A Stuck-in-the-’70s Bathroom Gets a Luxe Makeover Inspired by Scandinavian Spas
For all the charm that an older home has to offer, adapting something super old to fit your modern needs can take some creativity and flexibility. Just ask Amala Raj Swenson (@amalarajinteriors), who transformed her 1955 San Diego craftsman home’s shabby master bathroom into a Scandinavian-style sauna escape.
“We bought the house a few years ago knowing it had wonderful bones but needed an upgrade, and this was high on our list,” Amala says of the space.
Before taking on her Before & After project, Amala and her husband, Ryan, tended to avoid the main bathroom, which was last updated in the 1970s. It featured a half-broken sink, light bulbs that were beginning to combust, and a tiny 25×25-inch shower that Amala “could barely stand inside comfortably.”
“The overall feel in the bathroom was just not functional for both of us to use, and the aesthetic was simple, yet didn’t fit our personal style,” Amala says. Here’s how Amala and Ryan (with the help of professionals) gave the master bathroom a much-needed refresh during the Spring 2024 One Room Challenge.
The bathroom got a square footage boost.
The home’s unconventional layout ended up working to Amala and Ryan’s advantage. The roof over the master bedroom and bathroom previously went out an extra 4 feet while the bathroom did not, and the primary bedroom’s walk-in closet boasted additional dead space. With the help of general contractors, Amala and Ryan’s reno was able to borrow square footage from those spaces to gain a little extra square footage — especially in the shower.
“By using [that] wasted dead space … we were able to make our bathroom suddenly feel so much better,” Amala notes. “We gained an additional 48 inches in depth and created a spacious walk-in steam shower, double sinks, and a vanity to get ready.”
The texture-filled bathroom is inspired by Scandinavian spas.
From the beginning, Amala knew that she wanted to draw inspiration from Scandinavian spas with wood slats and “incorporate some moody marbles to make the space come to life.” She went with a calming neutral taupe (Little Greene Paint Co.’s Mushroom) for the paint on the bathroom walls.
During the shower install, the couple was able to bring their dream of adding a steam shower to their home by installing a Mr. Steam system and adding extra perks like a bench, a built-in touch screen and speakers, and a chroma-therapy light. “[They] truly make us feel like we are visiting a spa!” Amala says.
“By balancing the same stone for the shower bench, trim, and vanity countertop, I was able to create a flow that made the space feel cohesive and spacious,” she adds.
An extra-long vanity adds storage.
Expanding the bathroom also allowed for some much-needed storage in the form of a light wood double-vanity with a makeup station tacked on the end. For hardware, “I chose … knurled black matte pulls with satin brass,” Amala writes on Instagram. “They paired so well with the mixed metal look I created for my personal bathroom and helped me avoid deciding between just one metal to use everywhere!”
“The new vanity design has so many more drawers so all of our bathroom products have a proper home!” Amala notes. “I love that we were able to create a very open space that did not feel cluttered with pipes or cables.”
With these changes, the home’s main bathroom has gone from a place to avoid to a large home spa worth luxuriating within.
This project was completed for the Spring 2024 One Room Challenge, in partnership with Apartment Therapy. See even more of the One Room Challenge before and afters here.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.