Bathroom of the Week: Elegant Update With Classic Marble
A designer gives a California couple’s master bath a timeless color scheme and more storage without moving walls
David and Elaine Greenwald’s master bathroom suffered from a serious case of the blahs. The second-floor space featured blinding white tile, an aging built-in jetted tub that took up way too much space and a soffit that loomed over the vanity. The couple lived with that arrangement for about 20 years before reaching out to designer Amy Rothman for help creating a more modern-day bathroom with better storage and a smarter layout.
Without moving any walls, Rothman tweaked the ceiling and reworked the layout of the 160-square-foot space to increase storage with a new vanity and makeup area. An elegant color scheme of black, gray and white and a marble floor with a dramatic inset tile pattern gives the space timeless style.
Without moving any walls, Rothman tweaked the ceiling and reworked the layout of the 160-square-foot space to increase storage with a new vanity and makeup area. An elegant color scheme of black, gray and white and a marble floor with a dramatic inset tile pattern gives the space timeless style.
Carrara marble also tops the new vanity. Polished chrome faucets, gray metal cabinet pulls, matte black mirror frames and polished nickel sconces create a mixed-metal look.
“The mirrors have that black accent that picks up the black in the tile on the floor,” Rothman says. “They add a punch of drama there. A mirror with a chrome or polished nickel there wouldn’t do that.”
The white door with robe hooks to the left of the vanity opens to the master bedroom.
Vanity hardware: Holland pull in Ash Gray, Top Knobs
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“The mirrors have that black accent that picks up the black in the tile on the floor,” Rothman says. “They add a punch of drama there. A mirror with a chrome or polished nickel there wouldn’t do that.”
The white door with robe hooks to the left of the vanity opens to the master bedroom.
Vanity hardware: Holland pull in Ash Gray, Top Knobs
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Elaine’s seated makeup area features a mirrored medicine cabinet with a spring-loaded door that matches the black-framed mirrors above the vanity’s main section. “You wouldn’t know it’s a medicine cabinet at all,” Elaine says. “It looks like the other mirrors. It’s so pretty.”
The white laminated glass pocket door on the right opens to the water closet. “Because it’s a smooth glass on both sides, it’s easy to keep clean,” Rothman says.
The white laminated glass pocket door on the right opens to the water closet. “Because it’s a smooth glass on both sides, it’s easy to keep clean,” Rothman says.
Before the renovation, the door to the water closet stood on the side where the vanity area is now. Moving the door to the other side allowed Rothman to create the makeup area. A pocket door to the water closet saves space and lets the Greenwalds keep the door fully open to bring in light and air from the operable octagon-shaped window. “Switching the position of the door helped make the window a focal point,” Rothman says. “It brings more light into the bathroom and adds another architectural detail.”
The water closet includes a sleek, low-profile, dual-flush one-piece skirted toilet that the couple first saw at a hotel in Spain. A cabinet above stores toilet paper and was painted the same gray as the vanity. “This cabinet was something very important to David, and he helped design it,” Rothman says.
Toilet: Neorest, Toto
The water closet includes a sleek, low-profile, dual-flush one-piece skirted toilet that the couple first saw at a hotel in Spain. A cabinet above stores toilet paper and was painted the same gray as the vanity. “This cabinet was something very important to David, and he helped design it,” Rothman says.
Toilet: Neorest, Toto
Rothman ditched the built-in jetted tub for a glossy white freestanding soaking tub with an ergonomic shape and a floor-mounted tub filler. “I really like the modern look of this tub,” Elaine says. “It’s less bulky.”
The original arched window overlooks the front yard.
Tub: Amiata in gloss white, Victoria + Albert; tub filler: Priya floor-mounted tub filler, Newport Brass
The original arched window overlooks the front yard.
Tub: Amiata in gloss white, Victoria + Albert; tub filler: Priya floor-mounted tub filler, Newport Brass
A tall custom tempered-glass enclosure gives the large shower, and the rest of the bathroom, an airy feel. Glossy white 3-by-12-inch tiles from Spain cover the walls around the shower and bathtub. “They’re so cool and have a texture to them,” Elaine says.
The shower floor and niche feature leftover tiles from the inset pattern on the main bathroom floor. “We weren’t planning on doing the niche but had the extra tiles, and it turned out great,” Elaine says.
David had the idea to include the mirrored pocket door in this photo that opens to a his-and-her walk-in closet. “It’s mirrored on both sides, which is nice,” Elaine says. “I just love the bathroom now. It makes me happy when I walk in there.”
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The shower floor and niche feature leftover tiles from the inset pattern on the main bathroom floor. “We weren’t planning on doing the niche but had the extra tiles, and it turned out great,” Elaine says.
David had the idea to include the mirrored pocket door in this photo that opens to a his-and-her walk-in closet. “It’s mirrored on both sides, which is nice,” Elaine says. “I just love the bathroom now. It makes me happy when I walk in there.”
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: David and Elaine Greenwald
Location: Pacific Palisades, California
Size: 160 square feet (15 square meters)
Designer: Amy Rothman of Architrave Interiors
The former bathroom had a tall vaulted ceiling with an extra-high pitch that gave the space a cavernous feel and made lighting difficult. “I suggested the center section of the ceiling be leveled and brought it down to a more reasonable height,” Rothman says. “Recessed lights were installed in the dropped center area, which greatly improved the lighting by rendering a wonderful diffused light throughout the space.”
She had the updated ceiling painted a bright white (Extra White by Sherwin-Williams).
The new color scheme includes light gray walls (Silver Strand by Sherwin-Williams) and an expansive new vanity painted a warm medium-dark gray (Peppercorn by Sherwin-Williams). “We wanted a color scheme that would stand the test of time,” Elaine says.
Carrara marble tiles cover most of the bathroom floor, but a custom inset pattern that resembles a rug combines rhomboid-shaped Thassos, Carrara and Nero Marquina marble. “Elaine knew she wanted Carrara marble and did her research,” Rothman says. “A lot of the bathroom was planned around that. One of the hardest parts of this bathroom was the positioning of the tile pattern. The installer was down on his knees for over two hours trying to get just the right pattern that looks centered. It took effort to get this exactly right, but everyone was thrilled.”
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