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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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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.
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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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In addition to controlling the climate on the porch, the homeowners needed to control the bugs. During mosquito season, screens are a must. The screens on either side of the fireplace are fixed, but the screens on the other two sides of the porch are retractable. On the widest side of the porch, these screens are installed on the columns on either side and pull out to meet in the middle. One screen covers the right side of the porch.
“These pleated screens are a really cool product,” Trakas says. “They are on a track, and they fold up into themselves like an accordion.” The screens are opened and closed manually, and when the homeowners aren’t using them, they tuck right up next to the columns.
Retractable screens: ZigZag2, Genius
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With three energetic boys, these Georgia homeowners wanted a more open, functional layout to replace their aging kitchen and closed-off dining room. The husband, a skilled general contractor, was comfortable doing the construction work; the wife had plenty of creative ideas. But the couple needed help turning their vision into a workable plan, designing the right layout to fit their busy lifestyle and choosing stylish finishes.
They brought in designer Rosa Moreno and, after several revisions, the team removed a dividing wall and pushed the kitchen into the former breakfast area, adding 72 square feet. The new layout made space for a larger island with seating and storage. A muted green for the island contrasts nicely with soft white perimeter cabinets. White oak floors and warm wood accents add inviting texture, while marble-look quartz counters and a herringbone porcelain tile backsplash polish the earthy, transitional design.
Before Photo
“After” photos by Irina Chepko
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: Norcross, Georgia
Size: 242 square feet (22 square meters)
Designer: Rosa Moreno Kitchens
Builder: Atlanta Renovations and Construction
Before: This photo of the former kitchen was taken from the breakfast area. The dated 170-square-foot space had striped wallpaper, a soffit, mismatched standard appliances, dark brown cabinets, laminate counters, a ceiling fan and vinyl flooring. “There was a lot of wood and it was so heavy,” Moreno says. “The white fridge sticking out was a problem too. I knew we definitely could do a lot better.”
On the left, a drop-in double-bowl sink sat beneath a window that the homeowners were open to removing to improve the layout and storage. The fridge wall separated the kitchen from the dining room, making the kitchen and its small island feel cramped. “But by removing that wall, we were getting rid of storage,” Moreno says. “So that was the big question on how things would work.”
The door seen at the back opened to a hallway leading to the living room. In that hallway was a powder room and door to the basement. A door to a closet is just out of view on the fridge wall. “There were so many doors that we had to deal with,” Moreno says.
After: Moreno stripped the kitchen down to the studs, removing the appliances, backsplash, cabinets, ceiling fan, counters, vinyl flooring, sink window, soffit and closet. She filled in the window above the old sink to make room for a new focal-point range and a reworked appliance layout that better fits the family’s needs.
She also took down the wall between the kitchen and dining room, expanding the kitchen into the former breakfast nook, adding 72 square feet and dramatically improving flow. The extra space allowed for a larger custom island, which is painted a muted, organic green with soft gray undertones. “It’s a really pretty neutral green that’s warm at the same time,” Moreno says. “I like to ground a space so everything isn’t so white. Plus, her favorite color is green. It took time to find the right green, and we went with this neutral one because it’s transitional but also modern.” Soft white custom inset cabinetry along the perimeter brightens the room and contrasts gently with the island. Satin bronze hardware adds a rich, polished touch to both.
Moreno placed the new farmhouse-style sink in the island and placed the new range where the sink used to be. She moved the refrigerator to the cooktop’s former spot, resulting in a smarter, safer layout. “I’m not a big fan of putting the range in the island, especially when you have little kids,” Moreno says. “Removing that sink window allowed us to put the range there with the hood as a focal point. She was afraid of losing the light from that window, but now we’re getting light from the front of the house by removing that wall.”
