Bathroom of the Week: Spa-Like Addition With a Modern Earthy Look
A designer and a builder create an en suite bath with a spacious curbless shower, a skylight and an inviting palette
As parents of two young kids, this California couple dreamed of a private en suite bathroom retreat. But the location of their existing bathroom — off a hallway near the main living areas — was anything but ideal. So instead of remodeling, they decided to build an en suite bathroom addition in an unused section of their backyard.
For help with the major project, they hired designer Andrea Jeffery and builder Ken Jones. The almost-200-square-foot addition is long and narrow and features a window and a skylight that pull in lots of natural light. Oversize hexagonal porcelain tiles in a charcoal color run the length of the room, into the curbless shower and up the back wall, putting an emphasis on the length of the room rather than its width. Charcoal walls complement the stone-look tile and join an alder double vanity to give the room a modern earthy style.
For help with the major project, they hired designer Andrea Jeffery and builder Ken Jones. The almost-200-square-foot addition is long and narrow and features a window and a skylight that pull in lots of natural light. Oversize hexagonal porcelain tiles in a charcoal color run the length of the room, into the curbless shower and up the back wall, putting an emphasis on the length of the room rather than its width. Charcoal walls complement the stone-look tile and join an alder double vanity to give the room a modern earthy style.
The custom floating full-overlay alder vanity has a custom satin stain that matches the floors in the home’s main living areas. “Shaker doors are what you see everywhere these days, but there are ways to make the vanity modern,” Jeffery says. “One great way is to float the vanity to make the space feel a little bit more open.”
A concrete-look quartz countertop and backsplash complement the moody grays in the room. “It’s like a leathered finish,” Jeffery says. “They wanted that stone-like feel. It was one of the first countertops I sampled for them, and they fell in love with the feel of the leathered finish.”
A pair of cylindrical pendants with an aged brass finish and black-and-white striped shades provide lighting over the vanity. “They’re really fun,” Jeffery says. “I wanted to do something different than a traditional vanity light.”
The widespread faucets feature a brushed nickel finish that coordinates with other brushed nickel details in the room.
Backsplash and countertop: Airy Concrete, Caesarstone; pendant lights: Brookville in aged brass and stripe combo, Hudson Valley Lighting; faucets: Contempra in brushed nickel, Pfister
Shop from a curated collection of popular bathroom vanities
A concrete-look quartz countertop and backsplash complement the moody grays in the room. “It’s like a leathered finish,” Jeffery says. “They wanted that stone-like feel. It was one of the first countertops I sampled for them, and they fell in love with the feel of the leathered finish.”
A pair of cylindrical pendants with an aged brass finish and black-and-white striped shades provide lighting over the vanity. “They’re really fun,” Jeffery says. “I wanted to do something different than a traditional vanity light.”
The widespread faucets feature a brushed nickel finish that coordinates with other brushed nickel details in the room.
Backsplash and countertop: Airy Concrete, Caesarstone; pendant lights: Brookville in aged brass and stripe combo, Hudson Valley Lighting; faucets: Contempra in brushed nickel, Pfister
Shop from a curated collection of popular bathroom vanities
The cabinet pulls also have a brushed nickel finish. “They were clean and simple and didn’t take your eye away from the vanity itself,” Jeffery says. “They also have a sturdy feel when you grab them.”
8 Bathroom Features Homeowners Want Now
8 Bathroom Features Homeowners Want Now
In the shower, the shower head, hand shower and other components are also in a brushed nickel finish.
Toilet: Highline in white, Kohler
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Toilet: Highline in white, Kohler
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
A ledge incorporated into the back wall of the shower offers a spot to set toiletries and potted plants. “It’s clean and simple,” Jeffery says. “We wanted the back wall to be the focal point, and the ledge isn’t really visible.”
A teak corner bench offers a place to sit or prop a foot for shaving one’s legs. “It’s a retreat for the clients,” Jeffery says. “After all is said and done, they feel it’s their favorite place in the house.”
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A teak corner bench offers a place to sit or prop a foot for shaving one’s legs. “It’s a retreat for the clients,” Jeffery says. “After all is said and done, they feel it’s their favorite place in the house.”
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 professional couple with two young kids
Location: Livermore, California
Size: 197 square feet (18 square meters)
Designer: Andrea Jeffery of Jeffery Design Studio
Builder: Ken Jones of K&H Custom Home Solutions
The addition extends off the bedroom in the couple’s midcentury-style home. Large 12-by-24-inch hexagonal stone-look porcelain tiles run the length of the room and up the back wall. “We went through four or five months trying to find the right tile,” Jeffery says. “They were really wanting a deep, dark stone look. They had also shown interest in a hexagon shape, and this one was great because it was made for wet areas. They just fell in love with this tile.”
For the side walls in the shower, 12-by-24-inch marble-look porcelain tiles enhance light from a skylight. A remote control can open the skylight to let in fresh air. A rain sensor can detect droplets and automatically close the skylight as needed.
A custom frameless fixed glass shower panel gives the shower a light and airy look and keeps sightlines open through the space to the back wall, making the 16-foot-long layout appear more spacious.
A warm white wall (Oxford White by Benjamin Moore) and bright white ceiling and trim (Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore) also help lighten the room. A charcoal gray vanity wall (Trout Gray by Benjamin Moore) complements the stone-look tile. “We didn’t want an all-white space,” Jeffery says. “I felt it needed some grounding.”
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