A fun and fanciful guest bath reveal
Today, I want to share a project from last fall that we just got back to photograph.
We were engaged to design a new bathroom in a basement storage space. The wish list included retaining some storage closet closet space, and adding a guest bathroom with a shower to this level of the home.
The Before
Here are the very boring pictures of the ‘before’ situation prior to the renovation:
The Plan
Our first order of business was to draw up a floor plan for the existing finished space, adding walls for the closet, linen, and bathroom areas.
The plumbing lines were located in the unfinished basement right behind the end wall, making that the most logical and efficient wet wall of the planned bathroom. Changes in ceiling heights due to air conditioning ductwork also needed to be considered.
Here are the floor plans we created.
Our clients have a great sense of style and wanted something a little fun and with some color, rather than a standard boring white builder bathroom like the rest of the house contained. In this windowless room, it was important to create an airy feel alongside some whimsy and a little drama.
I am a big advocate of classic finishes that won’t look dated, but that doesn’t necessarily mean being stuck with an all neutral bathroom.
The starting point for the finish selections was a striking bright blue picket subway tile, which set the classic blue and white color scheme in place. We paired this with Carrara marble in a console sink and mosaic basketweave floor.
Chrome fittings in a simple but traditional style are always a classic that will never look dated. These are complemented by an oval silver leaf framed mirror.
A whimsical meadow animal wall covering in the exact shade of the tile was a serendipitous find that totally makes the room. It covers the upper walls above bright white wainscoting.
3D renderings help communicate the design options - here we showed the room with either paint or wallpaper on the upper walls. In the end we found the perfect wallpaper with enough color to add contrast, but in a playful pattern.
The After
The finished space is everything our clients hoped for and it is currently their favorite bathroom in the house!
I love a console sink! The airy, open nature of a console sink helps keep the small space feeling uncrowded. This one has a convenient cross rail that doubles as a towel bar. Since this is a guest bath, the storage space provided by a traditional cabinet vanity was not needed.
A train rack style towel holder above the toilet is a really practical accessory that we specify often. It both stores a stack of extra towels and provides towel hanging space.
The picket shaped tiles were installed vertically to visually create the illusion of more height. A bypass sliding glass shower door keeps the airy feel and can be opened from either end to easily access the controls or the seat. The door handle doubles as another towel bar.
An extra long hose on the hand held shower means it can reach the shower seat on the opposite end of this 5’ long shower.
The main floor and shower floor were tiled in the same marble -look porcelain mosaic tile material to visually connect them and make the room feel more expansive.
One of our favorite simple additions is this Infinity tile-in drain. The center of the drain is tiled with the shower floor tile to blend into the floor.
A row of towel hooks stands ready right outside the shower.
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