Before and After: Fresh Styles, Same Layouts for 3 Bathroom Redos
See how pros worked within existing layouts to give bathrooms with shower-tub combos whole new looks
It’s natural to want a totally fresh start when you’re renovating a bathroom. But if the current layout works well, consider keeping it basically as is. You’ll limit hassle and expense, and the results can still be dramatic, as you’ll see by comparing these casual “before” snapshots of bathrooms with shower-tub combos and their corresponding “after” photos. Plus, by not moving walls and plumbing, you’ll have more to spend on high-performing fixtures and finishes — and fluffy new towels.
“After” photo by AOFOTOS.com
After: The couple and their teenage son would be the bathroom’s primary users, though it would be used by guests too. So Kraus wanted it to be functional and appealing to everyone.
She continued the gray, white and wood color scheme from the rest of the house into the bathroom, then layered on patterns and textures to create depth and interest.
Patterned 8-by-8-inch glazed porcelain tiles that resemble traditional handmade cement tiles now cover the floor and extend up the wall behind a new, deeper tub. The lower portion of the wall behind the sink is covered in beveled subway tiles surrounded by charcoal grout. And a third tile — a paler gray herringbone mosaic — backs niches in the shower and by the vanity.
In addition to being a handy spot to display accessories, the custom poplar shelf with walnut stain above the toilet lends some rustic warmth to the industrial-style space. Trim around the niches and a custom wood vanity have a similar effect.
But the funkiest element is probably the trough sink atop the vanity. Kraus recycled it from a client’s previous bathroom and added gooseneck-style brushed nickel faucets for vintage flair.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
After: The couple and their teenage son would be the bathroom’s primary users, though it would be used by guests too. So Kraus wanted it to be functional and appealing to everyone.
She continued the gray, white and wood color scheme from the rest of the house into the bathroom, then layered on patterns and textures to create depth and interest.
Patterned 8-by-8-inch glazed porcelain tiles that resemble traditional handmade cement tiles now cover the floor and extend up the wall behind a new, deeper tub. The lower portion of the wall behind the sink is covered in beveled subway tiles surrounded by charcoal grout. And a third tile — a paler gray herringbone mosaic — backs niches in the shower and by the vanity.
In addition to being a handy spot to display accessories, the custom poplar shelf with walnut stain above the toilet lends some rustic warmth to the industrial-style space. Trim around the niches and a custom wood vanity have a similar effect.
But the funkiest element is probably the trough sink atop the vanity. Kraus recycled it from a client’s previous bathroom and added gooseneck-style brushed nickel faucets for vintage flair.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
2. Fading Style to Blooming Beauty
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two daughters
Location: San Diego
Size: 54 square feet (5 square meters); 6 by 9 feet
Designer: Alyce Lopez of The True House
Before: Designer Alyce Lopez redesigned this hallway bathroom for sisters — a tween and a teen — as part of a whole-home renovation. The existing low tub and basic finishes held little appeal for the girls, plus they needed more storage space for their products.
Shop from a curated collection of bathroom vanities
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two daughters
Location: San Diego
Size: 54 square feet (5 square meters); 6 by 9 feet
Designer: Alyce Lopez of The True House
Before: Designer Alyce Lopez redesigned this hallway bathroom for sisters — a tween and a teen — as part of a whole-home renovation. The existing low tub and basic finishes held little appeal for the girls, plus they needed more storage space for their products.
Shop from a curated collection of bathroom vanities
“After” photo by MPMG Spaces
After: Lopez used the soft botanical wallpaper to establish the room’s palette. She had a local tile company color-match the terra-cotta floor tile to the paper’s flowers, and the Roman shade and custom green vanity also coordinate with colors in the pattern.
Below the paper, white shiplap wainscoting adds architectural interest. As with the wallpaper, brass sconces and brass plumbing fixtures, the wall paneling adds to the room’s traditional character.
Arched medicine cabinets replaced the large mirror over the vanity, providing more much-needed storage space for each girl. Easy-care quartz tops the vanity and extends up the wall 6 inches to protect it from splashes.
