apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Before & After: Guest Bathroom Makeover

01_07.20.09_BeforeAfter.jpgWhen we saw the before picture of this guest bathroom, it made us look back at the post that we did about our friend's outdated bathroom in a rental apartment. Our readers had many great ideas of what could be done to make it better. If the apartment was not a rental, the bathroom most likely would be replaced. This amazing transformation shows the possibilities.

 
 

02_07.20.09_BeforeAfter.jpgThe tile is what made us fall in love with this remodel. The turquoise with black trim tile is what really gives it character. The hexagon pattern on the floor reminds us of a bathroom that we grew up with because it has that vintage feel. We also enjoy the small details like the turquoise knobs on the white vanity sink.

The owner of this beautiful bathroom is Tom Newman, a designer for Newman & Wolen Design . We came across it on Cococozy. Check it out to see more Before & After pictures of the entire house.


(Images: Cococozy)

Comments (20)

Absolutely stunning! I hope to do that as well someday:) Great job!

posted by dunklekatze on July 20th 2009 at 7:00pm
view dunklekatze's profile

Does anyone know where to find that vanity or something similar? My bathroom remodel has been stymied by the vanity hunt.

posted by robinplu on July 20th 2009 at 7:20pm
view robinplu's profile

I *LOVE* that hexagonal teal tile.

posted by Tiamat_the_Red on July 20th 2009 at 7:27pm
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile

Beautiful! The tile is awesome!

posted by NasilelePhoto on July 20th 2009 at 7:52pm
view NasilelePhoto's profile

That tile is gorgeous.

posted by mattster on July 20th 2009 at 8:01pm
view mattster's profile

So beautiful !

posted by sassydo on July 20th 2009 at 9:00pm
view sassydo's profile

That is so awesome... it's a perfect update in a home that needs a new bathroom but still maintains the era of the 50s design. The subtle color differences in the awesome teal bring so much life to the tiles... My bathroom already has the black edge tiles... now, if could just replace all the pink...

posted by teeze on July 20th 2009 at 9:15pm
view teeze's profile

Huh? It looks like everything was replaced. Don't understand the rental comment. The pictures don't even seem to be the same space. The tile is sublime.

posted by h144 on July 20th 2009 at 9:43pm
view h144's profile

I hate to be picky but that is not a 'makeover' that is a full reno. Heck, I could have a perfect looking bathroom as well if I could gut a space and afford to buy everything from scratch to get the exact look I want. Don't get me wrong, I love the finished bathroom but I don't think it is that 'amazing' - plenty of people do great bathroom renovations. Getting that sort of look using what is there would have been amazing.

posted by ginghamcherry on July 20th 2009 at 9:59pm
view ginghamcherry's profile

The are two additional aspects that make this work. One, the tiles are not uniform in colour, which prevents the swathe of turquoise from becoming overwhelming. Two, the tiles have a wonderful glossy lustre, which lends the room a luxe feel.

It's a classy renovation that suits the era of the house. I can't help feeling, however, that these people will be screwed when turquoise goes the same way as harvest gold and avocado. Still, I suppose when that happens they can always just re-tile.

posted by Blandwagon on July 20th 2009 at 10:08pm
view Blandwagon's profile

I'm with h144 and ginghamcherry... how is this not a complete gut and reno?! I don't even think this is the same space. The second picture looks like a bathroom that is a completely different size and shape. And how does the article go from talking about a rental not worth renovating to talking about the *owner* being a bigshot designer? Disappointing.

posted by undercover on July 20th 2009 at 10:59pm
view undercover's profile

oh my god those tiles are insanely gorgeous

posted by SpanishOlives on July 21st 2009 at 1:13am
view SpanishOlives's profile

Glad everyone is enjoying our bathroom renovation. Yes, it's a complete renovation with a hefty cost to go with it. Sorry to disappoint; may not be right for this site (not my post). But that said, you can do this type of thing for not too much money. Bold colors and simple fun patterns can go a long way. We did another bathroom (also on Cococozy.com) in all Dal tile which was quite affordable.

This is an actual before shot of the same bathroom. It may look quite different, but that's probably because we relocated the tub away from the window (we all know how high maintenance it can be to deal with a window in a shower).

This bathroom is in a 20's Mediterranean Revival house; not 50's. We tried to get rid of the inappropriate mid-century pink stuff and bring it back to what might have been used when the house was built.

The tile is even better in person. It is from Pratt & Larson in Portland; it can be found in most cities at good tile showrooms. And 'Blandwagon' is right, it's because of the color variation in the tile that makes it look so rich. That's why we chose it. Enjoy.

posted by TNewman on July 21st 2009 at 1:38am
view TNewman's profile

Oh, and the vanity came from this site (through a local distributor):

http://fairmontdesigns.com/

The style is Shaker II. I like the way it has storage but does not go all the way to the floor, allowing more of the nice tile to be visible.

posted by TNewman on July 21st 2009 at 1:48am
view TNewman's profile

I think it would have been nice to see an after shot from the same place the before shot was taken.

posted by ChrisGal on July 21st 2009 at 6:54am
view ChrisGal's profile

This and the other bathroom renos in this house are absolutely gorgeous. I love to see them taken back to a look that could have been original. I know it's a total gut and certainly not budget, but beautiful nonetheless.

posted by michpc on July 21st 2009 at 10:40am
view michpc's profile

How wonderful. Great job keeping the vintage feel.

posted by brittanykate on July 21st 2009 at 12:01pm
view brittanykate's profile

That turquoise tile is sure a change from the bizarre previous pink that was initially there! I'd be jealous if this was the guest bathroom and not my own!

posted by thecondoist on July 22nd 2009 at 10:00am
view thecondoist's profile

The new tile is certainly more appropriate for a mediterranean revival house.
I hope the original Franciscan Starburst tile were salvaged and passed on to someone with a mid-century bathroom project.

posted by gem s on July 23rd 2009 at 1:16am
view gem s's profile

Where'd the comments go?

posted by ChrisGal on July 23rd 2009 at 7:30am
view ChrisGal's profile

Feeds

RSS icon San Francisco

+ City Feeds