Modern master bathroom featuring large format Carrara porcelain tiles, herringbone marble flooring, and custom navy vanity.

Echoed by an eye-catching niche in the shower, bright orange and blue bathroom tiles and matching trim from Fireclay Tile give this boho-inspired kids' bath a healthy dose of pep. Sample handmade bathroom tiles at FireclayTile.com. Handmade trim options available. FIRECLAY TILE SHOWN Ogee Floor Tile in Ember Handmade Cove Base Tile in Lake Tahoe Ogee Shower Niche Tile in Lake Tahoe Handmade Shower Niche Trim in Ember DESIGN Maria Causey Interior Design PHOTOS Christy Kosnic

Mike and Anne of Barrington Hills desperately needed to update and renovate both their kid’s hall bath and guest bath, and in their 1980’s home each project presented a different set of unique challenges to overcome. When they set out to identify the right remodeling company to partner with, it was important to find a company that could help them to visualize design solutions for the bath renovations. When they came across Advance Design Studio’s website, they were immediately drawn to the solution-oriented remodeling process and the family friendly company. They say they chose Advance Design because of the integrated approach of “Common Sense Remodeling”, making the design, project management and construction all happen in one place. When they met with Project Designer Michelle Lecinski, they knew they chose the right company. “Michelle’s excellent work on the initial designs made it easy to proceed with Advance Design Studio,” Mike said. Like most homeowners anticipating a big renovation project, they had some healthy fears; with two bathrooms being remodeled at the same time they worried about timeframes and staying within budget. With the help of Michelle, and the “Common Sense” guidelines, they were confident that Advance Design would stay true, orchestrating all the moving parts to stay within both the estimated timeline and budget. The guest bath offered the biggest design challenge. A dormer obstruction made the already cramped shower awkward to access. Mike and Anne also wanted the shower size to be expanded, making it more accommodating. Working with Advance’s construction expert DJ Yurik, Michelle relocated the shower concealing the original dormer and creating a larger, more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing guest shower. The unsightly and not at all user-friendly closet was removed and replaced with elegant White Maple Dura Supreme cabinetry with much improved function featuring dual tall linen cabinets, a special makeup area and two sinks, providing a dual vanity which was extremely important for better guest use. The Fossil Brown quartz countertop is in pleasing contrast to the white cabinetry, and coordinates nicely with the mocha porcelain tile gracing the shower for an accent. The decorative glazed turquoise tile backsplash, tile border, and bottle niche adds a taste of marine green to the room, while marble-looking porcelain tile makes guests feel they are staying in a 5-star hotel. Polished nickel Kohler plumbing fixtures were chosen to add a touch of sophistication. This renovated guest bath is comfortable and elegant, and Anne and Mike’s house guests may never want to leave! “The end result was updated and restyled bathrooms that the client will enjoy and increase the value of their home,” Designer Michelle said. The children’s hall bath had its own set of challenges. The current placement of the sink was not conducive to the best use of the existing space, nor did it allow for any visual interest, something Advance’s designers always work to achieve even within the tight confines of a small bath. Advance removed the linen closet and used the gain in wall space to create a dramatic focal point on the vanity wall. They also took additional space that wasn’t being used for new Storm Gray Dura Supreme tall built-in linen cabinets, creating functional storage space that the former bath lacked. A customized glass splash panel was created for the bath, and the high ceilings with skylights were accented with a custom-made track lighting fixture featuring industrial pipe and cage materials. Authentic cement encaustic tile was used wall to wall surrounding the vanity to create a dramatic and interesting back drop for the new elegant and stately furniture-like double sink wall. Hand-made encaustic tile originated in Western Europe beginning in the 1850’s and reminded Mike and Anne of tile they had seen and loved from their travels overseas. Today, encaustic tile has made a re-appearance in today’s modern bath design with its wide array of appealing patterns and artistic use of color. Oil rubbed bronze Kohler fixtures echo the black accents in the beautiful tile pattern and reflect the matte black of the unique lighting detail. Easy to maintain Blanca Arabescato Quartz countertops add practicality and natural beauty and compliments the warm wood porcelain tile floors. This handsome bath has generated praise from friends and family even before it’s complete unveiling as photos of the space leaked out on social media! It’s not only completely functional to use, but especially pretty to look at. “Advance Design Studio did a terrific job for us. We really appreciated how easy it was to work with them on a complex project of the complete remodeling of two bathrooms. They very capably handled all the details from design, to project management, to construction. It is a great group of people to work with and we would welcome the opportunity to work with them again anytime,” Mike said.

Simple clean design...in this master bathroom renovation things were kept in the same place but in a very different interpretation. The shower is where the exiting one was, but the walls surrounding it were taken out, a curbless floor was installed with a sleek tile-over linear drain that really goes away. A free-standing bathtub is in the same location that the original drop in whirlpool tub lived prior to the renovation. The result is a clean, contemporary design with some interesting "bling" effects like the bubble chandelier and the mirror rounds mosaic tile located in the back of the niche.

mid-century modern bathroom with terrazzo countertop, hexagonal sink, custom walnut mirror with white powder coated shelf, teal hexagonal ceramic tiles, Porcelanosa textured large format white tile, gray oak cabinet, Edison bulb sconce hanging light fixtures. Modernes Badezimmer aus der Mitte des Jahrhunderts mit Terrazzo-Arbeitsplatte, sechseckiges Waschbecken, maßgefertigter Spiegel aus Nussbaumholz mit weißer, pulverbeschichteter Ablage, sechseckige Keramikfliesen in Tealachs, großformatige weiße Fliesen mit Porcelanosa-Struktur, Schrank aus grauer Eiche, Hängeleuchten mit Edison-Glühbirne.

This home had a very small bathroom for the combined use of their teenagers and guests. The space was a tight 5'x7'. By adding just 2 feet by taking the space from the closet in an adjoining room, we were able to make this bathroom more functional and feel much more spacious. The show-stopper is the glass and metal mosaic wall tile above the vanity. The chevron tile in the shower niche complements the wall tile nicely, while having plenty of style on its own. To tie everything together, we continued the same tile from the shower all around the room to create a wainscot. The weathered-look hexagon floor tile is stylish yet subtle. We chose to use a heavily frosted door to keep the room feeling lighter and more spacious. Often when you have a lot of elements that can totally stand on their own, it can overwhelm a space. However, in this case everything complements the other. The style is fun and stylish for the every-day use of teenagers and young adults, while still being sophisticated enough for use by guests.

An Architect's bathroom added to the top floor of a beautiful home. Clean lines and cool colors are employed to create a perfect balance of soft and hard. Tile work and cabinetry provide great contrast and ground the space. Photographer: Dean Birinyi

Converted Jack and Jill tub area into a walk through Master Shower.

Gillian Walsworth Photography

Brad Meese

The goal of this bath was to create a spa-like feel. Opting for the dominant color of white accented by sage green contributed to the successful outcome. A 54” white vanity with double sinks topped with Carrera marble continued the monochromatic color scheme. The Eva collection of Moen brand fixtures in a brushed nickel finish were selected for the faucet, towel ring, paper holder, and towel bars. Double bands of glass mosaic tile and niche backing accented the 3x6 Brennero Carrera tile on the shower walls. A Moentrol valve faucet was installed in the shower in order to have force and flow balance.

Kevin J. Rose Media (kevinjrose.com)