Exposed bulbs, marble-patterned shower, and graphic tile uplift a windowless bathroom remodel in Manhattan

• Homeowner: Kristen posted her bathroom remodel in a studio apartment on Sweeten
• Where: Manhattan, New York
• Primary renovation: Renovate a cramped, black-tiled bathroom in a 700-square-foot home
• Sweeten general contractor
• Homeowner’s quote: It was difficult, she said, narrowing down selections, “considering the many options out there.” Her contractor “provided a lot of information to help make decisions.”
• Sweeten’s role: Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and secure deposits—at no cost to the homeowner.

Written in partnership with homeowner Kristen. “After” photos by Pixy Interiors for Sweeten.

TLC for a dark, windowless bathroom

The bathroom tub, fixtures, and drain in this circa 1964 co-op had done their job, but were now way past their sell-by date. Kristen knew her Chelsea apartment was ready for a bathroom renovation. “The shower and tub had gotten a little scary,” said Kristen, the homeowner of this 700-square-foot studio. Peeling paint on the tub and hard water stains on the tiles didn’t help. Plus, the windowless room was dark, with floor-to-ceiling slate tile and poor lighting. Lastly, there was no medicine cabinet or built-in storage.

A dark space brightens with white marble porcelain tile

The new plan for the bathroom would be bright and modern with classic elements and storage. Because of building regulations, she wasn’t able to change the location of the plumbing, so the work was cosmetic only. Flash forward to the finished room. The crisp, light walls and tub contrast with the black-and-white floor tile. A white marble porcelain tile shower with lighting reminiscent of Hollywood glamour brighten up the bathroom considerably.

“I’m glad I chose porcelain over marble because it requires less upkeep,” said Kristen. She decided to pass on installing a vanity. Showing more floor gives the illusion of a larger space as does the linear pattern on the floor tile. A free-standing cabinet is part storage and part display. The overall look exhibits how small space bathrooms can carry strong design elements successfully.

“I checked off each item once I had sourced it. This was really helpful because there are some things I never would have thought of, like a new vent for the wall.”

Organizing material selections

Kristen’s biggest challenge was finding all the materials that would work together. It was difficult, she said, narrowing down selections, “considering the many options out there.” Her Sweeten contractor “provided a lot of information to help make decisions.” In addition to having a Renovation Checklist, Kristen had a list of products and materials to order for her project. “I checked off each item once I had sourced it. This was really helpful because there are some things I never would have thought of, like a new vent for the wall,” Kristen said.

Having an organized list also allowed her contractor to make sure it was all compatible with the space. The contractor, she said, “helped incorporate eco-friendly elements into my renovation, telling me what to look for in a toilet, showerhead, and faucet.”

Inspiration from unexpected places

Her other challenge was that she was traveling during the renovation. But her contractor took care of any bumps, even going directly to the manufacturer when there was an issue with a showerhead. At one point, she said, while she was at the airport waiting for a flight, the Sweeten contractor’s tile installer called with a layout question. “Luckily, this airport had a lot of tile,” she said with a laugh. “So I walked around and looked for different layouts to help reinforce my decision.” Who needs the internet when airport tile offers loftier inspiration?

Renovation Materials

Floor tile: Cement Tile Shop. Battiscopa Renaissance Calacatta porcelain wall tile: AKDO. Shower and sink fixtures: Brizo. Pedestal sink: Signature Hardware. Toto toilet: Appliances Connection. Lighting: Illuminate Vintage via Etsy. Hutch: Target. Medicine cabinet: Robern. Art: Neue Galerie.

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When you’re ready to get started on your bathroom or home remodel, work with Sweeten to renovate with the best contractors.

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

The post A Marble-Look Tile Is a Focal Point in This Small Bathroom appeared first on Sweeten.

• Homeowners: Graphic designer Charon, and her husband Lex, posed their small bathroom remodel on Sweeten.
• Where: Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York
• Primary renovation: Remodeling their small bathroom so it is more open by removing the tub and upgrading the layout
• Sweeten general contractor
• Sweeten’s role: Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering guidance, tools, and support—for free..

