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To gain storage, Pett added a large vanity with an undermount sink that allowed for several drawers. She also created two wall niches, one above the toilet and another in the shower, each lined with slabs of Blue Celeste and white Thassos marble.Walls moved: NoPlumbing moved: NoPlumbing replaced: Yes, and electricalProfessionals hired: A general contractorSpecial features: Floor-to-ceiling marble tile, frameless shower enclosure and recessed nichesSplurges: Everything ♦︎
AFTER: The homeowners wanted something “classic yet elegant and somewhat feminine,” Pett says. She gutted the space down to the studs and started fresh. She covered the floor and walls in Thassos marble tile, with hints of blue on the floor and in the grout, a nod to one of the homeowner’s Greek heritage. Vanity: Furniture Guild; sink: undermount, Kohler; countertop: Caesarstone; faucet, toilet and towel bar: Toto; shower head, arm and body spray: Kohler; medicine cabinet and shower door enclosure: Lexington, GlassCrafters; wall tile: white Thassos marble subway tile; floor tile: Blue Celeste and Thassos marble mosaic; shower base tile: Blue Celeste slabs; niche tile: Blue Celeste and white Thassos marble slabs; see more tile
These drawings show the tile layout. Walls moved: No, but one nonstructural half-wall was removed.Plumbing moved: Yes. Everything was reconfigured. The shower head switched walls, and the sink plumbing was rerouted from the wall up through the floor.Plumbing replaced: Yes, and electricalProfessionals hired: Forteza acted as designer and builder.Special features: Frameless glass without door. “It makes it look nice and clean,” Forteza says. Splurges: Plumbing fixtures and custom cabinets. “Try to splurge and be happy,” Forteza says. “The difference between a Home Depot cabinet and a custom cabinet is not going to cost your mortgage. You’re going to be looking at it every single day. You might as well save up more and be happy with it.”Savings: Off-the-shelf tile from a big-box store. “I usually buy tiles from a special tile supplier, but I saw this for a bargain price and bought a bunch,” he says. He also saved on design and building fees by doing the work himself. ♦︎Find a bathroom designer
AFTER: Removing the wall opened up the space, while Carrara marble tile on the walls and floor brought the room into the current decade. Forteza replaced the plumbing, electrical and insulation, things he always recommends for homes built in the 1940s and ’50s. “These homes have seen their time,” he says. “Ninety-five percent of the time when you gut out, you will see dry rot, termite-infested wood — you want to fix that. Putting new tile down won’t fix what’s wrong inside the walls.”But while newer homes won’t have these kinds of problems, Forteza says you should be wary of past remodel projects too. “You never know what quality a previous homeowner instituted,” he says. In other words, always build a 10 to 20 percent contingency into your budget, no matter what the size of your bathroom.Wall tile: Carrara marble, 4 by 12 inches; floor tile: Carrara marble, 12 by 12 inches; sink: Stinson undermount in white (442007-U-0), Sterling, Kohler; faucet: Grandera widespread low spout lavatory (20418000), Grohe; bathtub: Villager in white, 32 by 60 inches, Kohler; tub spout: Grandera, 9¼ inches, Grohe; thermostat trim with diverter: Metris C in chrome (15753001), Hansgrohe; showerhead: M...
AFTER: A larger curbless shower visually enlarges the bathroom and also makes room for the tub. “Technically the shower is in the same corner, but the new shower is much bigger,” Chambers says. The toilet was tucked behind the vanity, next to the wall, so it wouldn’t be the first thing Harrison saw when she walked in. In its place is the new free-standing bathtub. “We had to place the tub at a very slight angle to make all the space constraints work,” Chambers says. Shower and tub filler: Hansgrohe
AFTER: Chambers gutted the bathroom and rebuilt it with a mostly white and gray color palette, contrasted with some rustic modern pieces. Carrara marble tiles on the floor and walls contribute to the clean, spa-like aesthetic Harrison wanted, while still tying in with the home’s history. The arabesque pattern on one wall, running brick on the other and larger-format tile on the floor keep the eye moving through the space but also give each wall a distinct character.A rustic wood vanity and industrial sconces add a rougher element to the mostly marble room, and the white wood vaulted ceiling adds texture and traditional detailing.The window was kept off-center because of exterior architectural restrictions that would have required extensive permitting. The eight-block district of Spaulding Square, developed by Albert Starr Spaulding in the 1910s and ’20s and filled with Craftsman homes, Colonial bungalows and other revival-style architecture, was once home to many pioneers of the movie industry. It’s been a historic preservation overlay zone since 1993.Vanity, mirrors and cabinet hardware: Restoration Hardware; faucets: Newport Brass; lighting: Hudson Valley; toilet: Kohler
Here you can see the recessed cabinet storage behind the bathroom door. The cabinets hold cleaning supplies, extra toothpaste and soap, and can even hold toilet paper rolls, as long as they’re not the big fluffy kind. A linen closet across the hall also adds storage.“I’m thrilled with how it turned out,” Payling says. “It went from dark and dingy to light and bright.”Walls moved: NoPlumbing moved: NoPlumbing replaced: NoProfessionals hired: Gene George (contractor)Special features: Recessed wall cabinets; marble floor tile, glass and marble accent tileSplurges: Marble floor tile Savings: Basic off-the-shelf wall and shower tile. Payling also saved by acting as her own designer. See more bathroom makeoversRelated GuidesHow to Layout a 8-by-5-foot BathroomHow Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost?More resources on HouzzBath designers and contractorsBath products and materials
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