Room of the Day: A Fresh Take on Classic Style for a Powder Room
A better floor plan and tiles in a striking chevron pattern help update a California bathroom with timeless appeal
John and Joanne Wilcox fell in love with the vintage style of this early 1900s home in the Madison Heights neighborhood of Pasadena, California, but needed to make some updates. That included the powder room, which suffered from a poor floor plan and worn-down finishes. Working with designer Robert Frank, they created an updated classic look with crisp white walls and blue-gray tiles in a striking chevron pattern that helps visually expand the room.
The custom white lacquered maple vanity with six drawers for easy-access storage was designed to honor the era of the architecture of the home. The cabinet doors conceal the drain line for the sink and storage space for bathroom essentials.
The polished nickel medicine cabinet has a user-friendly three-mirror design and electrical outlets inside. It also includes a heated mirror that stays clear when the bathroom gets steamy and a light at the bottom that illuminates the counter at night.
A white linen Roman shade with contrasting indigo blue banding provides privacy over the upgraded single casement window. The banding picks up color used in the chevron tiles.
Medicine cabinet: Bryn Mawr framed cabinet, Robern; window covering: custom Roman shade fabric and trim, brushed linen fabric in Salt, Robert Allen Design; toilet: Waterworks
The polished nickel medicine cabinet has a user-friendly three-mirror design and electrical outlets inside. It also includes a heated mirror that stays clear when the bathroom gets steamy and a light at the bottom that illuminates the counter at night.
A white linen Roman shade with contrasting indigo blue banding provides privacy over the upgraded single casement window. The banding picks up color used in the chevron tiles.
Medicine cabinet: Bryn Mawr framed cabinet, Robern; window covering: custom Roman shade fabric and trim, brushed linen fabric in Salt, Robert Allen Design; toilet: Waterworks
The crisp, pure white quartz countertop gives the family a low-maintenance surface surrounding the rectangular white porcelain undermount sink. “The old powder room had an oval sink,” Frank says. “The new vanity gave us a chance to update the shape of the sink and make it more modern.”
Vanity counter: quartz in Thassos White, PentalQuartz; sink: Waterworks
Vanity counter: quartz in Thassos White, PentalQuartz; sink: Waterworks
The low-profile wall-mounted polished nickel faucet with lever handles offers a modern interpretation of a vintage faucet and maximizes counter space. “What was amazing is that Robert gave us choices that helped update the look and feel of our home but also fit the style of the house,” Joanne says. “And I love that the wall-mount faucet is really easy to keep clean.”
The couple also had a water-softening system installed to help deal with the hard water and calcium buildup common in their area.
Lavatory and shower fittings and faucet: R.W. Atlas collection in polished nickel, Waterworks
The couple also had a water-softening system installed to help deal with the hard water and calcium buildup common in their area.
Lavatory and shower fittings and faucet: R.W. Atlas collection in polished nickel, Waterworks
The modern-style sconces that flank each side of the medicine cabinet are made of brass and plated in polished nickel, with clear glass and porcelain diffuser shades. “They almost look like a little hurricane torch mounted to the wall,” Frank says.
Sargent wall-mounted sconces in polished nickel: Waterworks
Sargent wall-mounted sconces in polished nickel: Waterworks
A great example of the attention to detail in this bathroom are the industrial-inspired polished nickel drawer pulls and latch on the vanity’s cabinet doors. “I always consider the selection of hardware very important; it sets the tone for the cabinet,” Frank says. “This latch is like a shiny piece of jewelry you see when you enter the bathroom.”
Vanity drawer pulls and latch: R.W. Atlas collection in polished nickel, Waterworks
Vanity drawer pulls and latch: R.W. Atlas collection in polished nickel, Waterworks
This close-up photo of the bathroom floor and adjacent shower floor shows the beautiful marble that adds a touch of luxury to the room. The bathroom floor features 9-by-18-inch planks in a brick format, while the floor of the expanded glass-enclosed walk-in shower (the bathroom previously had a corner shower) has 2-by-2-inch squares. A ceramic base tile that resembles a baseboard but is fabricated out of the same tile as the subway tiles on the wall provides a beautiful frame for the floor. “It’s so much easier to clean than wood too,” Joanne says.
Now the couple have an updated bathroom that combines the best of contemporary and classic styles. “Our goal is always to create a jewel box with a powder room, and here we tried to do it in a way that was consistent with the style of the home but in a more modern way with a freshness to it,” Frank says.
Bathroom floor and shower floor: Statuary Classico marble tile, Walker Zanger
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Photo Flip: 102 Eye-Popping Powder Rooms
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Now the couple have an updated bathroom that combines the best of contemporary and classic styles. “Our goal is always to create a jewel box with a powder room, and here we tried to do it in a way that was consistent with the style of the home but in a more modern way with a freshness to it,” Frank says.
Bathroom floor and shower floor: Statuary Classico marble tile, Walker Zanger
More
Photo Flip: 102 Eye-Popping Powder Rooms
Browse the latest powder room photos
Powder Room at a Glance
Who lives here: John and Joanne Wilcox and their 3-year-old son
Location: Madison Heights neighborhood of Pasadena, California
Size: About 50 square feet (4.6 square meters)
Designer: Robert Frank of Robert Frank Interiors
While no square footage was added to the 5-by-10-foot space, plumbing was relocated to accommodate a new toilet and custom vanity. White walls, ceiling and trim with a touch of gray and 3-by-6-inch white ceramic subway tiles for the wainscoting keep things bright. Handmade jewel glass mosaic tiles set in a chevron pattern in shades of blue and gray offer contrast with impact. “That’s my favorite part of the room, the chevron-pattern tiles,” Joanne says. “They just add so much color and pattern. We were a bit scared to do something so bold at first, but once it was installed it was just stunning.”
The vertical pattern visually raises the eye to give the bathroom volume and make it feel more spacious, Frank says. “The nice thing about the chevron pattern is that it’s a traditional pattern, but we were able to update it with the more contemporary glass material that helps freshen it up.”
The gray door to the powder room seen in this photo was relocated when a laundry room was added to the hallway outside, which allowed for a more user-friendly floor plan and entry in and out of the room.
Ceiling, cabinetry and trim paint: Super White, Benjamin Moore; white wainscoting and shower wall tile: Pure collection, Sonoma Tilemakers; mosaic wall tile (above wainscoting): Ombre Chevron in Lavastone, Zircon and Alabaster, New Ravenna