Bathroom of the Week: Inspired by the Homeowners’ Love of Green
A designer freshens up the style of this primary bathroom with colors and materials plucked from nature
The journey through the rest of this couple’s house on the way to their primary bathroom gave designer David Belcher the inspiration for a new design. “When I walked through this house, I could see that the homeowners had color, particularly earth tones, throughout. They loved greens and nature,” he says. “I knew I needed to keep this in mind so that their bathroom would fit in with the rest of their house.” In addition to updating the bathroom with a transitional style, he was able to expand the shower and the vanity within the room’s existing footprint.
After: The new style is a transitional mix of clean, modern lines and classic elements like Shaker-style cabinetry and marble herringbone tile. When Belcher realized how much his clients loved green, he immediately thought of a new cabinet color offering he’d seen from Waypoint Living Spaces called Sage. This painted finish is added at the factory. The natural hue was the jumping-off point for the rest of the bathroom’s design.
Belcher found a large-format marble-look porcelain tile to complement the green. He used it on the floor, walls and shower enclosure.
How to Choose a Bathroom Vanity
Belcher found a large-format marble-look porcelain tile to complement the green. He used it on the floor, walls and shower enclosure.
How to Choose a Bathroom Vanity
The countertop is quartz that also resembles marble but is more durable. Champagne bronze and brass finishes also play nicely off the vanity color.
Cassidy faucet in champagne bronze, Delta
Cassidy faucet in champagne bronze, Delta
After: The wall that separated the tub and shower was partially structural — Belcher removed as much of it as he could and replaced that portion with clear glass. This gave the room a more open and airy feel. He expanded the shower stall and turned the new freestanding tub 90 degrees.
The existing shower was 48 by 34 inches. Belcher was able to extend the shower farther into the room, boosting its size to 48 by 48 inches. One handy feature is the lower niche, a good spot to prop a foot when shaving legs.
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The existing shower was 48 by 34 inches. Belcher was able to extend the shower farther into the room, boosting its size to 48 by 48 inches. One handy feature is the lower niche, a good spot to prop a foot when shaving legs.
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Belcher played off the veining in the large-format tiles with these Dolomite marble tiles on the shower floor, laid in a classic herringbone pattern. And he took into account the small details: This drain cover brings the finish from the shower fixtures to the floor.
This shower niche is 12 inches wide and 48 inches high. Belcher left the height of the divider up to the homeowner. “She had big shampoo bottles with the pump on the top, so I sized it to fit those,” he says. He repeated the marble herringbone tile from the floor on the back of the niches.
The shower includes a handheld wand on a slide bar.
“Once we settled on the large-format tiles, we kept it consistent, using it on the floor, the walls and the shower enclosure,” Belcher says. He capped the tile wainscoting with natural marble pencil tiles. This created a nice connection between the large-format tiles, the small marble tiles in the shower and the countertop.
The sculptural shape of the deep soaking tub and the clean lines of its wall-mounted faucet add modern style to the mix.
“We picked this freestanding tub because it sits flush against the wall, saving space,” Belcher says. “Another space saver is the wall-mounted tub faucet.”
Accessories like the wood stool, woven basket, wood tray on the vanity and plants add biophilic elements to the room. Along with the color scheme and marble veining, they make it feel connected to nature.
“We picked this freestanding tub because it sits flush against the wall, saving space,” Belcher says. “Another space saver is the wall-mounted tub faucet.”
Accessories like the wood stool, woven basket, wood tray on the vanity and plants add biophilic elements to the room. Along with the color scheme and marble veining, they make it feel connected to nature.
“I used two drawer-base cabinets in the center when putting together this vanity so that each of them could have their own space,” Belcher says. This also gives the couple more countertop space between their sinks.
The homeowners shopped for the mirrors, light fixtures and other accessories themselves. The warm finishes work nicely with the champagne bronze faucets. The lights and mirrors add modern lines. And the well-worn wool Oriental rug adds warmth and color to the floor.
Shop from a curated collection of popular bathroom vanities
The homeowners shopped for the mirrors, light fixtures and other accessories themselves. The warm finishes work nicely with the champagne bronze faucets. The lights and mirrors add modern lines. And the well-worn wool Oriental rug adds warmth and color to the floor.
Shop from a curated collection of popular bathroom vanities
Beneath those lights and mirrors, the vanity brings a traditional element to the bathroom. “These have a little more detail than your basic Shaker style,” Belcher says. And the beautiful brass pulls have an intricate design. They’re probably the most traditional element in the transitional mix.
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Shop for cabinet hardware
The toilet remained in the same spot, tucked behind a partial wall on the opposite side of the bathroom.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Roswell, Georgia
Size: 122 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer: David Belcher of StoneUnlimited Kitchen and Bath Remodeling
Before: “Their bathroom needed updating,” Belcher says. “It had a heavy soffit over the vanity and yellow stripes painted on the walls.” He helped the young homeowners come up with a fresh design that would better reflect their personalities.
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