Bathroom of the Week: Timeless Style Updates a ’90s Master Bath

A designer gives a Dallas couple’s bathroom a smarter layout, new vanities, quartzite countertops and more

Jeannie Matteucci March 17, 2020

Houzz Contributor. Home design writer and lifestyle reporter with a love for stylish spaces, smart lighting and a good decaf dry cappuccino.

Houzz Contributor. Home design writer and lifestyle reporter with a love for stylish... More

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After 18 years in their mid-1990s home, Dallas couple Ron and Lynn Zera had grown tired of the fading damask wallpaper, plain white wall tile, brass-framed shower enclosure and hulking corner whirlpool bathtub. In search of a more timeless style, they hired designer Amanda Tepper.

Tepper brought in breezy white cabinets, elegant quartzite countertops and beautiful beige porcelain floor tile to create a refreshing bathroom that will feel stylishly relevant for years to come.

Before Photo

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“After” photos by Lauren Brown of Versatile Imaging

Master Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: Empty nesters Ron and Lynn Zera
Location: Dallas
Size: 143 square feet (13 square meters)
Designer: Amanda Tepper for Hatfield Builders & Remodelers (since this project, Amanda has started her own firm, Amanda Tepper Design)

Before: The shower and large corner tub were crammed together at the end of the bathroom. “It was not the best use of space,” Tepper says.

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After: Tepper kept the basic footprint of the room but she reshaped the shower — squaring it off, slimming it down and extending its height. “We got rid of the angled door so it would feel larger inside the shower,” she says.

Taj Mahal quartzite countertops on new white custom vanities add an elegant touch and complement the beveled custom mirrors with brushed gold frames. The quartzite “was probably our biggest splurge, but also my favorite piece,” Lynn says. “We used that quartzite as the color inspiration for the bathroom.”

Taupe wall paint (Patience by Sherwin-Williams) replaced the fading wallpaper and coordinates with the beige porcelain floor tiles made in Italy. “That tile has a natural finish that has a bit of texture to it that makes it feel more organic like stone, which is great for a bathroom, where you don’t want something slippery,” Tepper says. “You don’t have the maintenance of natural stone, but you get the feel.”

Faucets: Kelston in vibrant brushed nickel, Kohler; floor tile: Venezia in Beige Natural, Happy Floors

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Before Photo

Alair Homes Plano

Before: The built-in whirlpool tub made for a tight fit between the shower and one of the vanities. The exterior of the tub also looked a bit plain.

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After: Reshaping the shower allowed Tepper to position a new 66-inch oval soaking tub in a way that added breathing room between the tub and nearby vanity. “It opened up this side of the bathroom and made the tub more accessible,” she says. Ron and Lynn’s four grandchildren like to use the tub to rinse off after spending time in the swimming pool.

For a bit of visual interest on the tub apron, Tepper applied wood paneling from the same company that built the vanities. The panels open to allow access to the mechanics of the tub. “It dressed it up and was another detail that just added a more contemporary, elegant look to the bathroom,” Lynn says.

Roller shades on the windows allow for natural light while also providing privacy.

Tub: Sunward, Kohler; tub faucet: Kelston, Kohler

Alair Homes Plano

Classic crystal sconces with sparkling champagne-colored drum shades flank the vanity mirrors.

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Glossy bone-colored ceramic 4-by-8-inch tiles cover the shower walls in a brick pattern. An area framed in mosaic glass tile contains a brushed nickel handheld shower. “The hand shower is actually for bathing my golden retriever,” Lynn says. “He’s a therapy dog, so we have to wash him quite often.”

A piece of Taj Mahal quartzite, the same as on the countertops, forms the top of a corner bench. The shower floor tile is a smaller cut of the same beige porcelain tile used for the main floor. “Using the smaller mosaic version of the main floor tile gives you that visual consistency throughout, but using the mosaic tiles at an angle gives you more grip on the shower floor and extra visual interest,” Tepper says.

Shower set: Kelston, Kohler; hand shower: Forte, Kohler

Alair Homes Plano

The shower also includes two niches: a long and narrow one for bars of soap and razors and a taller one to hold bottles of shampoo and conditioner. A brushed nickel edge around the niches and shower wall matches the plumbing fixtures.

Before Photo

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Before: Lynn disliked her old white vanity and the Broadway-style lights set in the large mirror. “We wanted to get her more functional storage,” Tepper says.

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After: “She didn’t want to lose the knee space, so we figured out a way to gain some drawer space around that area,” Tepper says. Lynn’s vanity is 3 inches shorter than the vanity on Ron’s side of the bathroom (at right), but the mirrors above hers are taller to visually make up for the difference in height between the vanities. “We didn’t want a big space between the bottom of her mirrors and the vanity itself,” Tepper says.

This photo also shows the door to the master bedroom, as well as the door to the water closet, which features a new white elongated toilet. “They wanted to keep that space, but we just needed to update the toilet and make sure to include a cabinet above for additional storage,” Tepper says.

Toilet: Kelston, Kohler

Alair Homes Plano

Here’s a look at the “before” floor plan, at left, and the “after” floor plan. You can see how repositioning the tub and reconfiguring the shower created a better use of space, while the elegant new finishes took care of the rest. “We wanted a design that would stand the test of time,” Lynn says. “This is a fresher, less cluttered and more comfortable space.”

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