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A Cary, North Carolina, couple who love to travel wanted their en suite primary bathroom to feel like a luxury hotel with spa-style amenities. Their existing space — with a dark traditional double vanity, separate tub and enclosed shower — was generously sized but lacked the wellness retreat atmosphere they envisioned. To help elevate the design and add modern comforts, they turned to design-build pros Steve Minor and Raul Bautista Perez of Noble Renovation.

The team reworked the old layout and created a modern wet room that combines a state-of-the-art steam shower and an inviting soaking tub, streamlining the footprint and providing a go-to spot for rest and rejuvenation. A larger custom white oak double vanity with a seated makeup station boosts storage while adding warmth and clean lines. A marble accent wall, backlit mirrors and soothing color palette enhance the calm, contemporary feel, giving the couple the next-level retreat they were after.

Before Photo

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“After” photos by Bob Fortner Photography

Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Cary, North Carolina
Size: 248 square feet (23 square meters)
Design-build team: Steve Minor and Raul Bautista Perez of Noble Renovation

Before: The former traditional-style bathroom, with its coffered ceiling and chandelier, felt heavy and disjointed. “There were high and uneven ceilings,” Minor says. “We wanted to create clean lines.”

One wall held a dark double vanity with a granite counter. Another had a drop-in tub with a bulky tiled deck that was difficult to use. To the right of the tub, an enclosed shower had a narrow entrance. A window over the tub covered with film attempted to bring light into the space. “That tub was really too tall for the wife to get in and out of and dominated the bathroom,” Minor says. “The wife wanted a tub that was easy to get in and out of and he wanted a steam shower, so that’s how the design developed.”

Across from the vanity, just out of view on the right, a water closet and a linen closet offered privacy and storage the homeowners wanted to keep but refresh.

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After: This photo was taken from about the same angle as the previous one. The team knocked the bathroom back to the studs and updated the electrical and plumbing to accommodate the planned upgrades. It lowered the ceiling from 13 feet to about 11 feet, reducing visual clutter and unifying the space.

The modern wet room features a custom black-tinted tempered glass enclosure with matte black hardware. The lower section is clad in matte wood-look fluted porcelain tiles, creating a soothing atmosphere. Inside the wet room, a black oversize shower panel is mounted on the ceiling. Just outside the entrance, a ceiling-mounted, humidity-sensing exhaust fan helps keep the bathroom comfortable and dry.

The back wall on the left is covered in ivory-toned marble panels with a textured, split-faced surface and interlocking design. A large backlit mirror illuminates the wall, highlighting the texture. “We were trying to add a statement when you walk in,” Minor says. “It also makes the room feel bigger. They love it. It adds a lot of drama.”

The flooring is 12-by-24-inch matte white onyx-look porcelain tiles with Wi-Fi-enabled radiant heat. The paneled door at the back opens to the updated primary closet, packed with storage solutions. “We continued the floor tile in there and it has a heated floor and LED lights,” Minor says. “It has a big window and an island in there as well.”

Accent wall: Splitface collection in Impero Reale, Anatolia

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Slabs of Taj Mahal quartzite create the wet room’s bench top, low-curb entry and tub deck. The same stone is also used for the vanity countertop and backsplash.Wood-look tile: Kenridge Ribbon in Maple Brown, TileBar

8 Golden Rules of Bathroom Design

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In addition to the rain shower panel, the wet room includes a wall-mounted shower head, handheld sprayer and steam function. The black square with orange circles is the digital touch pad for the steam shower, letting the homeowners set time and temperature. “Our clients didn’t want to have anything lacking as far as luxury goes,” Minor says. “The husband enjoys the rain experience. The wand is nice for bathing or cleaning the glass. This shower has all the push-button features so you can set the temperature and you’re ready to go.”

The ceiling and sides of the bench and tub deck feature the same wood-look fluted tile used on the exterior of the wet room. The flooring and backs of the niches are tumbled mosaic marble stones. “In this bathroom, even the wet-room floor is heated,” Minor says. “The bench area is heated as well.” The walls are clad in the same porcelain tile used for the main bathroom flooring. “We made sure to waterproof every inch of that shower,” Minor adds.

The oval white 6-foot drop-in bathtub has built-in back support and armrests for comfort. A sleek 8-inch matte black tub spout coordinates with a matte black multifunction hand shower with push-button rinsing (not shown). “This tub was dropped 5 inches from the height of the previous tub so it’s very comfortable getting in and out,” Minor says.

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Removing the tub and deck opened up wall space for a longer custom double vanity, finished in white oak veneer with a satin sheen and topped with Taj Mahal quartzite. European-style frameless boxes with thin Shaker drawer fronts have oversize flat black bar pulls in two sizes.

