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.

Small country master bathroom in Orlando with grey cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white tile, porcelain tile, grey walls, porcelain floors, quartzite benchtops, white floor, a shower curtain, white benchtops, a single vanity and a freestanding 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.

Summary of Scope: gut renovation/reconfiguration of kitchen, coffee bar, mudroom, powder room, 2 kids baths, guest bath, master bath and dressing room, kids study and playroom, study/office, laundry room, restoration of windows, adding wallpapers and window treatments Background/description: The house was built in 1908, my clients are only the 3rd owners of the house. The prior owner lived there from 1940s until she died at age of 98! The old home had loads of character and charm but was in pretty bad condition and desperately needed updates. The clients purchased the home a few years ago and did some work before they moved in (roof, HVAC, electrical) but decided to live in the house for a 6 months or so before embarking on the next renovation phase. I had worked with the clients previously on the wife's office space and a few projects in a previous home including the nursery design for their first child so they reached out when they were ready to start thinking about the interior renovations. The goal was to respect and enhance the historic architecture of the home but make the spaces more functional for this couple with two small kids. Clients were open to color and some more bold/unexpected design choices. The design style is updated traditional with some eclectic elements. An early design decision was to incorporate a dark colored french range which would be the focal point of the kitchen and to do dark high gloss lacquered cabinets in the adjacent coffee bar, and we ultimately went with dark green.

Photo of a large transitional 3/4 bathroom in Dallas with shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, an alcove shower, a two-piece toilet, black tile, porcelain tile, white walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, grey floor, a hinged shower door, white benchtops, a single vanity and a floating vanity.

Photo of a traditional bathroom in Seattle with shaker cabinets, an undermount tub, a shower/bathtub combo, white tile, white walls, an undermount sink, a shower curtain, white benchtops, a single vanity and a built-in vanity.

Here is a view of the vanity and shower. This is an open shower with a beautiful glass door. It has a mounted shower head and removable. The shower also has a built in shelf for storage. This dark brown wood vanity contrasts with the white counter top. The silver hardware gives this room a nice touch too.

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.

Our client wanted to keep her home’s historic character and charm and chose Forward Design Build Remodel because she knew we could work with her home’s historic bones and honor the original design. The goals for this remodel were to open the older kitchen, preserve the location of the windows, update the finishes and lighting, and better the kitchen's feng shui. Our plan involved maximizing storage in the smaller space without making it feel cluttered and overwhelming while adding luxury and higher-end finishes to the kitchen and bathrooms. Our team utilized custom cabinetry and a two-toned color palette in the kitchen to work with the space and efficiently open up the remaining area. We transformed the bathrooms from outdated, essential to elegant, modern ones with aesthetically pleasing and functional cutouts.

The original built-in cabinetry was removed to make space for a new compact en-suite. The guest room was repurposed as a home office as well.
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary master bathroom in London with furniture-like cabinets, brown cabinets, a curbless shower, beige tile, ceramic tile, beige walls, ceramic floors, an integrated sink, beige floor, a hinged shower door, white benchtops, a single vanity and a freestanding vanity.

Design ideas for a mid-sized modern bathroom in Other with brown cabinets, a curbless shower, a one-piece toilet, gray tile, cement tile, ceramic floors, engineered quartz benchtops, grey floor, a hinged shower door, white benchtops, a single vanity and a floating vanity.

Inspiration for a small eclectic kids bathroom in Cornwall with white cabinets, a wall-mount toilet, ceramic tile, ceramic floors, a single vanity, a drop-in tub, a shower/bathtub combo, green tile, green walls, quartzite benchtops, grey floor, a hinged shower door, white benchtops and a freestanding vanity.

Alder cabinets with an Antique Cherry stain and Carrara marble countertops and backsplash ledge.
This is an example of a small traditional 3/4 bathroom in Portland with recessed-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, an alcove shower, a one-piece toilet, blue tile, ceramic tile, blue walls, ceramic floors, marble benchtops, white floor, a hinged shower door, white benchtops, a single vanity, a built-in vanity, wallpaper and an undermount sink.

Design and Photography by I SPY DIY
Photo of a bathroom in Minneapolis with flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, a curbless shower, blue tile, blue walls, mosaic tile floors, an undermount sink, black floor, an open shower, white benchtops, a single vanity and a freestanding vanity.

Forever Plaid! Full bath with unique grey plaid tile on the floor and subway tile in the bathtub/shower area.
Beach style bathroom in Grand Rapids with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, green walls, mosaic tile floors, an undermount sink, multi-coloured floor, a shower curtain, white benchtops, a single vanity and a freestanding vanity.

circular floor tile adds dimension to the space.
Design ideas for a small modern bathroom in Denver with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a one-piece toilet, white tile, porcelain tile, white walls, ceramic floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, white floor, a hinged shower door, white benchtops, a single vanity and a built-in vanity.

We re-designed and renovated three bathrooms and a laundry/mudroom in this builder-grade tract home. All finishes were carefully sourced, and all millwork was designed and custom-built.

This narrow galley style primary bathroom was opened up by eliminating a wall between the toilet and vanity zones, enlarging the vanity counter space, and expanding the shower into dead space between the existing shower and the exterior wall. Now the space is the relaxing haven they'd hoped for for years. The warm, modern palette features soft green cabinetry, sage green ceramic tile with a high variation glaze and a fun accent tile with gold and silver tones in the shower niche that ties together the brass and brushed nickel fixtures and accessories, and a herringbone wood-look tile flooring that anchors the space with warmth. Wood accents are repeated in the softly curved mirror frame, the unique ash wood grab bars, and the bench in the shower. Quartz counters and shower elements are easy to mantain and provide a neutral break in the palette. The sliding shower door system allows for easy access without a door swing bumping into the toilet seat. The closet across from the vanity was updated with a pocket door, eliminating the previous space stealing small swinging doors. Storage features include a pull out hamper for quick sorting of dirty laundry and a tall cabinet on the counter that provides storage at an easy to grab height.

Inside a classic Brooklyn Brownstone Townhouse, Arsight reveals a bathroom space draped in luxury and New York charm. Pristine white subway tiles provide a calming Scandinavian canvas, amplified by an elegant glass curbless shower. The custom-crafted oak vanity, paired with a strategically placed mirror and highlighted by mellow bathroom sconces, serves as the centerpiece. The harmonious interplay of millwork and tasteful decor straddles the line between luxury and functionality. This calming retreat, a testament to white luxury, is nestled in NYC's heart.