The shower-tub combo got its own makeover with a deeper bathtub and a glass door in lieu of a shower curtain. Look closely and you’ll see that Lopez laid the subtly variegated tile both vertically and horizontally to help balance all of the pattern on the other side of the room.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
After: Lopez used the soft botanical wallpaper to establish the room’s palette. She had a local tile company color-match the terra-cotta floor tile to the paper’s flowers, and the Roman shade and custom green vanity also coordinate with colors in the pattern.
Below the paper, white shiplap wainscoting adds architectural interest. As with the wallpaper, brass sconces and brass plumbing fixtures, the wall paneling adds to the room’s traditional character.
Arched medicine cabinets replaced the large mirror over the vanity, providing more much-needed storage space for each girl. Easy-care quartz tops the vanity and extends up the wall 6 inches to protect it from splashes.
The shower-tub combo got its own makeover with a deeper bathtub and a glass door in lieu of a shower curtain. Look closely and you’ll see that Lopez laid the subtly variegated tile both vertically and horizontally to help balance all of the pattern on the other side of the room.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
3. Drowning in Brown to Bright Black and White
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with a young son and daughter
Location: Upper West Side of Manhattan
Designers: Ben Herzog (architect), Julia Conti (interior designer) and Sarah Rhoads (project manager) of Ben Herzog Architect
Before: This medium-sized upstairs bathroom was part of a pair of Manhattan duplexes that Ben Herzog Architect turned into a single home. The room suffered from a lack of light and an overload of brown in the form of marbled wall and floor tile and a dark stone countertop. And there was just a single sink at one end of the countertop.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with a young son and daughter
Location: Upper West Side of Manhattan
Designers: Ben Herzog (architect), Julia Conti (interior designer) and Sarah Rhoads (project manager) of Ben Herzog Architect
Before: This medium-sized upstairs bathroom was part of a pair of Manhattan duplexes that Ben Herzog Architect turned into a single home. The room suffered from a lack of light and an overload of brown in the form of marbled wall and floor tile and a dark stone countertop. And there was just a single sink at one end of the countertop.
“After” photo by Brett Beyer
After: The new bathroom retains the basic floor plan but has a few more bells and whistles, including a second sink and a jetted tub with a Carrara marble deck.
And what a brightening effect the white walls and white honed Carrara marble countertop achieved, even accounting for the difference in lighting between the two photos.
Using several different shapes made the inexpensive tile look expensive, but it’s not so busy that it detracts from the geometric black-and-white floor tile.
Black plumbing and lighting fixtures and a black-edged glass shower surround and mirror tie in with the black exposed structural steel elsewhere in the house. As in the first bathroom featured, rustic wood (in this case, a pine vanity) adds warmth to the edgier, industrial-style elements.
Read more about this house remodel
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After: The new bathroom retains the basic floor plan but has a few more bells and whistles, including a second sink and a jetted tub with a Carrara marble deck.
And what a brightening effect the white walls and white honed Carrara marble countertop achieved, even accounting for the difference in lighting between the two photos.
Using several different shapes made the inexpensive tile look expensive, but it’s not so busy that it detracts from the geometric black-and-white floor tile.
Black plumbing and lighting fixtures and a black-edged glass shower surround and mirror tie in with the black exposed structural steel elsewhere in the house. As in the first bathroom featured, rustic wood (in this case, a pine vanity) adds warmth to the edgier, industrial-style elements.
Read more about this house remodel
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: Designer Sarah Kraus; her carpenter husband, David Bartelson; and their 13-year-old son, Nathan
Location: Winter Park, Florida
Size: 40 square feet (3.7 square meters)
Designer: Sarah Kraus of S&W Kitchens
Before: Designer Sarah Kraus knew exactly what was wrong with her existing guest bathroom after living with it for about seven years: Its white glazed square tiles, small white toilet, beige porcelain floor tile and a traditional-style dark wood vanity with white ceramic sink were generic-looking, and the tub was too shallow for a really good soak. Fortunately, together with her carpenter husband, she could both envision and execute a new and improved version without having to remove walls or relocate plumbing.
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