This project was a joy to work on, as we married our firm’s modern design aesthetic with the client’s more traditional and rustic taste. We gave new life to all three bathrooms in her home, making better use of the space in the powder bathroom, optimizing the layout for a brother & sister to share a hall bath, and updating the primary bathroom with a large curbless walk-in shower and luxurious clawfoot tub. Though each bathroom has its own personality, we kept the palette cohesive throughout all three.

An Arts & Crafts Bungalow is one of my favorite styles of homes. We have quite a few of them in our Stockton Mid-Town area. And when C&L called us to help them remodel their 1923 American Bungalow, I was beyond thrilled. As per usual, when we get a new inquiry, we quickly Google the project location while we are talking to you on the phone. My excitement escalated when I saw the Google Earth Image of the sweet Sage Green bungalow in Mid-Town Stockton. "Yes, we would be interested in working with you," I said trying to keep my cool. But what made it even better was meeting C&L and touring their home, because they are the nicest young couple, eager to make their home period perfect. Unfortunately, it had been slightly molested by some bad house-flippers, and we needed to bring the bathroom back to it "roots." We knew we had to banish the hideous brown tile and cheap vanity quickly. But C&L complained about the condensation problems and the constant fight with mold. This immediately told me that improper remodeling had occurred and we needed to remedy that right away. The Before: Frustrations with a Botched Remodel The bathroom needed to be brought back to period appropriate design with all the functionality of a modern bathroom. We thought of things like marble countertop, white mosaic floor tiles, white subway tile, board and batten molding, and of course a fabulous wallpaper. This small (and only) bathroom on a tight budget required a little bit of design sleuthing to figure out how we could get the proper look and feel. Our goal was to determine where to splurge and where to economize and how to complete the remodel as quickly as possible because C&L would have to move out while construction was going on. The Process: Hard Work to Remedy Design and Function During our initial design study, (which included 2 hours in the owners’ home), we noticed framed images of William Morris Arts and Crafts textile patterns and knew this would be our design inspiration. We presented C&L with three options and they quickly selected the Pimpernel Design Concept. We had originally selected the Black and Olive colors with a black vanity, mirror, and black and white floor tile. C&L liked it but weren’t quite sure about the black, We went back to the drawing board and decided the William & Co Pimpernel Wallpaper in Bayleaf and Manilla color with a softer gray painted vanity and mirror and white floor tile was more to their liking. After the Design Concept was approved, we went to work securing the building permit, procuring all the elements, and scheduling our trusted tradesmen to perform the work. We did uncover some shoddy work by the flippers such as live electrical wires hidden behind the wall, plumbing venting cut-off and buried in the walls (hence the constant dampness), the tub barely balancing on two fence boards across the floor joist, and no insulation on the exterior wall. All of the previous blunders were fixed and the bathroom put back to its previous glory. We could feel the house thanking us for making it pretty again. The After Reveal: Cohesive Design Decisions We selected a simple white subway tile for the tub/shower. This is always classic and in keeping with the style of the house. We selected a pre-fab vanity and mirror, but they look rich with the quartz countertop. There is much more storage in this small vanity than you would think. The Transformation: A Period Perfect Refresh We began the remodel just as the pandemic reared and stay-in-place orders went into effect. As C&L were already moved out and living with relatives, we got the go-ahead from city officials to get the work done (after all, how can you shelter in place without a bathroom?). All our tradesmen were scheduled to work so that only one crew was on the job site at a time. We stayed on the original schedule with only a one week delay. The end result is the sweetest little bathroom I've ever seen (and I can't wait to start work on C&L's kitchen next). Thank you for joining me in this project transformation. I hope this inspired you to think about being creative with your design projects, determining what works best in keeping with the architecture of your space, and carefully assessing how you can have the best life in your home.

Stunning antique brass plumbing fixtures. Beautiful terra cotta tile on walls in light gray. Calacatta gold marble vanity. Gorgeous ceramic floor tile in hexagon shape. Curbless shower.

