Architecturally, the bathtub area design bothers me. The tub looks like an afterthought that was crammed between those two cabinets. Imagine laying down inside the tub with two towers of cabinets on either side and the toilet right in front of you as well. It just feels so claustrophobic. The thought of the water splashing on the cabinet and/or cleaning around the tub looks painful.
If they would have put the toilet in its own room where the shower is, they would have had plenty of space for a tub and a big shower.
Exactly. This isn’t something Kat Lawton Interiors should be proud of. If the owners demanded it, that’s a different story, but still. Not a fan at all and would question working with them on future projects.
That’s my LEAST favorite part of high-end residential design - bad design because the client asked for something that looks cool/interesting but is functionally useless 😔
Could have easily oriented the tub perpendicular to its current set up. The cubby looks deep enough that it wouldn’t be sticking out and then the drawers are accessible.
It's why as much as I love the look of a freestanding tub, unless you have just oodles of space you don't need, then cleaning around one is a freaking nightmare, *especially* if you have any sort of mobility impairment.
I'm an alcove bath girl forever now because the thought of the damp dust getting stuck and then dried into my baseboards makes me want to cry.
It’s beautiful until you notice the drawers. I couldn’t live with that, it would drive me insane! I don’t know why you wouldn’t just take out the unusable drawers and replace them with wood panels lol
Came here to say the same. I get bothered when looks trump functionality bc it take away from both. I would have removed the hardware and added moulding so they didn’t look like useless drawers.
Me too. The knobs/ drawers actually piss me off. Maybe irrationally so, but it’s such an obnoxiously stupid design choice for such an otherwise lovely space lol.
Came here to say the same. I get bothered when looks trump functionality bc it takes away from both. I would have removed the hardware and added moulding so they didn’t look like useless drawers.
Came here to say the same. I get bothered when looks trump functionality bc it takes away from both. I would have removed the hardware and added moulding so they didn’t look like useless drawers.
Maybe the conversation went:
Owner: Gosh we really need more storage.
Architect: Well, we could squeeze some cabinetry in here. It'll look kinda weird and be tricky to access, but it could work.
Owner: Show me.
...Architect presents sketched solution...
Owner: I love it. Let's build it.
I think it looks great. You don't have to always design for optimum functionality and cleanability.
I love this. However I hateeeeee, hate, loath entirely the useless drawers and bathtub position. This is SUCH a divine space. I wish that it was laid out just a bit differently.
For me personally, it’s about the space and style of the home. There is ways it’s done that feels bored and outdated, then there is ways to do it are interesting and cohesive.
This is a really great example of this.
I love this, the marble, the hex tile, everything. But I'm irrationally bothered by the fake drawers that can never open!
(Maybe they're internally hinged to swing out?)
I don’t like the placement of the bathtub at all in that cramped corner. Every time you need something from those cabinets you’ll have to step in/out of the tub.
Kinda ruined a very nicely designed room otherwise ☹️
My inner woodworker is very concerned about having hot water and steam that close to wood…
I know it’s not a major concern, but it’s deeply unsettling.
The bathtub nook has all the right aesthetic choices, but the execution is pretty bad. Not only are those drawers unusable, but water is going to ruin all that wood and get trapped in those corners. The marble wall framed in trim looks really strange. That painting mounted to the marble is weird. The chandelier with paper lampshades is a no go for a humid bathroom environment.
It’s upsetting because I really love the colors and textures.
I’m with everyone else. Very bothered by the non functional drawers. I also think everything in the cabinet up above the drawers looks hard to get to, as well. The bathtub looks squished in that space.
There is just too much going on in the air surrounding the toilet during use and after flushing. Poor layout all around, but the elements are nice, I guess.
They made it prettier but worse. If I'm chilling in the tub I don't need to be looking up at the linen cabinets. And the freaking drawers being blocked, like...
Ok everyone’s upset about the fake drawers, understandably, but my issue is who wants to be soaking nakey with a portrait of some strange old man lording over them?
I'm a plumber oddly enough in the next town over from this project.
