Bathroom of the Week: From Cave-Like to Bright and Modern
A Texas couple work with their designers to freshen up an aging master bathroom that felt dark and dreary
In 2007, a Texas couple purchased a midcentury-style home in a suburb of Dallas with plans to update and personalize it over time. After working with designer Erica Nicole Illions on their kitchen in 2017, they were ready to renovate the master bath, and they tapped Illions and her colleague Rebecca Sutton for help. The space, which had a cave-like feel, didn’t match the personalities of the hip young parents. The designers removed the enclosed shower and built-in sunken tub, then used a bright and fresh color scheme to create a more modern and inviting bathroom that gives the busy couple a relaxing, rejuvenating retreat.
After: Removing the soffit over the vanity made the main wall feel less heavy. A new freestanding walnut vanity, streamlined rectangular mirrors and globe lights also help keep things light and airy. The prefabricated vanity came with a durable quartz counter, undermount sinks, three operable drawers and a low open shelf. “This vanity has cleaner lines and it’s a lot sleeker than what they had before,” Illions says. “They didn’t need such a hefty vanity for that space.”
Neutral gray walls (Gray Screen by Sherwin-Williams) with a white ceiling for a bit of contrast (Extra White by Sherwin-Williams) give the bathroom a brighter and fresher look. Glazed horizontal white wall tiles behind the vanity offer easy cleaning and a bit of texture. “Doing the tile in that straight lay gives it a more modern look,” Illions says. “The high-gloss tile helps reflect the light from the windows, and that helps the room feel brighter.”
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Neutral gray walls (Gray Screen by Sherwin-Williams) with a white ceiling for a bit of contrast (Extra White by Sherwin-Williams) give the bathroom a brighter and fresher look. Glazed horizontal white wall tiles behind the vanity offer easy cleaning and a bit of texture. “Doing the tile in that straight lay gives it a more modern look,” Illions says. “The high-gloss tile helps reflect the light from the windows, and that helps the room feel brighter.”
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The bathroom now has a light gray porcelain tile floor. “In a more contemporary bathroom I prefer a larger-format tile,” Illions says. “The gray helps ground the bathroom a bit and has a bit of texture to it, so when you get out of the shower or tub you’re not slipping around.”
The door visible at the rear opens to a walk-in closet.
The door visible at the rear opens to a walk-in closet.
The two sinks include rounded chrome widespread faucets with clean, modern lines.
Before: This image shows the previous bathroom’s enclosed shower and adjoining sunken tub. “There was a faucet outside the shower wall that was leaking, so we had to replace some of the studs in the wall,” Illions says. “We didn’t know that until we opened up the wall.”
The door at the rear leads to the master bedroom.
The door at the rear leads to the master bedroom.
After: The enclosed shower was replaced with a more modern and airy glass-enclosed shower, which is paired with a freestanding oval tub. “Doing an all-glass shower allows all that sunlight into the bathroom and really utilizes the light from those windows,” Illions says.
The shower includes a fun paprika-colored tile niche for a pop of color. The shower floor features gray 1-by-1-inch hexagon mosaic tiles that add visual interest. “The smaller-format tile allows there to be more grip on a wet floor — that’s why you don’t often see larger-format tile in a shower,” Illions says. “The shower floor also has to slope toward the drain.”
After: The more modern freestanding soaking tub has an ergonomic design. “Doing something oval rather than square doesn’t give you those harsh lines and it’s easier to walk around,” Illions says. “Since they have a little one, they didn’t want those sharp corners. It filled that space really nicely, and doesn’t obstruct the view at all.”
Freestanding tub: Forma collection, Jason International
Freestanding tub: Forma collection, Jason International
The homeowners had the windows upgraded and left them bare to enjoy as much natural light as possible. “The bathroom overlooks a side yard with a fence and no neighbor on the other side,” Illions says. “The more light the better.”
Near the tub, a niche with jade-colored ceramic tile offers a spot for bath products and decorative accessories. “We had several colors, and the client really gravitated toward bolder colors,” Illions says.
Before: This view of the former toilet area shows a heavy cabinet above the toilet that made the small space feel extra cramped. “We thought about taking the wall out there, but they wanted to keep it for privacy,” Illions says. “We also needed that wall there for the niche on the tub side, so they had a place for their bath products.”
After: Illions installed two custom floating walnut wood shelves, which were stained on site to match the vanity, above the new white elongated two-piece toilet to provide a bit of storage without all the weight of a wall cabinet. The existing soffit above the toilet was also removed to make the small space feel larger.
The homeowners can now enjoy a quick shower or a leisurely soak in the brighter, more modern bathroom they were after. “It’s very clean but it’s not sterile, because you have touches of walnut that warms it up a bit,” Illions says. “I like that we were able to include a couple colors in there too.”
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The homeowners can now enjoy a quick shower or a leisurely soak in the brighter, more modern bathroom they were after. “It’s very clean but it’s not sterile, because you have touches of walnut that warms it up a bit,” Illions says. “I like that we were able to include a couple colors in there too.”
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple and their son, cat and dog
Location: Las Colinas, Texas
Size: 129 square feet (12 square meters)
Designers: Erica Nicole Illions and Rebecca Sutton of Kitchen Design Concepts
Before: The existing bathroom with its beige tile floor felt almost like a cave, Illions says. A hefty soffit above the stained oak double vanity made the space feel cramped, and the laminate countertop and large frameless mirror felt dated.
On the positive side, the bathroom had tall windows, but intense blue Venetian plaster walls still made the space feel dark and dreary. “It just wasn’t their style,” Illions says. “It was very stark and the walls were heavy. Even with the tall windows they had, you didn’t get a lot of natural light into that bathroom.”
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