Walnut Guest Bath.
A bath that belonged in the present.
The homeowners had lived with the original 1990s guest bath since moving in — beige walls, builder-grade fixtures, tile patterns no one remembers choosing. Nothing was failing. Nothing was dangerous. It just wasn't the bathroom they wanted.
The ask was simple: modernize it, and make it feel like it belongs in the rest of the house.
Five directions. Your own decision.
Most contractors hand over a Pinterest board and ask which you like. We take a different approach. Before any materials were selected, we produced AI-assisted design studies of this exact bathroom — the real dimensions, the actual window placement, the existing structure — rendered in five distinct style directions.
Each one gives the homeowner something specific to react to: "Yes, this." "No, not this." "Closer — but warmer."
01. Traditional
Carrara marble, brass fixtures, subway tile, chandelier. Timeless and formal.
02. Scandinavian
Light oak, hex marble, paper lanterns, warm naturals. Light and calm.
03. Contemporary
Light oak cabinetry, backlit mirror, minimal hardware. Clean and restrained.
04. Industrial
Concrete, reclaimed wood, Edison pendants, exposed brick. Rugged and warm.
05. Glam
Marble, brass, dramatic lighting, clawfoot tub. Rich and layered.
The homeowners narrowed it to the Scandinavian direction within days. But the wood tones were too blonde. The rest of the house is anchored in walnut.
A small change. A big difference.
The refinement: swap the light oak for walnut to tie the bathroom into the wood tones used throughout the rest of the house. Same layout. Same marble. Same matte black fixtures. Entirely different warmth.
First direction — light oak
The initial Scandinavian palette.
Refined direction — walnut
Same composition, warmer wood tone. The direction they built.
Three weeks, start to finish.
With the scope locked, the materials ordered, and the drawings in every trade's hands, the build itself was the fastest part. Weekly photo updates went to the homeowners throughout — whether or not anything "exciting" had happened.
Warm, quiet, considered.
Calacatta-veined porcelain runs floor-to-ceiling in the shower and across the floor — large-format slabs chosen to minimize grout lines and let the veining read as a continuous surface. The walnut slat column frames the toilet alcove and houses two display niches. The slat treatment continues horizontally across the vanity front. Matte black fixtures and hardware tie the composition together and pick up the shadows in the slat details.