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After purchasing this house in Henderson, Nevada, a couple with four young kids enlisted designer Christy Mancera of Cera Construction to make it better suit their lifestyle. Mancera, who used Houzz Pro software, reworked the entire floor plan to make the home more family-friendly.
In the kitchen, the designer focused on how the homeowners like to work and live. She created an efficient layout with a large island, a dedicated baking station and ample display space for personal collections. “My clients wanted to make the kitchen more functional for their family, create an open feel and bring in lots of natural light,” Mancera says.
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The layout of the kitchen revolves around an island measuring 8 by 3⅓ feet. “We placed seating on three sides of the island so that during gatherings people could have conversations across the island. Also, our clients like to eat breakfast together here,” Rachaman says. The island contains storage and a microwave drawer. The light fixture overhead adds a modern touch, and its barely-there silhouette preserves views of the garden.
One of the homeowners loves to cook and bake. The other’s interest in the culinary arts lies primarily in enjoying food. “The cook had a lot of specialty tools and gadgets he wanted to use,” Rachaman says. “He cooks Asian food a lot and wanted specific places to put things like the small bowls he likes to serve it in.” The designers planned storage to house items like this, as well as spices, mixing bowls, baking sheets and cutting boards. The homeowner also has a large cookbook collection, and the designers tailored the island to house them.
One quirky part of the renovation involved one of the homeowners’ cold morning swims in Lake Washington. “He hangs his wetsuit to dry in the coat closet,” Emhoff says. “He wanted the fridge to back up to this closet so the heat coming off it would help dry the wetsuit.” There’s a vented wall between the back of the fridge and the coat closet.
Cabinetry: Bellmont Cabinet; cabinet paint: Olympic Range, Sherwin-Williams; wall paint: Pink Ground, Farrow & Ball
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When this Wisconsin couple settled into their 1960s Colonial-style home tucked into a quiet wooded neighborhood, they knew the existing 70-square-foot second-floor primary bathroom wasn’t going to meet their long-term needs. To achieve the spa-like en suite they envisioned, they turned to Cor Improvements and design director Jim Pitzen, who reimagined the layout by converting a bedroom into a spacious 170-square-foot bath.
The transformation includes two vanities, a freestanding claw-foot tub, a walk-in shower and a water closet — all in a welcoming blue-and-white palette with classic details that honor the home’s roots. The update also added a walk-in closet and an adjacent laundry room, creating a highly functional layout tailored for comfort and ease.
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Before Photo
“After” photos by Regina Mallory Photography
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: Wakefield, Massachusetts
Size: 159 square feet (15 square meters), plus a mudroom and bar area of 231 square feet (21 square meters)
Designer: Amanda Colosi Johnson of McGuire + Co. Kitchen & Bath
Before: The U-shaped layout worked for the family, but the dated finishes needed an update. The dark brown and cottage green cabinetry, along with vinyl tile flooring and standard appliances, had run their course. “This couple is a lot of fun and not afraid of color, pattern and texture,” Colosi Johnson says. “That’s why the homeowners painted those cabinets themselves that cottage green.”
A large refrigerator on the right jutted out from the cabinetry. A peninsula with two backless stools and hard-to-reach drawers separated the kitchen from the bar and mudroom area. The door on the near left leads to a sun porch, while the back doorway opens to a hall with a powder room. “We pursued looking into options on how we could change up the layout, but it didn’t make sense to do that,” Colosi Johnson says. “We wanted to problem-solve.”
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A new 33-inch-wide pocket door is on the right. Often pocket door hardware is not easy for someone with limited dexterity to grab and close, so Lewis was mindful of finding some that was. Although a 36-inch door opening is needed for wheelchair access, 33 inches was the widest possibility here, and it allows comfortable passage with a walker.
Lewis chose some stylish but affordable items, including the floor tile and a ready-made vanity, to keep costs down. “A lot of the budget was spent behind the walls because we needed new plumbing and new electrical,” she says.
“This vanity is great because it has the texture of wicker on the doors,” Lewis says. The champagne bronze Brizo faucets have levers that are easy to operate. “When designing for aging in place, you have to be mindful of dexterity with faucet handles and drawer pulls,” Lewis says.
Instead of a medicine cabinet, the homeowner chose a simple wall mirror. “While this house is about 100 years old and Craftsman, I like to mix styles to make it look like it changed over time,” Lewis says. “The mirror and the light fixture add midcentury modern style, and the vanity adds some natural character and textures that are in keeping with Craftsman style.”
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Mehrl kept the pendant lights over the island simple, smaller and more modern than the other elements in the room. “These bridge the gap between styles and eras,” she says. “Also, with the three rooms open to one another, it was important to keep the lighting in each space from competing too much.” There’s also undercabinet LED strip lighting.