Empty-nesters decide to renovate

When Charon, a graphic designer, and her husband, Lex, moved to New York City for Lex’s job in aviation services, they knew exactly where to look: Gramercy. “We both had always loved the park and the older brick buildings in the area,” Charon said. With their children moved out, they found the perfect one-bedroom in a co-op building that had the right amount of space and natural light.

Opening up the bathroom

Even though the bathroom had recently been renovated, the bathtub felt like it took up too much space. The couple knew they wanted to rip out the unused tub and trade it in for an open shower with a frameless fixed glass panel. They just needed to find the right contractor for the job. They posted their renovation project to Sweeten and interviewed four general contractors before making their decision.

Removing the tub

The tub was the first thing to go, and the bathroom immediately looked bigger without it. Charon and Lex wanted to match the original dark green, almost black, wall tile as closely as possible, and found a near-identical style.

With the new shower installed, the bathroom became much more spacious and light. Charon said the change made the space more efficient for two people. (“It certainly helped my marriage!” she joked.) And little details made a big difference, too, like installing a taller, comfort-height toilet for Lex, who is 6’2,” and attaching the toilet paper holder directly to the glass shower panel. To create a seamless continuation—the new tiles were about 1/16” smaller and had a slightly bluer hue—the contractor’s tile installer decided to add a row of vertical tiles between the old and the replacement tile.

A finished product that works

Their advice to new renovators? Charon wholeheartedly recommends Sweeten and the Sweeten contractors: “Sweeten stays involved throughout the whole process and has well-vetted contractors who take care of everything!” She called the process “seamless” and “easy,” but she did have one piece of advice about timing: “Being flexible is helpful.”

All in all, the couple couldn’t be happier. “Our tiny bathroom is so much more workable,” Charon said. “We’re still thrilled every time we walk into the bathroom.”

Bonus: The contractor’s tile installer was such a master that he only had five subway tiles left over after finishing in the bathroom!

Renovation materials

BATHROOM RESOURCES: Glossy, green subway tiles: Ann Sacks. Verde Luana honed floor tile: Bella Tile Co. Ginger shower baskets and bathroom shelf: Simon’s Hardware. Toto handicap height toilet: Appliances Connection.

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Jessica and Kevin gave their dated Gramercy bathroom a facelift and checked it off her remodeling bucket list.

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

The post The Perfect Green for a Gramercy Bath appeared first on Sweeten.

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.

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 Appliances Connection; bathroom faucet by Hansgrohe.

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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.

The post A Bath Gets Graphic with Tile appeared first on Sweeten.

Guest post by Kensington homeowner and interior designer Meredith

For us, a fixer-upper was a must.

There was the professional itch; as an interior designer for an architecture firm specializing in Brooklyn brownstones, I had house-envy. I had a Pinterest board called “Someday house ideas” slowly filling with the most affordable versions of all my favorite finishes. It has 600 pins.

And then there was practicality; although we loved our huge and quirky one-bedroom in Boerum Hill, it had no way to create a second bedroom and no access to the sleeping area except a dizzying spiral staircase. Time to move on.

In our (VERY) stressful house hunt, we were the runner-up offer on four houses before The One. It was an unusually wide two-family brick Tudor townhouse in Kensington, around the corner from my husband’s elementary school. The block is tiny and quiet, across from a beautiful gatehouse of Greenwood Cemetery. There is a bountiful apricot tree in the front yard and a huge grapevine in the back. There was even—the Brooklyn equivalent of a tennis court or horse stables—a driveway.  But the best part was the friendly atmosphere. Many of our neighbors have lived their entire lives on this block, and we were thrilled to join them.

It was a major job, though. The home had only one owner since it was built in 1941, and it had been decades since the home had been well-maintained. Everything practical had to go: plumbing, gorgeous-but-ruined steel windows, cloth-wrapped aluminum electrical wiring that the home inspector begged us to replace “so I can sleep at night. Really. Please. PLEASE.”

The structure was great, however, and it was full of personality and charm. I adored the arched doorways and beautiful 1950s Caloric stove, and I wanted to maintain ’40s details even where everything would be new. I collected bright and cheerful images of tiled bathrooms, Airstream-inspired kitchens, and patterned floors. I prepared a full set of construction drawings, selected all my finishes, and looked for a contractor.

