Bathroom of the Week: Green Glass Tile and European Sleekness
A designer brings all the bells and whistles of contemporary European hotel showers to a New Jersey bathroom
Frequent business trips to Europe inspired the sleek, contemporary look of this couple’s Summit, New Jersey, primary bathroom. One of the homeowners loved the luxurious shower features in modern hotels there and wanted to bring them home. Designer Alison Griffin gave the room sleek European design and all the bells and whistles of those showers. In addition, she found a way to eke an extra 8 square feet out of the compact space, allowing for improved storage, a cleaner floor plan and a larger shower stall and vanity.
After: Griffin reworked the plan and made every inch count. She took over some space from a hallway linen cabinet on the left to create a larger shower stall. She also borrowed a little space from an extra-thick wall behind the shower and toilet. She moved the toilet, opting for a wall-mounted model with a tank that’s hidden behind the wall.
“A standard toilet would not have allowed for the shower stall door to swing out far enough,” Griffin says. In addition, she was able to get rid of the radiator by installing radiant heat in the floor, and she replaced the tall mirrored cabinet with a recessed 6-foot-high model. All these moves cleared up floor space and expanded the room from 59 to 67 square feet.
The new shower measures 42 by 57 inches. Modern European showers inspired the luxurious features, which include a steam shower, a rain shower head, a separate handheld shower and a bench beneath a waterfall module.
All the tile in the room is glass, and it covers the floor, the walls from floor to ceiling and the shower ceiling. The wall tiles are a smoky green turquoise and the floor tiles have a mother-of-pearl look. “Because we used the 1-inch mosaic tile on the floor, I arranged the wall tiles in a way where they form squares in the composition,” Griffin says. Imagine the horizontal grout lines extending all the way across to visualize those squares.
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“A standard toilet would not have allowed for the shower stall door to swing out far enough,” Griffin says. In addition, she was able to get rid of the radiator by installing radiant heat in the floor, and she replaced the tall mirrored cabinet with a recessed 6-foot-high model. All these moves cleared up floor space and expanded the room from 59 to 67 square feet.
The new shower measures 42 by 57 inches. Modern European showers inspired the luxurious features, which include a steam shower, a rain shower head, a separate handheld shower and a bench beneath a waterfall module.
All the tile in the room is glass, and it covers the floor, the walls from floor to ceiling and the shower ceiling. The wall tiles are a smoky green turquoise and the floor tiles have a mother-of-pearl look. “Because we used the 1-inch mosaic tile on the floor, I arranged the wall tiles in a way where they form squares in the composition,” Griffin says. Imagine the horizontal grout lines extending all the way across to visualize those squares.
Browse backsplash tile in the Houzz Shop
This study Griffin completed shows the level of detail required to execute a bathroom design like this one. The Dornbracht waterfall module is a spout installed over a shower bench, and its purpose is to pour water onto the neck and shoulders.
“These clients are tall, and the husband was the one who really wanted this feature. So I had him sit on the bench and I measured him,” Griffin says. “Dornbracht provided specifications of exactly how the water flows from the module, and I had to calculate how high to place it so it would hit his neck and shoulders just right when he was sitting on the bench.”
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“These clients are tall, and the husband was the one who really wanted this feature. So I had him sit on the bench and I measured him,” Griffin says. “Dornbracht provided specifications of exactly how the water flows from the module, and I had to calculate how high to place it so it would hit his neck and shoulders just right when he was sitting on the bench.”
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After: By pushing the shower stall into the corner of the room, Griffin made space for a 4-foot-wide vanity with six drawers. One drawer has an outlet for hair appliances. The bureau-inspired vanity sits atop a chrome base and has matching chrome hardware. A wall-mounted faucet in matching chrome is in keeping with the sleek look and makes it easy to keep the countertop clean.
Griffin repeated the use of 1-inch square tiles on the wall behind the vanity to distinguish it within the space. This is the same glass material and color as the elongated subway tiles on the other walls.
The designer recommended a recessed double medicine cabinet with integrated LED lights by Robern. This also helps maintain the sleek look of the room. “And it meant I didn’t have to save wall space for sconces on either side,” Griffin says.
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Browse wall-mounted faucets
Griffin repeated the use of 1-inch square tiles on the wall behind the vanity to distinguish it within the space. This is the same glass material and color as the elongated subway tiles on the other walls.
The designer recommended a recessed double medicine cabinet with integrated LED lights by Robern. This also helps maintain the sleek look of the room. “And it meant I didn’t have to save wall space for sconces on either side,” Griffin says.
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Browse wall-mounted faucets
Before and after: Griffin was able to get a lot of valuable space out of the home’s thick walls and linen closets. All in all she expanded the room’s footprint from 59 to 67 square feet. Look to the left side of each plan here — she took out the top linen closet to make room for the shower while expanding the linen closet at the bottom of the plan.
“There was a recessed mirror in between these two original linen closet doors. I was able to save the top door to maintain the look in the hallway,” the designer says.
Comparing the two floor plans also shows how the existing thick walls helped Griffin make room for the new wall-mounted toilet. While these models are space-savers, they do require a little extra room in the wall to house the toilet tank. Along the top of the “after” plan, you can also see where Griffin reduced that wall’s thickness to make room for the shower. Every inch counted. In the bottom right corner is a towel warming bar that wasn’t photographed.
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“There was a recessed mirror in between these two original linen closet doors. I was able to save the top door to maintain the look in the hallway,” the designer says.
Comparing the two floor plans also shows how the existing thick walls helped Griffin make room for the new wall-mounted toilet. While these models are space-savers, they do require a little extra room in the wall to house the toilet tank. Along the top of the “after” plan, you can also see where Griffin reduced that wall’s thickness to make room for the shower. Every inch counted. In the bottom right corner is a towel warming bar that wasn’t photographed.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two sons
Location: Summit, New Jersey
Size: 67 square feet (6.2 square meters)
Designer: Griffin Designs
Contractor: Hacklebarney Contracting
Before: The bathroom measured 59 square feet — pretty tight for a primary bathroom. Items like the radiator and mirrored cabinet on the right and the hexagonal shower stall on the left cluttered the floor plan.
The 1908 home’s architectural style is Arts and Crafts. Though prior renovations had removed most of the original architectural elements from the bathroom, Griffin and the homeowners wanted to keep the spirit of the style alive. “That period had elements of early contemporary style, including simpler lines, a focus on textures, celebrating natural elements, simplicity and, of course, craftsmanship,” Griffin says.
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