Designing a Dream Teen Bathroom
"Designing for kids can be so much fun!," says Adrienne Dorig Leland of Dorig Designs. And she sure has a knack for it, as proven back in 2021 when she designed this dream bathroom for two young girls. Two years later, the same family asked Adrienne back to design a bathroom for their eldest daughter, now a pre-teen, and she did not disappoint! Read on to see what went into Adrienne's teen-dream bathroom design, and how she incorporated fun and fashion into another highly functional bathroom to meet the ever-changing needs and interests of a teen girl.
The “Before”
The "before" bathroom had some obvious challenges: an outdated look, no surface or storage space for hair tools or makeup, and an exceptionally small shower. After seeing what Adrienne accomplished in the bathroom renovation for their younger daughters two years prior, these Wisconsin homeowners knew that they didn't need more square footage to get a whole lot more out of this space.
The Design
Adrienne approaches her designs with her clients in mind. What’s their style? Their needs? How will the space be used? What do they like to do for fun? Keeping these considerations in mind, Adrienne got to work, weaving in stylistic flourishes and functional features that make all the difference. Here are some highlights of this teen-dream bathroom design:
1. Aesthetics
The family fell in love with blue shower tiles suggested by Adrienne, which became the focal point around which everything else revolved. Adrienne often selects a countertop, tile, or piece of furniture that sparks particular joy in her client and lets the project evolve from there.
Blue shower tiles span up to the ceiling, covering the soffit. This not only adds drama and height to the room, but creates a cohesive design with functional benefits such as expanding the water-resistant surface of the shower area.
Circle penny round tiles were featured in the shower floor and interspersed with the larger format floor tiles, creating a visually appealing contrast.
The circle pattern was repeated in the shower niches for a little pizzazz.
Adrienne chose Thorcraft Custom Cabinets to design the vanity, which features a masked right-side pull-out chosen to match the look of the left-side drawer bank for added symmetry.
A deeper shade of blue was chosen for cabinets, complementing the lighter blue shower tiles and adding some depth to the space.
The back of the bathroom door was painted blue to match the custom vanity, pulling everything together.
Hardware in playful, mixed shapes was chosen for the faucet, towel rack and cabinet pulls, and the matte black hardware finish is repeated in details throughout the room.
A circular pattern in the textured wallpaper plays off of the circular tiles throughout the room.
2. Storage
The “before” bathroom lacked storage space, so Adrienne found opportunities within the walls and incorporated special cabinetry to enhance the room’s overall functionality.
A mirrored medicine cabinet provides ample space to store medicines, moisturizers, toothbrushes, and more. Bonus: the cabinet features an inner USB port to charge a phone!
Storage space was maximized by incorporating a U-shaped under-sink drawer built to fit around plumbing. The dividers inside can be moved to accommodate anything from toilet paper to soaps, styling accessories, and more.
Numerous cutouts inside the shower were intentionally designed with heights that fit shampoo, conditioners and other shower products within easy reach, eliminating floor and surface clutter.
The right side of the vanity features a Rev-A-Shelf pullout drawer (powered by a Docking Drawer) with metal heat-proof bins and various storage containers.
Adrienne installed a Docking Drawer Blade in-drawer outlet into the Rev-A-Shelf pullout, offering the ability to safely connect styling tools inside the vanity drawer. Docking Drawer outlets are simple to install into new, existing, or pre-built drawers like this, and feature an integrated thermostat that cuts power to the outlet when surrounding temperatures exceed 120° F, making Docking Drawer a safe solution for connecting hot styling tools inside the drawer.
For added peace of mind in this teen bathroom, Adrienne used Docking Drawer’s Blade Limit Switch alongside the in-drawer outlet. This safety add-on offers an additional layer of safety to in-drawer outlet applications by cutting power to the outlet as the drawer begins to close, guaranteeing no devices are left powered on inside a closed vanity drawer.
The tall linen cabinet was equipped with roll-out drawers, offering easy access to towels and other accessories and offering more motivation for this young teen to keep the space organized!
3. Fun Details
Incorporating fun details into any design can help create a highly unique and personal space and can be especially impactful when working with young clients.
What teen wouldn’t love this Kohler Moxie Shower Head with removable waterproof & wireless speaker? The speaker is magnetized to fit in the center of the showerhead and easily detach for charging. Cue the shower serenade!
Adrienne chose vanity countertops made from engineered stone that feature reflective flecks for a fun sparkle effect! The stone is also used for the shower bench and the in-shower niche shelves.
4. Lighting
Lighting can profoundly influence ambiance, functionality, and aesthetics, serving as a pivotal element in realizing an interior's full design potential.
Sconces on both sides of the mirror offer a flattering light optimal for makeup application and styling
Inset lighting was added to the ceiling to further highlight the tile and bring out the fun and sparkly effect of the countertops.
The “After”
Sophisticated yet playful. What teen wouldn’t dream of a thoughtful bathroom upgrade like this? Take the lead from Adrienne by focusing your teen’s bathroom design on function and fashion with a healthy splash of fun! And don’t forget to include the convenience and power of in-drawer outlets to help your teen power styling devices safely inside the drawer. By keeping all those straighteners, curling irons, blow dryers and other accessories from cluttering the countertops, you’ll help them maintain a tidy and organized space.