I know some general contractors that my office uses, but I wanted to keep my personal renovation separate to avoid conflicts of interest. I was thrilled to find Sweeten, posted my project, and then selected a contractor from a list of really excellent matches. I got pregnant, and the clock began to tick as we ran into a contract delay with the team we’d chosen. I was paralyzed with stress, back at square one with a due date and a house full of lead paint and death-wiring, holed up in the basement with my belongings around my ears like a hoarder. There was some crying. But I called Sweeten, and they swooped into action. Within 48 hours, they had amicably resolved the issue and found me three new excellent contractors to interview, all of whom could start immediately. Our Sweeten contractor was particularly impressive, calling me with thoughtful questions about my drawing set and offering ideas for cost-savings. I could not believe how fast the Sweeten team saved the day.

Our house was originally a two-bedroom apartment on the top floor, with a duplex on the first floor and garden level. But at some point, the garden level had been finished as an apartment in its own right, and we preferred to have our duplex upstairs with rentable space on the bottom. By eliminating the need for a separate entrance to the second floor, we were able to open up the center staircase to the living room and turn the entry from a dark, tiny box into an open alcove, flooding the front of the house with light. The difference has been amazing.

We also took advantage of a neat arched niche that sat between two closets in the bedroom on the first floor. The back wall of this niche was up against the kitchen, and by punching through, we created a doorway from the kitchen into what is now the dining room. Suddenly there was a clear view all the way through the house, without removing the lovely original details.

The kitchen was designed around the amazing old stove and a salvaged Sub-Zero fridge that I found for a song at Build It Green in Gowanus. The front panel was a dark glossy charcoal, which was already what I had been thinking about for my lower cabinets. It was fate. I did the uppers in matte white, with a pretty hand-made subway tile that has an uneven surface that reflects light softly. I like to have my cooking ingredients out all the time, so I had the cabinets installed unusually high to fit a shelf for jars underneath. The counters are a honed Jet Mist granite, which gave me the look of soapstone without any of its typical green tint, which would have clashed with my Sub-Zero.

I snagged a vintage enamel sink from BIG, and paired it with the restaurant-style sprayer faucet of my dreams from Signature Hardware. It lives up to the hype. Our most unusual score was the island, which I happened upon one night as I drove down the block on my way home from work. It’s an amazing furniture piece that a neighbor was throwing away, exactly the perfect dimension for our kitchen. Although I planned to replace the top with butcher block, I have so loved the wavy green tiles that I’ve kept it just as I found it.

Our other first-floor change was to shrink the original full bath down to a powder room, using the space that housed the tub as a walk-in pantry off the kitchen. The original baths were all an intense pink with raspberry accents – pink walls, pink floor, pink toilet, pink tub. Every pink its very own shade! The coolest discovery came in peeling off the wild pink floral wallpaper; directly on the original walls, we found delicate hand-painted Chinoiserie scenes of a river, swans, and boats. A neighbor told us that all the houses had them, but that slowly over the years they’ve been lost. Sadly, it was badly damaged, so we only have photos.

The new powder room is wonderful, though, and a better use for our space. I used a salvaged pedestal sink and a window from Olde Good Things for a high transom, so the room isn’t entirely cut off from its original window. And at long last, we found a home for the Brooklyn Toile wallpaper from Flavor Paper (made just one block away from our old apartment!), which was designed by Mike D from the Beastie Boys. My husband spent years longing for this paper, which features a dreamy mix of Notorious B.I.G. and angelic Nathan’s hot dogs and men in fur hats and Park Slope stroller mommies. I picked a cement floor tile of navy and gray plaid, had the paper custom-matched to it, and then papered the hall just outside it with my favorite Schumacher print of completely nuts-o Tibetan tigers. Because my clients never let me have that much fun.

The other layout updates were upstairs, where we turned a kitchen into the master bathroom and closet of my dreams. The new shower is about the size of the studio I lived in during grad school. The tiles in there were my biggest splurge, with a pretty ’40s-inspired white and blue marble floor and cornflower blue walls with period-appropriate black tile trim. In fact, I used a thread of either blue or orange throughout the whole house, which helped tie together my otherwise colorful selections.

