Bathroom of the Week: Curbless Shower and an Aqua Vanity
A designer helps an Arizona couple update their 65-square-foot guest bathroom with brighter style and better function
Jeannie Matteucci
July 21, 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
Matthew and Kasey Benson wanted to bring their guest bathroom out of the 1980s. A palette of beiges — beige wall paint, countertop tile, shower tile, honed stone flooring — did little to deliver the bright, welcoming space they envisioned for washing their Bullmastiff dog and hosting guests.
The Arizona couple hired designer Keira Schultz of KSDesigns to reimagine the space. Schultz removed a sunken shower and curved, space-stealing glass block wall to create a spacious curbless shower. White walls and tile create a crisp backdrop for a light aqua vanity and river rock tile in the shower. Small but significant strokes of brass and black punctuate the updated style.
The Arizona couple hired designer Keira Schultz of KSDesigns to reimagine the space. Schultz removed a sunken shower and curved, space-stealing glass block wall to create a spacious curbless shower. White walls and tile create a crisp backdrop for a light aqua vanity and river rock tile in the shower. Small but significant strokes of brass and black punctuate the updated style.
“After” photos by LifeCreated
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Matthew and Kasey Benson, their 8-year-old son and their Bullmastiff dog
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Size: 65 square feet (6 square meters)
Designer: Keira Schultz of KSDesigns
Before: The previous bathroom included a dark wood vanity with a beige tile countertop, a decorative tile backsplash and a large unframed mirror with Broadway-style lights. A mirrored medicine cabinet stuck out on the side wall.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Matthew and Kasey Benson, their 8-year-old son and their Bullmastiff dog
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Size: 65 square feet (6 square meters)
Designer: Keira Schultz of KSDesigns
Before: The previous bathroom included a dark wood vanity with a beige tile countertop, a decorative tile backsplash and a large unframed mirror with Broadway-style lights. A mirrored medicine cabinet stuck out on the side wall.
After: Schultz removed the old vanity, mirror, backsplash tile and medicine cabinet. A custom maple vanity in a midtone aqua (Holly Glen by PPG Paints) now commands attention. “That jade color [the gray-green shade appears blue-ish in these photos] was the driving force of this project,” says Schultz, who used photos Kasey found on Houzz as inspiration when designing the vanity.
The wide drawer near the bottom is one detail Kasey discovered in a photo. “I had seen a drawer like that on Houzz and wanted our new vanity to have a big drawer for towels and other essentials,” she says.
Shop for bathroom vanities
The wide drawer near the bottom is one detail Kasey discovered in a photo. “I had seen a drawer like that on Houzz and wanted our new vanity to have a big drawer for towels and other essentials,” she says.
Shop for bathroom vanities
A white tile backsplash and bright white walls with subtle gray undertones (Snowbound by Sherwin-Williams) allow the vanity color to pop.
Live-edge acacia wood frames a new horizontal mirror, adding a touch of warmth that complements the brass faucet and cabinet hardware.
A midcentury-modern-style three-globe light fixture features antique gold and matte black finishes, the latter of which coordinates with a black hand towel ring and black hardware used for the glass shower enclosure.
A cotton bathroom rug with a black Moroccan-inspired pattern adds softness atop the honed stone floor tile set in a herringbone pattern, which the homeowners kept from the previous space.
Live-edge acacia wood frames a new horizontal mirror, adding a touch of warmth that complements the brass faucet and cabinet hardware.
A midcentury-modern-style three-globe light fixture features antique gold and matte black finishes, the latter of which coordinates with a black hand towel ring and black hardware used for the glass shower enclosure.
A cotton bathroom rug with a black Moroccan-inspired pattern adds softness atop the honed stone floor tile set in a herringbone pattern, which the homeowners kept from the previous space.
A polished quartz countertop provides a durable surface with a marble look. “It has a hint of gold veining in it, and that’s why we chose it,” Schultz says. “It’s different than standard quartz with gray veining, and the gold adds some depth to the countertop. It was also about maintaining that element of warmth from the mirror frame.”
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Before: Tiled steps created a hazardous entrance into the sunken shower. The curved glass block wall that defined the shower wasted valuable floor space. The couple wanted to keep the glass block window, however.
After: Schultz removed the curved wall and raised the floor to create a spacious new curbless shower. “We gained about 6 or 7 inches of actual shower space by taking down that wall and reconfiguring the space,” Kasey says.
Matte black hardware on the shower enclosure provides a graphic element. “I showed the builder an image off of Houzz with our desired look for the rolling hardware,” Schultz says. “We did the matte black finish to bring in the black finish on the lights above the vanity.”
The rolling door also saves room compared with a swing door. “There’s not a lot of room for opening a shower door with the vanity there,” Kasey says.
Matte black hardware on the shower enclosure provides a graphic element. “I showed the builder an image off of Houzz with our desired look for the rolling hardware,” Schultz says. “We did the matte black finish to bring in the black finish on the lights above the vanity.”
The rolling door also saves room compared with a swing door. “There’s not a lot of room for opening a shower door with the vanity there,” Kasey says.
The existing glass block window brings in light while offering privacy. The shower floor and backing tile in the niche are river rock.
The niche also features quartz shelves that match the vanity countertop and black Schluter tile edging. “It’s a cost-effective way to create a decorative tile edge detail,” Schultz says. “I selected black to bring the black in from the vanity lights to the shower.”
The Bensons use the shower to wash their large dog, so having a hand spray option was essential. “I like how the bar moves up and down, it gives you flexibility,” Kasey says. The satin brass finish adds style and coordinates with the brass elements in the vanity area.
A partition wall separates the shower from the toilet. A matte black toilet paper holder and towel hook on the partition wall add to the cohesive design.
Now the homeowners have the brighter, more attractive and user-friendly guest bathroom they wanted. “It was an opportunity for us to finish making the home something we wanted and put our own touch on it,” Kasey says. “We were able to update it and keep it functional at the same time.”
More on Houzz
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Now the homeowners have the brighter, more attractive and user-friendly guest bathroom they wanted. “It was an opportunity for us to finish making the home something we wanted and put our own touch on it,” Kasey says. “We were able to update it and keep it functional at the same time.”
More on Houzz
See more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Hire a cabinet pro
Shop for your bathroom
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What color is the vanity with the sink?
I too love the river rock.
With a mastiff in tow I'd be worried about the glass doors though. I have a greyhound who does not like to bathe and has to be induced into the level entry shower. I'm glad that it has just a curtain.
That bathroom is beautiful. I agree with keeping the glass block for the light. I think that glass block varies in opacity and if you were building new it is possible to get more opaque versions. But if it faces the backyard and there is a fence or hedge it is probably fine. And some people are not as inhibited as others about whether their hazy outlines may be visible.
The color of the vanity is lovely indeed. This is a major improvement upon the old ugly brown bathroom. I'm sure the owners love it.
FeatherFall, the slope of the shower floor moves water toward the drain. This is what keeps a curbless shower from flooding the bathroom floor, not the glass doors. It is also what makes the design of a curbless shower more complicated. Not everyone has the ability to lower the far end of their shower floor.