A Modern Organic Bathroom Renovation

Written By Selena Reif

If you haven’t heard the term “modern organic” when it comes to design style, let us introduce you. As the name suggests, this design aesthetic relies on the balance between the two styles it references: a modern space that is softened by the organic elements within it. It’s earthy with a touch of minimalism. It’s airy with layers of natural materials and textures. It’s basically our love language and it’s exactly what our clients were after with their main bathroom renovation from our latest project. 

Creating A New Layout To Maximize Light And Space

Our clients had purchased their forever home a little while ago and had been waiting for the right time to tackle their bathroom renovation. As the second ever owners of the home, the bathroom hadn’t been touched since it was built in the late 70s and was in desperate need of an upgrade. Their inspiration images were all very organic, earthy, layered, and natural, and we were excited to bring this one to life. Organic modern seemed like the perfect fit for their bathroom renovation. Because their original bathroom was very tight and dark, we knew we would need to make some structural changes so the layout would be more open and airy, a key feature of the modern organic aesthetic. Here are the drawings of their original bathroom and our proposed changes.

Our goal was to get this bathroom out of its cave-like past with a new light-filled and spacious floor plan. We moved a few walls in the bathroom and adjoining closet to maximize storage space, which also makes the bathroom feel a lot bigger. The natural flow of an open shower was an easy decision in here to keep that open vibe and allow us to have one unobstructed floor material throughout the bathroom. Natural light does wonders for any interior space, so we opted for the largest window we could fit in the room as well. And yes, this is the same angle!

Bringing In Organic Shapes

Once we had the basic floor plan opened up as much as possible, we were able to add more of the aesthetic elements of the organic modern style. One of the ways to bring a more natural feel to a space is to bring in curves. You can do this with art, wallpaper, or even furnishings. We’ve currently been drooling over living rooms with curved sectionals and round tables and decor pieces. We took this idea a step further and brought the curves and organic shapes to the walls themselves. Luckily we were able to vault the ceiling giving the room a lot more space, and then we took the curves all the way up. The tiled curved wall in the shower was an engineering feat due to the thickness of the tiles, but it was one of the design elements we had in mind from the very beginning and the result is breathtaking. We even curved the shower glass so there would be no harsh edges in sight.

We also designed curves into the vanity wall, surrounding the vanity with curved drywall up and over the backsplash. And we didn’t stop there - we layered in more curves with the fixtures like the faucets, mirrors, and sconces, and even took it down to the round outlets that sit flush in the drywall-one of our favorite ways to elevate a design.

Creating The Modern Organic Aesthetic

Once you have all of your organic modern architecture in place, it’s time to bring in those elements that really bring the design to life and solidify the style. If organic modern is the look you are after, here are a few sure fire ways to get the look:

  1. Natural Materials

One of the key elements to a modern organic design is the use of natural materials like different stones, marbles, brass, and even concrete. As these materials all have natural variations and will patina over time, when you layer these materials thoughtfully, you get a room that feels fresh and new but that already has the warmth and soul of a lived in space. For this bathroom we chose handmade tiles in the shower, raw tumbled marble for the backsplash, natural quartzite countertops, and alabaster in the sconces by the vanity. The brass plumbing fixtures and light switches bring the perfect amount of warmth to the design and will only get better as the materials age.

EXPERT TIP: make sure you keep a very tight color palette when curating your materials to get the modern organic look. We stuck with creams and ivories in this bathroom with just a few accents of color in the slab countertop and accessories.

2. Custom Millwork

As with almost every project, custom millwork is the way to go, which in this case meant a custom vanity. Designing a custom vanity is the best way to ensure the highest quality that will last you decades, but also you get to pick every single detail making it aesthetically the best choice for any space as well. Form plus function is always a winner in our book! We designed this vanity to float off the ground and extend wall to wall for maximum storage with a bespoke look. We used a medium tone wood to add some contrast to the otherwise very light bathroom, and the thick waterfall detail of the countertop at the front allows the quartzite stone to really stand out. 

EXPERT TIP: When designing custom millwork, whether it’s a bathroom vanity, kitchen cabinets, or a living room built-in, make sure you take full advantage of all the benefits of going custom like integrated outlets and custom in-drawer organization.

3. It’s All About the Details

Bringing any design together and achieving a polished result always comes down to the details. No design element is too small to overlook here. For example, we really wanted the niches to line up with the tiles in a very clean way. Because of the size of the tiles and not wanting the niches or spaces in between to be too irregular, this took way more planning than we first anticipated. We might have gone through about four revisions here, but we knew the details mattered, so we kept going until we found the perfect version.

From the tile layout in the niches to the transition from the main flooring to the bathroom flooring, to the inlaid shower drain, we made sure every detail was well thought through. When you’re in a space like that, you just feel a sense of calm and cohesion that goes beyond words. A well designed space is so much more than the sum of its parts.

If you love bright earthy design, this bathroom renovation is for you, and modern organic is probably your design style. Remember to keep the individual elements natural both in form and finish, and the overall aesthetic light and minimal. You’ll end up with a modern design that doesn’t feel too sterile or white, but instead has just the right amount of warmth and soul, giving it that perfect lived-in feel that just gets better with time.

Shop the modern organic bathroom of our dreams below!

Check out more of the behind the scenes and progress from this bathroom remodel on instagram at #projectgrannytogorgeous.

Selena Reif
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