A 2000s Bathroom Gets a Luxe Makeover That “Feels Like a Palace Garden”
Built-in soaker tubs — once considered a bathroom luxury — are becoming a thing of the past. These oversized features were a go-to item in the 1990s and early aughts for anyone seeking a relaxing, spa-like experience, but now they can feel a bit outdated and take up a lot of space. In many bathroom makeovers today, people are swapping corner tubs for freestanding clawfoots or sleeker soaker options.
Designer Mitesh Trambadia’s (@desimeetsdesign) home, built in the 2000s, features a 165-square-foot bathroom with a clunky soaker tub and green walls — neither of which he wanted anymore. “I also did not feel the large soaking tub was a good use of the space and wanted to make the shower space a little larger.” Mitesh says. For Mitesh, the tub wasn’t just a feature he didn’t use, but instead it was a major space hog that didn’t fit with the vision for the bathroom.
“Since we were not the original owners, none of it felt personal or our style,” Mitesh says of the bathroom overall.
The bathroom makeover began with a demo process.
Once the design vision was in place, Mitesh (with professional help for the plumbing and electrical portions) demoed the bathroom. He began by removing the large soaking tub, existing vanity, shower door, and the tiles.
He replaced the old tiles on the shower wall with glossy oval-shaped ones and added gray scalloped tiles to the shower floors. Mitesh says new tiles were a splurge, but he felt they were worth it.
Installing them was a much longer process than he imagined. “The scalloped tiles came individually, and each was very delicate to cut, so many were not able to be used, and we underestimated the amount we would need, having to put things on hold to order more.”
Next, he swapped out the vanity and replaced the vanity lighting with wall sconces. He also pointed out that updating the hardware is such a budget-friendly way to change the look of the bathroom. He sourced reasonably priced hardware, such as a new showerhead and faucet.
A bold wallpaper replaces green paint.
Mitesh’s bathroom walls were originally painted green, a color he quickly grew tired of. This led him to switch things up with green garden wallpaper, “which is inspired from a style of painting called Pichwai from the Rajasthan state of India,” Mitesh says. “As someone with roots in India, I felt a connection to the architecture and design of the region and wanted it represented in my home.”
Mitesh calls the wallpaper “bold” and says it made the biggest difference in the makeover. It “really changed the mood of the room as soon as it went on the walls,” he says.
The large floor mirror makes the space feel larger, “like a palace garden.”
But that’s not all — Mitesh also added an oversized floor mirror that looks like a luxurious staple that evokes “the feeling of being in a palace garden,” he says, adding that it was another big difference maker for the bathroom.
Mitesh loves the way all of the elements came together in the $20,000 bathroom makeover and says it feels luxurious, personal, and fresh. “Even with the bold wallpaper, it still feels serene,” he says.
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