Upstairs had the same arched niche which we again punched through for flow, and stole some closet space to create a linen closet in the hall. We repurposed original doors, which have amazing Deco knobs and backplates. The original bath’s odd standing shower became a washer-dryer unit.

Our son’s bathroom, beyond losing its shower to the washer-dryer, kept its layout with cosmetic updates only. I found a cornflower blue penny round for the floor, with family-friendly gray grout that hides the dirt, and paired it with white subway tile and a cobalt blue bullnose tile. The black vanity is made to look like a repurposed dresser, but it is actually a sneaky Restoration Hardware reproduction that matches the one in the master bath. My favorite touch is the shower, with its pretty vintage-style handheld showerhead and its huge oversized rain head.

Our son’s nursery was the room I was most itching to decorate as the renovation finished. The dresser is vintage, and I made blinds by cannibalizing a Home Depot shade with a Spoonflower fabric of wonderful tigers, to whom we now bid goodnight in our bedtime routine. The mobile was a gift from his grandmother, from an artist she knows in Brooklyn whose Etsy shop (AllySen) sells similar creations. Lucy Goosey, the giant plastic goose nightlight, is a particular favorite and another gift from family. We tried to scatter family throughout the room, from photos and cards to the quilt hanging above the crib, made for my husband when he was born. I was a very happy camper when that room was finished before our son, Mac, arrived!

As for other original details, we tried to reuse a few light fixtures, but only one held up to re-wiring. The rest were mostly purchased from Schoolhouse Electric and Y Lighting. The floors were refinished with a wonderful no-VOC satin-finish natural oil product called Rubio Monocoat, which everyone loves when they visit. And my contractor and the crew thought I was crazy to replicate the original black windows with their traditional mullions, but they fit the Tudor style of the house perfectly, and I was adamant. Luckily, the guys all changed their minds when they were installed and stained. Or they were polite enough to pretend.

Throughout the project—completed on-budget and on-time, a minor miracle—I was so happy to see the crew every morning. I do NOT recommend living in the basement during a renovation unless you know exactly what you’re getting into, but it was our only option, and the crew was wonderful. It also made meetings a breeze, as I would pop upstairs on my way to work, discussing any questions that had arisen the day before. The crew’s foreman was reliable in every way, particularly for solving problems intelligently and with an eye for design. He is worth his weight in gold.

In the end, we made our deadline, but more importantly, we made the home I had hoped for. I used to stand in the half-framed kitchen, imagining our little boy padding around the loop made by our newly-opened doorways. Sure enough, every night Mac does his laps, chasing the cats and toppling over onto floors that the team patched and sanded and made to look like they have always been this way. We love our old stove, although the left burners have to be lit with a match. We love our neighbors, and the stories they tell of all the families who have come through over the years. We made this old home new again, and for that, I am deeply grateful to Sweeten and our Sweeten contractor and all the rest.

We continue to putter with smaller projects: painting the garage door, glamming up the entry with our practical and beautiful Shoe-seum (I am slowly being edged out by my husband’s sneakers). Perhaps if we ever manage to tackle the backyard, we will have another Sweeten post for the scary concrete underground wine cellar that turns everything into mildew. But for now, we are enjoying our small projects after the big project was handled by the pros.

Kitchen selects >> cabinets: custom / counters: HG Stones: honed Jet Mist granite / refrigerator: Build It Green: Appliances Connection / range: vintage / dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel / sink: Build It Green: vintage / faucet: Signature Hardware / wall tile: Somer Tile

Master bath selects >> floor tile: Tile Bar: Ann Sacks / shower floor tile: Waterworks / wall tile: Complete Tile / toilet: Appliances Connection / shower door: Appliances Connection / vanity: Restoration Hardware / faucet: Randolph Morris / shower head: Elements of Design / plumbing accessories: Pottery Barn / paint: Benjamin Moore / lighting: Hudson Valley Lighting

Second bath selects >>  toilet: Appliances Connection / vanity: Restoration Hardware 

Half bath selects >> floor tile: Mosaic House: Mariposa / sink: Olde Good Things: vintage / toilet: Appliances Connection / paint: Benjamin Moore / wallpaper: Flavor Paper: Brooklyn Toile 

Nursery selects >> blinds: Spoonflower fabric / mobile: Etsy (AllySen)

Other selects >> hall wallpaper: Schumacher / lighting: Schoolhouse Electric and Y Lighting / flooring finish: Rubio Monocoat

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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.

