FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe
Design

Kindred Spirits

A home's three bathrooms maintain a consistent style with enough interest to stand on their own.

By Allison Harlow Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths
Article Image

Synopsis: Designer Allison Harlow kept the three bathrooms in this whole-house remodel cohesive by using consistent details that would tie the rooms to each other and to the rest of the house. Focusing on each bathroom in turn, she describes the materials and products that are used in each space, and the unique elements that help each bath serve its purpose.


One of my design principles is that homes need a consistent style from room to room. I don’t mean that they should all be the same, but they should have some repeating elements that bring some unity to the design. Consistent details allow a house to age gracefully without any one room stealing the spotlight for a few years, only to fall out of fashion later on.

The three bathrooms featured here are part of a whole-house remodel. It’s hard to remember the “before” of this house because the floor plan changed so much. We started by reclaiming a back area of the basement for more room, and then we removed some walls to open up the space. We used the small guest bathroom as a starting point, keeping the toilet in the same location to help control the budget.

The bathrooms connect to the rest of the house through their color palettes and clean, simple finishes. To create the unifying quality I was after, all three baths have custom alder vanities and accents, white subway tile, and simple glass showers. The traditional tilework and simple finishes are the perfect backdrop for the more individual selections that make each bath unique.

Guest bath

guest bathroom

Of the three bathrooms in the house, this was the only one that had zero revisions from the design presentation to the finished room. Well, that’s not exactly true—we did end up selecting a new light; the one in the design spec was out of stock by the time we went to order it. But otherwise, this bathroom went from concept to reality with almost no changes. The black shower door and mirror details complement the black cabinets in the kitchen, and the warm alder vanities create a direct connection between the guest bath, kids’ bath, and master bath. White subway tile on the walls and 2-in. porcelain hex tiles on the floor are the perfect canvas for bolder finishes like the brass faucet, black-framed mirror, and black grids on the shower glass.

Sources:

  • Shower tiles: Daltile, Rittenhouse Square
  • Floor tiles: Daltile, Keystones Mosaics 2-in. hex in Black
  • Pendant lighting: Rejuvenation, Cedar & Moss Globe 10-in. Pendant
  • Faucet: Kohler, Purist in Brushed Gold
  • Shower glass: Upper Hand Window Company, custom

Kids’ bath

kids bathroom

The shower in the kids’ bathroom has white subway tile and dark floor tile like the other baths, but we used light-green subway tile around the vanity for a fun splash of color. Once again, the vanity is alder and the countertop is white, but instead of a single undermount sink, we used a pair of vessel sinks— one for each child. This is the only bathroom with a tub—the 6-ft. freestanding acrylic bathtub is the centerpiece of the space. The shower has a half-wall that separates it from the tub, and the glass atop it gives the shower a lightness that keeps it from visually shrinking the space. Black-framed mirrors and overhead light fixtures match the black decorative elements in the other bathrooms.

Sources:

  • Wall tiles: Daltile, Rittenhouse Square
  • Backsplash tiles: Fireclay Tile, subway in Flagstone
  • Pendant lighting: Rejuvenation, Mist Rod Pendant
  • Sinks: Kohler, Vox Rectangle

Master bath

master bathroom

The master bath is all about soothing simplicity, with mostly white finishes and occasional pops of color. Once again we see white subway tile on the walls and dark porcelain on the floor. The brass faucets and shower controls are similar to those in the guest bath, and the black accents that appear in the other baths show up here as black pulls on the alder vanity, which holds a pair of white vessel sinks. Although it’s not a large space, we put the toilet in its own room with a pocket door so it can be closed off from the rest of the bath for privacy. The decorative wall in the toilet space features custom wallpaper made of a blown-up image of an agate, a gemstone common in this area of Michigan.

Sources:

  • Floor tiles: Daltile, Natural Hues 8-in. hex in Midnight Blue
  • Wall tiles: Daltile, Modern Dimensions 4×12 in Arctic White
  • Sinks: Kohler, Vox Rectangle
  • Fixtures: Kohler, Purist in Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass
  • Accent wall: Wallpaper Murals Your Way, custom

 

Kindred Spirits spread

From Fine Homebuilding #295

To view the entire article, please click the View PDF button below.

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×
View PDF
X
X

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Comments are closed.

Up Next

Featured Story

Basement Waterproofing Strategies Roundtable

On April 28, 2021, 7 PM ET, join builders Travis Brungardt and Mike Guertin plus masonry-sealer expert Lance Lang for a discussion of methods and materials for keeping any basement dry.

Featured Video

Install Cable Rail Around Wood-Post Corners

How to Install Cable Rail Around Wood-Post Corners

Use these tips to keep cables tight and straight for a professional-looking deck-railing job.

Related Stories

  • Webinar: Designing Outdoor Spaces

  • 2nd Annual Wall-Assembly Contest Finals

  • Waterproofing Tile Showers

  • Pivot-Point Solution

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

  • Fine Homebuilding All Access
  • Fine Homebuilding Podcast
  • Tool Tech

    Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

  • "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

    Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Wall assembly student contest

    2nd Annual Wall-Assembly Contest Finals

  • View of home under construction with hip roof

    Widow's Walk: An Inside Look at an Uncommon Roof Feature

  • How to design small, smart homes

    How to Design Small, Smart Homes

  • Texas home built to the WELL Building Standard

    Design Review with Laura Britt

View All

Bathrooms

View All
  • bathroom with curbless shower and freestanding tub

    Wet-Room Drainage

  • Streamlined Ceramic Sink

  • Audio-Inspired Shower Fixtures 16x9

    Audio-Inspired Shower Fixtures

  • Spa Experience

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 298 - April/May 2021

    • Butt Boards for Smooth Ceilings
    • Help Installing Gutters
    • Safety Bucket
  • Issue 297 - Feb/Mar 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in