Boys Bathroom (Doubling as a Powder Room) Remodel

A client came to us with a BIG design problem.  Her two, young boys shared a small bathroom, and that bathroom also served as their primary powder room for all guests.  The boys had almost no storage, and since almost every guest will typically utilize this space at some point during a visit to the client's home, it meant that the consistently messy bathroom was perpetually on display.  Making the bathroom larger was not an option for this space, so we rolled up our sleeves and got serious about solving this space.  The client loves crisp navy and white, and wanted to incorporate these colors and textures into the new space.

Overall Concept for New, Bathroom Finishes 

These are the before photos of this compact space.  The space has the benefit of high ceilings and a skylight, so there is ample natural light and a nice volume of space.  

The fiberglass shower insert was cracked, discolored and just felt a little dingy, even after ample scrubbing.  

Before  

The boys vanity had a molded, all-in-one countertop and sink.  The sink was large for the size of the vanity and left little space on the countertop as a primary bathroom for two young boys. There wasn't a lot of space for combs, hairbrushes, toothpaste, etc. 

The floor was white tile that never, ever felt clean, even when freshly mopped.  In general, the client was super frustrated with this space and not sure how to get started.  As always, we started with the footprint and began to analyze the floorpan.  

Because this bathroom couldn't be made bigger, we had to find solutions to make the most of every existing square inch.  First off - find a vanity with better storage.  Shallow drawers are typically the best option for bathroom vanities, and we were able to find this ready-made option.  As an additional bonus, the sink was offset to the left, which left a bigger area for the boys to use as counter space.  Since this bathroom had felt a little dingy to the client, a fresh white finish made sense.

A vanity with an offset sink gives more space to one side for spreading out all the needed, daily items.

Here, the new vanity is shown in place and the storage is much improved. 

But, of course a 36" wide vanity can only offer so much storage, so we had to look into offering some sort of vertical/wall storage also.  Over the toilet cabinets are not typically, particularly attractive, and we wanted something that felt more integrated than just a cabinet plunked onto the wall.  So we sharpened our pencils and got to work.  If there was a way to integrate some wall cabinets into a new, custom mirror surround, perhaps we could add two, 12" wide x 7" deep x 42" high wall cabinets to the sink wall elevation.  If we clad the recessed panel within each cabinet in mirror, it would further the effect that the wall cabinets and custom mirror surround were all one unit.  This would elevate the amount of storage and the aesthetics as well.  

These two, 42" tall wall cabinets would add tons of storage to the bathroom and each son could have their own storage cabinet.  With the 7" deep profile, they wouldn't be so deep as to be clunky and obtrusive as typical, 12" deep wall cabinets.  We also devised a way to have an outlet installed within each cabinet so each son's electric toothbrush could charge there, out of sight and off the countertop.  

Here is the storage and mirror surround solution, before the main mirror is installed.

The client wanted to introduce some gold and brass elements into the new bathroom.  A widespread faucet adds sparkle and color to the new vanity.  Next we got busy on finding a more forgiving flooring.  The existing white tile always felt dingy and dirty.  

With two young boys using this space multiple times a day, we needed something that was impervious to water and spills, so a solid vinyl product made the most sense.  Because we were layering on lots of crisp whites for trim, tub, tile and vanity, a wood tone on the floor would definitely warm things up, visually.   A solid vinyl floor is incredibly durable, so with no grout lines to maintain, keeping it clean would be infinitely easier.

 

The client still wanted to incorporate blue and white elements in this space and this graphic fabric fit the bill for a new, oversized shower curtain.  Because the ceilings are vaulted in this bathroom, a typical 72" x 72" shower curtain felt really underscored.  Because this bathroom doubles as the powder room for guests, a taller, fuller shower curtain would instantly make the space feel a bit special.  

The new shower curtain would be 100" wide x 96" long before it was hung up on the curtain rod, so this would be a big increase in scale and visual impact!    With all that extra fabric comes a lot of extra physical weight, so we would need the shower curtain rod and rings to be able to properly support the new curtain.  And, we would need to find a waterproof shower liner that would work with this new curtain size, as well.   We used this bold fabric as a "jumping off point" for the paint colors in this space. 

Because this bathroom has a compact footprint, a bold navy paint color everywhere would have closed the space in, visually.

  By using the client's favorite shade below the custom, wall to wall hook rack, we were able to layer it into the space without overwhelming it.   The navy paint color is a sharp, crisp contrast to the lighter, neutral shade used in the rest of the room.  

Thankfully, the client no longer holds her breath when guests ask to use the main bathroom.  The bathroom feels fresh and finished, with custom touches layered in to meet their specific needs.