Andrea and Todd Johnston had a nice enough bathroom.
It was modern, finished in 1997 when the home was built, with a large soaking tub, a double vanity and a large shower.
But there were problems.
Their basic shower unit didn’t go all the way up to the ceiling, and it was causing moisture problems. It also didn’t help that deep green carpeting ran not just throughout their home, but throughout the bathroom.
“It was always fine,” Andrea Johnston said. “Carpet in the bathroom is probably not my first choice.”
What was supposed to be their master suite’s inner sanctum – a place to begin and end each day in tranquility – was decorated with shiny white tile, gray-beige paint, brass and chrome fixtures and boringly basic cabinets.
Today, thanks to a major bathroom remodel by Creative Kitchen and Bath of Lynnwood, the space is a warm, dreamy spa.
They swapped out the green carpet for variable golden brown ceramic tiles, used liberally in the shower, on the floor and on the tub’s deck, skirt, backsplash and new entry step.
Those tiles also hide Andrea Johnston’s favorite part of the bathroom – in-floor radiant heat, delightfully warm on her feet, especially in winter.
“It has its own programmable thermostat,” she said. “It’s on in the morning and comes on again at night when we’re getting ready for bed.”
Though the tile, which turned out to be labor intensive during installation, was a splurge, the Johnstons found ways to save money, too.
They kept the home’s original soaking tub but gave it a dramatic update with a Roman-style faucet in an oil-rubbed bronze finish.
They carried that finish throughout the bathroom with a variety of fixtures that coordinate perfectly with the warm tones of the tile, said Creative Kitchen and Bath owner Tom Owen.
“We called it bronze beauty,” he said of the bathroom. “All of their fixtures were in oil-rubbed bronze. They made some very nice choices.”
The Johnstons are particularly pleased with the countertops they chose for their double vanity. Instead of using slab granite, they went for an equally high-end but lower-maintenance engineered quartz. It doesn’t require sealing and is more forgiving when it comes to showing water spots or fingerprints.
It works well with their dark-stained alder-maple cabinets too.
Deep yellow paint, meanwhile, brings the entire space together.
At first, after her husband had painted the bathroom, Andrea Johnston hated it.
“It was like neon super yellow,” she said, worried at the time they would have to repaint their new bathroom all over again.
Fortunately, the paint mellowed considerably when the warm tones of the tile, cabinets, counters and fixtures were installed.
“It’s bright and sunny,” she said. “It’s amazingly different.”
Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com.
Resources
Creative Kitchen &Bath,
19503 56th Ave. W., Suite D, Lynnwood;
425-672-3313;
www.creativekb.com.
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