Photos by Darby Kate Photography
Mid-sized country master bathroom in Dallas with grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a one-piece toilet, gray tile, porcelain tile, grey walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink and granite benchtops.

Mid-sized scandinavian 3/4 bathroom in Chicago with raised-panel cabinets, a drop-in tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, white tile, ceramic tile, white walls, mosaic tile floors, a drop-in sink, soapstone benchtops, multi-coloured floor, a sliding shower screen and grey cabinets.

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary master bathroom in Moscow with flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a wall-mount toilet, gray tile, grey walls, ceramic floors, a vessel sink, wood benchtops, grey floor, beige benchtops, an enclosed toilet, a single vanity and a floating vanity.

Photo of a mid-sized transitional bathroom in Minneapolis with recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, gray tile, subway tile, white walls, ceramic floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, grey floor, a shower curtain, white benchtops, a single vanity and a built-in vanity.

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional kids bathroom in New York with recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, white tile, ceramic tile, pink walls, marble floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, multi-coloured floor, a hinged shower door, white benchtops, a double vanity and a built-in vanity.

Inspiration for a transitional bathroom in Philadelphia with shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, blue tile, white walls, an undermount sink, grey floor, a shower curtain, white benchtops, a single vanity and a built-in vanity.

Inspiration for a mid-sized country kids bathroom in Atlanta with shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, white tile, ceramic tile, grey walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, black floor, a sliding shower screen, white benchtops, a niche, a single vanity and a built-in vanity.

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.

Calming Kids hall bathroom with custom grey shaker vanity with white quartz counters and undercount sink. Waterworks brand ceramic tile and plumbing fixtures. The glass tub partition allows light to filter into tub shower combo.

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary bathroom in Moscow with flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a wall-mount toilet, beige tile, porcelain tile, blue walls, porcelain floors, a vessel sink, white floor and grey benchtops.

Design ideas for a mid-sized modern kids bathroom in Richmond with shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, white tile, porcelain tile, grey walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, beige floor, a shower curtain and white benchtops.

Beautiful updates to dated spaces. We updated the master bathrooms and 2 guest bathrooms with beautiful custom vanities with recessed fronts. The beautiful gray finish works wonderfully with the Carrara marble and white subway tile. We created recessed soap niches in the guest bathrooms and a deluxe recessed niche with shelves in the master bathroom. The lovely gray and white palate gives a fresh calming feeling to these spaces. Now the client has the bathrooms of their dreams.

Gray tones playfulness a kid’s bathroom in Oak Park. This bath was design with kids in mind but still to have the aesthetic lure of a beautiful guest bathroom. The flooring is made out of gray and white hexagon tiles with different textures to it, creating a playful puzzle of colors and creating a perfect anti slippery surface for kids to use. The walls tiles are 3x6 gray subway tile with glossy finish for an easy to clean surface and to sparkle with the ceiling lighting layout. A semi-modern vanity design brings all the colors together with darker gray color and quartz countertop. In conclusion a bathroom for everyone to enjoy and admire.

Small transitional 3/4 bathroom in Austin with shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a one-piece toilet, gray tile, stone tile, grey walls, marble floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, white floor, white benchtops and a hinged shower door.

Bellow Blue
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary 3/4 bathroom in Indianapolis with shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, porcelain tile, white walls, ceramic floors, an undermount sink, solid surface benchtops, white floor and a shower curtain.

We started out with quite a different plan for this bathroom. Before tiling we needed to re-plaster the walls but when we exposed the beautiful red sandstone behind, it had to stay. The original design had been pure Victorian but the final design combined Victorian with rustic and the result is striking.

Small traditional bathroom in Boston with an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, white tile, subway tile, marble floors and grey cabinets.

Photo of a small contemporary master bathroom in Moscow with grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a wall-mount toilet, gray tile, porcelain tile, grey walls, porcelain floors, a vessel sink, wood benchtops, grey floor, an open shower, grey benchtops, an enclosed toilet, a single vanity and a floating vanity.

This is an example of a small modern kids bathroom in DC Metro with shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, white tile, subway tile, grey walls, mosaic tile floors, an undermount sink, marble benchtops, white floor, a shower curtain and grey benchtops.