A Bath Gets Graphic with Tile

Project: Gut a crumbling bathroom in Morningside Heights, Manhattan

Before: A hulking seven-foot tub dominated the layout, while the ruined floors, walls, and (most of the) ceiling all begged for attention, too. The old industrial toilet was leaking, a wall of ’80s-style glass-bottle tile needed to come down, and the vanity had begun literally to crumble. For Janna H. and her family, the bathroom was “disgusting.” “No matter how much we cleaned, it never felt clean,” she recalls.

Renovate to live, Sweeten to thrive!

Sweeten brings homeowners an exceptional renovation experience by personally matching trusted general contractors to your project, while offering expert guidance and support—at no cost to you.

Start your renovation

After: Janna appreciated the history of her pre-war apartment building and worked hard with her Sweeten contractor to flatter it. She avoided today’s usual combination of medicine cabinet and vanity by choosing a vintage-looking white German pedestal sink and topping it with a 12-sided beveled statement mirror crowned with a wall-mount vanity light. For much-needed storage, a designer recommended tall built-in cabinets painted to match the bathroom’s charcoal walls.

Janna’s first-choice wall tiles cost $12,000, so she got creative and instead used regular subway tiles in a jaunty herringbone that’s vertical, rather than tilted the typical 45 degrees.

The tub was swapped for a spacious, walk-in frameless glass shower on a low curb. A hand shower accompanies the luxurious oversize rain shower head.

Bonus: The sink has a generous lip that serves as a functional surface when Jenna is applying makeup.

Style finds: Toilet and vintage-looking 1930 Series pedestal sink, both from Duravit; bathroom faucet by Hansgrohe.

SWEETEN_Janna_Kitchen_Bathroom-Before-01SWEETEN_Janna_Kitchen_Bathroom-01SWEETEN_Janna_Kitchen_Bathroom-15-16SWEETEN_Janna_Kitchen_Bathroom-02SWEETEN_Janna_Kitchen_Bathroom-03

The color, shape, and pattern of tile is a key player to a space’s personality. Take a look at Mollie’s shower wall which spotlights a bold chevron design.

Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation on Sweeten.

You may also like

Renovate with Sweeten!

sweeten-magic

We’ll match you with vetted general contractors and offer support until your project is done — at no cost to you!

Start your renovation

Customer review 5.0

sweeten-thumbsup

“I really liked how Sweeten made the process of vetting licensed contractors easy for me. I felt confident knowing that I wasn't hiring a GC with forged credentials or wasnt qualified.”

— Jennifer M. from Jersey City, NJ

Read more reviews —>
Start your renovation
no-cost-blue

Subscribe to our
renovation newsletter