Old home bathroom remodel preserving classic look with updated elements. New vanity with double undermount sinks and quartz countertop. Tile shower under slanted roof with small shower bench.

The La Cantera master bathroom is a bright, airy space with natural and inset lighting. His and her skins on either end of the bathroom give the homeowners maximum counter and personal storage space. Large mirrors surrounded by herringbone marble tiles seamlessly flows downward to the herringbone ceramic tiles. In the center of the bathroom are the overhead shower and freestanding bathtub. The shower boasts double showerheads and a center rain showerhead. https://www.hausofblaylock.com

A secondary bathroom in Charlotte with mosaic tiled floors and a shower-bath combo.

Midcentury modern bathroom with floor to ceiling subway tile and floating vanity.

Hidden storage is good to find. This mirror in the master bedroom also provides extra storage.

http://www.usframelessglassshowerdoor.com/

This bathroom was updated with a Waypoint 410S Painted Stone Door vanity with matching medicine cabinet. Quartz on the vanity with 4” back and end splash and includes the shower threshold. 12x24 field tile for the main floor and shower walls and mosaic tile for the shower floor and niche were installed. Moen Voss Collection in Brushed Nickel includes faucet, toilet paper holder, towel ring, towel bar, shower head/faucet and toilet tank lever. A Kohler Wellworth 2 piece toilet in white. Includes a new bypass shower clear ¼” door with Brushed Nickel finish.

This 2-story home includes a 3- car garage with mudroom entry, an inviting front porch with decorative posts, and a screened-in porch. The home features an open floor plan with 10’ ceilings on the 1st floor and impressive detailing throughout. A dramatic 2-story ceiling creates a grand first impression in the foyer, where hardwood flooring extends into the adjacent formal dining room elegant coffered ceiling accented by craftsman style wainscoting and chair rail. Just beyond the Foyer, the great room with a 2-story ceiling, the kitchen, breakfast area, and hearth room share an open plan. The spacious kitchen includes that opens to the breakfast area, quartz countertops with tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, attractive cabinetry with crown molding, and a corner pantry. The connecting hearth room is a cozy retreat that includes a gas fireplace with stone surround and shiplap. The floor plan also includes a study with French doors and a convenient bonus room for additional flexible living space. The first-floor owner’s suite boasts an expansive closet, and a private bathroom with a shower, freestanding tub, and double bowl vanity. On the 2nd floor is a versatile loft area overlooking the great room, 2 full baths, and 3 bedrooms with spacious closets.

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.

Master bathroom with glass shower door, freestanding tub.

This ranch was a complete renovation! We took it down to the studs and redesigned the space for this young family. We opened up the main floor to create a large kitchen with two islands and seating for a crowd and a dining nook that looks out on the beautiful front yard. We created two seating areas, one for TV viewing and one for relaxing in front of the bar area. We added a new mudroom with lots of closed storage cabinets, a pantry with a sliding barn door and a powder room for guests. We raised the ceilings by a foot and added beams for definition of the spaces. We gave the whole home a unified feel using lots of white and grey throughout with pops of orange to keep it fun.

The stunning, inset, Shiloh cabinetry in this master bath provides plentiful storage under the his and her sinks. The contrasting gray paint with the all white bathroom is just what this master needed. Cabinetry is clean and symmetrical making this space a relaxing oasis. This Home was designed by Toulmin Cabinetry & Design of Tuscaloosa, AL. The photography is by 205 Photography.

David Papazian