“Because the style of the room is traditional, we wanted a bridge faucet,” Mehrl says. “We were able to find one with the modern convenience of a pull-down sprayer.” The island also contains a trash pullout, a cutting board pullout and extra storage on the work side.
When choosing the counter stools, Mehrl kept the new open plan in mind. “In order to keep a comfortable amount of space between the sectional sofa in the living room and the island, we needed stools that would tuck under the counter,” she says. These stools have simple, traditional style, and their padded leather seats provide comfort.
Faucet: Weymouth bridge pull-down, Moen
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This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
Mehrl kept the pendant lights over the island simple, smaller and more modern than the other elements in the room. “These bridge the gap between styles and eras,” she says. “Also, with the three rooms open to one another, it was important to keep the lighting in each space from competing too much.” There’s also undercabinet LED strip lighting.
“Because the style of the room is traditional, we wanted a bridge faucet,” Mehrl says. “We were able to find one with the modern convenience of a pull-down sprayer.” The island also contains a trash pullout, a cutting board pullout and extra storage on the work side.
When choosing the counter stools, Mehrl kept the new open plan in mind. “In order to keep a comfortable amount of space between the sectional sofa in the living room and the island, we needed stools that would tuck under the counter,” she says. These stools have simple, traditional style, and their padded leather seats provide comfort.
Faucet: Weymouth bridge pull-down, Moen
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This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
Mehrl kept the pendant lights over the island simple, smaller and more modern than the other elements in the room. “These bridge the gap between styles and eras,” she says. “Also, with the three rooms open to one another, it was important to keep the lighting in each space from competing too much.” There’s also undercabinet LED strip lighting.
“Because the style of the room is traditional, we wanted a bridge faucet,” Mehrl says. “We were able to find one with the modern convenience of a pull-down sprayer.” The island also contains a trash pullout, a cutting board pullout and extra storage on the work side.
When choosing the counter stools, Mehrl kept the new open plan in mind. “In order to keep a comfortable amount of space between the sectional sofa in the living room and the island, we needed stools that would tuck under the counter,” she says. These stools have simple, traditional style, and their padded leather seats provide comfort.
Faucet: Weymouth bridge pull-down, Moen
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This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
The small black-and-white en suite bathroom in this 1934 Colonial just outside Boston had vintage charm, but it fell short of the sophisticated retreat the new homeowners envisioned. The single pedestal sink offered no storage or counter space, and the aging shower-tub combo didn’t meet the couple’s needs. The nearby walk-in closet in the bedroom also lacked functional storage.
Looking to create a more spacious and practical layout, the couple hired design-build pros Jason and Megan Hoffman. Jason suggested pushing a wall shared by the bathroom and closet into the bedroom to gain valuable square footage. The reimagined bath now features a warm wood double vanity, a roomy low-curb shower with a built-in bench and a linen cabinet for added storage. A thoughtful mix of white, black and wood finishes with clean-lined midcentury touches brings modern style to this refreshed and highly functional space.
Before Photo
“After” photos by Lara Kimmerer
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple
Location: Newton, Massachusetts
Size: 43 square feet (4 square meters)
Designers-builders: Jason and Megan Hoffman of J.P. Hoffman Design Build
Before: The 40-square-foot bathroom had charm thanks to its pedestal sink and classic black-and-white tile, but it lacked the storage and counter space the young couple needed in their primary suite. The aging shower-tub combo added to the challenges. “They have a tub in another bathroom, so that satisfied the home’s need for a tub,” Jason says. “Having no tub here opened up the opportunity to maximize the layout.”
Two existing windows — one beside the toilet and another at the end of the shower-tub — were in good shape, so the homeowners opted to keep them.
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After: Jason’s idea to shift the wall into the bedroom added just 3 square feet, but the modest gain made a meaningful difference. Relocating the new double vanity to the former shower-tub wall on the right and placing a spacious low-curb shower on the former sink wall gave the couple the larger vanity and shower they were hoping for.
A pony wall on the left adds a touch of privacy for the new two-piece white toilet. A decorative walnut shelf above the toilet offers a warm accent. “We moved the new toilet 6 inches so everything on that wall now fits,” Jason says.
Creamy white paint (White Dove by Benjamin Moore) covers the walls, ceiling and trim, creating a clean, warm backdrop. Matte black details throughout add striking contrast.
10 Aging-in-Place Features Pros Swear By
The natural walnut double vanity has full-overlay doors and drawers with modern matte black pulls in horizontal and vertical orientations. A coordinating matte black towel ring on the right ties in with the vanity hardware and other black accents. “The walnut vanity and linen cabinet really gave them the dark wood tone they were looking for and all the storage they wanted,” Jason says.
