During the 1980s, our family added a mother-in-law suite over the garage and family room for my recently widowed grandmother. It included an 11x14 bedroom, a roughly 24x12 main living area with kitchenette, and full bathroom.
I'm currently transforming that space into a master suite. The first project was the ensuite bathroom. The original was serviceable, but had some relatively unfortunate design choices and finishes(thanks to my dad!). Here's the BEFORE:
Possibly worst floor tiles ever, in glossy dark brown with copper detail? Yuck!!
I had initially hoped to enlarge and reconfigure this room - until I got a quote and discovered it was cost-prohibitive because it would involve moving a lot of things around that are between the walls. I decided to stick with the original size and footprint, which would then allow me to splurge on some luxury finishes.
I went for black and white (which is the design motif throughout the house). Initially, I was hoping to go gold-toned for the hardware, but ended up with matte black when I couldn't source a few of the things I wanted in gold. I'm overall happy with the results, and the larger shower with glass door really makes the room feel bigger.
I splurged on Centura London's Dolomiti tiles as well as a composite stone base for the shower and "frameless" glass doors. I like a mosaic floor (not for everyone, but it reminds me of art deco buildings). I fell in love with this Dolomiti basket weave mosaic! It's oversized compared to most mosaics, and has such a unique texture. The larger tiles are matte, and the small squares are highly polished. While the camera doesn't really pick up the textural difference, when the light shines on them in person it's stunning. I used them in the shower niche as well.
These tiles are "premium" (i.e., not available from big box stores, and according to my installers superior quality and a dream to work with). they are porcelain (ie, low maintenance!), but with a subtle marble-like colouring based on Dolomiti marble which is a coloration/variety found in Northern Italy. I used the coordinating polished (high gloss) 1'x2' in a grid pattern for the shower walls.
The shower set is Delta's "modern raincan" in black, and the sink faucet is the Delta Broadmoor PULL-DOWN bathroom faucet! In matte black of course. Best invention ever!
Other details (door lever, hooks, towel bar etc.) are matte black which coordinates with the faucet and shower set.
I chose an arched medicine cabinet and I think the shape really emphasizes the height of the ceiling and makes it feel more spacious. Same for the white floating shelves. I went with a higher-end vanity so it has loads of storage, a composite stone top, and porcelain sink. I went with the American Standard "Vormax" toilet which has great lines and extra high (good for a person who suffers from sciatica!). I struggled with vanity lighting, and for the time being sticking with this fixture (original, though I painted it black and added upgraded globe bulbs).
Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17) is the perfect complement to the Dolomiti tiles. I've used White Dove in other rooms - it is the most balanced off-white Benjamin Moore makes (equal yellow and gray undertones) so it is a chameleon of off-whites. It has a LRV (light reflectance value) in the 70s which means it's not "bright" as far as whites go (e.g., a trim paint white like Chantilly Lace has an LRV in the 90s) so White Dove doesn't reflect a ton of light. In this room, it reminds me of an oyster white. Between the balanced softness of White Dove and the Dolomiti tones, this bathroom has a very peaceful and relaxing feel. I'm used to stark white bathrooms (I tend to prefer severe whites with high LRV) so I'm enjoying this soft bathroom, but I'm not sure if it's my favourite since the tone relaxes instead of energizing me.
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