Spa-Like Bathroom Nods to Mediterranean Style
A designer creates continuity between a Southern California family’s older traditional home and a new addition
This Sherman Oaks, California, couple had been assured that they absolutely did not need an interior designer and could just go pick the finishes for their master bathroom and closet addition themselves. And that was terrible advice. While they had clear ideas about what they liked, they quickly found themselves overwhelmed and unable to agree. So they searched for local interior designers on Houzz, found Irene Lovett of designstiles and set up a meeting. After finding out their needs and getting to know their style, Lovett felt confident she could create a room they both liked in a way that felt cohesive with their home’s traditional Mediterranean style.
Armed with inspiration photos, the homeowners showed Lovett some ready-made vanities they admired and were very specific about each aspect they liked. “But because they were spending a lot on the addition, I thought they should explore having a vanity that fit their space perfectly. And they had a lot of specific details they wanted to incorporate,” she says. These included the bumped-out drawer section in the center, the elevated legs and the special countertop profile. “I convinced them to at least let me draw up the vanity and have my carpenter quote it for them,” she says.
Another advantage of building a custom vanity was choosing just the right stain for the alder wood. “They were drawn to deep, rich browns and did not want a hint of red in the wood,” Lovett says. Her carpenter was able to give them a selection of stains to choose from. “It’s so much better to be able to look at the samples in person,” she says. In the end they went with the vanity that was customized to fit their space and included every detail on their wish list.
The millwork and framed mirrors came about from a vanity inspiration photo. “One of the vanities I showed them had a paneled mirror in it and he really liked it and wondered if they could do that,” Lovett says. “I thought it was a good idea as it would mimic the French doors and give them a more custom look.”
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Another advantage of building a custom vanity was choosing just the right stain for the alder wood. “They were drawn to deep, rich browns and did not want a hint of red in the wood,” Lovett says. Her carpenter was able to give them a selection of stains to choose from. “It’s so much better to be able to look at the samples in person,” she says. In the end they went with the vanity that was customized to fit their space and included every detail on their wish list.
The millwork and framed mirrors came about from a vanity inspiration photo. “One of the vanities I showed them had a paneled mirror in it and he really liked it and wondered if they could do that,” Lovett says. “I thought it was a good idea as it would mimic the French doors and give them a more custom look.”
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The countertops are quartz and have a special 1½-inch cove ogee square profile that adds to the custom feel of the bathroom. This edge also mimics the coved crown molding at the top of the wall.
The homeowners had chosen a brushed nickel tub fixture, so Lovett recommended sticking with that for the faucets and shower heads for consistency. They went with a Moen Dartmoor faucet in brushed nickel. “Then I mixed in oil-rubbed bronze for some other finishes. I like to mix at least two metals,” she says. The darker oil-rubbed bronze appears here on the double sconce from the Thomas O’Brien Hulton collection. This finish ties the room to the home’s Mediterranean style.
The homeowners had chosen a brushed nickel tub fixture, so Lovett recommended sticking with that for the faucets and shower heads for consistency. They went with a Moen Dartmoor faucet in brushed nickel. “Then I mixed in oil-rubbed bronze for some other finishes. I like to mix at least two metals,” she says. The darker oil-rubbed bronze appears here on the double sconce from the Thomas O’Brien Hulton collection. This finish ties the room to the home’s Mediterranean style.
Black metal also appears on the towel rack and doorknobs.
“For the shower, the main direction I had was that he hated subway tile and didn’t want it anywhere in this room. He wanted something unique,” Lovett says. “We used the cream-colored travertine flooring as a jumping-off point and used a 12-by-24-inch travertine tile on the shower walls.” The floors are a pebble tile in colors that pick up on the travertine, and Lovett backed the arched niche with chiseled stone to give it dimension. The pebble tile adds to the spa-like feel, while the arch plays off other arches in the home.
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“For the shower, the main direction I had was that he hated subway tile and didn’t want it anywhere in this room. He wanted something unique,” Lovett says. “We used the cream-colored travertine flooring as a jumping-off point and used a 12-by-24-inch travertine tile on the shower walls.” The floors are a pebble tile in colors that pick up on the travertine, and Lovett backed the arched niche with chiseled stone to give it dimension. The pebble tile adds to the spa-like feel, while the arch plays off other arches in the home.
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The clients had a claw-foot tub in mind and Lovett agreed wholeheartedly — the classic look was a great fit for the older home. And the antique Turkish rug she found adds just the right dose of color and age atop the travertine flooring. The wood of the sauna wall provides a warm backdrop for the bathtub. And the toilet is tucked behind the French door on the left. A pony wall separates it from the bathtub area.
The result is a fresh transitional-style bathroom that fits in well with the home’s traditional style while also updating it. The homeowners told Lovett they’re glad they called her when they did and couldn’t have gotten the results they wanted without her.
More on Houzz
Your Guide to Mediterranean Style
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Shop for your bathroom
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The result is a fresh transitional-style bathroom that fits in well with the home’s traditional style while also updating it. The homeowners told Lovett they’re glad they called her when they did and couldn’t have gotten the results they wanted without her.
More on Houzz
Your Guide to Mediterranean Style
Browse more bathrooms
Shop for your bathroom
Find a bathroom designer
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: The parents of young twin boys
Location: Sherman Oaks, California
Size: 156 square feet (14.5 square meters)
Designer: Irene Lovett of designstiles
When Lovett joined the project, the room had already been laid out by the architect and the homeowners had chosen two things: a home sauna and travertine floor tile in a Versailles pattern that matched the flooring in their foyer. Her job was to help them finish things from there.
“My clients had a good idea of what they wanted and they pushed me out of my usual element, which was great,” Lovett says. The goal was to create a soothing, spa-like space that felt cohesive with the rest of the traditional Mediterranean-style home.
One of the places where a designer’s eye and experience were crucial was picking paint colors. For example, Lovett knew that some of the green paint colors that looked serene to her clients on tiny paint store samples would actually appear garish on their walls. “They wanted to add some color, but it needed to be soft and soothing,” she says. She pointed them toward Benjamin Moore’s Gray Wisp, a soft gray with subtle green undertones. “This wound up being the ideal color to pull in. This is why you hire a designer,” she says.
Paneling and trim paint: Milk Glass, Dunn-Edwards
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