The Most Popular Bathroom of the Week Stories of 2019
Bright, spa-like bathrooms that put their unique layouts to good use wowed the Houzz community most this year
We profile bathrooms large and small in our Bathroom of the Week series, and the following countdown of the five most popular articles from the series in 2019 reflects that range. Here’s your chance to revisit — or see fresh — a contemporary interpretation of Victorian style, a spa-like master suite that allows its homeowners to age in place and other inspiring bathroom designs.
The finished bathroom features timeless materials such as marble and antiqued brass alongside more contemporary touches like oversize subway tile and a geometric pattern on the floor. The vintage-style shower fixtures, vanity faucet and other brass elements pop against the clean marble lines and soft gray color palette.
Smart space configuration decisions include a glass shower panel and continuous floor tile to make the room feel bigger, hiding the floor vent in a vanity toe kick and tucking the toilet in the nook that once housed the shower. Those features show how a savvy designer can make the most of even the tightest quarters.
Read more about this bathroom
Smart space configuration decisions include a glass shower panel and continuous floor tile to make the room feel bigger, hiding the floor vent in a vanity toe kick and tucking the toilet in the nook that once housed the shower. Those features show how a savvy designer can make the most of even the tightest quarters.
Read more about this bathroom
4. Spa-like Aging in Place
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A retired couple
Location: St. Louis
Size: 92 square feet (8.5 square meters); 8½ by 10⅘ feet
Designer: Jennifer Chapman Designs
A retired St. Louis couple were getting older but didn’t want to leave the house they’d lived in and loved for 40 years. They enlisted designer Jennifer Chapman to help.
The three worked together to consolidate two first-floor bedrooms, a hallway and a small bathroom into a luxurious master suite, complete with a bedroom, bathroom and laundry room, plus thoughtful aging-in-place accommodations that will allow the homeowners to enjoy their home for years to come.
Shop for your shower
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A retired couple
Location: St. Louis
Size: 92 square feet (8.5 square meters); 8½ by 10⅘ feet
Designer: Jennifer Chapman Designs
A retired St. Louis couple were getting older but didn’t want to leave the house they’d lived in and loved for 40 years. They enlisted designer Jennifer Chapman to help.
The three worked together to consolidate two first-floor bedrooms, a hallway and a small bathroom into a luxurious master suite, complete with a bedroom, bathroom and laundry room, plus thoughtful aging-in-place accommodations that will allow the homeowners to enjoy their home for years to come.
Shop for your shower
Accessibility drove the new bathroom layout, but Chapman made sure not to sacrifice style.
She widened doors to 36 inches to allow for walkers or wheelchairs. The shower stall and spaces around the toilet and vanity needed to be roomy enough for a wheelchair to maneuver. Elegant chrome grab bars were added throughout the room, with one even doubling as a toilet paper holder. And a soothing sea-glass-style backsplash and plenty of light create a serene, spa-like feel.
Read more about this bathroom
She widened doors to 36 inches to allow for walkers or wheelchairs. The shower stall and spaces around the toilet and vanity needed to be roomy enough for a wheelchair to maneuver. Elegant chrome grab bars were added throughout the room, with one even doubling as a toilet paper holder. And a soothing sea-glass-style backsplash and plenty of light create a serene, spa-like feel.
Read more about this bathroom
3. Glamorous Gray
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A retired couple
Location: Richardson, Texas
Size: 150 square feet (14 square meters)
Designers: Dona Rosene (interior design) and Michael Lyons (architecture)
Sea Pearl quartzite that the Texas homeowner spotted on an early shopping trip with the designer she’d found on Houzz set the tone for this entire master bathroom. The beautiful natural stone appears on the shower wall, the space above the vanity and on the countertop, among other places. It also inspired the rest of the room’s color palette and materials.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A retired couple
Location: Richardson, Texas
Size: 150 square feet (14 square meters)
Designers: Dona Rosene (interior design) and Michael Lyons (architecture)
Sea Pearl quartzite that the Texas homeowner spotted on an early shopping trip with the designer she’d found on Houzz set the tone for this entire master bathroom. The beautiful natural stone appears on the shower wall, the space above the vanity and on the countertop, among other places. It also inspired the rest of the room’s color palette and materials.
The homeowners worked with interior designer Dona Rosene and architect Michael Lyons to revamp the bathroom’s look and layout and incorporate touches of glamour.
That meant removing awkward components like a pony wall and making the uneven ceiling heights consistent. It also meant design choices that would make the room feel bigger and more relaxing. These included adding counter-to-ceiling mirrors and a freestanding soaking tub in place of an outdated corner bath. Shiny details like the faucets, sconces, gleaming gray mosaic tile and a statement-making chandelier dress things up.
