Designer Negar Reihani helps a couple fall back in love with their home, thanks to this gorgeous bathroom reno.

The young couple who owns this home in West Vancouver weren’t convinced they were going to stay in it. With a toddler and a newborn rounding out their family, they looked at the home’s ’80s fixtures and vintage stylings and felt it didn’t fit with their modern outlook. But a burst pipe in the master bathroom was the impetus to take on a reno of the space—and then they’d see how they felt about staying.

Designer Negar Reihani of Space Harmony was tasked with creating a space that would be worth staying in. The room itself wasn’t large, and the homeowners weren’t up for borrowing square feet from the nearby bedroom—but they did want to make sure that, with a couple of young children, they’d have lots of storage in the bathroom. “Being a young and modern couple, they wanted a cleaner, fresh look to reflect their style,” says Reihani. “At the same time, because it was a West Vancouver home, we wanted to keep a little of that classic feel to it in case they wanted to sell down the road—to still appeal to a more mature buyer.”

And so while the update didn’t require any shifts in plumbing, Reihani did remove the bathtub, and closed over the glass-block wall that was behind it. In its place, Reihani installed full-height cabinetry behind several mirrored doors, with plenty of pot lights throughout—so they wouldn’t miss any of the natural light that had filtered through those blocks.

A custom-made vanity in pale rift-cut oak is a perfect fit with the statuarietto marble tile that lines the walls and continues into the shower—paired with an elegant chevron pattern of the same tile on the floor and in the shampoo niche. A round mirror above the vanity provides a softer, more classic contrast to the sharper lines of the modern wall-mounted faucets.

And as far as that should-we-stay-or-should-we-go question? Post renovation, they’re definitely staying—and have contracted Reihani to tackle the rest of the home.

Designer Tips to Get This Elegant Ensuite Look

Ensuite-1.CMYKElevate the vanity.

Reihani had this leggy vanity custom-made to feel like a piece of furniture—including open shelving at its base to enhance the look. In a small space, an elevated vanity keeps the piece from feeling too heavy.

Make room for two.

Instead of two individual his-and-hers sinks, Reihani went for one large—and dramatic—sink on the vanity. “Because it’s not a huge bathroom, a large sink can accommodate two people with much cleaner lines,” she says.

Ensuite-3.CMYKMake mirrors work for you.

This is a small bathroom, but it feels bright and airy thanks to the mirrored panels on the cabinet doors.

Use a pocket door when space is tight.

Eliminating a swing door in this room means you won’t lose precious square footage to the door—but you’ll still get the privacy needed.

Ensuite-4.CMYK

Ensuite-5.CMYKDon’t forget about the shampoo.

The floor-to-ceiling tile is gorgeous in this shower space—but the inset niche for shampoo (with a pretty contrasting tile pattern) makes it practical, too.