After: tub-shower combo with elongated white subway tile, black grout, long niche and frameless glass door, Pearl District bathroom remodel

Pearl District Loft Bathroom Refresh

Pearl District, Portland, OR

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Project Overview

This Pearl District loft bathroom had bright blue walls, a beige tub surround behind a shower curtain, a pedestal sink and glued-down floor squares. The owner wanted a clean, modern update in the same layout.

We installed a new tub with a frameless glass enclosure, floor-to-ceiling white subway tile, large black floor tile, and all-new lighting and ventilation, in about 90 square feet.

The Challenge

The bathroom worked, but it looked its age. Bright blue paint, a beige tub-and-shower surround behind a curtain, a pedestal sink next to a separate cabinet, a track light on the ceiling and glued-down floor squares made a good-sized loft bathroom feel dated.

The owner wanted it updated without changing the layout: a new tub with a glass wall and door instead of a curtain, tile from the tub to the ceiling, a dark floor and new light fixtures.

Two things behind the walls needed attention. The wall behind the tub was built with light-gauge metal framing, too flimsy to carry a fully tiled wall and a recessed niche.

And the original exhaust fan ran through a long, winding 3-inch duct, too small for a modern quiet fan to run without rattling.

Before: loft bathroom with a blue accent wall, beige tub surround with shower curtain, pedestal sink and glued-down floor squares — Before

After: full view of the loft bathroom with large black floor tile and tiled baseboards — After

The Solution

After: brass-and-glass sconces and new lighting above the vanity, Pearl District bathroom remodel

After: matte black square showerhead, handheld shower, valve and tub spout against white subway tile, Pearl District bathroom remodel

After: long recessed niche with black edge trim and white subway tile, Pearl District bathroom remodel

After: frameless glass tub enclosure with matte black hinges beside the black tile floor, Pearl District bathroom remodel

We removed the old tub, surround and flooring, then rebuilt the shower wall framing in wood so the tile and niche have a solid base. A new tub went in, with elongated white subway tile run all the way to the ceiling in black grout and a long recessed niche trimmed in black.

A frameless glass panel and hinged door replace the shower curtain, keeping the room open and the water in. Matte black fixtures (a square showerhead, handheld shower, valve and tub spout) match the black hardware on the glass.

Large-format black tile now covers the floor, with tiled baseboards in the same tile for a clean, wipeable edge. Brass-and-glass sconces on either side of the mirror and a matching ceiling fixture replace the old track light.

For ventilation, we installed a new quiet exhaust fan and replaced the old 3-inch duct with a 4-inch line tied into the building's main duct, so the fan runs quietly and moves moisture out the way it should.