Bathroom of the Week: Calm Beachy Style With a Low-Curb Shower
A designer found on Houzz and a remodeler open up the room and create a soothing look that evokes sea and sand
As a busy professional in the Los Angeles entertainment industry, this homeowner had met her share of interesting characters. But the confusing layout, odd fixtures and offbeat colors in her 1928 Spanish bungalow bathroom weren’t exactly plucked from central casting.
For help overhauling the space, she searched for a designer on Houzz and found Barbara Schwarz, who recommended also bringing on remodeling firm 5blox. Schwarz, who uses Houzz Pro business software to manage her projects, rejiggered the bathroom’s layout to streamline the look and feel, replacing a corner shower stall and a built-in tub with a roomy low-curb shower. A new custom rift-cut oak vanity with a linen tower provides ample storage and organization. Two wall niches — one inside and one outside the shower — add space for small items and decorative accessories.
Meanwhile, ocean-inspired blue-green glazed tiles that wrap the shower walls add soothing style and create a focal point that draws attention to the length of the room rather than its narrow width. Sand-colored tiles line the bottom half of the side walls, creating a beachy atmosphere. Mini star- and cross-shaped tiles in the niches and on the floor add movement, pattern and charming character.
For help overhauling the space, she searched for a designer on Houzz and found Barbara Schwarz, who recommended also bringing on remodeling firm 5blox. Schwarz, who uses Houzz Pro business software to manage her projects, rejiggered the bathroom’s layout to streamline the look and feel, replacing a corner shower stall and a built-in tub with a roomy low-curb shower. A new custom rift-cut oak vanity with a linen tower provides ample storage and organization. Two wall niches — one inside and one outside the shower — add space for small items and decorative accessories.
Meanwhile, ocean-inspired blue-green glazed tiles that wrap the shower walls add soothing style and create a focal point that draws attention to the length of the room rather than its narrow width. Sand-colored tiles line the bottom half of the side walls, creating a beachy atmosphere. Mini star- and cross-shaped tiles in the niches and on the floor add movement, pattern and charming character.
After: The remodeling team stripped the space back to the studs, updated the electrical and plumbing and added insulation to the exterior wall. Schwarz rejiggered the layout, placing a new custom vanity on the left, followed by the toilet and a new low-curb shower where the bathtub had been. “We could remove that tub because she has a tub in another bathroom,” Schwarz says.
Locating the tall shower element at the end of the narrow room — and wrapping it with square ocean-inspired blue-green glazed ceramic tiles — helps draw the eye into the space and highlight its length and height rather than its slim width. A new window with rain glass for privacy brings fresh air and natural light inside. “She wanted a bigger, luxurious shower,” Schwarz says. “She also said she wanted a shower with a curb because she was concerned with water getting out to the bathroom floor.” Two grab bars assist with maneuvering, and the location of the shower valve allows the homeowner to turn the water on without getting sprayed. Two hooks inside the shower keep towels close by.
Sand-colored square glass tiles cover the bottom portion of the side walls. “We were looking for a tile with a variation in it,” Schwarz says. “She was also looking for an organic quality.” Off-white mini star- and cross-shaped tiles cover the floor and niche in the shower and on the right-side wall. “There’s some complexity to the pattern, but they simplified the space and made it seem less busy than other choices,” Schwarz says.
The tile tones stand out thanks to a clean and classic white paint for the walls, ceiling and trim around the entry door (White Dove by Benjamin Moore). “It’s my favorite white, and the client picked it out of the five whites I presented as choices,” Schwarz says. A new exhaust fan in the ceiling with motion and humidity sensor improves ventilation.
Wall tiles: Marin in Aloe Green (shower) and Sand Dollar (main area), 4 by 4 inches, Bedrosians Tile and Stone; floor and accent tiles: Mini Star & Cross in Feldspar, Fireclay Tile; grab bars: Occasion collection, 18 inches, Kohler; hooks: Charlotte double robe, Brizo
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Locating the tall shower element at the end of the narrow room — and wrapping it with square ocean-inspired blue-green glazed ceramic tiles — helps draw the eye into the space and highlight its length and height rather than its slim width. A new window with rain glass for privacy brings fresh air and natural light inside. “She wanted a bigger, luxurious shower,” Schwarz says. “She also said she wanted a shower with a curb because she was concerned with water getting out to the bathroom floor.” Two grab bars assist with maneuvering, and the location of the shower valve allows the homeowner to turn the water on without getting sprayed. Two hooks inside the shower keep towels close by.
Sand-colored square glass tiles cover the bottom portion of the side walls. “We were looking for a tile with a variation in it,” Schwarz says. “She was also looking for an organic quality.” Off-white mini star- and cross-shaped tiles cover the floor and niche in the shower and on the right-side wall. “There’s some complexity to the pattern, but they simplified the space and made it seem less busy than other choices,” Schwarz says.
