Before and After: 4 Bathroom Remodels in 91 to 102 Square Feet
Browse bathrooms with styles inspired by Tudor homes, inns, five-star hotels and spas
Bathrooms of 95 square feet or so would be considered generously sized. But around the time these larger bathrooms started to trend in new homes, elements such as giant 1980s soaking tubs with large, clunky surrounds, compact shower stalls and a low standard height for vanities were trending too. Many homeowners with a bathroom this size now find there’s plenty of room for improvement in them. Here’s how four design pros made the most of the space.
After: To expand the bathroom and get the layout right, Martin shifted the entry, took over the useless hallway space and moved some closets. The new space is 91 square feet. This allowed for a freestanding bathtub and a generous shower stall.
Martin thought of the room as a white box, carefully adding a limited palette of materials and colors to it. A white oak floating vanity now serves as the focal point of the room. The pendant lights have amber tones that play off the warmth of the wood. Linear black accents provide dark contrast.
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Martin thought of the room as a white box, carefully adding a limited palette of materials and colors to it. A white oak floating vanity now serves as the focal point of the room. The pendant lights have amber tones that play off the warmth of the wood. Linear black accents provide dark contrast.
Find a local bathroom remodeler
Minimalism played a large role in creating a relaxing space. Martin used one long ledge to house the plumbing for the tub faucets and to serve as a shelf for bathtub needs. Using large-format porcelain tiles on the floor minimized grout lines.
Learn more about this remodel
Learn more about this remodel
2. Tudor Style for a Seattle Family Bath
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A family
Location: Seattle
Size: 93 square feet (8.6 square meters)
Designer: Jennifer Kowalski of Six Walls Interior Design
Builder: Potter Construction
Before: With their family growing, this young couple knew they’d need more space in the only bathroom on the second floor of their Tudor-style home in Seattle. They searched Houzz for contractors and found Potter Construction. Potter brought in interior designer Jennifer Kowalski and together they created a beautiful bathroom that suits the home’s American Tudor-style architecture. The renovation included new windows and increased the bathroom’s footprint from 75 to 93 square feet.
The former style was 1980s contemporary, which didn’t fit with the older home. The space had a tub-shower combination and the room felt cramped.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A family
Location: Seattle
Size: 93 square feet (8.6 square meters)
Designer: Jennifer Kowalski of Six Walls Interior Design
Builder: Potter Construction
Before: With their family growing, this young couple knew they’d need more space in the only bathroom on the second floor of their Tudor-style home in Seattle. They searched Houzz for contractors and found Potter Construction. Potter brought in interior designer Jennifer Kowalski and together they created a beautiful bathroom that suits the home’s American Tudor-style architecture. The renovation included new windows and increased the bathroom’s footprint from 75 to 93 square feet.
The former style was 1980s contemporary, which didn’t fit with the older home. The space had a tub-shower combination and the room felt cramped.
After: One of the homeowners’ priorities was a design that fit in with the home’s architecture. “This bathroom needed to feel historic — like it had been a part of the home since it was built,” project manager Matt Moisan of Potter Construction says. They also insisted on a claw-foot tub and traditional wainscoting. “This bathroom just wouldn’t be the same without either of those features,” he says.
After Kowalski found floor tile with marble-like veining, she plucked a gray color from it and had the tub painted to match. A vine print wallcovering adds a botanical motif, something commonly used during the Tudor Revival era.
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After Kowalski found floor tile with marble-like veining, she plucked a gray color from it and had the tub painted to match. A vine print wallcovering adds a botanical motif, something commonly used during the Tudor Revival era.
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The team borrowed space from an oversize closet in the adjacent nursery to make room for a more expansive shower stall. It also gained space by removing the bathroom’s small linen closet and cutting into some space under the eaves. A clear glass shower enclosure makes the room feel bigger and brighter.
Tip: In a family bath, there’s no such thing as a shower niche that’s too big. This one is 31 inches wide by 25 inches high, with a tempered glass shelf.
Learn more about this renovation
Tip: In a family bath, there’s no such thing as a shower niche that’s too big. This one is 31 inches wide by 25 inches high, with a tempered glass shelf.
