Bathroom of the Week: Breezy and Open With a Navy Blue Vanity
A designer updates a California couple’s master bathroom with fresh style and a new layout that brings in more sunshine
After 15 years, a Modesto, California, couple had had enough of their dingy white bathroom and its daunting floor-to-ceiling glass block shower enclosure. The couple tapped designer Lindsay Kjellberg to help create a more bright and open feel and update the style in a cozy transitional vibe that matches the rest of the 1940s house. Kjellberg responded with a navy blue vanity paired with brass hardware and other accents. She also removed the glass block and replaced it with a frameless glass enclosure that allows light into the bathroom and showcases the shower’s creamy stone-look porcelain wall tiles and marble mosaic floor tile in a basketweave pattern.
After: Kjellberg took the previous bathroom down to the studs, giving her a clean slate to add style and increase storage and light.
Elegant white walls with a warm gray undertone (Rotunda White by Kelly-Moore Paints) and an off-white ceiling (Swiss Coffee by Kelly-Moore Paints) provide a soft and soothing backdrop and contrast for the new poplar vanity painted navy blue (After Midnight, in a satin finish, by Kelly-Moore Paints). “They were a little hesitant about the darkness of the vanity, but I asked them to trust me and told them we could always paint over it, because I felt we needed one pop of color in there,” Kjellberg says. “I didn’t want the room to feel sterile. They love how warm, soothing and serene the bathroom now feels.”
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Elegant white walls with a warm gray undertone (Rotunda White by Kelly-Moore Paints) and an off-white ceiling (Swiss Coffee by Kelly-Moore Paints) provide a soft and soothing backdrop and contrast for the new poplar vanity painted navy blue (After Midnight, in a satin finish, by Kelly-Moore Paints). “They were a little hesitant about the darkness of the vanity, but I asked them to trust me and told them we could always paint over it, because I felt we needed one pop of color in there,” Kjellberg says. “I didn’t want the room to feel sterile. They love how warm, soothing and serene the bathroom now feels.”
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Kjellberg extended the vanity 10 inches, taking advantage of formerly wasted space, to gain more storage. Cabinet pulls in a champagne bronze finish complement the navy blue and coordinate with the warm tones in the new wood-look porcelain floor tiles in a matte finish.
Vanity hardware: Blackrock pulls in Golden Champagne, Amerock Hardware
Vanity hardware: Blackrock pulls in Golden Champagne, Amerock Hardware
A widespread faucet also features a champagne bronze finish. Kjellberg chose a rectangular undermount sink because she felt the shape modernized the vanity. “And it has a sleek profile, and it’s nice and easy to clean,” she says.
A mirrored medicine cabinet with three doors holds three adjustable shelves and a built-in magnifying mirror. “Since it’s not a huge space, we were able to recess it,” Kjellberg says. “It was a nice way to get a bit more storage in there.”
Dimmable LED sconces in a brass finish flank the medicine cabinet. Two 30-inch towel bars by the bathroom door (seen in the mirror reflection) coordinate with the other finishes.
Sink: Ladena, Kohler; faucet: Trinsic in Champagne Bronze, Delta; medicine cabinet: Verdera, Kohler; towel bars: Trinsic in Champagne Bronze, Delta
A mirrored medicine cabinet with three doors holds three adjustable shelves and a built-in magnifying mirror. “Since it’s not a huge space, we were able to recess it,” Kjellberg says. “It was a nice way to get a bit more storage in there.”
Dimmable LED sconces in a brass finish flank the medicine cabinet. Two 30-inch towel bars by the bathroom door (seen in the mirror reflection) coordinate with the other finishes.
Sink: Ladena, Kohler; faucet: Trinsic in Champagne Bronze, Delta; medicine cabinet: Verdera, Kohler; towel bars: Trinsic in Champagne Bronze, Delta
After: Kjellberg eliminated the former enclosure and added a custom frameless glass surround with matte black hardware, creating a more light and open feel. A special coating on the glass causes water to bead up, making cleaning easier.
The walls and built-in bench are covered in creamy beige 12-by-24-inch porcelain tiles laid in a horizontal offset pattern with taupe grout. “I felt that was a very classic look,” Kjellberg says. “The large-format tile is nice, to minimize the grout lines.”
The floor and niche backing are marble mosaic tile in a basketweave pattern. “The dot seen in the basketweave almost matches the color of the large-format tile we used,” Kjellberg says.
A new double-pane, energy-efficient operable window lets in light and fresh air. Kjellberg added a recessed LED light above the shower and a new exhaust fan (not shown).
The walls and built-in bench are covered in creamy beige 12-by-24-inch porcelain tiles laid in a horizontal offset pattern with taupe grout. “I felt that was a very classic look,” Kjellberg says. “The large-format tile is nice, to minimize the grout lines.”
The floor and niche backing are marble mosaic tile in a basketweave pattern. “The dot seen in the basketweave almost matches the color of the large-format tile we used,” Kjellberg says.
A new double-pane, energy-efficient operable window lets in light and fresh air. Kjellberg added a recessed LED light above the shower and a new exhaust fan (not shown).
The matte black shower set features a handheld shower head that reaches across to the bench.
The door on the left connects to the couple’s bedroom. Kjellberg had the existing door sanded and painted to match the walls, and cleaned up the existing white porcelain knob with brass rosette. “I was really pleased how well it worked into the updated space,” she says.
The door on the left connects to the couple’s bedroom. Kjellberg had the existing door sanded and painted to match the walls, and cleaned up the existing white porcelain knob with brass rosette. “I was really pleased how well it worked into the updated space,” she says.
This view looking away from the shower highlights the wood-look porcelain tile, which offers warmth and durability. “It’s also a very close match to the old real wood they have throughout the rest of their home,” Kjellberg says.
A new white elongated toilet sits across from a new linen closet painted to coordinate with the walls.
Now the couple have a brighter, more stylish and functional master bathroom. “It gave them an updated space they can enjoy,” Kjellberg says. “The end product fits their home, and doesn’t feel out of place.”
Toilet: Highline, Kohler
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A new white elongated toilet sits across from a new linen closet painted to coordinate with the walls.
Now the couple have a brighter, more stylish and functional master bathroom. “It gave them an updated space they can enjoy,” Kjellberg says. “The end product fits their home, and doesn’t feel out of place.”
Toilet: Highline, Kohler
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 couple
Location: Modesto, California
Size: 120 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer: Lindsay Kjellberg of LHK Interiors
Before: The couple had grown tired of the faded white everything — walls, tile, vanity, sink and toilet. A glass block wall completely cut off the shower from the rest of the space and obstructed the natural light from a shower window. “It was surprising how dark that space was with the glass block,” Kjellberg says. “They didn’t like to spend time in there. They would brush their teeth and get out.”
Kjellberg also identified areas to expand storage, such as wasted space between the vanity and shower.
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