3 Stylish New Bathrooms With a Shower-Tub Combo
Designers share how they used color, pattern and other key features to create compelling style in this classic layout
Shower-tub combos have been around a long time. So long, in fact, that many people associate the setup with being old and outdated. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Here, pros share details about three bathrooms — in a range of styles — that make a shower-tub function look fresh.
2. Clean and Contemporary
Designer: Murphy Moon Design
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 47½ square feet (4.4 square meters); 5 by 9½ feet
Homeowner’s request. “The homeowner was hoping to gain a sense of open space and create cleaner lines than the current bathroom layout could offer,” designer Murphy Moon says. “The tub location was behind a wall and could only fit a 28-inch tub, which was typical for the late-1950s architectural style of this home. It seemed like getting rid of the wall and relocating the bathtub would create a more open feeling.”
Shower-tub features. “The homeowner’s number one request was a soaking tub deep enough to allow for a submersion experience,” Moon says. “There wasn’t enough space to add a separate shower, so the tub-shower combo was the best solution. We moved the tub-shower to the back wall in order to create a sense of space. The oversized subway tile was installed vertically to enhance the feeling of height in the room, and the pale gray color was selected to create a sense of modern calm.”
Other special features. Dark gray terrazzo tile flooring nods to the midcentury era of the home. A walnut floating vanity has a white Carrara marble countertop. Green sconces, bath towels and small art pieces add color.
Designer tips. “Running wall tiles vertically helps to visually enhance the height of a room,” Moon says. “Using a darker floor material also adds to a feeling of depth in the room.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “This all-too-common problem occurred: When purchasing a prefabricated vanity cabinet that is to be set into a corner, you have to make sure the operative drawers of the cabinet will clear any door casing or trim,” Moon says. “This walnut cabinet has full overlay drawers, meaning no frame is showing, and was set into the front corner of the bathroom, so the drawers were going to hit the ¾-inch-thick door casing. We decided to split the ¾-inch door casing in half in order for the drawers to clear it. It worked, but just barely.”
Tile: True Terrazzo Purbeck, 16 by 16 inches (floor) and Imperial Gris matte, 4 by 8 inches (wall), The Tile Shop; sconces: Sonny, Sazerac Stitches; rug: Giada (Gia-06) in Lagoon and Multi, Loloi Rugs
Shop for a bathroom vanity
Designer: Murphy Moon Design
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 47½ square feet (4.4 square meters); 5 by 9½ feet
Homeowner’s request. “The homeowner was hoping to gain a sense of open space and create cleaner lines than the current bathroom layout could offer,” designer Murphy Moon says. “The tub location was behind a wall and could only fit a 28-inch tub, which was typical for the late-1950s architectural style of this home. It seemed like getting rid of the wall and relocating the bathtub would create a more open feeling.”
Shower-tub features. “The homeowner’s number one request was a soaking tub deep enough to allow for a submersion experience,” Moon says. “There wasn’t enough space to add a separate shower, so the tub-shower combo was the best solution. We moved the tub-shower to the back wall in order to create a sense of space. The oversized subway tile was installed vertically to enhance the feeling of height in the room, and the pale gray color was selected to create a sense of modern calm.”
Other special features. Dark gray terrazzo tile flooring nods to the midcentury era of the home. A walnut floating vanity has a white Carrara marble countertop. Green sconces, bath towels and small art pieces add color.
Designer tips. “Running wall tiles vertically helps to visually enhance the height of a room,” Moon says. “Using a darker floor material also adds to a feeling of depth in the room.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “This all-too-common problem occurred: When purchasing a prefabricated vanity cabinet that is to be set into a corner, you have to make sure the operative drawers of the cabinet will clear any door casing or trim,” Moon says. “This walnut cabinet has full overlay drawers, meaning no frame is showing, and was set into the front corner of the bathroom, so the drawers were going to hit the ¾-inch-thick door casing. We decided to split the ¾-inch door casing in half in order for the drawers to clear it. It worked, but just barely.”
Tile: True Terrazzo Purbeck, 16 by 16 inches (floor) and Imperial Gris matte, 4 by 8 inches (wall), The Tile Shop; sconces: Sonny, Sazerac Stitches; rug: Giada (Gia-06) in Lagoon and Multi, Loloi Rugs
Shop for a bathroom vanity
3. Pretty in Pink
Designers: Architect Mary O’Dell of The O’Dell Group and interior designer Ali Winkler of Ali Reeve Design
Location: Westport, Connecticut
Size: 65 square feet (6 square meters); 6 by 10 feet, 8 inches
Homeowners’ request. “The original bathroom layout was an assemblage of pieces with room only for two wall-mount sinks; a tub-shower, which backed up behind them; and gratuitous space about the toilet — no storage,” architect Mary O’Dell says. “We opted for a more classic layout that provided a substantial double vanity near the entry and the tub-shower combo at the end as focal point.”
Shower-tub combo. “The shower-tub combination was important to the clients because their daughters take baths daily,” interior designer Ali Winkler says. “It was a functional decision that we wanted to ensure also worked aesthetically in the newly renovated space. We selected a streamlined tub and opted to do sliding shower doors to keep the space feeling modern and clean.”