Bronze and brass two-light fixtures with clear glass globes add a touch of midcentury style that complements the vanity. The bathroom also has recessed LED ceiling lights and a new exhaust fan, both of which were digitally removed from these photos to better highlight the room’s key design features.
Double vanity: Serenity door style in natural walnut, Candlelight Cabinetry; towel ring: Purist in matte black, Kohler; vanity pulls: Morris, Top Knobs; vanity lights: Young House Love Clear Glass Bubble, Shades of Light
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The double vanity is topped with a durable white engineered quartz that mimics marble with soft gold and gray veining. Two rectangular undermount white porcelain sinks are paired with matte black widespread faucets, each with modern low-profile lever handles.
Creamy white glossy ceramic tiles, measuring 2 by 6½ inches, cover the wall above the vanity in a vertical stack pattern; the grout is frosty white. The tile’s subtle surface movement adds depth and texture. “We used that tile on the shower walls too,” Jason says. “By bringing the tile all the way across that wall, you’re creating less transitions and making the room seem bigger.”
Faucets: Jason Wu collection, matte black, Brizo; wall tiles: Wellfleet in Coconut, 2 by 6½ inches, Best Tile
Two recessed mirrored medicine cabinets with brass frames hang above the vanity, offering sleek storage with adjustable tempered glass shelves inside. “They wanted those recessed cabinets, so we had to get the manufacturer specs for the cabinets, the faucets and the lights and do 3D renderings to make sure everything would fit before they made the purchases,” Jason says.
10 Smart Bathroom Storage Solutions
The spacious low-curb shower features a custom glass enclosure and a coordinated suite of matte black fixtures, including a rain shower head, hand shower on a slide bar and a thermostatic valve, all from the same collection as the vanity faucets for a cohesive look.
On the bathroom floor, 4-by-12-inch matte black porcelain tiles are laid in a herringbone pattern and paired with midnight black grout, adding depth and visual interest.
Floor tile: Topography porcelain in black, 4 by 12 inches, Best Tile
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The shower includes a built-in tiled bench beneath the hand shower for convenience. The bench is topped with the same quartz used on the vanity.
On the shower floor, hexagonal tumbled Carrara marble mosaic tiles bring natural variation in veining and tone, set with frosty white grout for soft contrast. “The homeowners liked the way everything looked when all the details were put together,” Jason says.
Shower floor tile: Antique Carrara hexagon tumbled, 2 by 2 inches, Best Tile
The shower side of the pony wall next to the toilet includes a built-in niche for bathing products. A custom walnut linen cabinet with adjustable shelves on the left adds valuable storage. The cabinet has the same matte black pulls as the vanity, tying the elements together.
A hardwired black towel warmer with a programmable timer, mounted to the side of the linen cabinet, adds both function and luxury to the space. “We were able to redesign and update this bathroom without changing the location of windows,” Jason says. “The creativity and the ability to see the solution was key here.” For added privacy, the windows were fitted with a translucent film.
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Before: A swing door on the left once connected the bedroom and bathroom. An imposing dark armoire stood against the wall space between the door to the bathroom and the primary closet to its right. The door on the far right leads to the second-floor landing and staircase to the main level. The exposed metal ductwork visible at the back left is from a prior HVAC upgrade.
After: Pushing the wall into the bedroom allowed for a modest expansion of the bathroom. “Our clients were willing to sacrifice some bedroom square footage to achieve their goal of a more generous bathroom and closet,” Megan says. “Although the new closet is narrow, our team incorporated custom shelving to maximize storage and create an organized, functional space.”
A new pocket door now connects the bedroom and bathroom. “It was related to the size of the bathroom and the location of switches to optimize space,” Jason says. The previously exposed ductwork is also gone. “We were able to enclose the necessary ductwork behind a wall in the new bathroom and added the valuable linen cabinet,” Megan says.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family
Location: Dallas
Size: 201 square feet (19 square meters)
Designer: Jessica Koltun Home
In this new-construction home, the primary bathroom sits between the primary bedroom, seen in the distance, and the primary closet. It measures a little over 17 feet long by 11¾ feet wide. Koltun used double doors at both bathroom entrances. These doors are narrower than standard doors and add Parisian apartment flair.
Koltun composed the room with a drop-in tub underneath a large arched window, serving as a focal point, then bookended it with two vanities. On the opposite side of the room is a generous shower stall, flanked by a makeup table niche and a toilet room.
While the bathroom has classic materials and traditional architectural elements like the double doors and arches, Koltun balanced them with modern touches like the blocky tub surround and minimalist material palette. The result is a transitional style that will stand the test of time.
Wall paint: Pure White, Sherwin-Williams; vanity stain: Birchbark, Sherwin-Williams
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