My sister-in-law Amy has a lovely 1930s Tudor house — and exquisite design sensibilities to go with. She recently remodeled the guest bathroom — and it turned out beautifully.
As you can see, Amy wanted to keep the tile light and elegant looking. She chose subway tile for the walls and honed marble for the floor. Then, she added some zing with the green subway tile and black liner tiles as trim. This particular shade of green is prominent throughout Amy’s house, including on her kitchen cabinets, so it was very pleasing and harmonious to see this color carried into the nearby bathroom. Amy told me it was difficult to find colored subway tiles in ceramic, rather than glass. She landed on Ann Sacks Tile for the best selection of possible colors.
- Amy’s source for this tile: Ann Sacks Tile Earthenware Elements — White 4 “x 6 in Kohler White Gloss, green 2″ x 4” in Deep Sea Gloss…. Black liner tiles are are called “flat liner” 1/2 x 6. She purchased the tile from Best Plumbing Tile & Stone in Scarsdale, New York: “They were really helpful and accommodating,” Amy said.
Ummm, I didn’t pry as to price — but Ann Sacks Tiles can get quite pricey. This is not a “budget” bathroom like I often show, but hey, I never said I’d only write about cheap and cheerful solutions — I can write about expensive and fabulous remodels sometimes, too!
- Pam’s Lux for Less idea: I actually think you can get close to these colors — in subways and similar trim — using B&W tile purchased from B&W Tile or from Clay Squared (which carries B&W Tile). Also possible additional money savings: Buy the white subway field tile from your local big box store — and the colored trim subway — 2″ x 8″ — and black liners from B&W. I can’t imagine that B&W tiles are as thick and juicy as Ann Sacks, but I am sure that difference is reflected in the price. For the floor tiles: Also head to the big box store. Marble is hot right now, and I’ve seen tiles in this vein (punny!) in — in real marble and faux ceramic — at my local Home Depot.
The toilet, sink, faucet and shower fixtures are all from Waterworks, I believe.
I really like how she used smaller pieces of the honed marble for the inside of the shower pan. I presume you would want to do this anyway, for grippiness. (Precautionary Pam reminds: When you’re planning floors in bathrooms, consider how slippery-dangerous they will become when wet — on this issue, I believe there are industry standards — consult with a pro.)
Hey, I also think there’s radiant heat under that marble floor (I spy a thermostat up by the closet.) Nom nom nom, toastie tootsies. We put an electric-web heated floor under the ceramic in our basement bathroom, which sits on the slab — we like it a lot, it made the bathroom more usable on cold winter mornings — it was well worth the spend, we think.
Amy is super detail oriented. Note how she ensured that available wall cavities were used to create recessed storage. Literally, this bathroom was completed The Day Before We Arrived To Visit for the Weekend. On day two of our visit: The plumbing on this floor of the house backed up — including into this shower. Oh my! It turned out that the culprit was tree roots growing into pipes outside. Seriously, there are days when you just want to Curse Those Decorating Gods. Will they ever let us stay one step ahead of the curve?
Jay says
I am green with envy over the green and black tile. The very first photo told me this was a top notch job very much in the 30s style with the use of the marble and the subway tile so no need to explain away featuring a post on a high end remodel job; it’s insprational for those who are trying to capture the look today. I like seeing other eras here as well.
Yes, please; I want to see the kitchen in its green glory.
Thanks for sharing!
Ranger Smith says
As others have already noted, this is lovely. Its the type of bathroom that makes you relax and go ahhhhhh. The attention to detail is what makes it special. This will never look dated.
midmichigan says
My grandparents lived in a mid-20’s-30’s home that I fondly remember and you’ve got just enough modern touches to upgrade and enhance the time period you recovered so well. Really nice job, Amy!
Janice says
I love her color choices and that is definitely one classy bathroom. Would love to see her kitchen too!
pam kueber says
Oh, next time I’m down there I’ll get photos of the kitchen — it is also wonderful!
Elizabee says
Actually, I want to see her WHOLE house, but that’s just me, living vicariously and voyeuristically, and drooling – that bathroom is so fabu. Please accept this as a compliment for which it is meant! 🙂
Carol says
I second that.
Elizabee says
Exquisite. That’s all.
Katie B. says
Truly timeless. This bathroom looks both vintage and modern at the same time. Reminds me of something my grandmother would have designed. She was also very detail oriented and this would have been her style, I think. I love the niches in the shower. Not the usual kitschy colorful style I like, but beautiful nonetheless. 🙂
Steve H says
Really lovely. I especially like the toilet. It has very nice 30’s styling. I’ve had the same problem with tree roots in the sewer line.
Bobbie says
Gorgeous! For the closet doors – are those bifolds or french doors? Or, were they bifolds that she had re-hinged to open as french doors? I’m looking to have some bifolds re-hinged to open as french doors for my closets, so was hoping for some info on that — thanks!
Mary says
Exquisite IS the word for this. The attention to detail is amazing. I love how she used the marble for two of the shelves in the shower niche too.
Chris says
This is lovely! Our house was built in 1934, so seeing something from this era is a treat for me. Beautiful!
Our bathroom is in desperate need of renovation. It was remuddled at some point. We need to bring it back.
Thanks for the inspiration~
🙂