Bathroom of the Week: Spa Feeling and Midcentury Style
A designer found on Houzz reconfigures a bathroom to accommodate a large shower, a storage tower and a washer-dryer
While living in State College, Pennsylvania, this couple loved to visit Southern California and planned to retire there. They knew they wanted one-floor living and appreciated the clean lines of midcentury ranch houses, so they purchased a fixer-upper in Pasadena. They found Pasadena-based architectural designer Wendy Wilson on Houzz. Impressed by her experience with midcentury homes, her portfolio and her outstanding reviews, they hired her to complete a down-to-the-studs renovation that included giving their en suite bathroom a contemporary and spa-like feel. Because they were stuck in Pennsylvania during the pandemic, Wilson completed the design work remotely and oversaw the construction for them.
After: The major layout changes occurred on this side of the bathroom. Wilson removed the built-in linen closet. She also moved the toilet from its separate tiny room into a new alcove instead. This made space for a roomy shower stall.
The homeowners were also anxious to get their washer and dryer out of the garage and into their bedroom suite. Wilson made room for stackable units where the toilet room used to be. She designed floor-to-ceiling double doors to conceal them from the rest of the bathroom.
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The homeowners were also anxious to get their washer and dryer out of the garage and into their bedroom suite. Wilson made room for stackable units where the toilet room used to be. She designed floor-to-ceiling double doors to conceal them from the rest of the bathroom.
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Before: One of the main priorities in the space was creating a luxurious shower. The homeowners wanted the polar opposite of the existing shower.
After: By reconfiguring the bathroom layout, Wilson made room for a 4-by-5-foot shower stall. A clear glass enclosure contributes to the light and airy spa-like feel.
Elegant aqua Z-shaped glass tile was the jumping-off point for the room’s style and color palette. The contemporary shape and soft tones add a sense of calm to the space. And the tiles reflect the light.
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Elegant aqua Z-shaped glass tile was the jumping-off point for the room’s style and color palette. The contemporary shape and soft tones add a sense of calm to the space. And the tiles reflect the light.
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Wilson specified low-iron Starphire glass for the shower. “It has beautiful aqua edges, rather than the green you get with other glass,” she says. She mounted a towel bar into the glass on the right and a robe hook into it on the left. There’s an additional towel bar on the wall.
The long and chunky quartz shower bench has clean lines. The side of the bench continues outside the glass enclosure, making it an architectural feature.
The long and chunky quartz shower bench has clean lines. The side of the bench continues outside the glass enclosure, making it an architectural feature.
On the shower floor, Wilson played off the wall tile’s geometry. The floor tile has a mini chevron-esque shape. And Wilson knew that small details like a shower drain can make a big difference. She found a stylish drain with a rectilinear swirl design.
Browse wall and floor tile in the Houzz Shop
Browse wall and floor tile in the Houzz Shop
Wilson repeated the aqua tile on the backsplash wall across the room, tying it in with the shower.
Before: “I’m pretty sure most of the finishes in this house were original,” Wilson says. She helped her clients preserve some of the more interesting tile in two of the other bathrooms, but there wasn’t much to love about the tired pink tile in here. The vanity was in bad shape. And the soffit over it was a clunky and oppressive element.
Another issue with the room was the frosted glass on the windows. They didn’t let in much light and blocked the view to the garden.
Another issue with the room was the frosted glass on the windows. They didn’t let in much light and blocked the view to the garden.
After: “My clients were more interested in gaining extra storage than in having two sinks,” Wilson says. Using one sink opened up space for more drawers and counter space. And it allowed her to install a tower to replace the built-in linen closet she’d removed across the room.
The designer was able to save the aluminum frames of the original casement windows, simply replacing the frosted glass with clear glass. “They have a beautiful private garden back there,” she says. She added white roller shades for privacy.
The designer was able to save the aluminum frames of the original casement windows, simply replacing the frosted glass with clear glass. “They have a beautiful private garden back there,” she says. She added white roller shades for privacy.
The new custom vanity is crafted of African mahogany. “This is a gorgeous wood with the kind of graining my clients were looking for,” Wilson says. “And hard wood like this holds the screws for the hardware better than softer species do.” The hardware and faucets are midcentury-era-appropriate polished chrome.
The cabinet fronts are bookmatched. This means the grain runs in a continuous pattern from one cabinet to the next. Bookmatching showed off the exquisite graining the homeowners were drawn to.
The design is fresh and contemporary, with subtle nods to midcentury style. The clean lines of the cabinetry and countertops, the polished chrome, the disc shapes of the pendant lights and the boomerang-shaped hardware all nod to the era.
The cabinet fronts are bookmatched. This means the grain runs in a continuous pattern from one cabinet to the next. Bookmatching showed off the exquisite graining the homeowners were drawn to.
The design is fresh and contemporary, with subtle nods to midcentury style. The clean lines of the cabinetry and countertops, the polished chrome, the disc shapes of the pendant lights and the boomerang-shaped hardware all nod to the era.
Using wall-mounted faucets allowed Wilson to install a shallower-than-standard vanity. This helped keep the bathroom open and airy. “I love to use wall-mounted faucets. They look elegant and save space,” she says. “And we have really hard water here, so it eliminates having to clean the residue that water leaves on countertops around faucet bases.”
An African mahogany ledge creates a nice transition between the backsplash and the large mirror.
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An African mahogany ledge creates a nice transition between the backsplash and the large mirror.
Shop for wall-mounted faucets
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Hire a local cabinet pro
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Hastings Ranch neighborhood of Pasadena, California
Size: 120 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer: Wendy Wilson & Associates
Contractor: Alfred Navarro of Navarro Construction
Before: At 120 square feet, the bathroom was generously sized, but the cluttered layout left room for only a tiny shower. It was located between the built-in linen closet on the left and the toilet room on the right.