For this master bathroom remodel, we were tasked to blend in some of the existing finishes of the home to make it modern and desert-inspired. We found this one-of-a-kind marble mosaic that would blend all of the warmer tones with the cooler tones and provide a focal point to the space. We filled in the drop-in bath tub and made it a seamless walk-in shower with a linear drain. The brass plumbing fixtures play off of the warm tile selections and the black bath accessories anchor the space. We were able to match their existing travertine flooring and finish it off with a simple, stacked subway tile on the two adjacent shower walls. We smoothed all of the drywall throughout and made simple changes to the vanity like swapping out the cabinet hardware, faucets and light fixture, for a totally custom feel. The walnut cabinet hardware provides another layer of texture to the space.

What a transformation! Originally, this master bath featured a large deck tub which was tucked in to the corner where the new wet area currently lies. The tub was walled in on practically all sides, and controlled too much of the baths underutilized square footage. By taking the tub out of the deck and relocating it against the far wall, we now could use the space in front of the tub for a large walk-in shower, creating a wet area. In addition, this move allowed us to use the space that had previously housed the small shower as a designated makeup counter.

This elegant white bathroom remodels features a gorgeous white subway tile and a glass-enclosed shower.

This master bath was remodeled to allow for two vanities and a freestanding tub. The original master bath was dark and very outdated and featured mauve tile in the shower and a pink marble countertop. Space was borrowed from an adjoining kid's bathroom and an extra wide hallway to give the master bathroom more space. The client loved the thought of using blue as an accent and the layout of the bathroom created the perfect spot to feature a hand glazed blue accent tile. Carrara marble was used on the vanity walls as well as a chimney wall at the end of the tub and the shower. The result is a picture perfect bathroom to relax and enjoy!

This Adar Builders album features a full master bathroom remodeling. The bathroom was taken out and replaced with custom built tile shower, standing tub, double sink white vanity, and grey tile flooring.

Our clients came to us because they were tired of looking at the side of their neighbor’s house from their master bedroom window! Their 1959 Dallas home had worked great for them for years, but it was time for an update and reconfiguration to make it more functional for their family. They were looking to open up their dark and choppy space to bring in as much natural light as possible in both the bedroom and bathroom. They knew they would need to reconfigure the master bathroom and bedroom to make this happen. They were thinking the current bedroom would become the bathroom, but they weren’t sure where everything else would go. This is where we came in! Our designers were able to create their new floorplan and show them a 3D rendering of exactly what the new spaces would look like. The space that used to be the master bedroom now consists of the hallway into their new master suite, which includes a new large walk-in closet where the washer and dryer are now located. From there, the space flows into their new beautiful, contemporary bathroom. They decided that a bathtub wasn’t important to them but a large double shower was! So, the new shower became the focal point of the bathroom. The new shower has contemporary Marine Bone Electra cement hexagon tiles and brushed bronze hardware. A large bench, hidden storage, and a rain shower head were must-have features. Pure Snow glass tile was installed on the two side walls while Carrara Marble Bianco hexagon mosaic tile was installed for the shower floor. For the main bathroom floor, we installed a simple Yosemite tile in matte silver. The new Bellmont cabinets, painted naval, are complemented by the Greylac marble countertop and the Brainerd champagne bronze arched cabinet pulls. The rest of the hardware, including the faucet, towel rods, towel rings, and robe hooks, are Delta Faucet Trinsic, in a classic champagne bronze finish. To finish it off, three 14” Classic Possini Euro Ludlow wall sconces in burnished brass were installed between each sheet mirror above the vanity. In the space that used to be the master bathroom, all of the furr downs were removed. We replaced the existing window with three large windows, opening up the view to the backyard. We also added a new door opening up into the main living room, which was totally closed off before. Our clients absolutely love their cool, bright, contemporary bathroom, as well as the new wall of windows in their master bedroom, where they are now able to enjoy their beautiful backyard!

Beautiful shower wall tile with a Mediterranean design.

Bob Fortner Photography