Bathroom of the Week: Warm, Timeless Style Updates a DIY Misstep
A designer helps fix a couple’s remodeling attempt by altering the layout and creating an inviting wood-and-white look
This Southern California couple tried updating their primary bathroom on their own. They were not thrilled with the results. Despite their efforts, the space lacked sufficient storage, had a plain style and its large tub with a tile surround right at the entrance was an accident waiting happen.
Wanting a calm, coastal-inspired bathroom with a timeless look and a professional’s touch, the couple turned to designer Tiffany Lauer for help. The main components stayed in the same general locations, but Lauer moved the bathroom door to create a better spot for a new freestanding tub that lightens the look and feel of the room. Marble flooring and creamy handmade zellige tiles that span an entire wall and wrap around the shower give the room a bright look with warm undertones. A custom white oak double vanity with reeded details and a tower cabinet improves storage, adds visual and physical texture and balances the space with warmth.
Wanting a calm, coastal-inspired bathroom with a timeless look and a professional’s touch, the couple turned to designer Tiffany Lauer for help. The main components stayed in the same general locations, but Lauer moved the bathroom door to create a better spot for a new freestanding tub that lightens the look and feel of the room. Marble flooring and creamy handmade zellige tiles that span an entire wall and wrap around the shower give the room a bright look with warm undertones. A custom white oak double vanity with reeded details and a tower cabinet improves storage, adds visual and physical texture and balances the space with warmth.
After: This photo shows the remodeled bathroom from its new entrance to the right of the former entry on a different shared wall with the bedroom. (To get oriented, look at the bathroom window, which stayed in the same spot.)
Lauer knocked the bathroom back to the studs but kept the shower, toilet, window, vanity and tub in the same general locations. “Moving the door provided a better layout for the bathroom … we could have a standard-size freestanding tub, shower and new double vanity,” she says.
The new white acrylic tub allows for a smoother pathway from the entrance to the spacious new frameless glass-enclosed shower.
The flooring is 12-by-24-inch honed marble tiles. “From a safety issue, having it honed makes it not as slick,” Lauer says. “We also wanted something timeless. Before, they had that laminate.” The same material covers the low shower curb.
Handmade zellige tiles in various creamy tones span the wall on the left and wrap around to form the shower walls, adding a warm neutral vibe with visual movement, texture and a bit of gloss. “I like to say they’re perfectly imperfect tiles,” Lauer says. “That’s the beauty of them.”
Wall, ceiling and trim paint: Chantilly Lace, Benjamin Moore
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Lauer knocked the bathroom back to the studs but kept the shower, toilet, window, vanity and tub in the same general locations. “Moving the door provided a better layout for the bathroom … we could have a standard-size freestanding tub, shower and new double vanity,” she says.
The new white acrylic tub allows for a smoother pathway from the entrance to the spacious new frameless glass-enclosed shower.
The flooring is 12-by-24-inch honed marble tiles. “From a safety issue, having it honed makes it not as slick,” Lauer says. “We also wanted something timeless. Before, they had that laminate.” The same material covers the low shower curb.
Handmade zellige tiles in various creamy tones span the wall on the left and wrap around to form the shower walls, adding a warm neutral vibe with visual movement, texture and a bit of gloss. “I like to say they’re perfectly imperfect tiles,” Lauer says. “That’s the beauty of them.”
Wall, ceiling and trim paint: Chantilly Lace, Benjamin Moore
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The stain-grade white oak double vanity has thin Shaker-style cabinet doors and drawers with a special reeded detail spanning the top portion. “The vanity is large, so it adds additional interest without being overwhelming,” Lauer says.
The tower cabinet includes adjustable shelves inside and two drawers. “We also included an electrical outlet inside so they can keep their counters clean by charging toothbrushes and hair tools inside the tower,” Lauer says. The countertop and 6-inch backsplash are 5-millimeter-thick porcelain. “It’s highly durable, not a porous stone,” Lauer says. “It’s also in a honed finish, so it matches the finish on the floor. We also added a shelf under the tower to prevent water from damaging the tower.”
Brushed brass mirror frames and towel rings coordinate with honey bronze cabinet hardware and aged brass sconces. (The bathroom also has new recessed LED ceiling lights and a new exhaust fan by the shower that were digitally removed from the photos by the photographer to help focus attention on other design elements in the room.)
Custom double vanity: Selvin; cabinet hardware: Cumberland knobs and pulls in Honey Bronze, Top Knobs; sconces: Fleming in aged brass, Hudson Valley Lighting; mirrors: Gallegos, Renwil
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The tower cabinet includes adjustable shelves inside and two drawers. “We also included an electrical outlet inside so they can keep their counters clean by charging toothbrushes and hair tools inside the tower,” Lauer says. The countertop and 6-inch backsplash are 5-millimeter-thick porcelain. “It’s highly durable, not a porous stone,” Lauer says. “It’s also in a honed finish, so it matches the finish on the floor. We also added a shelf under the tower to prevent water from damaging the tower.”
Brushed brass mirror frames and towel rings coordinate with honey bronze cabinet hardware and aged brass sconces. (The bathroom also has new recessed LED ceiling lights and a new exhaust fan by the shower that were digitally removed from the photos by the photographer to help focus attention on other design elements in the room.)
Custom double vanity: Selvin; cabinet hardware: Cumberland knobs and pulls in Honey Bronze, Top Knobs; sconces: Fleming in aged brass, Hudson Valley Lighting; mirrors: Gallegos, Renwil
Shop for bathroom vanities on Houzz
Undermount rectangular white sinks are paired with contemporary widespread lavatory faucets with modern cross handles and a satin bronze finish.
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The updated glass-enclosed, low-curb shower includes a thermostatic shower system with fixed shower head and hand shower (both in satin bronze) that offer consistent water pressure and temperature. The shower flooring is honed marble mosaic tile that creates a nonslip surface. “We also did a tiled-in center drain,” Lauer says.
A pair of brushed brass hooks keep towels handy outside the shower. A new casement window that’s taller but narrower than the previous window sits above an upgraded white bidet toilet. “We needed to make the window smaller in order to maximize the size of the double vanity,” Lauer says. A pony wall adds privacy to the toilet area.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
A wall-mounted tub filler in satin bronze coordinates with other warm metal tones used in the room. “This saved space,” Lauer says. “We didn’t have space for a floor mount.”
A natural rattan pendant light adds a touch of texture and organic coastal style that’s emphasized with coastal-themed artwork. “I think it’s now a calming, relaxing retreat for them that’s functional and has plenty of storage,” Lauer says.
Pendant light: Channel in natural rattan, Shades of Light
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A natural rattan pendant light adds a touch of texture and organic coastal style that’s emphasized with coastal-themed artwork. “I think it’s now a calming, relaxing retreat for them that’s functional and has plenty of storage,” Lauer says.
Pendant light: Channel in natural rattan, Shades of Light
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 with two young children
Location: Redondo Beach, California
Size: 110 square feet (10 square meters)
Designer: Tiffany Lauer Interiors
Before: This photo of the former bathroom, which the couple had tried to renovate themselves, was taken from the primary bedroom looking through the previous entry. Immediately present was the imposing hip-high tiled tub surround with a sharp corner that jutted into the middle of the space.
Meanwhile, despite its size, the double vanity lacked adequate storage. And its aging white paint coupled with light gray walls and wood-look laminate flooring left the homeowners with a style that didn’t live up to what they’d hoped for.