Other special features. “Our clients wanted to create a fun, bright, light and unique bathroom for their two daughters, who love rainbows and unicorns,” Winkler says. “The Glow tile collection from Nemo Tile was one of the first selections, which everyone loved because of the alternating iridescent tiles that take on different colors with the changing of light. The clients felt the tiles embodied their daughters’ interests in tile form.”
Winkler and O’Dell collaborated on creating the custom white oak vanity. The walls are Pink Bliss by Benjamin Moore.
“Uh-oh” moment. “When the tile was being installed, the lighting that day was rainy and bleak and the walls hadn’t been painted yet,” Winkler says. “The iridescent tiles were reading green-orange, not pink-purple as we all anticipated. Our team assured the client that once the warm white oak vanity was complete and light pink walls were painted, the tiles would draw from other surrounding colors, and to trust that the overall space would look amazing once finished — and it did.”
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
Designers: Architect Mary O’Dell of The O’Dell Group and interior designer Ali Winkler of Ali Reeve Design
Location: Westport, Connecticut
Size: 65 square feet (6 square meters); 6 by 10 feet, 8 inches
Homeowners’ request. “The original bathroom layout was an assemblage of pieces with room only for two wall-mount sinks; a tub-shower, which backed up behind them; and gratuitous space about the toilet — no storage,” architect Mary O’Dell says. “We opted for a more classic layout that provided a substantial double vanity near the entry and the tub-shower combo at the end as focal point.”
Shower-tub combo. “The shower-tub combination was important to the clients because their daughters take baths daily,” interior designer Ali Winkler says. “It was a functional decision that we wanted to ensure also worked aesthetically in the newly renovated space. We selected a streamlined tub and opted to do sliding shower doors to keep the space feeling modern and clean.”
Other special features. “Our clients wanted to create a fun, bright, light and unique bathroom for their two daughters, who love rainbows and unicorns,” Winkler says. “The Glow tile collection from Nemo Tile was one of the first selections, which everyone loved because of the alternating iridescent tiles that take on different colors with the changing of light. The clients felt the tiles embodied their daughters’ interests in tile form.”
Winkler and O’Dell collaborated on creating the custom white oak vanity. The walls are Pink Bliss by Benjamin Moore.
“Uh-oh” moment. “When the tile was being installed, the lighting that day was rainy and bleak and the walls hadn’t been painted yet,” Winkler says. “The iridescent tiles were reading green-orange, not pink-purple as we all anticipated. Our team assured the client that once the warm white oak vanity was complete and light pink walls were painted, the tiles would draw from other surrounding colors, and to trust that the overall space would look amazing once finished — and it did.”
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
Designer: Erika Morris of Nested Interior Design
Location: Pensacola, Florida
Size: 37½ square feet (3.5 square meters); 5 by 7½ feet
Homeowner’s request. “This historic bungalow was originally built in 1928 and was in serious need of a refresh,” designer Erika Morris says. “Much of the original charm remained in the home, but cheap ’70s-era renovations and disrepair meant that this project was essentially a gut job. Since the original home only had one bathroom, finding space to create a primary bedroom en suite was a priority. The resulting bathroom stands where the old kitchen was, and we added a window. The goal of the project, and this bathroom, was to inject as much of that 1920s beach bungalow charm as we possibly could.”
Morris used Houzz Pro software to create mood boards and to keep track of all the elements she was considering for the design.
Shower-tub features. “Low-maintenance solutions and budget-friendly tricks were important to this client, so a tub-shower combo made the most sense for her,” Morris says. “The use of a simple white shower curtain means no fussy glass shower doors and saved valuable funds. We chose to use the decorative tile — Spanish-inspired tiles are a nod to Pensacola’s history — as an accent so that the focal point when looking toward that wall is the tile itself. The accent tile is softened by the coordinating cream tile and green liner. The built-in soap niche provides an added element of luxury and removes the need for shower caddies that tend to add visual clutter.”
Other special features. “My favorite element of this room is the antique entry table that we turned into a vanity,” Morris says. “It injects the charm that this entirely new space desperately needed and inspired most of this design. The marble top meant that the piece would hold up well in a bathroom and even came with a small shelf built in to hold toiletries. The drawer was retrofitted around the plumbing for the sink, and a wall-mounted faucet keeps the area nice and open.
“Storage in this small bathroom was a concern, so we sourced a massive built-in medicine cabinet and found a towel bar that included a delicate glass shelf so that she could stylishly store personal items. Lastly, the sconces we sourced are vintage from Italy and truly feel like they could have been there since the home was built, while illuminating the space beautifully.”
Designer tips. “When working with a small footprint, always maximize your vertical space,” Morris says. “In this design we took the tile up the wall 100 inches and then wrapped the remaining walls in beadboard. This focuses your attention up rather than on how small the footprint of the bathroom is. Additionally, the open design of the vanity means that we are increasing the visual floor space, another trick for making that room look larger than it is.”
Paint colors: Greek Villa (walls) and Creamy (trim), Sherwin-Williams; tile: Angela Harris Dunmore Micheli Decor ceramic wall tile (accent), 8 by 8 inches, and Angela Harris Dunmore Blanco ceramic wall tile (field), 8 by 8 inches, Tile Bar; faucet: Elegant Spout wall-mount, Water Creation; sink: Elavo round vessel in white, Kraus USA; photographer: Steven Gray of Camera and Flask
Find a bathroom designer near you