A story told and retold in many homes, but always with a fresh approach to each project.
Every house has them, the small bathroom with the built-in tub/shower combo, dysfunctional small vanity and awkward linen closet. Our goal with this small space was to maximize the use of every square inch and make it as functional as possible while also making it beautiful, sleek and modern with a touch of whimsy.
First step, gut the space, including the accordion door linen closet. We tiled every wall with oversized 24×48 tile to make it a complete wet space that would also be easy to clean. The awkward linen closet that was too deep to see into on each side was reframed to create a smaller closet with a frosted glass door that gives easy access to linens, and on the other side we faced the storage out to be a recessed niche with deep usable drawers that can house linens, cleaning supplies and large shampoo bottles along with open shelving for towels and a few fun accessories. Being a small space, a floating vanity packed with function make a lot of sense.
The floating feature makes the room feel larger. The vanity itself has useful drawers and a cabinet with built in plugs to store hair utensils. We removed the tub and created a walk-in shower with a linear tile in drain and fixed glass panel. A large niche with a shelf houses all the soaps and shampoos that two older teens can throw at it!
Other function features: wall sconces flanking the mirror for optimal lighting when shaving or putting on makeup, overhead recessed lighting, and we added a MUCH-needed vent fan. The bathroom before did not have a fan and water would run down the walls when showering. Who knows why the builder omitted this important detail before but it can always be remedied when remodeling. Lastly the existing window was frosted to provide privacy and block an unsightly view of the neighbor’s bathroom window.
