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Laura Trexler and her husband renovated the guest bathroom in their 1915 home, keeping its original pink wall tile and extending the color scheme into a closet vanity area. The work also addressed a rotted subfloor and leaking plumbing, problems uncovered during the renovation, according to Apartment Therapy.
Laura Trexler and her husband renovated the guest bathroom in their 1915 historic home, preserving its original pink wall tile while updating a closet vanity area and replacing a rotted subfloor and leaking plumbing. Apartment Therapy reported that the renovation turned the small, divided bathroom into a pink-themed space while addressing water damage that had made repairs necessary.
The couple undertook a renovation of the house as a whole, including rewiring and substantial plumbing work. In the guest bathroom, a decades-long leak had damaged the subfloor, and the vanity sink was also leaking. Once the floor was opened, the couple found the subfloor was rotted and, Trexler said, every piece of plumbing was leaking. The extent of the damage expanded the work beyond cosmetic changes.
Trexler wanted to retain the bathroom’s original pink wall tiles, found in the toilet and shower areas. The closet vanity area did not have the same tile and, she said, lacked personality. The couple removed its existing fixtures so she could plan a design that carried the pink palette into that separate space. Preserving the wall tile required opening the other side of the wall rather than disturbing the plaster around it, Trexler told Apartment Therapy.
The finished design combines the existing tile with new mosaic hexagonal floor tile and Benjamin Moore’s Rose Blush paint on the walls, ceiling and custom vanity. Trexler also sourced a pink sink on eBay and added a vintage wall sconce and a wall-mounted accordion mirror. She made a pleated shower curtain and used leftover fabric for a matching sink skirt. According to the report, the couple skipped custom vanity drawers as a way to save money.
A Repair Project Shapes the Design
The renovation shows how repair needs can determine the scope and sequence of work in an older home. The bathroom’s water damage required subfloor and plumbing repairs before the couple could complete the decorative plan. Retaining the original tile added another constraint: Trexler said they had to approach the wall from the opposite side to avoid damaging it.
For readers planning a similar update, the account is a reminder that a room that appears to need only cosmetic changes may hold problems beneath floors or behind walls. The report does not provide a total project cost or a full construction schedule, so it cannot establish how typical the expenses or delays were. It does describe a specific choice: treating the existing tile as a design starting point rather than removing it, while updating the surrounding surfaces and fixtures.
The layout also remained unusual. The vanity was built into a closet, separate from the shower and toilet. Trexler said guests can use the two areas separately, allowing one person to shower while another brushes their teeth. She described the bathroom as the most loved bathroom in the house, though that characterization is her account rather than an independently measured response.
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A Bed-and-Breakfast Layout Remains
The house was built in 1915 and had been renovated in the 1980s to operate as a bed and breakfast, according to Apartment Therapy. Trexler and her husband later chose to renovate the home all at once. The guest bathroom’s arrangement—a vanity in a closet, apart from the toilet and shower—was one of the quirks left by the home’s history and previous changes.
The existing pink tile gave Trexler a clear feature to preserve, while the unadorned vanity area offered room to extend the color scheme. She said choosing paint was the hardest design decision: she wanted a pink closer to the tile’s hue, but more vibrant, and tested options before selecting Rose Blush. Because the area is small, she said she felt able to use the color across the walls and ceiling as well as the vanity.
“My favorite part is definitely the new mosaic hex tile.”
— Laura Trexler, as quoted by Apartment Therapy
Project Cost and Dates Not Reported
Apartment Therapy’s report does not state when the renovation took place, how long it lasted, or its total cost. It also does not give the home’s location or identify the contractor, if one was used. The account provides Trexler’s description of the damage and design decisions, but no independent inspection findings or itemized repair details.
The report says the couple replaced the subfloor and much of the plumbing, but it does not specify the final scope of every plumbing repair or whether additional water damage was found elsewhere in the house. Those details remain unreported.
No Further Work Announced
The source report presents the bathroom as a completed before-and-after project and does not announce further work or a planned follow-up. The next relevant details would be any additional information from Trexler about the renovation’s cost, timeline or final repair scope; none is provided in the report.
For now, the confirmed outcome is a renovated guest bathroom that retains its original pink wall tile and includes new flooring, paint and fixtures. The account does not indicate whether the couple plans to make further changes to the room or the rest of the home.
Key Questions
What was preserved in the bathroom renovation?
Trexler and her husband kept the home’s original pink wall tile in the toilet and shower areas. New materials and finishes carried the pink palette into the vanity area.
What damage did the renovation uncover?
According to Trexler’s account in Apartment Therapy, the bathroom had a rotted subfloor and leaking plumbing. The project also addressed a long-running leak and a leaking vanity sink.
What new features were added?
The renovated room includes mosaic hex floor tile, Rose Blush paint on the walls, ceiling and custom vanity, a pink sink, a vintage wall sconce, and an accordion mirror. Trexler also made a pleated shower curtain and matching sink skirt.
Why is the vanity in a separate closet?
The bathroom layout reflects changes made when the 1915 home operated as a bed and breakfast, according to the report. The vanity remains in a closet, separate from the shower and toilet.
How much did the project cost?
The report does not give a total renovation cost or a full budget. It says the couple saved money by not installing custom vanity drawers and that Trexler used a $10 tension rod for the sink skirt.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