The post Color and Charm in a Designer’s Tudor Townhouse appeared first on Sweeten.

Claudia first readied herself with a straightforward list of tasks she wanted to accomplish. Sure, the place hadn’t been updated anywhere in three decades, so finishes throughout were more than dated. But she also craved more space, and after seeing neighboring units without the built-ins and boxy windows that had been added in a mid-80s renovation, she realized she might be able to reclaim some hidden square footage (and long-missing electrical outlets) in her own unit. The kitchen and bathroom needed a complete treatment, and the living room and bedroom required diametrically opposed designs: out with chunky built-ins on multiple walls in the living room, and in with a thoughtful and multi-functional built-in for the windowed bedroom wall.

Wishlist near complete, Claudia decided to post her project on Sweeten and was matched with a Sweeten contractor, who specializes in creating architecture and interior design solutions.

Upon meeting with Frederick and his team, Claudia made an overarching goal clear: She wasn’t interested in solely installing modern finishes over the old. The original bones were just as important as the final coat of paint. That pristine 1929 appeal needed to show through and reveal itself via new design details. With extensive renovations planned in every room, Claudia moved out of the apartment temporarily to allow for Frederick and his crew to get started.

Claudia believed that original parquet floors were hiding underneath all the carpeting, and she was right. Frederick had the wood floors sanded and refinished, bringing them back to life without introducing any new materials. With extra sheetrock walls encroaching in multiple directions, the team chipped away at the wall of boxed windows, disposing of an 18 inch layer of brick and wood.

Avert your eyes if you live in a typical NYC co-op, because you will probably NEVER experience this, but somehow Claudia nearly doubled the size of her living room windows by combining them, flooding the space with lovely natural light. All of the windows were replaced with double-paned versions, up to code with the building and boasting the required heat, freeze and UV protections.

On the opposite end of the room, the crew stripped away the ever-so-slightly-asymmetrical built-in shelving and cabinetry to reveal an open, wood-burning hearth. Claudia turned to a local Italian couple who specialize in old world mantels for an understated limestone facade, and Frederick brought in a specialist to design and install crown moldings along the doorways, windows, ceiling and floor boards throughout the apartment. Claudia’s mother helped source the final touch: an accent wall in a serene, neutral palette is an elegant and stylish addition to an inviting new living room.

In the kitchen, Claudia knew she wanted a white kitchen and was unsentimental about getting rid of the “horrible” gray linoleum floors. Cosmetic features aside, she wanted more storage space and a way to install an exhaust fan over a new cooktop. In an attempt to carve out some casual eating space, the previous owners had put some very limited cabinetry along the left-side of the galley, and appliances took up most of the storage and prep space on the right side.

Claudia chose a small pearlescent stone tile in a melange of pebble hues to take the place of the severely dated synthetic floor she’d grown to detest. High-impact cabinet changes were custom fit into the small space. Claudia worked with an Italian purveyor specializing in hidden compartments for the fridge and hood, and managed to conceal all of the major stainless steel appliances except for the striking new Bertazzoni range, because, Bertazzoni! The laminate countertops were removed and replaced with a white Caesarstone slab and corresponding backsplash, and an undermount stainless sink–supplied by the same producer as the cabinets–was installed.

Claudia knew she didn’t need to change the footprint of her bathroom to incorporate the many features she wanted here. The tub needed two shower curtains to keep water in, the full surround of blue-gray tile muted natural light, and the bulky vanity was topped with a throwback plastic ball faucet.

Claudia went with a floor tile pick that is complementary but different to those used in the kitchen, and with Frederick’s help, incorporated extra pieces into a design detail border along the wall of freshly installed white subway tiles. The tub came out and was replaced with a slightly larger and more modern German piece to coincide with new spa accessories: a rainwater shower head plus a handheld option for added luxe. The fixed shower rod was taken down to make way for a glass partition and hinged glass door that swings out for maximum function and style. Claudia chose a pedestal sink for extra floor and knee space, opting to place storage behind hidden cabinets in the wall instead. Almost all of the bathroom features were handpicked from local design shop Elegance in Hardware, including the polished nickel door knobs, which are exclusive to the outlet.  