Learn more about this renovation
3. Spa-Like Calm in Southern California
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: La Jolla, California
Size: 95 square feet (about 9 square meters)
Designer-Builder: Marie Cairns of CairnsCraft Design & Remodel and designer Luz del Pozzo
Before: This Southern California couple needed help making their dated bathroom more functional and calming. They enlisted the design-build team at CairnsCraft and designer Luz del Pozzo to accomplish this within the room’s 95-square-foot footprint.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: La Jolla, California
Size: 95 square feet (about 9 square meters)
Designer-Builder: Marie Cairns of CairnsCraft Design & Remodel and designer Luz del Pozzo
Before: This Southern California couple needed help making their dated bathroom more functional and calming. They enlisted the design-build team at CairnsCraft and designer Luz del Pozzo to accomplish this within the room’s 95-square-foot footprint.
After: A soothing blue glass tile in a herringbone pattern creates a spa-like atmosphere in the room. The designers used lighting, reflective tile and mirrors to make the room bright. A large mirrored medicine cabinet with integrated lights provides extra storage.
Across from the vanity, this tall linen cabinet accommodates the homeowner’s large jewelry box, as well as extra linens and other items. The cabinet doors are mirrored on both sides so the homeowner can check out the jewelry she’s selected while keeping her jewelry box drawers and the doors open.
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Hire a cabinet pro
More blue mosaic tile appears in elegant vertical columns in the shower. These columns and the textured glass on the enclosure recall a waterfall — the epitome of spa-like surroundings.
Learn more about this renovation
Learn more about this renovation
4. Nantucket Modern Style in New England
Bathrooms at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Arlington, Massachusetts
Size: Master bathroom: 102 square feet (9.5 square meters)
Designer: Kelly McGuill of Kelly McGuill Home
Builder: Sequoia Custom Builders
Before: This couple had what’s known as “a good problem to have.” At 170 square feet, their master bathroom was too large. In spite of all that room, the layout wasted a lot of space. For example, there was a tub-shower combo in a room that had plenty of space to separate the two.
Bathrooms at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Arlington, Massachusetts
Size: Master bathroom: 102 square feet (9.5 square meters)
Designer: Kelly McGuill of Kelly McGuill Home
Builder: Sequoia Custom Builders
Before: This couple had what’s known as “a good problem to have.” At 170 square feet, their master bathroom was too large. In spite of all that room, the layout wasted a lot of space. For example, there was a tub-shower combo in a room that had plenty of space to separate the two.
After: Interior designer Kelly McGuill helped them divvy up the space into two bathrooms, one for them and one for guests. The couple’s new bathroom is now 102 square feet. It includes a long custom vanity with six large drawers, a spacious shower stall and a freestanding tub.
The homeowners had fallen in love with a nautical bathroom at a Nantucket Inn that they wanted to use as inspiration. McGuill helped them put their own spin on it. The result is a style she dubbed “Nantucket modern.”
The homeowners had fallen in love with a nautical bathroom at a Nantucket Inn that they wanted to use as inspiration. McGuill helped them put their own spin on it. The result is a style she dubbed “Nantucket modern.”
The minimalist silhouette of the soaker tub is modern. But the simple floating shelves provide space for some decorative items to add character. And McGuill matched existing elements of the Arts and Crafts-era home, including the molding around the pocket door and the 8-inch-high baseboards. This created cohesiveness between the bathroom and the rest of the house.
Browse white freestanding bathtubs in the Houzz Shop
Browse white freestanding bathtubs in the Houzz Shop
Modern touches come in the form of the clean-lined floating vanity, the large-format tiles on the floor and shower walls and the wall-mounted faucets. The stained oak wood of the vanity, the Carrera marble tile, the warm brass finishes and the accessories add traditional elements.
Learn more about this renovation, including the second bathroom
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Learn more about this renovation, including the second bathroom
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 twin girls and a boy
Location: Toronto
Size: 91 square feet (8.5 square meters)
Designer: Veronica Martin of Two Fold Interiors
Before: This home had an odd master suite layout, which included an unnecessary hallway between the bedroom and the bathroom. The owners wanted to transform it into a space with a relaxing five-star hotel feel. They searched through local projects they liked on Houzz and found Veronica Martin of Two Fold Interiors.
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