By Sam Ferris
The Scoop
When Bertha and Arnold bought their home on Corpus Christi?s south side in 1987, the plan was always to eventually retire and move away. That didn?t happen.
?My husband didn?t want to move away to anything colder than this, so we decided to stay here,? Bertha says.
The couple had remodeled gradually over the years, but Bertha wanted to give her master bathroom a facelift. It looked the same as it did when she and Arnold bought it in 1987: standard 12x12 cream tiles, a laminate tub surround, a frosted shower glass door, all wrapped in a blanket of beige. It?s bigger than most, but bigger isn?t always better. The tub was too big, for starters. ?We never used the tub,? says Bertha. ?It took a lot of water to fill up, and I?m just not a soak-in-the-tub person.?
The Scoop
When Bertha and Arnold bought their home on Corpus Christi?s south side in 1987, the plan was always to eventually retire and move away. That didn?t happen.
?My husband didn?t want to move away to anything colder than this, so we decided to stay here,? Bertha says.
The couple had remodeled gradually over the years, but Bertha wanted to give her master bathroom a facelift. It looked the same as it did when she and Arnold bought it in 1987: standard 12x12 cream tiles, a laminate tub surround, a frosted shower glass door, all wrapped in a blanket of beige. It?s bigger than most, but bigger isn?t always better. The tub was too big, for starters. ?We never used the tub,? says Bertha. ?It took a lot of water to fill up, and I?m just not a soak-in-the-tub person.?
The bathroom?s layout wasn?t functional enough, either. ?Our linen closet was behind the door that opened into the bathroom,? Bertha says. She and Arnold had to close the bathroom?s entry door in order to access her towels and other toiletries.?
Another issue was the shower. A far cry from today?s super-sized showers, theirs was small, about three and a half feet by three and a half feet, and stashed away in the corner almost like an afterthought. It wasn?t an ideal fit for the pair, who both turned 70 in 2014. They needed a seat and easy access inside to bathe comfortably as they aged.?
Once they decided to stay, the shower had to go. And if that were to happen, Bertha said the tub might as well go, too.
With these challenges in mind, we put our hardhats on and started to design a bathroom that met the couple?s needs ? stylishly, of course.
With these challenges in mind, we put our hardhats on and started to design a bathroom that met the couple?s needs ? stylishly, of course.
The Bathroom Remodeling
Design-wise, Bertha knew she wanted to create a clean, spa-like atmosphere in her master bathroom. The travertine-look tile with a glossy, marble-like appearance transformed the shower into an airy, seamless space, as did the transition from the shower to the bathroom floor. ?It feels just more like a little retreat back there,? says Bertha.?
The last thing Bertha wanted for the walls was a neutral color. ?I was sick of browns and neutrals,? she says. So, we doused the walls in Interesting Aqua by Sherman Williams, and the effect was instantaneous: it brightened up the bathroom (with the help of new lighting, of course). The cool blue also emboldened the bathroom?s spa feel.
The new shower originally had a step planned at its entry point. But that wasn?t practical given Bertha and Arnold?s ages. ?I asked, ?How are we going to get a wheel chair in there??? says Bertha. The solution: build a ramp and add a slope so it can drain properly. One less thing to trip over, says Bertha. ?Older people trip over things,? she says with a laugh.
?I love the fact that you can turn on the water before you get in it,? says Bertha of her new, ultra-functional shower.
One of Bertha?s favorite additions is the glass mosaic tile around the mirror. Matching the glass tile in the shower, it gave the vanity area a decorative touch. ?It dressed the mirror up so much,? she says. She chose brush nickel fixtures and drawer pulls to complement the dark brown cabinets and white quartz countertops.?We paired the lighter shower tile with a dark gray floor tile for good contrast. The best part, Bertha says, is that it hides dirt and dog hair well. We love easy cleaning.
As for the problematic linen closet, we moved it where the old shower used to be, replacing it with a floor-to-ceiling cabinet complete with pull out drawers and a clothes hamper.
Ready to start fresh with your bathroom? We've been doing Corpus Christi bathroom remodels for almost a decade, and we can help you remodel yours with both function and budget in mind. Click here to schedule a free appointment with one of our designers!
Ready to start fresh with your bathroom? We've been doing Corpus Christi bathroom remodels for almost a decade, and we can help you remodel yours with both function and budget in mind. Click here to schedule a free appointment with one of our designers!
