Bathroom of the Week: Natural Materials and a Shower Room
A designer helps her clients update their traditional home to make it feel more like them
This couple with young children bought a traditional house in Charlotte, North Carolina, for its great bones and the way the layout would function for their family. But the ornate and traditional style didn’t suit their clean-lined tastes. They searched Houzz for a designer who could help them make the home feel more like them and found Jena Bula of Delphinium Design.
“The house had a lot of traditional ornamental details and materials that were popular in the early 2000s, when the house was built, and the floors and lighting were yellowish,” Bula says. “My clients wanted to lighten and freshen things up using clean, more modern lines and natural materials.” The result is a beautiful transitional look that mixes modern and traditional styles.
“The house had a lot of traditional ornamental details and materials that were popular in the early 2000s, when the house was built, and the floors and lighting were yellowish,” Bula says. “My clients wanted to lighten and freshen things up using clean, more modern lines and natural materials.” The result is a beautiful transitional look that mixes modern and traditional styles.
After: Instead of a tub and separate shower, her clients were craving a large shower room. Once the tub was gone, Bula had space to create a beautiful wet-room area for the shower. The new layout works beautifully with the existing arched window, which already had privacy glass. A 4-foot-wide glass panel protects the rest of the bathroom from splashing water.
Bula tweaked the trim around the window, getting rid of some of the more ornate pieces. This was a better fit for her clients’ more modern tastes. Then she specified a mold and mildew-resistant paint on the trim.
The designer placed a teak bench in the shower. “This is something they can use for aging in place, but for now they like to place their towels on it,” she says. She also added two hooks for towels and robes on the wall opposite the shower heads.
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Bula tweaked the trim around the window, getting rid of some of the more ornate pieces. This was a better fit for her clients’ more modern tastes. Then she specified a mold and mildew-resistant paint on the trim.
The designer placed a teak bench in the shower. “This is something they can use for aging in place, but for now they like to place their towels on it,” she says. She also added two hooks for towels and robes on the wall opposite the shower heads.
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“Some people worry about draftiness with an open shower like this,” Bula says. “But my clients knew their bathroom never got chilly and they were not concerned about it.”
The shower fixtures include a rain shower head that tilts and a handheld wand. “The handheld wand is useful for cleaning the shower,” Bula says. “And it’s also useful in combination with the bench for aging in place.”
The shower fixtures include a rain shower head that tilts and a handheld wand. “The handheld wand is useful for cleaning the shower,” Bula says. “And it’s also useful in combination with the bench for aging in place.”
During initial design consultations with her clients, Bula always discusses materials, including the functionality and maintenance requirements of each option. From the inspiration photos the couple had shown her in their Houzz ideabooks, she could see they were drawn to marble.
“They were not scared of the maintenance and loved the idea of natural materials,” she says. The walls are covered in 12-by-12-inch marble tiles and the floor is a marble mosaic. While marble can be slippery, the amount of grout in between the pieces of the mosaic provides plenty of grip.
“They were not scared of the maintenance and loved the idea of natural materials,” she says. The walls are covered in 12-by-12-inch marble tiles and the floor is a marble mosaic. While marble can be slippery, the amount of grout in between the pieces of the mosaic provides plenty of grip.
Bula used a pretty marble mosaic tile in the larger shower niche. This small accent is the most ornate thing in the bathroom. Balancing more modern elements into the transitional mix meant sticking with simple geometric shapes — squares on the walls, hexagons on the floor, circles on the cabinet pulls and cylinders for the sconces.
Bula added a smaller niche closer to the floor to serve as a shelf for leg shaving.
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Bula added a smaller niche closer to the floor to serve as a shelf for leg shaving.
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Before: The door toward the back leads to a closet and the door to the right leads to the primary bedroom. The finishes and lighting in the room gave the color palette a yellowish look. And the cabinetry was too ornate for the homeowners’ more streamlined tastes.
After: With the tub and shower curb removed, the space has a more open and airy feel. The drain is concealed by the mosaic tile for an uninterrupted look. Note that when you want a curbless shower entry, the shower floor will need to slope toward the drain, something that isn’t always possible.
While the streamlined elements like the vanity and geometric tiles are more modern, the marble leans traditional. This transitional balance suits the homeowners’ tastes and works well with the traditional architecture of the house.
While the streamlined elements like the vanity and geometric tiles are more modern, the marble leans traditional. This transitional balance suits the homeowners’ tastes and works well with the traditional architecture of the house.
Before: Having lived in the house for a few years, the homeowners knew they appreciated having two vanities and a linen tower cabinet.
After: Bula continued the use of natural materials on the vanities. She custom-designed bleached white oak cabinets and topped them with quartzite countertops. Quartzite is a natural material that has a marble-like look but is harder than marble and therefore more durable.
The designer recommended Benjamin Moore’s Edgecomb Gray for the walls. “This is a true greige,” she says. “It’s not beige, it’s not gray, and it really depends on the light. During the day, it leans more tan, while at night it appears more gray.” The color has warm undertones and prevents the cool tones of the marble from making the room feel cold.
The artwork is from local artist Windy O’Connor’s Chica series. The top of the piece is a collaged flower crown. It adds to the warm colors in the room.
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The designer recommended Benjamin Moore’s Edgecomb Gray for the walls. “This is a true greige,” she says. “It’s not beige, it’s not gray, and it really depends on the light. During the day, it leans more tan, while at night it appears more gray.” The color has warm undertones and prevents the cool tones of the marble from making the room feel cold.
The artwork is from local artist Windy O’Connor’s Chica series. The top of the piece is a collaged flower crown. It adds to the warm colors in the room.
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The wife’s vanity is next to the linen cabinet tower on the left. Bula included velvet-lined pullouts for her jewelry inside the cabinet.
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Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
The simple black-lined mirrors and cabinet pulls and the streamlined sconces add more modern touches to the room.
Getting the lightbulbs just right was another important factor. “I like to use 4,000 Kelvin color temperature in a bathroom because it provides a very good representation of natural light when putting on makeup,” Bula says.
Getting the lightbulbs just right was another important factor. “I like to use 4,000 Kelvin color temperature in a bathroom because it provides a very good representation of natural light when putting on makeup,” Bula says.
The sink faucets also mix traditional and modern styles. The silhouettes are simple and the higher spout is modern, while the cross handles bring in a classic touch. “We chose a brushed metal finish because it is low-maintenance — it doesn’t show fingerprints or watermarks like polished finishes do,” Bula says.
The designer was so happy these clients found her on Houzz. “They gave me so much freedom. It’s always fun to be able to mix metals and use beautiful materials like quartzite and marble,” she says.
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The designer was so happy these clients found her on Houzz. “They gave me so much freedom. It’s always fun to be able to mix metals and use beautiful materials like quartzite and marble,” she says.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
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Find a local bathroom remodeler
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with young children
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Size: 160 square feet (15 square meters)
Interior designer: Jena Bula of Delphinium Design
Contractor: Ekren Construction
Before: The existing bathroom was roomy, but the homeowners never used the bathtub. “It took up space and collected dust,” Bula says.
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