Bathroom of the Week: Retirees Splash Into Soothing Beach Style
A Southern California couple works with designers to create a dream bath that celebrates a breezy coastal location
After 25 years in their contemporary Mediterranean-style home, recently retired couple Paul and Debra Kolen decided it was time to create the master bathroom of their dreams. The house sits less than two blocks from the beach in Encinitas, California, and the couple wanted the bathroom to reflect the coastal location “without being obvious,” Debra says. They also wanted features that would allow them to comfortably use the bathroom as they get older.
Working with designers Brittany Hancock and Letia Young and using photos from Houzz for inspiration, they established a more open, user-friendly layout infused with lots of wavy and fish-scale tile.
Working with designers Brittany Hancock and Letia Young and using photos from Houzz for inspiration, they established a more open, user-friendly layout infused with lots of wavy and fish-scale tile.
After: The designers removed the bathtub and relocated the shower to free up space. They replaced the cramped double vanity with two spacious single floating beechwood vanities on opposite sides, giving Paul and Debra their own areas.
Wall paint: Drifting, Dunn-Edwards
Shop for a bathroom vanity on Houzz
Wall paint: Drifting, Dunn-Edwards
Shop for a bathroom vanity on Houzz
The designers added a new wall to the left of the walk-in shower, with a recessed niche, to help square off the room and make the angles less severe (see before-and-after floor plans below). “That was actually done on the fly, and that made such a difference,” Debra says.
Meanwhile, half walls topped with quartz and clear glass panels help define the shower area. A towel warmer on the outer side of a half wall gives the couple easy access to towels from the shower.
Meanwhile, half walls topped with quartz and clear glass panels help define the shower area. A towel warmer on the outer side of a half wall gives the couple easy access to towels from the shower.
Each vanity includes a large rimmed white vessel sink with polished chrome faucet. Custom recessed solid maple medicine cabinets with five shelves and electrical outlets inside sit behind the frameless mirrors above the sinks.
A slim LED sconce and oval tilt mirror, both bought on Houzz, outfit Debra’s drop-down makeup counter.
Turbo slim sconce in etched glass and polished chrome: Sonneman; oval tilt mirror in polished chrome: Avondale Decor
A slim LED sconce and oval tilt mirror, both bought on Houzz, outfit Debra’s drop-down makeup counter.
Turbo slim sconce in etched glass and polished chrome: Sonneman; oval tilt mirror in polished chrome: Avondale Decor
Large-format porcelain floor tiles with radiant heat beneath them replace the carpet and give a beach-sand look. “I’m a huge fan of 12-by-24-inch tiles in any space, since no one wants extra grout lines,” Hancock says. “I loved this tile because it’s textured, which gives good grip under the foot.”
Before: This photo shows the tiled step-up tub in the previous bathroom, which the couple never used.
After: Removing the tub provided space for the new double shower and created a focal point that incorporates the master bathroom’s unique angles. “We were both worried about losing the light from the glass block, so we decided to keep it,” Debra says.
Wavy 3D ceramic tiles line the walls, nodding to the nearby ocean tides, while hand-painted fish-scale tile covers the bench and shower niches. “The bathroom before was pretty plain and now we wanted to add some fun colors in there,” Young says. “The tiles add color in just the right spaces, and help create the whole sophisticated and relaxing look.”
Wavy 3D ceramic tiles line the walls, nodding to the nearby ocean tides, while hand-painted fish-scale tile covers the bench and shower niches. “The bathroom before was pretty plain and now we wanted to add some fun colors in there,” Young says. “The tiles add color in just the right spaces, and help create the whole sophisticated and relaxing look.”
Marble pebble mosaic tiles on the floor mimic the small rocks found at a beach.
Shop for bathroom wall and floor tile
Shop for bathroom wall and floor tile
Each end of the shower features its own shower head and valve, as well as a hand shower with slide bar. Oversize niches on each side include a top shelf for storing a bar of soap and a bottom shelf with enough space for extra-large bottles of shampoo and body wash.
Before: This floor plan of the previous bathroom shows the odd angles and cramped layout. The step-up tub took up the angled portion at the top, while a small shower occupied the space above the toilet, which originally sat in a small water closet. “When you closed the pocket door, it was like sitting in a coffin,” Debra says. “It was so teeny in there.”
After: The new floor plan shows a more open and user-friendly layout. With the bathtub gone, a spacious double shower was possible. Paul’s vanity area replaced the previous shower. “I love that it’s extremely functional, all the light and the fact we each have our own side of the room,” Debra says. “This is the bathroom this house deserves to have.”
More on Houzz
Before and After: 7 Master Bathroom Transformations
What I Learned From My Master Bathroom Renovation
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Find a bathroom remodeler near you
Shop for products for your bathroom
More on Houzz
Before and After: 7 Master Bathroom Transformations
What I Learned From My Master Bathroom Renovation
Get bathroom design ideas
Find a bathroom remodeler near you
Shop for products for your bathroom
Master Bath at a Glance
Who lives here: Retired couple Paul and Debra Kolen
Location: Encinitas, California
Size: About 175 square feet (16 square meters)
Designers: Brittany Hancock of B Home Design and Letia Young of White Dog Interiors
Before: The Kolens felt the original master bath layout was cramped and had awkward angles. And pink tile countertop and aging wall-to-wall carpet didn’t exactly promote a beachy feel.
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