Bathroom of the Week: Tub Removal Opens Up a Primary Bathroom
Beautiful marble mosaic tile, periwinkle paint and light-colored finishes brighten a once-dark space
This couple’s home outside Vancouver, British Columbia, was inspired by the chalet-style homes of the Canadian Rockies. But after more than a decade of living in it, the owners were ready for a lighter and brighter look. Interior designer Sarah Gallop completed a whole-house renovation, with a particular goal of making the busy parents’ primary bathroom feel like a relaxing retreat.
Removing the dust-collecting bathtub they never used opened up space for two vanities. Gallop also reconfigured the separate water closet and shower to create a luxuriously large shower stall. The new style is clean, light and bright, with a showstopping marble mosaic tile on the walls.
Removing the dust-collecting bathtub they never used opened up space for two vanities. Gallop also reconfigured the separate water closet and shower to create a luxuriously large shower stall. The new style is clean, light and bright, with a showstopping marble mosaic tile on the walls.
After: With the tub removed, the room feels much more spacious. There was space for two vanities, one for her and one for him. Now the couple are set with plenty of storage. The vanities are a lovely periwinkle blue with crystal knobs.
Browse wall-mounted vanities in the Houzz Shop
Browse wall-mounted vanities in the Houzz Shop
“Before I have a kickoff meeting with clients, I have them create a Houzz ideabook to get a sense of their style,” Gallop says. “Then when we meet, we sit down and pick apart each photo to find out what they like about it.” The jumping-off point for the bathroom’s style was an intricate marble mosaic that Gallop extended all the way up the vanity walls.
The mirrors have substantial mirrored frames and the sconces have shiny backplates. “There are four windows in this room and we wanted to bounce the light around as much as possible with reflective surfaces,” Gallop says. “And I wanted to choose mirrors that were artwork-like.”
The couple store extra linens in the blue cabinetry behind the door.
Vanity paint: Coastline, Benjamin Moore
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The mirrors have substantial mirrored frames and the sconces have shiny backplates. “There are four windows in this room and we wanted to bounce the light around as much as possible with reflective surfaces,” Gallop says. “And I wanted to choose mirrors that were artwork-like.”
The couple store extra linens in the blue cabinetry behind the door.
Vanity paint: Coastline, Benjamin Moore
Shop for a bathroom mirror
On the wife’s side of the room is a makeup station with a large mirror. The countertops are a durable white quartz, which continues up the backsplash. Gallop hid white electrical outlets within this backsplash so as not to interrupt the tiled walls. The floors are large-format marble tile with a honed finish to prevent slipping.
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Find a local tile professional
Before: The location of the room’s only vanity was where the makeup station is now. The door on the left opened to the water closet.
After: Gallop removed the wall between the water closet and vanity and replaced it with frosted glass. “There is a window in the water closet, so the glass allowed us to share its natural light with the adjacent shower and the rest of the bathroom,” she says.
As for artificial light, there are recessed lights in the ceilings and two mirror-mounted sconces in this area. “We placed these sconces to give even lighting to the face,” the designer says. There’s also lighting under the vanities, which provides soft, dim light for nighttime trips to the bathroom.
As for artificial light, there are recessed lights in the ceilings and two mirror-mounted sconces in this area. “We placed these sconces to give even lighting to the face,” the designer says. There’s also lighting under the vanities, which provides soft, dim light for nighttime trips to the bathroom.
Before: The shower was dark and measured 46 by 43 inches.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
After: With space borrowed from the water closet as well as from the main bathroom, the shower now measures 72 by 61.5 inches. The frosted glass wall on the right divides it from the water closet.
“Now the shower is a bright, open space that no longer feels closed in,” Gallop says. She composed the shower in a way that emphasizes height. “The tall niche and vertically oriented tiles elongate it,” she says. The niche has glass shelves that keep the view of the marble mosaic tile open. (They hadn’t been installed when this photo was taken.) The small tiles on the floor pull in the colors from the mosaic.
Next to the shower is a heated towel bar. The shower door opens on the same side as the bar, making it easy to grab a toasty towel.
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“Now the shower is a bright, open space that no longer feels closed in,” Gallop says. She composed the shower in a way that emphasizes height. “The tall niche and vertically oriented tiles elongate it,” she says. The niche has glass shelves that keep the view of the marble mosaic tile open. (They hadn’t been installed when this photo was taken.) The small tiles on the floor pull in the colors from the mosaic.
Next to the shower is a heated towel bar. The shower door opens on the same side as the bar, making it easy to grab a toasty towel.
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: A couple and their children
Location: Delta, British Columbia
Size: 187 square feet (17 square meters); 11 by 17 feet
Designer: Sarah Gallop
Before: The couple had tired of the finishes in the home. A lot of them were dark, which made the rooms feel dark. The owners also realized they never used their bathtub. “It had become a dust collector and it felt like it took up half the room,” Gallop says.
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