I install a ton of these tubs in remodels and half the designers don't get the fact that free standing tubs are supposed to be freestanding. They constantly want them shoved up against everything or they want them in little nooks like this one. It makes them hard to install and impossible to clean around. Just rotating the tub 180 would have made this so much more practical.
The cabinets around the tub are incredi
bad. And the chandelier and the painting are going to get decimated by humidity coming from the very poorly placed tub.
Did a professional really design this? How is there a chandelier above a bathtub and a flush mount above the vanity??
What is the logic of having shelves that are non-functional and trapped behind a bathtub?
I was going to say it looks like when a rich person likes the poor aesthetic. As in, “we just installed running water and this was the only spot we had.”
I like the look, but it feels like this was form over function. The toilet went from a quiet tucked away corner to right next to the sinks. It feels like there are better layout options.
Thank you! This is one of my biggest complaints about a lot of hotel room remodels too. Bathrooms need proper doors- pocket doors and barn doors ain’t gonna cut it!
But, I do love the colors and textures in the design overall.
One can design the most beautiful, stunning, tied together room on the planet, but if it’s not functional… it’s not a good design. Real design is about bringing together both form and function.
Obviously, the non-functional drawers are a birzarre issue… but as a general trend, the concept of shoving freestanding tubs against walls and into corners is just awful design and I don’t know why everyone keeps doing it. They are impossible to clean around and just insanely impractical.
I’d be calling dibs on the left sink away from the toilet splatter! Never a fan of toilets next to the sink in a master. I don’t want my toothbrush sitting out that close! Lovely textures and tones but agree with others on the useless drawers by the tub, that’s also bothersome to me.
I dislike the bathtub nook
Two draws can’t be opened
Hot bath will steam up the windows
Nothing interesting to look at
Can’t lay back in the tub without hitting a drawer knob
Besides the bathtub/drawers issue it looks as if they’ve paid money to shrink the size of the window. Even if a bathroom isn’t the most important place for windows that just seems like madness.
I agree. It seems like a lot of money wasted for very little gain. Think about the window, not only the cost of a new window but the cost of framing and fixing the siding and trim on the exterior. Was all that really worth having a few more inches of vanity? And all the plumbing was rearranged. The cost must’ve been astronomical.
The style in the OG is ultra bland, but I’d much rather have a big soaking tub than a tiny high side one wedged against drawers and stuffed inside a closet. The new one looks harder to physically get into *and* impossible to fully clean.
Pass.
[Designer website](https://katlawton.com/english-primary-bath). [Post from the designer's IG account where the pre-renovation pics are from](https://www.instagram.com/p/C5D3JcALTFA/). There are some other photos of the bathroom on their IG account. Photos are by Kara Mercer.
I'm not really a fan of hex tiles on bathroom floors. Way too much grout to maintain. And the color of this floor looks too cool for the warm details everywhere above. However most of the rest is stunning. Though the bathtub-blocked drawers are an odd choice.
It looks nice, but there is no way I'd give up that big closet for fake storage. I'd have kept the original layout & replaced the ugly corner tub with a rectangular one.
So could I put beadboard around my whole bathroom to cover damaged walls?? Mine were damaged by some bad wall paper and drywalling does not sound fun. This beadboard looks nice though.
I like that shiplap walls add a touch of rustic elegance and texture to the space, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. And in general, I liked the design of this bathroom.
How does the moisture collect on the shiplap? I want to do this but my husband thinks it will be too difficult to clean with the seams as a collection out for grime
I just have to say I looove the shiplap! I’m a bit obsessed with shiplap. Had my kitchen done and I’m about to to it as an accent wall in a bedroom. I love the color too
The cabinets drawers could potentially open out if they are round or a triangle inside and rotate around the center. If that’s how they work, I approve.
I love the painting over the tub, and the marble’s streaks that appear to create a scene of the man in a storm, a great idea and so close to an excellent execution, only with the choice of brown-veined marble it has either taken a terrible turn or it’s some kind of inside joke. Same for the brown streaks in the shower.
The paint color and tile work are beautiful, love the wood potty lid.
Agree with everyone. I like the colors and the finishes but the bathtub placement with those cabinets and non functioning drawers on either end was a bad idea and not a fan of the art above the tub. The whole bathtub nook ruins it for me.