All drawers are fully functional — no false fronts here. The drawers beneath the sinks have U-shaped cutouts to accommodate plumbing, while two others include integrated power outlets for grooming tools. Twin white oval undermount sinks are paired with modern single-lever matte black faucets with graceful curved spouts.

A pair of custom backlit mirrors illuminates the wall and can shift between different colors. The lower-height makeup station offers two drawers, an open cubby and a round upholstered stool the couple already owned. A black iron-and-glass pendant light casts a warm, inviting glow over the space.

Mirrors: Grand Mirrors Eclipse, Evervue; faucets: Vivenis in matte black, Hansgrohe; vanity pulls: Princetonian in flat black, Top Knobs

5 Common Bathroom Design Mistakes to Avoid

Before Photo

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Before: In the original bathroom, a dark double vanity with a granite countertop and traditional-style lighting dated the look and feel. A plain mirror that had previously hung above the vanity had already been removed when this photo was taken. The water closet is visible on the left, with the linen closet door partially seen behind the open door leading to the primary bedroom hallway.

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After: Undercabinet LED lighting beneath the double vanity, controlled by a motion sensor, adds a contemporary touch while doubling as a convenient nightlight for late-night trips. A wall niche offers easy access to grooming products and everyday essentials.

New to home remodeling? Learn the basics

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A matte black towel warmer with 20 classic straight horizontal bars hangs on the exterior wall of the updated water closet, across from the wet room. “We’re most proud that we really listened to the clients and helped them discover what their vision was,” Minor says. “They had a lot of ideas and blended both of their needs and wants into a high-end space.”

Towel warmer: Jeeves Model D in matte black, Amba Products

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A sharp decline in multifamily production pushed overall housing starts down in May, while single-family output was essentially flat due to economic and tariff uncertainty along with elevated interest rates.

Overall housing starts decreased 9.8% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.26 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The May reading of 1.26 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts increased 0.4% to a 924,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate and are down 7.3% compared to May 2024. The volatile multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, decreased 29.7% in May to an annualized 332,000 pace.

On a year-to-date basis, single-family starts are down 7.1%. In contrast, multifamily 5-plus unit starts are up 14.5% as more prospective home buyers remain on the sidelines helping rental demand.

Single-family permits and construction starts are down on a year-to-date basis for 2025 for what has been a disappointing spring housing market, given ongoing elevated mortgage interest rates, challenging housing affordability conditions led by higher construction costs, and macroeconomic uncertainty. NAHB is forecasting that 2025 will end with a decline for single-family housing starts.

The number of single-family homes currently under construction totaled 623,000 homes as of May. This is 1.3% lower than April, 7.6% lower than a year ago and 25% lower than the post-Great Recession peak level in June 2022. There were 752,000 apartments under construction in June, 4.6% lower than May and 18.2% lower than a year ago.

On a regional and year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts were 21.1% higher in the Northeast, 10.8% higher in the Midwest, 6.8% lower in the South and 1.6% lower in the West.

Overall permits decreased 2% to a 1.39-million-unit annualized rate in May. Single-family permits decreased 2.7% to an 898,000-unit rate and are down 6.4% compared to May 2024. Multifamily permits decreased 0.8% to a 495,000 pace.

Looking at regional permit data on a year-to-date basis, permits were 17.2% lower in the Northeast, 6% higher in the Midwest, 5.4% lower in the South and 3.7% lower in the West.

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Before Photo

Becky HarrisSave Photo

“After” photos by Kathryn Perry of Ascendant Imaging

Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two kids
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Size: 145 square feet (13 square meters)
Designer: Jeremy Lanier of ReVision Design/Remodeling

Before: Lanier collaborated on the project with the wife, who picked out the light fixtures and a fabric for the Roman shade. “My clients wanted to keep the footprint of the room intact,” he says. “The main goal was to update the look.” This included getting rid of the soffits, replacing the jetted tub and surround with a freestanding tub, eliminating a large shower bench and bringing in fresh finishes. At the left is a linen closet; the door at the back leads to the toilet room.

As for style, Lanier began by clocking what his clients liked as he walked through their home. “As soon as I walked into the house, I could see that the living room space was an incredible sleek, speakeasy-like lounge that was drenched in dark and moody colors,” he says. “We were also redoing their closet, and I could see her fantastic fashions and noted the colors she liked.” Overall, he could see that they liked elegant transitional style.

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8. Light It Right

Lighting can make or break the mood in your kitchen, so it’s worth taking the time to get it right. A layered lighting scheme that includes a mix of task, ambient and accent lights will create a warm and inviting environment that’s perfect for socializing, whether you’re hosting a large-scale festive get-together or an intimate meal.

Think about adding undercabinet LEDs to brighten your work surfaces, a pendant light on a dimmer over the kitchen island so it can transition smoothly from prep zone to meals area, and wall sconces or directional downlights to highlight special features such as art.

How to Properly Light Your Kitchen Counters



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