Bland Bath Reimagined With Bold Industrial Finishes and a Shower
A Miami designer helps a couple upgrade their forgettable master bathroom with contrasting tile and custom woodwork
When a Miami homeowner hired Francis Domínguez of EFE Creative Lab last year to give a spare room a rich, industrial library feel, he had one additional request: Could Domínguez install a more interesting light fixture in the bland master bathroom to give the space a touch of character? The designer did, and a year later, when the homeowner sought out Domínguez to redo the rest of the master bath for him and his wife, that fixture was the first piece of the puzzle. The remaining work added character to spare through geometric lines and wood, metal and concrete details, transforming the bathroom from basic to bold.
After: The light fixture above the mirror that Domínguez had added previously and the rough footprint are the only remnants of the bathroom’s former look. The designer worked with the homeowners to add fresh finishes, an updated custom vanity, a dramatic shower and a more sophisticated overall vibe.
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Find a bathroom designer near you
In the planning stages of the project, the husband shared with Domínguez inspiration photos he found on Houzz and elsewhere. Industrial touches — especially subway tile — were favorite details.
Not only are the homeowners fans of industrial-style features, but those features fit in with the style of the rest of the home, including the updated library space. Domínguez had the library walls lined with custom wood and metal open shelving by Grove and Anchor, a local maker of handcrafted furniture, and had the company replicate a similar style for the bath.
“I decided to go with the shelves for two reasons: One, I didn’t want to cover the subway tile. I love having the subway tile as a backsplash,” Domínguez says. “And two, that was something for me to continue the design I did for the home library, so I wanted to bring a little bit of that into the bathroom.”
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Not only are the homeowners fans of industrial-style features, but those features fit in with the style of the rest of the home, including the updated library space. Domínguez had the library walls lined with custom wood and metal open shelving by Grove and Anchor, a local maker of handcrafted furniture, and had the company replicate a similar style for the bath.
“I decided to go with the shelves for two reasons: One, I didn’t want to cover the subway tile. I love having the subway tile as a backsplash,” Domínguez says. “And two, that was something for me to continue the design I did for the home library, so I wanted to bring a little bit of that into the bathroom.”
Shop for wall and floor tile on Houzz
The room’s layout, shown here in a planning sketch, was limited by the high-rise’s shared utility lines, but Domínguez reworked the existing setup with upgraded finishes and swapped out the tub for a shower, making the space appear larger.
6 Bathrooms That Said Goodbye to the Tub
6 Bathrooms That Said Goodbye to the Tub
Large-format black hexagonal tiles on the floor and up the shower wall pop against the clean white subway tile seen in this rendering. (The straight-on view of the vanity wall shown in the image was difficult to capture in a photograph because of the space’s narrow footprint.) Domínguez used a dark gray grout that complements both types of tile. The wood accents made by Grove and Anchor were introduced to soften the color and texture palette.
“I had the black and the white, so I had to insert something a little bit more warm, so that’s where the whole custom wood vanity came in with the wood ledge and the shelves,” he says. “[It was meant to] tone it down a little bit so it wasn’t too harsh of a contrast.”
10 Beautiful White-and-Wood Bathrooms
“I had the black and the white, so I had to insert something a little bit more warm, so that’s where the whole custom wood vanity came in with the wood ledge and the shelves,” he says. “[It was meant to] tone it down a little bit so it wasn’t too harsh of a contrast.”
10 Beautiful White-and-Wood Bathrooms
Before: The dated, oversize tub took up a good part of the bathroom, and the white surrounding tile was nondescript.
After: Hexagonal tiles and a floating glass divider make the most of the space. Switching to the shower required some extra permits and paperwork since the homeowners live in a high-rise, but a showpiece shower was at the top of the must-have list and worth the effort, Domínguez says.
See more industrial bathroom inspiration photos
See more industrial bathroom inspiration photos
The subway tile has been carried into the shower, stretching the room’s sightlines. A shallow niche blends into the shower wall.
Domínguez especially loves the custom-built vanity, made of solid American white ash and topped with concrete. The countertop echoes exposed concrete ceilings and polished concrete floors elsewhere in the home. The rectangular matte-finish vessel sink emphasizes the room’s geometric lines.
Browse wood bathroom vanities
Browse wood bathroom vanities
With matte black fixtures, a floating wood ledge and a simple round mirror tying the room together, Domínguez and the homeowners balanced industrial chic with hints of farmhouse charm.
More on Houzz
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
Find a bathroom remodeler
Shop for bathroom vanities
More on Houzz
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
Find a bathroom remodeler
Shop for bathroom vanities
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Miami
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Designer: Francis Domínguez of EFE Creative Lab
Before: Unlike the rest of the industrial loft-style home, the existing master bathroom in the couple’s high-rise unit was white on white without much personality. A bulky fiberglass tub dominated the tight space, along with a standard white vanity.
“There was nothing special about it, and that is something that I wanted to change from the beginning,” Domínguez says. “[I wanted to] make it something a little more luxurious and a little more high-end.”