Bathroom of the Week: Bright and Chic in 50 Square Feet
A California designer uses a glamorous photograph to inspire an update to a guest bathroom
Jeannie Matteucci
April 13, 2021
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
In search of inspiration for energizing her dark-brown-accented guest bathroom, designer Amber Sokolowski turned to one of her favorite photographs. The shot, by Los Angeles fine art photographer Gray Malin, depicts a woman touching up her makeup in the hallways of the legendary Beverly Hills Hotel. Sokolowski channeled the soft colors and glamorous vibe in the photo into off-white shiplap walls, marble flooring and countertop, creamy handmade-look tiles for the shower walls and punches of brass.
“After” photos by Jessica Alexander
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Mark and Amber Sokolowski and their two young children
Location: Long Beach, California
Size: 50 square feet (4.7 square meters)
Designer: Amber Sokolowski of Soko Interior Design
Before: Heavy brown details and beige accents dominated the former bathroom. The vanity featured a dark cherry stain and basic granite countertop. Cream walls, travertine floor tiles and beige-toned shower tiles all seemed to run together.
“It was great in the ’90s and early 2000s, when the previous owners remodeled it,” Sokolowski says. “But the rest of the house was renovated, and this was the last holdout space. The brown was driving me crazy, and it needed a refresh.”
She also wasn’t crazy about the framed glass enclosure around the shower-tub combo. “The sliding glass was really difficult, especially with our two young kids,” she says.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Mark and Amber Sokolowski and their two young children
Location: Long Beach, California
Size: 50 square feet (4.7 square meters)
Designer: Amber Sokolowski of Soko Interior Design
Before: Heavy brown details and beige accents dominated the former bathroom. The vanity featured a dark cherry stain and basic granite countertop. Cream walls, travertine floor tiles and beige-toned shower tiles all seemed to run together.
“It was great in the ’90s and early 2000s, when the previous owners remodeled it,” Sokolowski says. “But the rest of the house was renovated, and this was the last holdout space. The brown was driving me crazy, and it needed a refresh.”
She also wasn’t crazy about the framed glass enclosure around the shower-tub combo. “The sliding glass was really difficult, especially with our two young kids,” she says.
Find a bathroom designer near you
After: To keep the budget under control, Sokolowski kept the vanity, tub, shower fixtures and toilet. Drawing on the fresh and soothing colors in her inspiration photograph (see next photo), she painted the walls a warm white (Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams) and added shiplap painted off-white (Off White by Farrow & Ball) to the walls. She repainted the vanity a soft gray with green undertones (Pigeon by Farrow & Ball). “I saved a lot of money by repainting my vanity instead of replacing it,” Sokolowski says. “It’s amazing how the perfect paint color can change the vibe completely.”
Cup pulls and knobs in an aged brass finish add some of the vintage character she was going for, as does the new marble countertop. “I was able to score a beautiful marble countertop at a savings by calling around to my local slab yards and asking if they had remnants,” Sokolowski says. “I was able to purchase this stunning piece at a fraction of the cost of a full slab.”
The floor is 2-by-2-inch Carrara marble mosaic tile in a honed finish. “It’s a combination of warm and cool,” Sokolowski says.
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Cup pulls and knobs in an aged brass finish add some of the vintage character she was going for, as does the new marble countertop. “I was able to score a beautiful marble countertop at a savings by calling around to my local slab yards and asking if they had remnants,” Sokolowski says. “I was able to purchase this stunning piece at a fraction of the cost of a full slab.”
The floor is 2-by-2-inch Carrara marble mosaic tile in a honed finish. “It’s a combination of warm and cool,” Sokolowski says.
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The photo that inspired the bathroom makeover hangs above the toilet. While Beverly Hills Hotel is known for a pink-and-green color scheme, Sokolowski thought the colors in this particular photo were more muted, which led her to the neutral tones she selected for her space. “I felt this photo was kind of cheeky for a bathroom,” she says. “She’s getting ready for something unknown to us, and this is where you get ready, so I thought it would be cute for a bathroom. I gave this bathroom a more romantic feeling, and chose to do a softer take on the look.”
Photograph: “The Touch-Up, Beverly Hills Hotel,” Gray Malin
Photograph: “The Touch-Up, Beverly Hills Hotel,” Gray Malin
A polished chrome widespread faucet adds more classic style and creates a mixed-metal look with the brass finishes. “I love mixing metals; it’s one of my favorite things to do,” Sokolowski says. “It adds more interest, but I like to keep it at two.”
Sink: Ladena, Kohler; faucet: Bancroft in polished chrome, Kohler
Sink: Ladena, Kohler; faucet: Bancroft in polished chrome, Kohler
The cream-colored 5-by-5-inch ceramic shower tiles vary in tone, resulting in a handmade look.
A stonewashed Belgian flax linen shower curtain adds an airy feel to the updated shower-bath combo. “We have small children, so changing out the glass shower sliding door for a curtain was a no-brainer,” Sokolowski says. “It’s so much easier to give baths, and I love the look of the soft linen curtain.”
Shower wall tile: Cloe, Bedrosians Tile and Stone
A stonewashed Belgian flax linen shower curtain adds an airy feel to the updated shower-bath combo. “We have small children, so changing out the glass shower sliding door for a curtain was a no-brainer,” Sokolowski says. “It’s so much easier to give baths, and I love the look of the soft linen curtain.”
Shower wall tile: Cloe, Bedrosians Tile and Stone
A hardwood-and-brass double sconce hangs above the new 30-by-42-inch frameless mirror.
Before: Previously, a double towel bar on the wall opposite the vanity was the only place to hang towels near the shower and bath. “It was messy with that double towel bar, especially with two kids,” Sokolowski says.
After: Three single aged brass hooks now organize the towels and make it easy to separate and air-dry them. “I feel like I made the bathroom a more soothing, relaxing and elegant space by just changing the brown color,” Sokolowski says.
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I have a white vanity, toilet and tub with beige tiles. It works just fine. My small wall area is where I put color - currently apricot in an attempt to reflect color on my old age skin.
When I put a bath rug down almost none of the floor shows.
Personally I don't need the floor to be the focal point, I'd rather have the focus at eye level so I don't get hunchback looking down.
I kept reading hoping to learn about the light fixture over the vanity. I love it!
Living in an often rainy and damp area like Seattle means towel bars are a necessity. Unless, of course, you don't mind re-using a stinky towel.