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This empty-nest couple in Blacksburg, Virginia, plan to stay in their 1980s hillside home overlooking a golf course for years to come. With those long-term plans, they wanted a primary bathroom that could remain stylish and functional well into the future. But their existing space had a cramped layout with two small vanities on separate walls, cluttered open shelving, a massive step-up tub that ate up floor space and a dark stall shower. A large ceiling beam stretched across the room, further chopping up the space.
One saving grace was a picture window with a beautiful view of the lush landscape. Wanting to preserve that view while creating an airy retreat, the couple turned to Houzz for ideas. They then hired project lead designer Susan Davidson and production manager Logan Lawrence of Blue Ridge Design Build. A new perpendicular beam allowed for a vaulted ceiling that opened up one side of the room. Wood from a yellow birch tree on the family farm inspired the design of rustic details and dual maple vanities with tower storage. An elevated wet-room zone with an open shower and freestanding tub now adds a spa-like touch.
Before Photo
“After” photos by Ian Parrish of Parrish Real Estate Photography
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: An empty-nest couple
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Size: 137 square feet (13 square meters)
Design-build pros: Susan Davidson and Logan Lawrence of Blue Ridge Design Build
Before: In the former bathroom, a bulky step-up tub with a tiled deck monopolized the floor space. The tub sat beneath a large picture window framing a beautiful view, while the toilet with an upper cabinet occupied the corner to the left. “Everything was broken up,” Lawrence says.
After: The team stripped the bathroom to the studs and removed the existing beam — a pivotal change. “We found out it was structural and consulted with a structural engineer to come in and redesign the ceiling load, and we added a longer perpendicular beam that could be installed flush into the ceiling,” Lawrence says. “This allowed us to vault the ceiling in one half of the bathroom.”
A new wet room on a slightly elevated, curved platform combines an open shower with a freestanding tub. The elevated design helps support a slope in the floor needed to drain water toward the linear drain below the shower fixtures. “Anytime you do an elevated wet room like this, you have a nontraditional floor slope and have to make sure that the water flows back to the shower drain,” Lawrence says. “The small-format tile we used does that well.” The flooring is chocolate-colored hexagonal mosaics with a limestone look and matte finish.
A curve on the elevated section adds a stylish detail. “I was trying to create enough space for the shower and also incorporate the tub,” Davidson says. “I gave them a couple of choices and they chose this S-curve because they liked how it looked.”
Custom wood elements throughout — shelves, a towel and robe rack, a window ledge and the trim framing the updated picture window — were all crafted from a yellow birch tree from the homeowners’ family farm in Floyd, Virginia. “The vision for the whole bathroom was keeping with the natural tones of that wood,” Lawrence says.
Wet-room floor tile: Relic Umber, Vintage Hex collection, Daltile
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A pony wall topped with a tempered glass panel helps keep shower spray contained within the wet room. The large freestanding tub has a smooth, scratch-resistant acrylic surface. “The tub complements the window and size and complements the curve designed into the wet-room floor,” Lawrence says. A brushed nickel floor-mount tub filler ties in with the shower and sink fixture. An energy-efficient picture window preserves the view the homeowners love.
Outside the shower, a sleek one-piece white toilet includes a washlet bidet seat with five spray settings and a nightlight. Its control panel is mounted on the pony wall, next to switches for the shower lights and exhaust fan.
Before and After: 4 Inspiring Bathrooms in 120 to 170 Square Feet
Large 12-by-24-inch beige porcelain tiles with a marble look and matte finish line the wet-room shower walls and the wall behind the tub. “They were going for light and airy,” Davidson says.
The open shower features a 10-inch rain shower head, a handheld shower on a slide bar and a pressure-balanced valve, all in brushed nickel. A matching grab bar adds safety. “The slide bar is also a grab bar here,” Davidson says. “And when needed, they can incorporate a freestanding stool.”
Wall tile: Timeless line in 12×24 Essence Beige, Qualis Ceramica
7 Steps to a Stellar Shower Design
A wraparound corner shower niche is lined with elegant marble and limestone mosaics that blend seamlessly with the wall tile. “It’s not commonly done because it requires some unique framing in the wall,” Lawrence says. “They chose it because they wanted something unique but also something that was hidden out of sight when you walk into the bathroom.”
The pressure-balanced valve and shower diverter is partially visible here on the back of the pony wall. “They wanted to have access to them before they step into the shower,” Davidson says.
Niche tiles: Panaro Blend, Daltile
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Before Photo
Before: The former bathroom had beige tile floors, a combination of white painted and wallpapered walls and two small traditional-style wood vanities placed on different walls. A makeup station without a sink sat along the middle left wall. Open shelving beside one vanity added to the cluttered feel. “Storage was a huge issue for them,” Davidson says.
A stall shower with a curtain was located behind the wall with the open shelves, and a ceiling beam stretched across the width of the room. A mirrored door at the back led to the primary bedroom. A small window on the back left wall offered an opportunity to close it in and create more wall space for an extended vanity.
