Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2019 - 60

Marvelous
MODEST YET

Savvy solutions
keep costs down
in a guest bath

BEST BALANCED
BUDGET

AFTER A LARGER REMODEL in another area of
their house, a couple in Tampa, Fla., didn't want
to overstep the budget for their guest bath, which
needed a much bigger statement. Heather Mauldin, principal designer at Heather Mauldin Interiors, managed to stick within the $16,000 budget
with some creative juggling.
"They had a general idea of what they wanted
to spend up front, but they also knew that figure
might have to change a little," said the designer. "Right out of the gate, they wanted to use a
statement tile for the flooring, so I gave them the
choice of increasing the budget a bit or forgoing
that item on their wish list."

SOURCES
DESIGNER: Heather
Mauldin, Heather Mauldin
Interiors; PHOTOGRAPHER:
Jessica Barﬁeld
Photography
FAUCET & SHOWER

FIXTURES: Artos; LIGHTING:

Gabby Home; SINK &

VANITY: Build.com; TILE:

Rocca, Tabarka & Tarmak;
TOILET: Kohler

SPLURGES & SAVES

Since the couple really loved the $75 per square
foot tile - a hand-painted terracotta with a light
almond grout - it was easy for them to up the
ante. Mauldin then chose a less-expensive ($3 per
square foot) tile for the shower field tile, and the
shower floor is a creamy Calacatta marble hex tile
($20 per square foot).
A pre-made floating vanity also saved on the
budget, and Mauldin was able to keep the linen
closet in place. She also sourced the shower trim
and lavatory faucet from Artos, a brand with budget-friendly but eye-catching products.
"The pared-back plumbing trim in matte black
really helped a lot and punctuated the guest bath
the way black tends to do," she added.
The client wanted to remove the builder-grade
tub and replace it with a walk-in shower, which
Mauldin achieved within budget, and she said the
request for more storage in the vanity was fulfilled
despite the narrow dimensions and price constraints.
"A simple solution of installing the showerhead
at 84 inches makes the bath feel more custom,
which cost nothing extra to do," said the designer.
"The shower field tile was installed up to the ceiling, which draws the eye up and makes the small
room feel bigger."
The new bathroom definitely makes the statement the clients desired, and Mauldin was able to
create the illusion of more space in a small room
with some simple techniques. The only challenge
she had to overcome was placing the vanity sconce
on what happened to be an exterior block wall.The
savvy electrician found a small space in the block
in which he could get it wired just right.
The judges were impressed by the designer's
creative solutions for staying on budget in â
this charming guest bath.

BELOW Mauldin saved by

using a pre-made ﬂoating
vanity cabinet, as well as lessexpensive tile in the shower.
The terra cotta ﬂooring was
the most expensive part of
the project, but it was a musthave for the homeowners, so
they increased their budget
slightly to make it work.

60

/ SEPTEMBER 2019 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)
Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2019

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