The tile tones stand out thanks to a clean and classic white paint for the walls, ceiling and trim around the entry door (White Dove by Benjamin Moore). “It’s my favorite white, and the client picked it out of the five whites I presented as choices,” Schwarz says. A new exhaust fan in the ceiling with motion and humidity sensor improves ventilation.
Wall tiles: Marin in Aloe Green (shower) and Sand Dollar (main area), 4 by 4 inches, Bedrosians Tile and Stone; floor and accent tiles: Mini Star & Cross in Feldspar, Fireclay Tile; grab bars: Occasion collection, 18 inches, Kohler; hooks: Charlotte double robe, Brizo
Find general contractors, bathroom designers and other pros near you
The custom rift-cut oak vanity has Shaker-style fronts and polished nickel knobs and pulls. “The vanity has seven drawers, including a drawer under the sink cabinet,” Schwarz says. “It gives her a little extra storage.”
The countertop is polished Calacatta Super White porcelain. “She wanted that marble look but something more durable and easy to maintain,” Schwarz says. A polished nickel widespread lavatory faucet with arc spout coordinates with the cabinet hardware and light fixtures. “It’s a nod to the past but a contemporary version,” Schwarz says. The arched metal mirror has a silverleaf frame. “I felt it fit the design and added a little softness to the space,” Schwarz says.
Cabinet hardware: Egg knob and Ascendra pull, both in polished nickel, Top Knobs; countertop: Magnifica Encore polished porcelain slab in Calacatta Super White, Bedrosians Tile and Stone; lights: Stella (ceiling) and Hinsdale (sconces), both in polished nickel, Hudson Valley Lighting; faucet: Invari in Brilliance polished nickel, Brizo; toilet: Memoirs Stately, Kohler; mirror: Colca, Cooper Classics
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The countertop is polished Calacatta Super White porcelain. “She wanted that marble look but something more durable and easy to maintain,” Schwarz says. A polished nickel widespread lavatory faucet with arc spout coordinates with the cabinet hardware and light fixtures. “It’s a nod to the past but a contemporary version,” Schwarz says. The arched metal mirror has a silverleaf frame. “I felt it fit the design and added a little softness to the space,” Schwarz says.
Cabinet hardware: Egg knob and Ascendra pull, both in polished nickel, Top Knobs; countertop: Magnifica Encore polished porcelain slab in Calacatta Super White, Bedrosians Tile and Stone; lights: Stella (ceiling) and Hinsdale (sconces), both in polished nickel, Hudson Valley Lighting; faucet: Invari in Brilliance polished nickel, Brizo; toilet: Memoirs Stately, Kohler; mirror: Colca, Cooper Classics
Shop for bathroom vanities on Houzz
The wall niche across from the vanity includes custom rift-cut oak shelves that display some of the homeowner’s collection of glassware.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
A freestanding teak shower bench provides storage and a spot to sit or prop a leg when shaving. “We could have done a built-in, but it would have felt tight,” Schwarz says. “We decided this would be better. It gives her more options and makes the space look larger and feel less cramped.”
Bench: discontinued, similar to Sumba, AquaTeak
10 Tips for Designing the Perfect Shower
Bench: discontinued, similar to Sumba, AquaTeak
10 Tips for Designing the Perfect Shower
Before: Here’s a look at the 30-by-30-inch shower stall that stood next to the entrance in the former bathroom. “It was super tiny and leaky,” Schwarz says. “It had calcium deposits that were never coming off.”
After: After creating the larger walk-in shower, Schwarz added a storage tower where the former shower had been. The tower includes an integrated hamper and two full-depth storage areas for linens and other bathroom essentials. “It’s a space that makes you feel pampered,” Schwarz says of the updated bathroom. “In terms of function, it now has an ample amount of storage and doesn’t feel like such a tight space anymore.”
Of Houzz Pro software, Schwarz says: “It’s very helpful. In terms of organization, it’s a huge time saver. I have all the nitty-gritty in one place, and when it comes time for purchasing, everything’s right there.”
More on Houzz
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Of Houzz Pro software, Schwarz says: “It’s very helpful. In terms of organization, it’s a huge time saver. I have all the nitty-gritty in one place, and when it comes time for purchasing, everything’s right there.”
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A woman
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 67 square feet (6.2 square meters)
Designer: Barbara Schwarz of Avec Interiors
Builder: 5blox
Before: Among the more perplexing features in the former bathroom were two stainless steel wall-mounted sinks with seafoam green glass countertops. You’ll notice no storage below. “They were hideous, and the function was bad too,” Schwarz says.
The layout didn’t make sense either. The 30-by-30-inch shower stall stood directly to the left of the entrance. A portion of its frosted glass door can be seen here. The toilet sat across from the two sinks, limiting room in front of them and creating an awkwardly narrow path to the space-swallowing built-in tub. Dated lighting and an abundance of brown tile did little to elevate the look.