized it with a coat of playful Flamingo Pink paint from Benjamin Moore.
“This family is vibrant and fun,” the designer says. Those traits, combined with Saether’s preference for color and pattern as well as the girls’ aesthetic, inspired her to create a room that feels “colorful, approachable and fun,” she says.
“This family is vibrant and fun,” the designer says. Those traits, combined with Saether’s preference for color and pattern as well as the girls’ aesthetic, inspired her to create a room that feels “colorful, approachable and fun,” she says.
She replaced the tub with a walk-in curbed shower with a glass door. “[The homeowners and I] both agreed it was a much better option, given the size of the bathroom,” Saether says.
The shower wall tile is a geometric-pattern ceramic tile designed to look like cement tile. Its grays, golds and whites are picked up in the Calacatta Gold marble hexagonal floor tiles (the same tile used on the walls outside of the shower). Light gray grout shows off the tiles without breaking up the field too much.
Shower fixtures: Phylrich; shower tile: Instinct Karioca ceramic tile, TileBar
The shower wall tile is a geometric-pattern ceramic tile designed to look like cement tile. Its grays, golds and whites are picked up in the Calacatta Gold marble hexagonal floor tiles (the same tile used on the walls outside of the shower). Light gray grout shows off the tiles without breaking up the field too much.
Shower fixtures: Phylrich; shower tile: Instinct Karioca ceramic tile, TileBar
Bronze-finish sconces give the room a distinctive feel and softly illuminate it through their opal glass.
Mirrors helped Saether take advantage of the sloped ceiling — a feature she had initially seen as a challenge. She installed the top halves of the two vanity mirrors on the ceiling, adding a playful element that bounces light around the windowless space. Mirrors and mirrored surfaces can greatly benefit a small, dark room, as they reflect light and help create the illusion of a lighter and brighter space.
Sconces: Paige bathroom light, Mitzi Lighting
Mirrors helped Saether take advantage of the sloped ceiling — a feature she had initially seen as a challenge. She installed the top halves of the two vanity mirrors on the ceiling, adding a playful element that bounces light around the windowless space. Mirrors and mirrored surfaces can greatly benefit a small, dark room, as they reflect light and help create the illusion of a lighter and brighter space.
Sconces: Paige bathroom light, Mitzi Lighting
Before: The bathroom before the renovation had beige finishes, limited lighting and fixtures that didn’t suit the family’s needs.
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After: Saether replaced the materials and color palette with lighter and more colorful finishes to create a feeling of spaciousness. She ran marble tile all the way up the walls to bring the eye up to the ceiling. The vanity, linen cabinet and mix of tile colors and materials draw the eye around the room.
To bring in more light, Saether had the doorway widened and installed a door with a frosted glass panel.
Flooring: Nebula Caramel Toffee quartz tile, TileBar
General contractor: Skelly Home Renovations
Cabinetmaker: Central Texas Custom
More on Houzz
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
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To bring in more light, Saether had the doorway widened and installed a door with a frosted glass panel.
Flooring: Nebula Caramel Toffee quartz tile, TileBar
General contractor: Skelly Home Renovations
Cabinetmaker: Central Texas Custom
More on Houzz
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
Find a local bathroom designer
Shop for bathroom products
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: This is a shared bathroom for three sisters between the ages of 7 and 9 (two are twins)
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 60 square feet (12 feet by 5 feet); 5.6 square meters
Designer: Lieve Saether, principal and owner of Turnstyle Design
Interior designer Lieve Saether had worked with this family in Austin, Texas, since 2015, redesigning and renovating their 1982 home room by room. “As the girls got older, we knew this bathroom was going to need tackling,” Saether says, noting that the space couldn’t really accommodate the three sisters, who use it daily, along with any guests who visit.
Though they originally thought they would to expand the bathroom’s long, narrow footprint, Saether and the homeowners ultimately decided not to change any walls during the remodel, which enabled them to spend more on high-end, resilient fixtures and materials. Saether used new lighting, mirrors, bright finishes and a frosted glass door to give the room a feeling of spaciousness and lightness.
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