We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
When writer Connie Wang and her husband put an offer in for their Atwater Village home, they called it “practice.” As a desirable enclave of Los Angeles filled with longstanding bungalows on tree-lined streets, they thought this neighborhood was out of their price range even if the home was an ideal fit. But afterward, in what Wang describes as a “series of happy but unexpected events,” the house became theirs. For the next five years, they settled in and made changes slowly, working around the eyesore that was their main-floor bathroom.
“I hate waste, and big projects scare me, so for years I tried to convince myself that the bathroom wasn’t that bad,” Wang says. “Maybe the rough brown tiles and gray grout were actually charming, even though they were impossible to clean? And maybe the off-center frosted glass lighting was quirky, and not just ugly?” But if she was really honest with herself, she hated almost everything about it.
One day, while pregnant with her second kid, Wang was on her hands and knees scrubbing the grout when her patience was finally depleted. She was scrolling through Instagram as a break and saw that interior architect Courtney Madison, who she’d met through a mutual friend, had posted an image from a project she was working on—she knew Madison had a beautiful home but didn’t realize she was available for hire. “I abandoned the grout cleaning, and texted her right away,” says Wang. Here’s how that text thread snowballed into a joyful, monochromatic bathroom renovation.
Take Every Chance to Expand
The home was built a century ago, but sometime in the mid-2000s, it underwent a renovation that Wang jokes is a “cautionary tale.” A bank of floor-to-ceiling cabinetry was squeezed between the tub and the wall, so the only way to actually open any doors would be to either sit or stand on the toilet. The vanity provided slightly more storage, but toiletries spilled out around the sink on most days.
“The original bathroom lacked functionality, so we made it our mission to maximize every inch and create a space that truly works for their growing family,” says Madison.
Wang got in touch with the designer in February 2024, and by May, construction began. Madison flipped the full-length cabinet from one side of the tub to the other—that way the doors could open fully—and sourced a larger vanity with lots of drawers. There are hooks for towels, a shelf over the toilet, and more recessed storage complete with an outlet by the door (not pictured). In other words, Wang wanted a workhorse bathroom in a small footprint, and Madison delivered. “She fit in a laundry hamper and pull-out shelves, which are so big we can store a Costco-sized bundle of toilet paper,” Wang says.
Make the Shower Tile the Star
Madison knew that Wang wasn’t afraid of color, and they wanted to use it in a way that wouldn’t feel too out of place in a circa-1923 bungalow. They bounced ideas around, but Wang had a prevailing image in mind. “I can’t hide from my overt theft here: I completely stole the design of the tub tile from Lucy Williams, whose London home has been extremely inspiring to me,” she says. “I often find myself leaving the shower curtain open so the tub tile can be the room’s centerpiece.” The magic combo? Marazzi’s zellige tiles in the hues Bosco, Gesso, and Turchese.
Madison grounded the rest of the room in traditional touches like marble mosaic floor tiles and Shaker cabinets, making it easier for these modern details to blend in. “I’m also pleased to report that the floor grout is 100-times easier to clean than the old tile that led me to Courtney in the first place,” says Wang.
For Personality, Go Pistachio
Wang and Madison aimed to choose a natural color that highlighted the family’s personality, and pistachio felt like the perfect pick (specifically, Behr’s Meditation Time paint color). Initially, the plan was just to cover the paneling. But as the painters were working, they both decided it was better to go big.
“I love color-drenching, especially in a warm tone like this,” Madison says. The space felt better with less visual division, so they carried it all the way up to the ceiling. “It’s a good reminder not to fight a room,” she continues. “If it’s dark, make it cozy. No amount of white paint will truly make it feel bigger.” By the time the project wrapped in July, just before the birth of Wang’s baby, they both learned how to use the limits of this bathroom to their advantage.