Before & After: A New Look for a “Sunburn-Striped” Bathroom

There were some great things that happened, design-wise, in the 70s, but this bathroom was not one of them. Molly and Jonathan had a few projects in mind when they purchased their Ditmas Park one-bedroom, but they knew that the “sunburn-colored” stripes in their bathroom needed to be the first thing to go.

The problems with the bathroom went beyond the cosmetic. A riser pipe in the corner got very hot (not so ideal for small hands) and carried noise from the apartments above and below. The built-in magazine rack, original to the bathroom, wasn’t seeing a lot of use, the toilet was incredibly loud, and the sink cabinet, a retrofit, was incredibly low — “perhaps designed for oompa-loompas”. Molly and Jonathan’s vision for the new bathroom was simple: a streamlined space that would feel crisp and modern — and be easy to clean.

The foundation of the new bathroom is the new black hex tile floor, which “attracts a little dust but still looks sexy.” White subway tile — in an elongated 2″ by 8″ format for a slightly different look — surrounds the shower and covers the sink wall.

The new wall-mounted porcelain sink is a beautiful, classic touch, easy to clean under — and installed at the proper height for adult humans. The oversized medicine cabinet above provides plenty of storage, and a wall-mounted pull-out drying rack is a helpful place for drying baby things. Molly and Jonathan’s contractor created a new build-out around the riser pipe, to protect from the heat and insulate sounds a bit.

Molly was especially grateful to have the renovation finished before the arrival of their son. Now that it’s serving a family of three, the streamlined, modern new bathroom is even more welcome.

Molly and Jonathan found their contractor, Gennadiy, on Sweeten, an online resource that connects homeowners with local design and construction experts for home renovations. You can read more about the project, see more photos, and find sources on the Sweeten blog.