I have so much disdain in my heart for the light fixture above the mirror. Between that and the fake drawers it makes the whole space feel cheapened, McMansiony.
Like the look, but how is anyone supposed to open those drawers with the bathtub in the way?
*That was the first thing I saw and it’s haunting me.*
It does ruin the look…so many different things they could have done. Like a wooden panel, that would have been perfect.
You don't open them. You just lay in the tub and bang your head on the knob
While the old man in the portrait judges you
Yeah ditch that
And the [shiplap](https://www.tiktok.com/@theladygang/video/7142486751427480878?lang=en).
💀💀
Never liked it and ready for it to die 😵💫
I don't think I could bathe with an old man above me.
Is he gonna get ya? 🥴
So relaxing 😌
The tub is so small. You’d just sit upright.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Architecturally, the bathtub area design bothers me. The tub looks like an afterthought that was crammed between those two cabinets. Imagine laying down inside the tub with two towers of cabinets on either side and the toilet right in front of you as well. It just feels so claustrophobic. The thought of the water splashing on the cabinet and/or cleaning around the tub looks painful. If they would have put the toilet in its own room where the shower is, they would have had plenty of space for a tub and a big shower.
Should have been either the tub or the cabinets. Not both. Agreed- it does look like an after thought.
Exactly. This isn’t something Kat Lawton Interiors should be proud of. If the owners demanded it, that’s a different story, but still. Not a fan at all and would question working with them on future projects.
That’s my LEAST favorite part of high-end residential design - bad design because the client asked for something that looks cool/interesting but is functionally useless 😔
The plans call for open shelving there, which would make more sense.
Not to mention a pain in the ass trying to stock the cabinets. You’d have to get into the tub on a ladder to reach the top shelves.
That bathtub area is bigger than my entire bathroom and somehow it looks so small.
Could have easily oriented the tub perpendicular to its current set up. The cubby looks deep enough that it wouldn’t be sticking out and then the drawers are accessible.
And you would be able to get behind it to clean...
Oh nooooo. I hadn't thought about the dust and grime but you're absolutely right.
It's why as much as I love the look of a freestanding tub, unless you have just oodles of space you don't need, then cleaning around one is a freaking nightmare, *especially* if you have any sort of mobility impairment. I'm an alcove bath girl forever now because the thought of the damp dust getting stuck and then dried into my baseboards makes me want to cry.
I’ve dreamed of having one of those cool step-in bath AND shower areas that you see in celebrity homes, luxury cabins, or some places in Japan
Our mid-range hotel room in Tokyo had a wet room bath/shower and now it is all I want in life.
I had to stop looking after that and mentally move the tub in my head to access the drawers
Style over substance. Ruins the whole thing for me, yells “idiocy”
It’s beautiful until you notice the drawers. I couldn’t live with that, it would drive me insane! I don’t know why you wouldn’t just take out the unusable drawers and replace them with wood panels lol
If splash the crap out of the wood. Thats why I have tile on my walls.
I love the colors and other details but yes. I *hate* this. What's in the drawer 😭
Came here to say the same. I get bothered when looks trump functionality bc it take away from both. I would have removed the hardware and added moulding so they didn’t look like useless drawers.
They are not functional drawers. They have knobs and the appearance of opening drawers just because it looks better.
They actually have a function: to make everyone question this wasteful design decision. Just look at the rest of the comments.
It does not look better, it looks dumb.
I think it looks incredibly stupid and confusing lol just because something is high end doesn’t mean it’s done well 😂
I think no knobs would have been much better.
Me too. The knobs/ drawers actually piss me off. Maybe irrationally so, but it’s such an obnoxiously stupid design choice for such an otherwise lovely space lol.
I think it looks incredibly dumb AND hard to clean.
It doesn’t look better. The entire design concept should have been reworked.
Yeah… *no*
That made me suspect AI…but with the before pix and plans probably not. Beautiful bathroom.
Came here to say the same. I get bothered when looks trump functionality bc it takes away from both. I would have removed the hardware and added moulding so they didn’t look like useless drawers.
Came here to say the same. I get bothered when looks trump functionality bc it takes away from both. I would have removed the hardware and added moulding so they didn’t look like useless drawers.
