Room of the Day: Master Bath Gets an Elegant Remake
A once-dated bathroom blends traditional style with modern updates and distinctive tilework
You could say Greg and Cherrye Ellis paid their dues. They’d been using their dark and dated master bathroom since its construction along with the house in the 1980s. They were tired of the floral wallpaper and worn-out carpet. They never used the cultured-marble bathtub. And for decades they had put up with a shower that never really dried out, thanks to poor ventilation. Ready for an update, the couple tapped designer Amanda Jones to create a more elegant space with traditional style and modern convenience.
AFTER: Jones removed the wallpaper, carpet and bulky soffit that had blocked natural light. “Removing it makes the room feel larger, and visually raises the ceiling,” she says.
But the new tile design is the star of the room. White and black ceramic tiles form a basket-weave pattern on the floor, with bright white grout and a border of black subway tiles. For the wainscoting on the walls, glossy white subway tiles join two rows of glossy black pencil tiles with a black chair rail at the top. “It just looks brighter and more classic, and that’s what we wanted,” Greg says.
White and black basket-weave tile: Roca World Tile & Marble; floor border and wall tile: H-Line in black and Cotton Glossy, Arizona Tile; chair rail and pencil tile: Daltile
But the new tile design is the star of the room. White and black ceramic tiles form a basket-weave pattern on the floor, with bright white grout and a border of black subway tiles. For the wainscoting on the walls, glossy white subway tiles join two rows of glossy black pencil tiles with a black chair rail at the top. “It just looks brighter and more classic, and that’s what we wanted,” Greg says.
White and black basket-weave tile: Roca World Tile & Marble; floor border and wall tile: H-Line in black and Cotton Glossy, Arizona Tile; chair rail and pencil tile: Daltile
BEFORE: The cultured-marble tub with its step up enjoyed a prime location under the bathroom window, taking up valuable floor space for something the couple rarely used.
The his-and-her vanities that flanked each side of the tub included knee space that often ended up as an unsightly dump zone for bathroom supplies.
The his-and-her vanities that flanked each side of the tub included knee space that often ended up as an unsightly dump zone for bathroom supplies.
AFTER: By removing the tub, the couple now enjoy more spacious vanities, and Greg has one of his must-haves: a comfortable tufted bench ottoman where he can change his shoes.
The medium charcoal gray wallpaper that now lines the bathroom walls has a subtle pattern that offers tone-on-tone texture. White painted wood shutters on a frosted glass window give the space an elegant and finished look.
Kayla X bench ottoman in black: Cortesi Home; Textures Pigeon Gray Arrow Stitch wallpaper: York Wallcoverings; shutters: Exus Natural Window Fashions; lights above vanities: Darcy etched glass 22-inch-wide polished nickel bath light by Possini Euro Design, Euro Style Lighting
The medium charcoal gray wallpaper that now lines the bathroom walls has a subtle pattern that offers tone-on-tone texture. White painted wood shutters on a frosted glass window give the space an elegant and finished look.
Kayla X bench ottoman in black: Cortesi Home; Textures Pigeon Gray Arrow Stitch wallpaper: York Wallcoverings; shutters: Exus Natural Window Fashions; lights above vanities: Darcy etched glass 22-inch-wide polished nickel bath light by Possini Euro Design, Euro Style Lighting
The his-and-her white painted maple vanities with raised panel doors and dovetail drawers with soft-close polished-nickel hardware offer organized storage. The vanity’s drop-in sinks have an edge detail with a decorative profile.
Custom black painted wood-framed beveled mirrors above the vanities reinforce the bathroom’s color scheme, and the quartz countertops with an ogee edge and a subtle pattern look similar to natural marble, but offer more durability at a slightly lower price.
Storage towers on each vanity include electrical outlets inside for charging shavers and phones.
Vanity cabinets: KraftMaid; vanity hardware: Jeffrey Alexander, Hardware Resources; counters: Silestone in Lagoon; vanity sinks and towel bar and ring: Kohler; vanity faucets: Rohl
Custom black painted wood-framed beveled mirrors above the vanities reinforce the bathroom’s color scheme, and the quartz countertops with an ogee edge and a subtle pattern look similar to natural marble, but offer more durability at a slightly lower price.
Storage towers on each vanity include electrical outlets inside for charging shavers and phones.
Vanity cabinets: KraftMaid; vanity hardware: Jeffrey Alexander, Hardware Resources; counters: Silestone in Lagoon; vanity sinks and towel bar and ring: Kohler; vanity faucets: Rohl
The double hinged doors shown in this photo lead to the adjoining master bedroom.
Matte black door hardware: Schlage Locks
Matte black door hardware: Schlage Locks
BEFORE: While the couple enjoyed having a separate toilet closet for privacy, a lack of proper ventilation in the old bathroom resulted in a shower that never fully dried out and felt damp all the time.
AFTER: The shower was updated and modernized with dual shower heads, a user-friendly pull-down folding teak seat with chrome brackets, new lights, a built-in niche for shampoo and body-care products with the same basket-weave tile design as the floor, and a frameless frosted-glass door with chrome handle. “It’s a more clean and updated look without the frame, and makes the shower feel even larger,” Jones says. “The frosted glass also allows for some privacy, but still lets light come inside.”
New lights and the same wallpaper used for the rest of the bathroom have spiffed up the toilet closet. “We didn’t take the tile in there, because it’s so small,” Jones says. “Having the same material as the rest of the bathroom makes it feel larger.”
A new fan installed in the ceiling outside of the shower and a ceiling fan (not pictured) improved the bathroom’s ventilation. The doors that flank the updated shower and toilet closet lead to his-and-her closets with new
painted doors.
Shower fixtures: Kohler; frameless shower door: custom
New lights and the same wallpaper used for the rest of the bathroom have spiffed up the toilet closet. “We didn’t take the tile in there, because it’s so small,” Jones says. “Having the same material as the rest of the bathroom makes it feel larger.”
A new fan installed in the ceiling outside of the shower and a ceiling fan (not pictured) improved the bathroom’s ventilation. The doors that flank the updated shower and toilet closet lead to his-and-her closets with new
painted doors.
Shower fixtures: Kohler; frameless shower door: custom
The shower also includes a digital thermostatic valve (seen on the right side of this photo) that offers easy push-button control for the dual shower heads. “You just push a button, it goes to the temperature you want, and you’re ready to shower,” Greg says.
The master bathroom’s existing linen cabinets that flank the his-and-her closets were renovated with new face frames and doors to match the updated vanities.
A thermostat controls new radiant-heat floors. “I can’t imagine having a tile bathroom floor without it,” Greg says. “You can set the temperature, and if you get up at 6, it’s all toasty and warm and ready to go.”
BEFORE: The “before” floor plan shows how the bathroom had a layout that generally worked for the couple, but improved lighting, modern updates and better ventilation were needed.
AFTER: The “after” floor plan illustrates the key changes that transformed the dated, dark bath into an inviting and elegant space where the couple can relax and rejuvenate. “I think the classic black-and-white look is clean and refreshing,” Cherrye says. “This bathroom now feels so spacious and bright.”
See more bathroom makeovers
See more bathroom makeovers
Master Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Greg and Cherrye Ellis
Location: Plano, Texas
Size: About 270 square feet (25 square meters)
Designer: Amanda Jones of Hatfield Builders & Remodelers
BEFORE: The mostly beige master bath with dated floral wallpaper and worn carpet had an imposing soffit that made the space feel dark.
Because the couple were happy with the size and general layout of the bathroom, they didn’t want to reconfigure the space or do a costly addition. “We really wanted better function and an updated look,” Greg says.