In the bedroom, Claudia and her design-build team pursued the opposite approach. Instead of doing away with built-ins, they found areas where custom additions would have a meaningful impact on space use.

They added a custom closet in the hallway, outfitted  by California Closets, just outside the bath before entering the living room and introduced this same custom storage concept in the bedroom, behind a mirrored closet wall—one of the only major features that remained.

Once the carpet was torn out in the bedroom, Claudia approached Frederick with her hopes of incorporating a window seat before new wall treatment and molding went in. The designer re-enlisted his subcontractor to fashion a custom wooden seat built right into the new shelving set. The homeowner would just need an upholstered cushion and good book to make it complete.

Claudia revealed to us that upon visiting her apartment, after the renovations were complete and the dust had nearly cleared, she stood and looked around the empty rooms and was filled with the sense that nothing had changed. It was as if she were apartment shopping in 1929, which, she explained, is exactly what she wanted.

Living room selects >> wallpaper: Gracie / fireplace: A & R Asta, Ltd / lighting: Foundry Lighting / windows (throughout): Panorama / table: Goliath

Kitchen selects >> Floor tiles: Daltile Chenille White/Silver Screen / cabinets: GD Cucine / counters: Caesarstone / sink: GD Cucine / oven range: Appliances Connection / fridge: Appliances Connection / dishwasher: Appliances Connection

Bathroom selects >> floor tiles: Daltile Marble Panaro Blend / showerhead: Samuel Heath – Style Moderne via Elegance in Hardware / mirror and remaining hardware: Elegance in Hardware / lighting: Foundry Lighting / hallway closet: California Closets

Bedroom selects >> window: Panorama / window seat: custom / closet storage: California Closets /  lighting: Foundry Lighting

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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.

The post Uncovering a 1929 Upper East Side Gem – Claudia’s Sweeten Renovation appeared first on Sweeten.

Sophia and Leon were clear-eyed about the amount of work needed in their new home. The apartment’s full bath cleaned up ok but fixtures were mismatched and poorly installed and the sink and medicine cabinet were not built to last. The half bath was in rougher shape – institutional tiles and stained grout left the room with a dank feel. The family’s Sweeten project post was mainly focused on the kitchen but the project naturally evolved as Sophia and Leon met with Sweeten experts Paulina and Albert and came up with a plan to gut both bathrooms.

Paulina’s design credentials and Albert’s millwork specialty played a big role in all aspects of this renovation. In the full bath, Paulina helped Sophia find practical materials and clean finishes, anchoring the floor with a matte black hex tile and lining the shower with elongated modern white subway tiles and gray grout. Sophia chose a warm wood-finish, deep storage sink vanity from IKEA, which Albert modified to fit the room’s plumbing.

In the half bath, the absence of a shower allowed the team to yank wall tile altogether and keep the focus on a lovely mosaic floor. And because the family’s use of the half bath is more limited, they skipped under-sink storage and chose a minimalist pedestal sink to keep floor space open in the small room.

The team worked to make the most of closet space throughout the rest of the apartment and were able to integrate IKEA’s PAX sliding doors with custom internal closet framing. White trim, matte black doorknobs, and black pendant lighting throughout the newly open living areas unified the rest of the apartment, creating a clean and simple look that is effortlessly stylish.

Full Bathroom Selects >> black hex tile: Somertile / vanity: IKEA / toilet: American Standard / shower fixtures: Appliances Connection / shower tiles: Allegro white gloss / paint: Benjamin Moore’s ‘Oyster Shell’ / light fixture: Eglo

Half Bathroom Selects >> tiles: Somertile / toilet and sink: American standard / paint: Benjamin Moore’s ‘White Dove’ / towel ring: Appliances Connection / light fixture: Eglo

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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.

The post Sophia and Leon’s Bathroom Renovation – Sweeten on the Upper West Side! appeared first on Sweeten.