Bathroom of the Week: Modern Farmhouse Style in 50 Square Feet
Two designers help Texas homeowners get a fresh, modern look in a small hall bathroom
Savanna Rodriquez got so tired of the world map wallpaper in her hall bathroom, she started peeling it off herself. “I hated looking at it,” she says.
But that wasn’t the only source of frustration. She also took issue with the aging beige-pink tile surrounding the combination shower and bathtub, the latter of which was never used, as well as the medium-tone cabinetry, the lack of light and, well, just about everything. She and her husband, Zane, hired designers Julie Risman and Amanda Silva to help transform their 1990s home in suburban San Antonio, Texas, including the dated hall bathroom. The designers stripped the bathroom, removed the tub, created an airy shower enclosure and brightened the room with more natural light, lots of white tile and a lighter-tone wood vanity.
But that wasn’t the only source of frustration. She also took issue with the aging beige-pink tile surrounding the combination shower and bathtub, the latter of which was never used, as well as the medium-tone cabinetry, the lack of light and, well, just about everything. She and her husband, Zane, hired designers Julie Risman and Amanda Silva to help transform their 1990s home in suburban San Antonio, Texas, including the dated hall bathroom. The designers stripped the bathroom, removed the tub, created an airy shower enclosure and brightened the room with more natural light, lots of white tile and a lighter-tone wood vanity.
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A large mirror with a brushed brass frame reflects light from the clerestory window in the shower and the white tiles on the walls. “It makes the bathroom feel much larger visually,” Risman says.
Stylish brass sconces flank the mirror. A sun tunnel (not pictured) brings in natural light from above.
Stylish brass sconces flank the mirror. A sun tunnel (not pictured) brings in natural light from above.
A sleek and contemporary rectangular white ceramic vessel sink sits atop the vanity. “It’s something different, not your typical undermount sink that everyone has,” Risman says. “It adds a fun element to the bathroom.”
A wall-mounted faucet in a champagne bronze finish helps save counter space. “I wanted that wall to be cool,” Risman says. “I also don’t like a wall-mounted faucet coming out of sheet rock. I want it coming out of tile or some kind of backsplash.
“My theory with kitchen and bathroom remodels is that you have to have one showstopper or unique thing,” she adds. “It’s a very small bathroom, so I thought it would be fun to walk into this space and see a custom vanity with vessel sink and wall-mounted faucet. I really wanted to make that vignette as special as possible.”
Sink: Vox rectangle vessel, Kohler; wall-mounted faucet: Trinsic in champagne bronze, Delta
A wall-mounted faucet in a champagne bronze finish helps save counter space. “I wanted that wall to be cool,” Risman says. “I also don’t like a wall-mounted faucet coming out of sheet rock. I want it coming out of tile or some kind of backsplash.
“My theory with kitchen and bathroom remodels is that you have to have one showstopper or unique thing,” she adds. “It’s a very small bathroom, so I thought it would be fun to walk into this space and see a custom vanity with vessel sink and wall-mounted faucet. I really wanted to make that vignette as special as possible.”
Sink: Vox rectangle vessel, Kohler; wall-mounted faucet: Trinsic in champagne bronze, Delta
Before Photo
Before: Here’s a look at the shower-tub combo before the renovation. The world map wallpaper is also visible.
A frosted glass window filtered out too much natural light and blocked views of the surrounding trees.
A frosted glass window filtered out too much natural light and blocked views of the surrounding trees.
After: The designers ditched the shower-tub combo and created a bright, airy shower with a frameless glass divider and curbless entry.
The clear clerestory window allows more natural light inside and captures views of the majestic live oaks on the property. “The shower completely opens up this space and is one of the reasons it looks so much larger,” Risman says. “We went with a partial panel instead of a panel with a door, to be as minimalist as possible and not take away from the space visually.”
The shower also includes a rain shower head on a gooseneck, as well as a handheld shower for easy cleanup for the homeowners’ two dogs, a blind Cockapoo named Stella and a rescue mutt named Honey.
The floor in the shower and main bathroom area is covered in handmade encaustic cement tile in a gray-tone geometric pattern. “We didn’t want to break up the space using a different flooring material,” Risman says. “It was one of the first things we selected because Savanna fell in love with it and it’s what she really wanted. It’s a very unique flooring that has that organic, concrete look.”
Floor tile: Nola Grey Tile, Riad Tile
The clear clerestory window allows more natural light inside and captures views of the majestic live oaks on the property. “The shower completely opens up this space and is one of the reasons it looks so much larger,” Risman says. “We went with a partial panel instead of a panel with a door, to be as minimalist as possible and not take away from the space visually.”
The shower also includes a rain shower head on a gooseneck, as well as a handheld shower for easy cleanup for the homeowners’ two dogs, a blind Cockapoo named Stella and a rescue mutt named Honey.
The floor in the shower and main bathroom area is covered in handmade encaustic cement tile in a gray-tone geometric pattern. “We didn’t want to break up the space using a different flooring material,” Risman says. “It was one of the first things we selected because Savanna fell in love with it and it’s what she really wanted. It’s a very unique flooring that has that organic, concrete look.”
Floor tile: Nola Grey Tile, Riad Tile
The same tile accents two shower niches. Bullnose tile around the niches gives them a tailored look.
A floating custom wood shelf between the vanity and shower offers display space for decorative accessories and an extra touch of warmth in the space. “We originally had a brushed brass double towel bar there, but Savanna said let’s do something different,” Risman says. “It adds interest to an otherwise white tile wall.”
Before Photo
Before: A look at the old wood linen cabinet shows where Savanna had started peeling off the wallpaper.
After: The designers removed the old face frame and doors from the linen cabinet and added a newly built frame and doors. The inside shelving remained the same. “It’s a really cost-effective way of getting a brand-new cabinet,” Risman says.
The homeowners now have a more modern and updated bathroom. “I think the transformation was so great because the space is so small, but we utilized the space well,” Savanna says.
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The homeowners now have a more modern and updated bathroom. “I think the transformation was so great because the space is so small, but we utilized the space well,” Savanna says.
More on Houzz
See more bathroom makeovers
Find home design and remodeling professionals
Shop for bathroom products
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Zane and Savanna Rodriquez and David Sitz, Savanna’s brother
Location: Universal City, Texas
Size: 50 square feet (4.6 square meters)
Designers: Julie Risman and Amanda Silva of The Inside Story Design
After taking the old bathroom down to the studs, Risman and Silva updated the plumbing, added cool gray walls (Repose Gray by Sherwin-Williams), white tiles, brushed brass fixtures and a lighter shade of wood. “Savanna wanted this bathroom to complement what we did for her master bath before,” Risman says. “She wanted a continuation, and for the space to be youthful and fresh, similar but unique.”
The custom stained white oak vanity includes brushed brass hardware, a warm gray quartz countertop — a remnant from the renovated master bathroom — five easy-close drawers for storage of bathroom essentials and an open shelf on the bottom for extra towels. “I wanted to have that open space in the vanity because it felt so cramped in there before,” Savanna says.
A towel ring for hand towels is on a wall to the right of the sink (not shown in photos).
Handcrafted glazed white ceramic tile installed in a herringbone pattern adds texture and visual interest to the walls, including in the shower. “The use of materials to visually enlarge and reinvent this dark, small, dated space made all the difference,” Risman says.