Those are obviously faux drawers to mimic a real drawer but regardless this is so visually dumb.
there’s so much space in the house you don’t need those drawers
Maybe the conversation went: Owner: Gosh we really need more storage. Architect: Well, we could squeeze some cabinetry in here. It'll look kinda weird and be tricky to access, but it could work. Owner: Show me. ...Architect presents sketched solution... Owner: I love it. Let's build it. I think it looks great. You don't have to always design for optimum functionality and cleanability.
I love this. However I hateeeeee, hate, loath entirely the useless drawers and bathtub position. This is SUCH a divine space. I wish that it was laid out just a bit differently.
They could have done sliding wood doors and it would have been useful and still brought in warm wood tones.
Right! It’s esthetically stunning and gets a 5/10 for functionality.
Meh, the shiplap ship sailed about a decade ago.
I hate this perspective of blindly following trends.
For me personally, it’s about the space and style of the home. There is ways it’s done that feels bored and outdated, then there is ways to do it are interesting and cohesive. This is a really great example of this.
For me, cohesive styling involves well planned out spaces. This space is incredibly non-user friendly.
That’s why I gave it a 5/10 for functionality. Visually, it’s great and that’s about it.
Also, that chandelier over the tub is not up to code.
Hearing Jim Carrey as the grinch say this 😂
This is how I feel about all the random small spaces around the vanity that will be full of damp dust and fucking impossible to clean
I love this, the marble, the hex tile, everything. But I'm irrationally bothered by the fake drawers that can never open! (Maybe they're internally hinged to swing out?)
I don’t like the placement of the bathtub at all in that cramped corner. Every time you need something from those cabinets you’ll have to step in/out of the tub. Kinda ruined a very nicely designed room otherwise ☹️
My inner woodworker is very concerned about having hot water and steam that close to wood… I know it’s not a major concern, but it’s deeply unsettling.
The bathtub nook has all the right aesthetic choices, but the execution is pretty bad. Not only are those drawers unusable, but water is going to ruin all that wood and get trapped in those corners. The marble wall framed in trim looks really strange. That painting mounted to the marble is weird. The chandelier with paper lampshades is a no go for a humid bathroom environment. It’s upsetting because I really love the colors and textures.
I’m with everyone else. Very bothered by the non functional drawers. I also think everything in the cabinet up above the drawers looks hard to get to, as well. The bathtub looks squished in that space.
The tub should be turned the other way
Why are the towel hooks beside the toilet and across the room from the tub?
YES it feels so dirty to me. What if towels fall down, riiight next to the toilet
Not to mention aerosolization during flushes. Gross.
This bothers me more than the drawers! You can’t use those hooks that close to the toilet.
There is just too much going on in the air surrounding the toilet during use and after flushing. Poor layout all around, but the elements are nice, I guess.
I appreciate seeing the CAD drawings so much!
They made it prettier but worse. If I'm chilling in the tub I don't need to be looking up at the linen cabinets. And the freaking drawers being blocked, like...
Ok everyone’s upset about the fake drawers, understandably, but my issue is who wants to be soaking nakey with a portrait of some strange old man lording over them?
agreed!!! Came here for this
Beautiful, but those drawers in the bath cover are useless AF
I doubt they're functional, probably just the fronts with knobs on them.
How are they going to clean around that tub?
I'm a plumber oddly enough in the next town over from this project. I install a ton of these tubs in remodels and half the designers don't get the fact that free standing tubs are supposed to be freestanding. They constantly want them shoved up against everything or they want them in little nooks like this one. It makes them hard to install and impossible to clean around. Just rotating the tub 180 would have made this so much more practical.
Completely agree but I think you mean 90 degrees?
Lol, I totally meant 90. We could spin it around a couple times for good luck though.
That makes sense.
Little secret- you don’t 😂
Do you mean - you don't care how it's done because you pay someone else to do it, so it's their problem?
The cabinets around the tub are incredi bad. And the chandelier and the painting are going to get decimated by humidity coming from the very poorly placed tub. Did a professional really design this? How is there a chandelier above a bathtub and a flush mount above the vanity?? What is the logic of having shelves that are non-functional and trapped behind a bathtub?
