Bathroom Design
Once-Dreary Bedroom Suite Now a Cozy, Light-Filled Space
Bright pops of color add cheer to a couple’s warm white bedroom, while watery blues create calm in the bathroom
When this couple wanted to transform their main bedroom and bathroom into a soothing retreat, they knew just who to call. They had found interior design firm Emily Griffin Designs on Houzz and had a great experience working with the team on a previous project. “This space was closed-in, dark and dreary, but I always knew it had the potential to be special,” interior designer Stephanie Houghton says. She raised the ceiling and added skylights to create a light and airy space, painted everything a warm white, and layered it with bright colors, Indian-inspired patterns and warm finishes. The couple were expecting their first child during the remodel, and now their bedroom is a cozy cocoon the whole family enjoys.
The couple are originally from India, so Houghton used the vibrant hues and lively patterns seen in Indian textiles as inspiration. “After remodeling, the decorating started with this headboard fabric from Schumacher,” she says. “Motifs like the peacocks and the ashoka and banyan trees nod to Indian textiles.” The custom headboard design adds color and pattern against the white walls.
Browse headboards in the Houzz Shop
Browse headboards in the Houzz Shop
A favorite spot for the whole family is the cozy reading nook in the dormer. Wall sconces provide ample light. “I always want a room to have low, medium and high lighting,” Houghton says, referring to the range of lighting heights in the room, from the nightstand reading lights all the way up to the lights in the ceiling.
“Fabrics like paisley on the Roman shades and the stencil-patterned seat cushion also pay homage to my clients’ Indian heritage,” Houghton says. She added more vibrant color with the throw pillow fabrics.
The designer flanked the bench in his-and-hers built-in dressers that take advantage of the room’s architecture. “These were intended for odds and ends like ties for him or jewelry for her. But now this is a favorite spot for them to read to their son, so these drawers are mostly filled with baby things,” Houghton says.
Indian design also inspired the use of brass accents, which add warmth to the room. The custom mirror along the built-ins follows the angle of the ceiling. A wood frame around it adds a finishing touch.
Houghton had the built-ins hand-painted instead of using spray paint, which added subtle character. “I like to do this in a bedroom so that they don’t have the factory-finished look of kitchen cabinets,” she says.
Houghton had the built-ins hand-painted instead of using spray paint, which added subtle character. “I like to do this in a bedroom so that they don’t have the factory-finished look of kitchen cabinets,” she says.
Before the remodel, the only closet space was in the awkward anteroom that led to the bathroom. “It didn’t have any closet hardware. They had their clothes hung on portable racks in there,” Houghton says. As part of the remodel, she incorporated the anteroom into the bathroom’s footprint. She added built-in armoires for the couple’s hanging clothes in the bedroom. The legs on the built-ins maintain the light and airy feeling.
A butterfly-patterned pillow adorns an Eames rocking chair, and woven African baskets on the wall add texture.
Houghton likes to use baseboards with a higher profile than standard when she can. “These have a slight bevel at the top and have a very clean look,” she says.
Houghton likes to use baseboards with a higher profile than standard when she can. “These have a slight bevel at the top and have a very clean look,” she says.
To create a relaxing main bathroom, Houghton combined the anteroom and the existing small bathroom into one larger space. This made room for an expansive shower stall and lots of storage, and created a light and airy feel. She added two large windows to let in the natural light. “These tall windows make the room feel so much more gracious,” she says.
The floor tiles are concrete, laid in a herringbone pattern. “I love the way the irregularity of their edges adds character — they don’t feel too new,” Houghton says. “And the flat finish of the tiles marries well with the oak vanity and adds a soothing touch to the overall aesthetic of the room.”
The designer found a beautiful fabric for the Roman shades that picks up the putty color of the concrete floors and the watery blues of the shower tiles.
The floor tiles are concrete, laid in a herringbone pattern. “I love the way the irregularity of their edges adds character — they don’t feel too new,” Houghton says. “And the flat finish of the tiles marries well with the oak vanity and adds a soothing touch to the overall aesthetic of the room.”
The designer found a beautiful fabric for the Roman shades that picks up the putty color of the concrete floors and the watery blues of the shower tiles.
A key selection for the bathroom was this beautiful blue tile in an intricate pattern. “This tile has the look of wallpaper,” Houghton says. “The tiles are butted very close together and require very little grout.” The aged-brass shower head fixtures bring warm contrast to the cooler tones.
“We also weren’t afraid to break up the pattern with the niche,” Houghton says. “The pennies in that tile are a mix of matte and polished finishes that add another layer of texture. And they work well with the putty color of the floor tiles.”
“We also weren’t afraid to break up the pattern with the niche,” Houghton says. “The pennies in that tile are a mix of matte and polished finishes that add another layer of texture. And they work well with the putty color of the floor tiles.”
The oak of the custom vanity warms up the bathroom. “I had the idea for oak on the vanity and when I showed it to my clients they loved it,” Houghton says. She flanked the vanity with two towers to maximize storage.
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The countertops are a veined quartz. An aged-brass mirror plays off the fixtures in the room.
Shop for faucets with a warm metal finish
Shop for faucets with a warm metal finish
The herringbone concrete floor continues seamlessly into the shower. Subtly integrated in the drywall of the ceiling is a long strip of LED lights that wash light down the entire back wall of the room. This creates a beautiful effect on the shower tiles at night.
Houghton paid careful attention to the finishing touches. “Decorating is an important layer in a bathroom that people sometimes forget,” she says. “This custom oak stool has a thread detail around the edge. We were lucky to have room for the large woven vessel on the floor. And it’s always nice to add art.”
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Houghton paid careful attention to the finishing touches. “Decorating is an important layer in a bathroom that people sometimes forget,” she says. “This custom oak stool has a thread detail around the edge. We were lucky to have room for the large woven vessel on the floor. And it’s always nice to add art.”
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bedroom photos
Hire local design and remodeling pros
Shop for your bedroom
Suite at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple and their 1-year-old son
Location: Toronto
Size: Bedroom: 220 square feet (20 square meters); bathroom: 103 square feet (9.6 square meters)
Designer: Stephanie Houghton of Emily Griffin Design
The scope of the project was a down-to-the-studs remodel of the bedroom, the bathroom and an awkward anteroom-closet between the two. In the bedroom, Houghton raised a dropped ceiling up to the roofline. “Before, the only source of light was a dormer window,” she says. She replaced it with two casement windows that are easy to crank open, and added two skylights that bathe the room in natural light. She also maximized storage with built-ins.
The warm white paint Houghton used on the walls and trim is Farrow & Ball’s Wimborne White. She used an ulti-matte finish on the walls and a pearl finish on the built-ins and trim. Because different finishes bring out different amounts of pigment, this provided a slight change in tone between the walls and trim.
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