Prioritizing projects for a fixer-upper may put the master bath—the most private room in any house—on the back burner. Such was the case for Dayka Robinson, an Atlanta-based interior designer who spent the last decade renovating her 1985 Cape Cod–style home. “First, I tackled areas people would actually see,” she says. “I used the guest bath for years!”
Shown: The old master bath had vinyl flooring and dated fixtures, like the acrylic tub surround.
When Dayka got ready to work on the builder-grade master bath, she wanted to keep the look consistent with the house’s overall decor—its graphic patterns and strong palette. Her budget was tight, though, so she took a high-low approach: She splurged on an 18-inch-deep tub, which fits in the original alcove, but skimped by painting the existing vanity instead of replacing it.
Dayka added bold impact with a dramatic use of pattern for the wall tile and shower curtain, which pop against pale walls, and with brass accents that lend warmth and glamour. And while she converted dead space into a closet, she otherwise kept the room’s footprint.
“I love the way it turned out,” she says. “It reflects who I am. When I’m there, I feel joyful and relaxed.”
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Glossy black paint updates the existing vanity; the new oak butcher-block countertop, scored for $110, “just happened to be the right size,” says Dayka. Brass-and-bone cabinet pulls play off the vintage gilt-framed mirror and the brass-finish sconce above it.
The showerhead, with its square face, complements the straight edges of the wall tile while coordinating with brass accents on the vanity and throughout the rest of the house.
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Atlanta designer Dayka Robinson suggests: “Try upholstery-weight fabric for a shower curtain. It’s heavy, so it hangs well; it’s easily dry-cleaned, too.”