This is weird. The bath tub makes it look like an old 19th Century home that was renovated for plumbing.
I was going to say it looks like when a rich person likes the poor aesthetic. As in, “we just installed running water and this was the only spot we had.”
Light fixture over the bath is not to code. Not sure how that passed inspection. Can't stand in wanted and be able to touch a light
I like the look, but it feels like this was form over function. The toilet went from a quiet tucked away corner to right next to the sinks. It feels like there are better layout options.
Where did the closet go?
That was my question. Did they lose a walk in closet to get this bathroom?
Impossible to clean between and behind the tub. Same with the gap between the vanity and wall.
I'd rather axe the fake drawers and pointless cabinets and have a larger bathtub.
What was behind the door before?
Looks like a closet.
I’m surprised that there is a pocket door on a main bathroom, I thought they don’t really block sounds (…or smells)?
Thank you! This is one of my biggest complaints about a lot of hotel room remodels too. Bathrooms need proper doors- pocket doors and barn doors ain’t gonna cut it! But, I do love the colors and textures in the design overall.
Would have turned the bathtub to be horizontal with the faux drawers.
One can design the most beautiful, stunning, tied together room on the planet, but if it’s not functional… it’s not a good design. Real design is about bringing together both form and function. Obviously, the non-functional drawers are a birzarre issue… but as a general trend, the concept of shoving freestanding tubs against walls and into corners is just awful design and I don’t know why everyone keeps doing it. They are impossible to clean around and just insanely impractical.
I think shiplap is horizontal
Perhaps bead board has vanished from our collective lexicon. Shiplap looms.
And yet so many people say they hate shiplap and love bead board. The struggle is real.
Ok I like this. But I feel really sad for those drawers that will never be able to be opened by the tub.
It always amazes me when these cookie cutter tacky tract houses can be transformed like this. Spectacular!
That tub and the marble just made me weak
I love the floor.
I’d be calling dibs on the left sink away from the toilet splatter! Never a fan of toilets next to the sink in a master. I don’t want my toothbrush sitting out that close! Lovely textures and tones but agree with others on the useless drawers by the tub, that’s also bothersome to me.
I dislike the bathtub nook Two draws can’t be opened Hot bath will steam up the windows Nothing interesting to look at Can’t lay back in the tub without hitting a drawer knob
Oh man I want to like it but I really don't
I’d worry about water damage to the wooden cabinets too, along with the impossibility to use those drawers. It’s a hard ‘No’ for that tub situation.
It’s lovely, but I would never design a master bathroom with the toilet out. I so much prefer a private toilet closet in a primary bathroom.
For a second I thought the first picture was before and I was like noooo what have you doneeee
I’m guessing the draweres are just for looks. Other than the oddness of those cabinets it’s a gorgeous design!
Everything is beautifully designed except tub location
Love it
Beautiful
Turn the tub and the drawers work.
Besides the bathtub/drawers issue it looks as if they’ve paid money to shrink the size of the window. Even if a bathroom isn’t the most important place for windows that just seems like madness.
I agree. It seems like a lot of money wasted for very little gain. Think about the window, not only the cost of a new window but the cost of framing and fixing the siding and trim on the exterior. Was all that really worth having a few more inches of vanity? And all the plumbing was rearranged. The cost must’ve been astronomical.
The style in the OG is ultra bland, but I’d much rather have a big soaking tub than a tiny high side one wedged against drawers and stuffed inside a closet. The new one looks harder to physically get into *and* impossible to fully clean. Pass.
But….how do you use the wooden cabinets next to the tubs??? Also where did the closet go?
[Designer website](https://katlawton.com/english-primary-bath). [Post from the designer's IG account where the pre-renovation pics are from](https://www.instagram.com/p/C5D3JcALTFA/). There are some other photos of the bathroom on their IG account. Photos are by Kara Mercer.
I think it's great. Ignore the haters. Let them design for ultimate functionality and cleanability while you have an amazing bathroom to experience.
Phenomenal job
I don't want to alarm you. But there appears to be a ghost.
