Bathroom of the Week: A Bright, Versatile Contemporary Design
A Dallas designer adds a touch of Texas to a ranch house’s hall bathroom designed for children to use
Because this Dallas ranch house was an investment property, interior designer Jessica Koltun created a versatile design to appeal to as many people as possible. She designed the hall bathroom to suit two kids in a range of ages, keeping it classic with a neutral color scheme, playful with geometric shower tiles and sophisticated with a chevron marble floor. “This is Texas, so I went for what I call country contemporary style,” she says. “It’s updated and contemporary with a few country touches.”
Koltun chose a classic neutral palette of white with a range of grays to suit kids from toddlers through teens. The star of the room is the chevron marble flooring she scored at a great price (around $10 per square foot). It’s both sophisticated in its material and playful in its pattern and contrasting colors.
Koltun played off the strong contrast in the flooring with the rest of the design. The walls are painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Pure White to keep the room bright, but she chose a dark color for the vanity to anchor it in the space. “The cabinet color is called charcoal, but it has blue undertones, so it can go more gray or more blue depending on the light,” she says.
This photo provides a glimpse of one of the new five-paneled solid-core doors that Koltun used throughout the house. It has a modern knob and the color is Colonial Gray by Sherwin-Williams, chosen to provide contrast to the white walls throughout the house.
Koltun played off the strong contrast in the flooring with the rest of the design. The walls are painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Pure White to keep the room bright, but she chose a dark color for the vanity to anchor it in the space. “The cabinet color is called charcoal, but it has blue undertones, so it can go more gray or more blue depending on the light,” she says.
This photo provides a glimpse of one of the new five-paneled solid-core doors that Koltun used throughout the house. It has a modern knob and the color is Colonial Gray by Sherwin-Williams, chosen to provide contrast to the white walls throughout the house.
“Because the vanity is so dark and the floor is a busy pattern, I wanted to keep everything from the counter up light and airy,” the designer says. This meant choosing a Calacatta-marble-like quartz for the countertop, white grout for the white tile backsplash and clear glass shades for the sconces. Koltun flanked the mirrors with sconces for good facial lighting.
The mirror frames are also light-colored to blend into the walls. This is where the Texas-inspired country element comes in: The frames are wood with a weathered white finish.
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The mirror frames are also light-colored to blend into the walls. This is where the Texas-inspired country element comes in: The frames are wood with a weathered white finish.
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Shaker-style cabinetry and classic curved faucets also lend subtle Texas country touches. Koltun chose polished chrome for a shiny look while staying on budget. “I love to mix metals, and chrome is an inexpensive option for faucets,” she says. “Upgrading to different finishes adds a lot to the price of faucets, but adds much less to the cost of things like lighting, mirrors and hardware.”
The cabinet pulls have a gold finish. “ A good way to mix metals is to use two different finishes and split things in half,” Koltun says. Here, the countertop provides the dividing line — all of the metal finishes below it are gold, and all above it are chrome.
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The cabinet pulls have a gold finish. “ A good way to mix metals is to use two different finishes and split things in half,” Koltun says. Here, the countertop provides the dividing line — all of the metal finishes below it are gold, and all above it are chrome.
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The shower wall lends some privacy to the toilet area. For the surround, Koltun used the same elongated hexagonal tile used for the backsplash, but here she went with a darker grout for contrast. “I wanted the tub to be more fun, and to make these walls stand out,” she says. Another fun touch is the niche, backed in the chevron marble tile used on the floor. This setup does require a shower curtain, but that’s something the new homeowners will pick out to put their personal stamp on the versatile room.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: This was designed with two children in mind
Location: Dallas
Size: 117 square feet (11 square meters)
Budget: About $25,000
Designer: Jessica Koltun
Before: The bathroom was worn and dated, and it didn’t suit the home’s new style. As seen in this photo, the vanity drawers and doors no longer closed properly. And the shower had sliding doors in opaque glass that darkened the space.
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