I could also title this the “Closet Takeover”!  Many times, when clients are looking to expand their bathroom to include a larger shower, a nearby closet is often targeted for a takeover.  That was the case with this bathroom on the south side of Bloomington, IN.

When I arrived the bathroom, in usual fashion, was a long room with the shower across the end.  The plan was to bust out the wall and make the room into an “L” shape by turning a large 4′ x 5′ walk-in closet into a new tile shower.  The room didn’t have to be gutted, but I did have to open up enough walls and flooring so the plumbing could make the changes to add the shower and move the toilet.

The shower was a fairly simple design using 3×6 subway tiles from floor to ceiling.  It’s really a dramatic look that I liked a lot.  Many times I’ll add a decorative stripe, but these tiles didn’t need that to look fantastic.

Instead of a bench, we included a low niche near the floor as a foot rest for shaving or scrubbing your ankles.

The floor features 2″x 2″ squares, which perfectly fit this shower that is exactly 48″ x 48″ inside the curb.

One of the great things about using the Schluter Kerdi drain is that it is a 4″ square.  Most shower floor tile is easily cut around this and it looks great.  On the other hand, cutting any tile around a circular drain is tedious and definitely not as attractive as these drains.  They also come in many popular finishes to match whatever fixtures you have.

The shower fixtures are from Danze and are incredible.  The showerhead is called Antique Bell and it’s 10″ across!  It’s on an extension arm to get it further away from the wall for the rain shower effect.  The valve is Danze Parma with diverter.  The diverter is what chooses whether the water goes to the shower head or the handheld shower.  It’s a great feature.  With out a diverter built in, you would need a separate diverter to choose where the water goes.

I’ll admit that I was especially pleased with how this shower turned out.  The homeowners had great taste and I was delighted to help them make the dream a reality.

Go “Behind the Scenes” at this project here.