Read more about this bathroom
That meant removing awkward components like a pony wall and making the uneven ceiling heights consistent. It also meant design choices that would make the room feel bigger and more relaxing. These included adding counter-to-ceiling mirrors and a freestanding soaking tub in place of an outdated corner bath. Shiny details like the faucets, sconces, gleaming gray mosaic tile and a statement-making chandelier dress things up.
Read more about this bathroom
2. Modern Classic Mix
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple
Location: Summit, New Jersey
Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters); 7 by 20 feet
Designers: Bob Gockeler and Kim Platt of KraftMaster Renovations
A toilet probably shouldn’t be a bathroom’s focal point. That was just one of the issues with a New Jersey couple’s existing, awkwardly laid-out master bath.
Enter Bob Gockeler and Kim Platt of KraftMaster Renovations. Using Houzz ideabooks, the pros worked with the homeowners to completely reimagine the room. The result is a sleek new space with an interesting mix of styles and an open feel.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple
Location: Summit, New Jersey
Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters); 7 by 20 feet
Designers: Bob Gockeler and Kim Platt of KraftMaster Renovations
A toilet probably shouldn’t be a bathroom’s focal point. That was just one of the issues with a New Jersey couple’s existing, awkwardly laid-out master bath.
Enter Bob Gockeler and Kim Platt of KraftMaster Renovations. Using Houzz ideabooks, the pros worked with the homeowners to completely reimagine the room. The result is a sleek new space with an interesting mix of styles and an open feel.
By giving up space in an adjacent closet, the homeowners were able to accommodate a double vanity, spacious shower, separate soaking tub and airy vibe. A bold, steel-framed glass divider creates a contemporary wet room for the tub and shower. Inside, an accent tile niche serves as a new, much improved, focal point.
Read more about this bathroom
Read more about this bathroom
1. A Calm and Bright Retreat
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple with four children
Location: Kaysville, Utah
Size: 124 square feet (12 square meters)
Designer: Andrea West Design
With a fourth child on the way, this Utah couple were ready to upgrade their dark, cramped master bath into a calm and rejuvenating escape. The transformation, cleverly completed by designer Andrea West, checked off the homeowners’ must-haves and more, and the bathroom was featured in the most popular Bathroom of the Week story we published this year.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple with four children
Location: Kaysville, Utah
Size: 124 square feet (12 square meters)
Designer: Andrea West Design
With a fourth child on the way, this Utah couple were ready to upgrade their dark, cramped master bath into a calm and rejuvenating escape. The transformation, cleverly completed by designer Andrea West, checked off the homeowners’ must-haves and more, and the bathroom was featured in the most popular Bathroom of the Week story we published this year.
West’s biggest challenge was designing the space to fit in everything the couple wanted and visually expand the room with colors, light and reflection.
Neutral, large-format tile continues from the floor to the walls to the shower bench and keeps things feeling open and airy. Extra-tall mirrors reflect the room’s plentiful natural light. The glass shower enclosure minimizes visual breaks. For contrast, dark penny tile on the shower floor, a dark Caesarstone countertop and dark geometric window treatments were added.
Both Mom and Dad requested special spots to unwind — a separate soaking tub for her, a shower bench for him. West delivered with a bench that extends the entire length of the generous shower stall and a freestanding tub perched on its own natural-light-flooded platform.
Read more about this bathroom
More on Houzz
Read more Bathroom of the Week stories
See more bathroom design inspiration
Neutral, large-format tile continues from the floor to the walls to the shower bench and keeps things feeling open and airy. Extra-tall mirrors reflect the room’s plentiful natural light. The glass shower enclosure minimizes visual breaks. For contrast, dark penny tile on the shower floor, a dark Caesarstone countertop and dark geometric window treatments were added.
Both Mom and Dad requested special spots to unwind — a separate soaking tub for her, a shower bench for him. West delivered with a bench that extends the entire length of the generous shower stall and a freestanding tub perched on its own natural-light-flooded platform.
Read more about this bathroom
More on Houzz
Read more Bathroom of the Week stories
See more bathroom design inspiration
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A young couple
Location: Nyack, New York
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Designer: Nicole Viola of Ivory & Oak
Designer Nicole Viola of Ivory & Oak worked with a young New York couple to turn their cramped, out-of-place bathroom into a space that feels fresh and fits with their Victorian home. The homeowners ditched the tub, leaving more room for Viola to get creative with the room’s layout.
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