Inspiration for a mid-sized midcentury bathroom in San Francisco with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, an undermount sink, a shower curtain, white benchtops, a single vanity, a floating vanity, wood, a one-piece toilet, beige tile, glass tile, beige walls, concrete floors and green floor.

Mid-sized country kids bathroom in Phoenix with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, white tile, ceramic tile, white walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, blue floor, a shower curtain, white benchtops, a single vanity and a built-in vanity.

This is an example of a small transitional 3/4 bathroom in Phoenix with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, white tile, subway tile, grey walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, blue floor, a shower curtain, white benchtops, a single vanity and a built-in vanity.

This modern farmhouse bathroom has an extra large vanity with double sinks to make use of a longer rectangular bathroom. The wall behind the vanity has counter to ceiling Jeffrey Court white subway tiles that tie into the shower. There is a playful mix of metals throughout including the black framed round mirrors from CB2, brass & black sconces with glass globes from Shades of Light , and gold wall-mounted faucets from Phylrich. The countertop is quartz with some gold veining to pull the selections together. The charcoal navy custom vanity has ample storage including a pull-out laundry basket while providing contrast to the quartz countertop and brass hexagon cabinet hardware from CB2. This bathroom has a glass enclosed tub/shower that is tiled to the ceiling. White subway tiles are used on two sides with an accent deco tile wall with larger textured field tiles in a chevron pattern on the back wall. The niche incorporates penny rounds on the back using the same countertop quartz for the shelves with a black Schluter edge detail that pops against the deco tile wall. Photography by LifeCreated.

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.

This is an example of a mid-sized country 3/4 bathroom in Denver with an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, gray tile, grey walls, grey floor, slate floors and a hinged shower door.

Jeff Amram Photography
Photo of a contemporary 3/4 bathroom in Portland with medium wood cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, gray tile, white walls, an undermount sink, multi-coloured floor and white benchtops.

Designed by Banner Day Interiors, these minty green bathroom tiles in a subway pattern add just the right pop of color to this classic-inspired shower. Sample more handmade colors at fireclaytile.com/samples TILE SHOWN 4x8 Tiles in Celadon

Beach style kids bathroom in San Francisco with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, an alcove tub, white tile, subway tile, white walls, an undermount sink, multi-coloured floor, white benchtops, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, cement tiles, engineered quartz benchtops and a shower curtain.

Mid-sized modern bathroom in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a one-piece toilet, white tile, subway tile, white walls, ceramic floors, an undermount sink, marble benchtops, black floor, a shower curtain and white benchtops.

Every family home needs a bathtub and this one is clean and simple. It's faced with the same engineered quartz as the counter top and the hinged glass door allows for the beautiful glass tile and niche to be appreciated. Erika Bierman Photography

Photography: Steve Henke
Photo of a traditional bathroom in Minneapolis with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, gray tile, white walls, an undermount sink, blue floor and white benchtops.

Design ideas for a mid-sized 3/4 bathroom in Seattle with flat-panel cabinets, brown cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a one-piece toilet, brown tile, porcelain tile, white walls, concrete floors, an undermount sink, solid surface benchtops, grey floor, a sliding shower screen and brown benchtops.

This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary 3/4 bathroom in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, black tile, gray tile, white tile, glass tile, white walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, black floor, a hinged shower door and white benchtops.

White full bath with black accents in coastal pattern
Photo of a contemporary bathroom in Jacksonville with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, white tile, multi-coloured walls, dark hardwood floors, an undermount sink, brown floor, an open shower, white benchtops and ceramic tile.

These beautiful bathrooms located in Rancho Santa Fe were in need of a major upgrade. Once having dated dark cabinets, the desired bright design was wanted. Beautiful white cabinets with modern pulls and classic faucets complete the double vanity. The shower with long subway tiles and black grout! Colored grout is a trend and it looks fantastic in this bathroom. The walk in shower has beautiful tiles and relaxing shower heads. Both of these bathrooms look fantastic and look modern and complementary to the home.

Enlarged Masterbath by adding square footage from girl's bath, in medium sized ranch, Boulder CO
Photo of a small contemporary 3/4 bathroom in Denver with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a wall-mount toilet, glass tile, purple walls, ceramic floors, an integrated sink, solid surface benchtops, grey floor, a shower curtain and white benchtops.

Mid-sized transitional 3/4 bathroom in San Francisco with blue cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, white tile, ceramic tile, grey walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, marble benchtops, grey floor, an open shower, white benchtops and recessed-panel cabinets.

This is an example of a small transitional bathroom in Los Angeles with beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, grey walls, an undermount sink, quartzite benchtops and a hinged shower door.