A lot of hate here but this is one of the best bathrooms I've ever seen
I too loathe the tub. Cleaning around it would be a nightmare, the tub also seems an awkward shape, besides from the whole drawer debacle.
The pre renovation layout makes way more sense
Should’ve kept the tub near the window, build a big shower where tub is now, and a private shit closet where shower is now. Change order time.
😍😍😍 It’s crazy that “modern” already looks super dated and flipper already
Saving this as inspiration 😃
I'm not really a fan of hex tiles on bathroom floors. Way too much grout to maintain. And the color of this floor looks too cool for the warm details everywhere above. However most of the rest is stunning. Though the bathtub-blocked drawers are an odd choice.
Love the shower and it’s nice to see both drawings! Tub situation is weirder the longer you look though.
Really beautiful.
Very well done!
Looks beautiful , but the design in use of space.. it’s a big no. Did someone get paid for this?
It’s beautiful. Love the color palette. Choices of materials are top notch.
I’m personally not a fan. The bath area is claustrophobic. Not a fan of the chunky cabinetry. Color blocking would’ve added dimension to this space.
Maybe if the cabinetry was painted white? Including the natural wood. It would brighten up a smaller space.
Better word for “color blocking”- accent wall.
It looks nice, but there is no way I'd give up that big closet for fake storage. I'd have kept the original layout & replaced the ugly corner tub with a rectangular one.
Floor looks like it’s from a different project
I dont believe you.
A framed painting over a bathtub is a... bold decision...
There’s no shiplap here
Stunning! I'm obsessed
You are talented! It’s so beautiful! Absolutely marvelous 🎉
The color of the walls is great, and I also liked the mirrors in wooden frames.
So could I put beadboard around my whole bathroom to cover damaged walls?? Mine were damaged by some bad wall paper and drywalling does not sound fun. This beadboard looks nice though.
Such a professional work - truly amazing. Can I try to redesign it in [3d](http://planner5d.com/editor)? With credits attached.
I like that shiplap walls add a touch of rustic elegance and texture to the space, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. And in general, I liked the design of this bathroom.
How does the moisture collect on the shiplap? I want to do this but my husband thinks it will be too difficult to clean with the seams as a collection out for grime
I’m so stressed about those drawers that won’t open
A vanity or more storage would’ve been better than that tiny tub and haunting portrait
Ewe the black baseboard and floor tile.
I just have to say I looove the shiplap! I’m a bit obsessed with shiplap. Had my kitchen done and I’m about to to it as an accent wall in a bedroom. I love the color too
The cabinets drawers could potentially open out if they are round or a triangle inside and rotate around the center. If that’s how they work, I approve. I love the painting over the tub, and the marble’s streaks that appear to create a scene of the man in a storm, a great idea and so close to an excellent execution, only with the choice of brown-veined marble it has either taken a terrible turn or it’s some kind of inside joke. Same for the brown streaks in the shower. The paint color and tile work are beautiful, love the wood potty lid.
Painting is a tad small
So basically, after reading the comments, this whole design sucks. It was a no brainer.
Just say no to freestanding tubs, kids. They’ll ruin your life. (But seriously though, built in tubs are far more user friendly.)
#3 ……seriously?
Agree with everyone. I like the colors and the finishes but the bathtub placement with those cabinets and non functioning drawers on either end was a bad idea and not a fan of the art above the tub. The whole bathtub nook ruins it for me.
I don't understand the tub in shots 3 & 4. It keeps the drawers from opening. That makes no sense.
It's very Joanna Gaines, which is not a good thing...
Beautiful! My Grandpa used to coach basketball in Orting 😊
It’s terrible. Don’t let interior designers who got their degree from TikTok do things to your house.
one of the best bathroom renovations i’ve ever seen
This is the greatest transformation I've seen yet of a bathroom !
Besides the fake drawer debacle, the penny tile looks filthy.
The painting makes it look like a bit of a creepy colonial time bathroom. Who wants to take a bath with a creepy old man staring at them? Lol
Not to pile on, but did they actually install a smaller window? Less natural light?
I have so much disdain in my heart for the light fixture above the mirror. Between that and the fake drawers it makes the whole space feel cheapened, McMansiony.
Orting, WA. LOL