Room of the Day: A Master Bath Replaces an Awkward, Unused Space
See before-and-after pictures of a Nebraska bathroom built from scratch
A Nebraska bachelor wanted to rent out part of his home, and he needed another bathroom to make that possible. He had a viable space on the second floor next to the master bedroom, but he needed expert advice to see if a master bathroom was feasible in that location. He found Eric Price of Bearded Builders on Houzz and discussed the idea with him. Price looked at the unusually shaped space and realized that plumbing might be an issue. Price brought in a plumber, and after a full investigation, everyone knew they could make this master bathroom happen.
BEFORE: The room had tan walls, track lighting and carpet. All of these components were removed to make way for the master bathroom.
The room also had no plumbing, which was a problem when converting it to a bathroom.
The room also had no plumbing, which was a problem when converting it to a bathroom.
AFTER: A double vanity sits up against a wall covered in white subway tiles. All plumbing, from intake to outtake, had to be routed to this part of the home, which was a huge part of the project, even if it’s all hidden behind walls now.
The tiled wall sits out from the main wall a few inches to account for the plumbing. Price says that the tiles on the lower half of this section make the differences in wall depth feel intentional, and the tiles also act as a great backsplash.
The vanity itself was created custom to fit the space and reflects the client’s desire to have rustic touches in the room. The finished vanity from Black Market Furniture, Hardware + Lighting features piano wheels welded into place, a fabricated steel base and a bottom shelf made out of reclaimed wood from a barn in western Nebraska. “We involve the client from start to finish,” says Stacey Nicholson, store manager and lead designer for Black Market Furniture. “This client specifically wanted to bring a ‘new look to an old space’ in a bathroom of a home in a historic district.”
Paint: Grey Sanctuary, Sherwin-Williams; vanity: Black Market Furniture, Hardware + Lighting; subway tiles: glossy white, 4-by-16-inch wall tiles, Soho collection, Anatolia; floor tile: white matte, 1-inch hexagon tiles, Soho collection, Anatolia
The tiled wall sits out from the main wall a few inches to account for the plumbing. Price says that the tiles on the lower half of this section make the differences in wall depth feel intentional, and the tiles also act as a great backsplash.
The vanity itself was created custom to fit the space and reflects the client’s desire to have rustic touches in the room. The finished vanity from Black Market Furniture, Hardware + Lighting features piano wheels welded into place, a fabricated steel base and a bottom shelf made out of reclaimed wood from a barn in western Nebraska. “We involve the client from start to finish,” says Stacey Nicholson, store manager and lead designer for Black Market Furniture. “This client specifically wanted to bring a ‘new look to an old space’ in a bathroom of a home in a historic district.”
Paint: Grey Sanctuary, Sherwin-Williams; vanity: Black Market Furniture, Hardware + Lighting; subway tiles: glossy white, 4-by-16-inch wall tiles, Soho collection, Anatolia; floor tile: white matte, 1-inch hexagon tiles, Soho collection, Anatolia
BEFORE: Nothing existed in this corner of the room. Overhead, you can see the existing skylight. They kept this feature, and Price says it really helps add some light to what could otherwise be a very dark space.
AFTER: A walk-in shower fills the corner of the room. They decided to continue the subway tile in the shower by using it on the walls. They used small hexagon tiles on the floor inside the shower and on the rest of the bathroom floor.
The client wanted the shower head to come out of an overhead beam. First, the client decided on this large rainfall shower head. Then, Price and the plumber figured out how to install the shower head without any of the plumbing showing.
“This was definitely something we had never done before,” Price says, “but we all like the way it turned out.”
They got a custom pine beam, mounted it above the shower, and then drilled holes for the water pipes. This southern yellow pine beam came from a south Omaha warehouse demolition, Nicholson says.
Shower head: Lambert Rainfall, Signature Hardware; pine beam: Black Market Furniture, Hardware + Lighting
“This was definitely something we had never done before,” Price says, “but we all like the way it turned out.”
They got a custom pine beam, mounted it above the shower, and then drilled holes for the water pipes. This southern yellow pine beam came from a south Omaha warehouse demolition, Nicholson says.
Shower head: Lambert Rainfall, Signature Hardware; pine beam: Black Market Furniture, Hardware + Lighting
BEFORE: A section of bricked wall juts out into the room. They decided to leave this element alone and let it add to the rustic style of the room.
AFTER: The toilet turned into the hardest plumbing project because it needed the largest pipes. The plumber eventually figured out a way to make it work. After that, this corner only required a toilet paper holder and a few pieces of decor.
In front of the brick expanse, the client opted for an open storage unit on wheels. This wood came from the same barn as the vanity’s bottom shelf.
Shelving unit: custom, Black Market Furniture, Hardware + Lighting
In front of the brick expanse, the client opted for an open storage unit on wheels. This wood came from the same barn as the vanity’s bottom shelf.
Shelving unit: custom, Black Market Furniture, Hardware + Lighting
In addition to the skylight, illumination comes from this custom light designed by the client. The client drew up the design and gathered the materials from Black Market Furniture, the same company that made the vanity and shelving unit. Then, the project’s electrician helped him put it all together and hang it from the ceiling.
BEFORE: A triangle of space stretches back about 6 feet. The client had added a few shelves, but the awkwardness of the space made it mostly unusable.
AFTER: To make better use of the triangle space, they divided it between the bathroom and the master bedroom on the other side of the wall. This gave the bathroom and the bedroom each a 3-foot-deep storage space.
They added three floating shelves inside the nook. They continued the design out onto the wall by adding two more open shelves. These two shelves were a last-minute addition to make the most of the wall space.
When working within an unusually shaped space, having an open mind is key, Price says. They figured out what had to be in the space, and then they all worked together to creatively think of solutions.
“You can get stuck doing the same thing over and over,” he says. “If you challenge yourself, you can make cool things happen.”
Shelving: custom, Black Market Furniture, Hardware + Lighting
Plumber: Big Birge Plumbing
Electrician: Rick Kyle of Prime Electrical Services
More
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Shop bath products for your home
They added three floating shelves inside the nook. They continued the design out onto the wall by adding two more open shelves. These two shelves were a last-minute addition to make the most of the wall space.
When working within an unusually shaped space, having an open mind is key, Price says. They figured out what had to be in the space, and then they all worked together to creatively think of solutions.
“You can get stuck doing the same thing over and over,” he says. “If you challenge yourself, you can make cool things happen.”
Shelving: custom, Black Market Furniture, Hardware + Lighting
Plumber: Big Birge Plumbing
Electrician: Rick Kyle of Prime Electrical Services
More
Browse more stories about bathroom design
Shop bath products for your home
Bathroom at a Glance
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Size: 130 square feet (12 square meters)
Designer: Eric Price of Bearded Builders
Once they knew the project was possible, Price and the homeowner sat down to figure out the design. The client had a lot of ideas and examples to help convey his vision to Price. “We ended up with something that would go with the older character of the house but also had a modern and rustic flair to match his style,” Price says.
The project took about three months, which included planning and construction. Price says that they spent a lot of time planning to ensure smooth installation.
“I think this whole space turned out better than we thought,” Price says. “The further we got into it, and the closer we got to the end, the more exciting it was.”