Paint colors: Alabaster (perimeter cabinets), Drift of Mist (walls), Pure White (ceiling and trim), Shade-Grown (island), Sherwin-Williams
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Polished marble-look quartz countertops on the island and perimeter combine durability with a touch of elegance. Four modern counter-height stools, featuring brushed flax upholstery and solid wood frames, provide casual seating at the island. They coordinate with the new natural-finish white oak flooring and the white oak accent band on the range hood, all of which bring warmth and texture to the space.
Above the island, a pair of 16-inch brushed brass bell-shaped pendant lights with clear glass shades add a stylish detail. LED ceiling lights provide general illumination, while undercabinet lighting brightens key task areas.
Pendant lights: Newton Bell in brushed brass, Innovations Lighting
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A 36-inch smart commercial-style gas range now sits where the sink was. With six burners, three-level convertible grates and a convection oven, it’s built for serious cooking. “She loves to cook and cooks a lot, so it was important for her to have the right appliances and perfect layout,” Moreno says.
A custom paint-grade wood hood with a white oak accent band is painted to match the perimeter cabinetry. A powerful hood insert helps prevent smoke and odors from drifting into nearby spaces. The backsplash consists of 2-by-6-inch white porcelain tiles laid in a herringbone pattern; the tiles have subtle tone variations, a glossy finish and frost white grout. “Everything is very neutral here, so bringing that texture there on the backsplash was important,” Moreno says. “It doesn’t stick out but brings another element into the space. Something I also like about that tile is the glossy finish that reflects the light.”
Range: 36-inch smart commercial-style, gas with six burners, KitchenAid
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The upgraded 36-inch counter-depth stainless steel French door refrigerator, now placed along the former cooktop wall, has a fingerprint-resistant finish for easy maintenance. Thoughtful storage upgrades add to the kitchen’s functionality, including pullouts for spices and cooking utensils that flank the range and a hidden trash and recycling center in the island.
Refrigerator: KitchenAid
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Before Photo
Before: Here’s a closer look at the wall that divided the kitchen and dining room (visible through the doorway at right). The white refrigerator seen in the earlier “before” photo sat in the empty cabinet frame. To the left of a pair of aging white wall ovens stood a door leading to the previously mentioned closet. “It was a load-bearing wall,” Moreno says, “so we had to put in a beam.”
After: This photo was taken from about the same angle as the previous one. Removing the wall and introducing a structural beam opened up the layout, allowing for seamless flow between the kitchen and dining area.
The interior side of the island features a streamlined setup with the pullout trash and recycling center on the left, a classic white farmhouse sink with a dedicated base cabinet in the center and a quiet, top-control stainless steel dishwasher completing the lineup.
Dishwasher: KitchenAid
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The undermount single-bowl farmhouse sink accommodates large pots and pans, making it a practical upgrade for the home chef. It’s paired with a semiprofessional kitchen faucet in a rich gold finish, equipped with touch technology and voice activation for convenience. “She cooks for the entire family and wanted a large sink,” Moreno says. “She hated the double-bowl sink she had before. Going with a large single-bowl sink is much easier.”
Sink: Whitehaven, Kohler; faucet: Odin in Brilliance Luxe Gold, Brizo
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Removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room and eliminating the closet made room for a custom built-in storage center with illuminated display shelves and the same backsplash tile used elsewhere in the kitchen. “This gives her space to store dishes she uses for special occasions,” Moreno says. “They wanted the lighted shelves for decorative items and pretty things.”
At the back right of the photo is the home’s updated staircase to the second floor. “We removed another piece of wall there to make the staircase area more open,” Moreno says.
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This view from the open dining room into the kitchen highlights the new French doors that replaced an original bay window in the former breakfast area. “We had to straighten out that wall with the bay window to add the new French doors,” Moreno says. The adjacent door leads to a newly built walk-in pantry outfitted with open shelving and neatly arranged storage for both dry goods and small kitchen appliances. Shallow cabinets added to the base of the island provide the family with additional storage space.
“I’m most proud that they trusted me and listened to my advice,” Moreno says. “Before, the kitchen was so dark you couldn’t wait to get out. Now they can entertain family and friends and be all together.”
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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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