MASTER BATHROOM REMODEL: UPDATED DESIGN OPTIONS FOR A SEVERELY DATED SPACE!

One of my recent remodels is a beautiful home in a cozy, quaint area of Southlake, Texas.  Great location and  great bones to the house, but like all homes,  it’s time to refresh and update to a more modern look.   (And, by modern I don’t mean contemporary….I just mean a more “now”, more current look.) 

Overall, the bathroom is a nice layout – one that I’ve seen many times over the years  – with the bathtub in the center alcove. 

But, as you can see it’s very dated – replete with cream carpeted floors and cream floral wallpaper.  Can you hear it screaming for a face lift? 

The million dollar question from the clients…..”What the heck to do with it?”

So after my interview with them to learn about the taste and color preferences I decided to give them several options to think about.

They wanted a smooth, sleek “spa-like” bathroom (which is a popular theme among clients) with light or neutral colored natural stone.

So after pulling some materials together for them to consider  – the first option I designed for them was one that would play up one of the various white and gray marble options available to them.

ARIZONA TILE – BIANCO VENATINO

Here you see Arizona Tile’s Bianco Venatino and you’ll notice that I placed the marble in a wainscot fashion around the tub.  This just adds a bit of “glam” with the elegance of the marble as well as the obvious function of protecting the walls.  I painted the walls a soft gray and darkened the gray in the commode closet for added contrast.

I left the shower clean and sleek with just the marble tiles on the surround and a smaller marble pattern on the floor.  No deco’s or fuss….just a clean, smooth shower surround and a simple bench in the same material.  Next to the tub I’ve placed a small cabinet to house the towels with a seat cushion on top for added seating if necessary, I updated the stained glass windows for a fresh, new look, and I re-worked the cabinets with narrow cabinets on each side of the mirror to house her hair dryer, straightener, etc.

Here you’ll notice the look is very similar, but now I have paneling surrounding the bathtub instead of the marble, stained to match the new dark stained cabinets.  It’s still a sleek look, but it breaks up the marble and gives the entire space an entirely different vibe.

Everything else remains the same.  Cabinetry with the vessel sink; no muss, no fuss shower surround.  But, still…the vibe is different in this space that with the cabinetry surrounding the tub as opposed to the marble.

In this perspective I’ve changed things up a bit by using a different type of marble called Calacutta Gold and added the banding in the shower with a deco.  Because we have so much space in the tub area I’ve added shelving for a decorative feature as well as function – creating a place for toweling, wash rags, soaps, etc. 

ARIZONA TILE – CALACUTTA GOLD

DAL TILE MOSAIC – OPAL

I changed the walls to blue so they could have a clear visual of how it would work with the marble and deep chocolate brown cabinetry.   As you can see it works well and compliments the space with a fresh new approach.  I also added some decorative lighting over the sink.

Since the husband had expressed some interest in white cabinetry as opposed to the dark brown his wife really wanted I thought I’d show him the same lay out in white which creates an entirely new personality in the same space.

And, since he’d also expressed some interest in a freestanding tub I wanted to show them that option as well.   Although,  the wife wasn’t really interested I thought it might be fun for her to see….

Just because of the clean, streamlined way it opens up the entire space.

And, lastly I wanted to show them an entirely different look.  More of a Hill Country spa-like bathroom rather than the sleek more contemporary style.  And, of course a Hill Country spa look includes lots of natural stone in warm, neutral tones.  So here I’ve placed ivory stacked stone floor to ceiling around the tub area.  The floor is done in a Versailles pattern using the beautiful look of Torrean marble.  The tub surround is done with Torrean stone in the 2×2 on mesh placed on a diagonal. 

ARIZONA TILE – IVORY STACKED STONE

ARIZONA TILE – TORREAN STONE TUMBLED MARBLE

ARIZONA TILE – TORREAN 2X2 ON MESH

In the shower I’ve got several different patterns working together:  The Torrean Versailles pattern up to the chair rail, a matching chair rail mold to run the parameter of the shower surround, and the 2×2’s repeated above the chair rail.

You may notice I left the original cabinets in place here instead of changing them, because of the cost that the additional stone would entail.  And, although they are paint grade wood one of my faux painters has a technique that will transform them into a rich stain look for a fraction of the cost it would be to rip them out and replace them.

So as you can see they have many wonderful options to choose from depending on their style and color preferences. 

FYI they chose style #2 with the panel surround in the dark stain, blue paint and the decorative accent tiles in the shower. 

What about you?  Which one would you choose?

Happy Decorating!