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After: Removing the small window, the shelving and shower stall allowed for dual maple vanities with tower storage to span the side walls, creating streamlined symmetry. “We were able to get all of their necessities behind closed doors,” Davidson says. The vanities have a wheat-colored finish, modified Shaker-style doors and flat drawer fronts. “They were really trying to match the wood from their family farm,” Davidson says. Each vanity includes a tower with rollouts for added storage. Matte porcelain floor tiles in gray and earth tones bring rich texture and variation.
To offset the removed window, a new skylight trimmed with wood from the farm brings in natural light. “They were really concerned about having enough light,” Davidson says. A space-saving paneled pocket door now connects to the primary bedroom.
Floor tile: Clean Slate in Gray Matte, B&F Ceramics Design Showroom; skylight: Velux; vanities: maple in Shakertown IV in Wheat finish, Great Northern Cabinetry; wall paint: Bone White, Benjamin Moore
The vanities feature faux drawer fronts that flip down to reveal storage trays for easy access to small grooming items and medications. Durable quartz counters and backsplash have an ivory background with warm veining. “We were able to give them a very functional two-person primary bathroom,” Lawrence says.
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These Lakeville, Minnesota, empty nesters wanted a kitchen suitable for extended-family events and holiday dinners. Their existing cramped and dated space wouldn’t do. Seeking better flow, functionality and improved storage and style, they hired designer Stephanie Morris for help.
Morris pushed the kitchen into an unused den and stole space from a home office to expand the kitchen and create a spacious new butler’s pantry with a coffee station. A large island adds storage, prep space and seating for four. Multiple storage solutions, including drawers, cabinets, open shelves, a hutch and an appliance garage, ensure that everything has a place and the countertops stay free of clutter. Meanwhile, white and wood cabinets help create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that no guest would want to leave.
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After: Lundin eliminated the main components and updated the electrical and plumbing. “Efforts were made to keep plumbing fixtures relatively close to where they were, to help buffer costs,” Lundin says. “We tried to be clever about that.”
Removing the corner shower allowed Lundin to create a larger double vanity with wood-look laminate slab door and drawer fronts in a walnut finish. A roomier makeup area splits the vanities, adding symmetry. “It’s a floating vanity and we put LEDs under there that make it look attractive and serve as nightlights,” Lundin says.
The backsplash is composed of 12-by-24-inch porcelain tiles, cut to fit, in black, white and gold with a hand-painted look in a vertical pattern. “There are also some bluish-gray tones that pull from the wallcovering we used in the bathroom,” Lundin says.
Four damp-rated 25-inch black LED linear pendant lights hang in front of a custom mirror. “I’m increasingly using pendants in bathrooms to get better lighting on people’s faces,” Lundin says. Luxury vinyl plank wood-look flooring adds warmth and durability.
Pendant lights: Flare, WAC Lighting; tile: Setana, TileBar
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Photos by Nic Rentfrow
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple of empty nesters with two dogs
Location: Timnath, Colorado (near Fort Collins)
Size: 3,200 square feet (297 square meters); about 45 feet wide and 60 to 80 feet long
Landscape designer and builder: Lindgren Landscape, with Jamie McCarn as designer
The homeowners wanted a pergola or a covered structure for outdoor entertaining, but that was the extent of their vision. “We talked about enclosing it,” landscape designer Jamie McCarn says of the structure, “but we decided it was too small and we needed to keep everything open.”
They also opted for a substantial roof cover. With a pergola, “you can’t go out in the rain, and you don’t get that solid shade or interior feel. And I know that’s what [the homeowners] were going for,” McCarn says. She angled the roof to open up the look in the tight yard without losing any shelter or protection.
Stained Douglas fir wood beams and posts pop against the black-painted Douglas fir roof, anchoring the structure in the yard and complementing the home’s colors and details. “We never want the landscape to feel scabbed-on. It needs to feel cohesive with the house,” McCarn says.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: An empty-nest couple
Location: Martindale, Texas
Size: 250 square feet (23 square meters)
Designer: Amanda Buckley of Bauley Interiors
Cabinetmaker: Kleighton Westphall of Monarch Woodworks of Austin
Builder: Blanco River Construction
Before: Gray walls, short white cabinets and laminate counters gave the former kitchen a flat, utilitarian feel. Shallow upper cabinets flanking the sink window on the left offered little storage and blocked natural light. Ceilings in the small house were less than 8 feet high, Buckley says. “The window wasn’t that big and there wasn’t enough lighting overall. They also had a vinyl-style tile above the sink but that was their only backsplash.”
A long, narrow island with stools felt especially tight, squeezed by reach-in closets along the right wall. “That essentially was their pantry,” Buckley says. “Their small appliances and pots and pans were stacked up on each other in there.” A retro-style red refrigerator sat out in the open with no clear role, while the primary stainless steel refrigerator was tucked into the far back left corner. “The red refrigerator was sort of just there,” Buckley says. “They liked the look of it but didn’t use it much.”