Room Tour: A Storage Area is Transformed into an Elegant Bathroom
Before and after photos show how an old storage room became a contemporary washspace with period-style accents
When designer Katie Denham was tasked with giving this Victorian home a much-needed makeover, she knew it was important to stick to the property’s roots. So she dreamed up a balance of old and new for spaces throughout the home, and this bathroom is the perfect example.
The space that is now the bathroom was once a storage area with odd angles, as seen in this before image. The angles made it difficult to fit in the large shower, separate toilet and extra-long vanity unit the client wanted.
The only positive of this unusual space? It made the decision on the placement of the shower a breeze. “The best place – the only place – was where the ceiling was higher,” says designer Katie Denham.
The only positive of this unusual space? It made the decision on the placement of the shower a breeze. “The best place – the only place – was where the ceiling was higher,” says designer Katie Denham.
Light-coloured materials helped turn this dark storage space into a bright bathing area, complete with a modern shower with glass door.
A large shower was a priority, says Denham. “A lot of bathrooms don’t have tubs,” she says. “People are finding they don’t have the time for baths, and mostly use a shower.”
Denham believes that as long as there’s a bath somewhere else in the house, one in the main bathroom isn’t necessary. This home has a large claw-foot tub in a guest bathroom.
Denham and her team encountered a few plumbing issues and solved them by adding a small step to the shower.
Similarly, space constraints required a sliding barn door to be used for the toilet area. The V-groove panelling on the door is featured in other rooms and provides consistency throughout the house.
While the door style was chosen out of necessity, Denham feels it makes sense design-wise for a home that leans heavily towards a farmhouse, rather than overly ornate, Victorian style.
Walls painted in Mountain Peak White, Benjamin Moore. Barn door hardware,Specialty Doors & Hardware.
A large shower was a priority, says Denham. “A lot of bathrooms don’t have tubs,” she says. “People are finding they don’t have the time for baths, and mostly use a shower.”
Denham believes that as long as there’s a bath somewhere else in the house, one in the main bathroom isn’t necessary. This home has a large claw-foot tub in a guest bathroom.
Denham and her team encountered a few plumbing issues and solved them by adding a small step to the shower.
Similarly, space constraints required a sliding barn door to be used for the toilet area. The V-groove panelling on the door is featured in other rooms and provides consistency throughout the house.
While the door style was chosen out of necessity, Denham feels it makes sense design-wise for a home that leans heavily towards a farmhouse, rather than overly ornate, Victorian style.
Walls painted in Mountain Peak White, Benjamin Moore. Barn door hardware,Specialty Doors & Hardware.
An Oriental rug provides rich colour and personalises the space. Denham says she is seeing Oriental and Persian rugs used in bathrooms more often.
She suggests using a Persian-style bath mat to ensure it stays in good condition as well as shopping for rugs that are more bath friendly. “Look for a flat weave – something that would be easy to take to the dry cleaners,” she says.
Denham used hexagonal tiles in the shower (seen to the left here). They were popular during the Victorian period and here, they help functionally inside the shower, too. “Tiles on a shower floor need to be cut so they can move the water towards the drain,” says Denham. “With this shape, we didn’t need to cut them.”
Denham used a herringbone pattern for the flooring outside the shower to help mix things up. For a more dramatic look, she suggests using tiles of different colours and materials.
Tiles, Cortopassi Tile & Stone. Rug, Kamran’s Oriental Rug Bazaar.
Tiling your bathroom floor? Take a look at these inspiring ideas
She suggests using a Persian-style bath mat to ensure it stays in good condition as well as shopping for rugs that are more bath friendly. “Look for a flat weave – something that would be easy to take to the dry cleaners,” she says.
Denham used hexagonal tiles in the shower (seen to the left here). They were popular during the Victorian period and here, they help functionally inside the shower, too. “Tiles on a shower floor need to be cut so they can move the water towards the drain,” says Denham. “With this shape, we didn’t need to cut them.”
Denham used a herringbone pattern for the flooring outside the shower to help mix things up. For a more dramatic look, she suggests using tiles of different colours and materials.
Tiles, Cortopassi Tile & Stone. Rug, Kamran’s Oriental Rug Bazaar.
Tiling your bathroom floor? Take a look at these inspiring ideas
Fitting in a long vanity unit was difficult, but by making part of it shallower, Denham pulled it off. Keeping the budget in mind, she used quartz that looks like Carrara marble on top of the Shaker-style cabinets, which provides a luxe look for less.
Light fixtures, Restoration Hardware. Taps, Rohl. Cabinet painted in Clouded Vision, Dunn-Edwards Paints.
Want to light up your vanity mirrors? See these stylish ways to illuminate
What do you think of this inviting bathroom? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Light fixtures, Restoration Hardware. Taps, Rohl. Cabinet painted in Clouded Vision, Dunn-Edwards Paints.
Want to light up your vanity mirrors? See these stylish ways to illuminate
What do you think of this inviting bathroom? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here A young family
Location Sacramento, California
Size 12.1 sq m
Designer Katie Denham
Photos by Chad Davies of Davies Imaging Group