Bathroom of the Week: Beautiful Black-and-White Vintage Style
An Oregon couple hires a design-build team to fix a leaking shower and gets a fresh space with warm touches
Jeannie Matteucci
July 6, 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
A leaking shower in their aging upstairs master bathroom had prompted a Sherwood, Oregon, couple to share a small hall bathroom with their sons for 10 years out of an abundance of caution. Frustrated with not being able to use their bathroom, the couple saved up, started a Houzz ideabook and turned to designer Heather Wood and her design-build team at Mountainwood Homes to help replace the problematic shower and give the dated bathroom a fresh look.
The new transitional-style space has an extra-long, richly stained alder double vanity, polished black marble-look quartz countertops, an updated tile deck that perks up the existing bathtub and black-and-white patterned Italian porcelain floor tiles. But the crown jewel is the revamped low-curb shower with dual shower heads — and no leaks.
The new transitional-style space has an extra-long, richly stained alder double vanity, polished black marble-look quartz countertops, an updated tile deck that perks up the existing bathtub and black-and-white patterned Italian porcelain floor tiles. But the crown jewel is the revamped low-curb shower with dual shower heads — and no leaks.
“After” photos by Realty Pix Media
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two college-age sons
Location: Sherwood, Oregon
Size: 165 square feet (15 square meters)
Designers: Heather Wood and Vicki Enger of Mountainwood Homes
Wood stayed within the existing footprint but replaced all the main components except the tub. “[The homeowners] originally wanted a freestanding tub in that space, but for cost savings we were able to keep the original tub,” Wood says.
White subway tile with charcoal gray grout and graphic black-and-white porcelain floor tiles give the space a graphic vintage vibe. “When the homeowner met with us, she had already started a Houzz ideabook and had tile like that in the photos she saved,” Wood says.
Wall and ceiling paint: Pure White, Sherwin-Williams
Find a design-build firm near you
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two college-age sons
Location: Sherwood, Oregon
Size: 165 square feet (15 square meters)
Designers: Heather Wood and Vicki Enger of Mountainwood Homes
Wood stayed within the existing footprint but replaced all the main components except the tub. “[The homeowners] originally wanted a freestanding tub in that space, but for cost savings we were able to keep the original tub,” Wood says.
White subway tile with charcoal gray grout and graphic black-and-white porcelain floor tiles give the space a graphic vintage vibe. “When the homeowner met with us, she had already started a Houzz ideabook and had tile like that in the photos she saved,” Wood says.
Wall and ceiling paint: Pure White, Sherwin-Williams
Find a design-build firm near you
The custom alder double vanity in a dark chocolate brown stain adds a stately air in line with the vintage style of the room. “The whole idea was adding something that had some warmth,” Wood says. “We wanted that vanity to feel like a piece of furniture.”
The vanity has cabinets, drawers and open shelves. Two types of pulls in a honey bronze finish contrast with the dark wood.
Vintage industrial-style light fixtures have a matte black finish that coordinates with the black steel frames of the mirrors and other black details. A skylight and corner windows bring in natural light.
Cabinet hardware: Channing cup pull and Channing pull in honey bronze, Top Knobs; vanity lights: Delaney in matte black, Z-Lite
Shop for a bathroom vanity
The vanity has cabinets, drawers and open shelves. Two types of pulls in a honey bronze finish contrast with the dark wood.
Vintage industrial-style light fixtures have a matte black finish that coordinates with the black steel frames of the mirrors and other black details. A skylight and corner windows bring in natural light.
Cabinet hardware: Channing cup pull and Channing pull in honey bronze, Top Knobs; vanity lights: Delaney in matte black, Z-Lite
Shop for a bathroom vanity
The sleek black marble-look quartz countertop with white veining brings the room’s color scheme together. Champagne bronze faucets complement the vanity hardware.
A shallow ledge of spruce in a dark stain gives the homeowners a spot to store or display items. “It’s also a design element, adding another horizontal line,” Wood says. “It also acts as a cap for the tile.”
A shallow ledge of spruce in a dark stain gives the homeowners a spot to store or display items. “It’s also a design element, adding another horizontal line,” Wood says. “It also acts as a cap for the tile.”
Before: In addition to leaking, the former shower stall had a style the homeowners had grown tired of.
After: A new custom frameless glass shower enclosure gives the updated stall a bright, open feel. Matte black hardware on the glass plays off the other black details in the room. The team carried the subway tiles with dark grout into the stall, and used the same tile as on the main floor to back the shower niche, helping to visually connect the elements. The shower fixtures are in a champagne bronze finish, also adding to the cohesive look.
“There weren’t many things on the husband’s wish list, but he wanted a rain head,” says Wood, who found a hand shower and rain head combination that helped the homeowners save money. There’s also a standard-style shower head on the opposite wall.
“There weren’t many things on the husband’s wish list, but he wanted a rain head,” says Wood, who found a hand shower and rain head combination that helped the homeowners save money. There’s also a standard-style shower head on the opposite wall.
Black-and-white mosaic hexagonal tiles in a matte finish cover the shower floor. “It’s fun to play with patterns, and sizes of patterns,” Wood says.
A square brushed bronze drain coordinates with other bronze finishes in the room.
Square shower drain in brushed bronze, Ebbe
A square brushed bronze drain coordinates with other bronze finishes in the room.
Square shower drain in brushed bronze, Ebbe
A water closet is to the right of the shower, behind a pocket door.
Wood kept the existing bathtub but updated the area with subway tile and a new faucet in a champagne bronze finish. “We really wanted the main floor to be the star, so we thought it was best to use the same tile on the deck as the shower walls and vanity backsplash,” Wood says. “The deck also helps them get in and out of the tub.”
The revamped bathroom gives the couple the stylish retreat they were after. “It’s completely updated and has a fresh, modern look,” Wood says. “We solved the shower problem and rejuvenated the whole space.”
More on Houzz
10 Tips for Designing the Perfect Shower
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a local bathroom remodeler
Shop for your bathroom
The revamped bathroom gives the couple the stylish retreat they were after. “It’s completely updated and has a fresh, modern look,” Wood says. “We solved the shower problem and rejuvenated the whole space.”
More on Houzz
10 Tips for Designing the Perfect Shower
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a local bathroom remodeler
Shop for your bathroom
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@Lauren Fine: Project pricing varies from market to market as well as scope and material choices. This bathroom remodel was part of a whole house remodel so I don't have project pricing broken out by the room. We touched every room in the home, so there were cost efficiencies since the project scope was large.
Beautiful! What size subway tile did you use? Also, you mentioned charcoal grout. what brand? It seems lighter than the charcoal I have been seeing. I was thinking of going with pewter but I love yours!
This is my small guest room bath that I redid 4 years ago... I love the look. Put this bath in a home built in 1954.