Privacy is at a premium for parents of young kids, so the bath can become a real refuge. But Kaela and Cason Cusack’s American Foursquare in Indianapolis, built circa 1895, lacked such a haven. While the second floor held two bathrooms, neither served the primary bedroom, requiring the couple to dash across the hall and duck inside, hoping neither of their two little ones would beat them to the punch. “The previous owners had ten children—we can’t imagine how they managed!” Cason says.
Designer Tiffany Skilling’s solution: Snag some square footage from a large, oddly shaped adjoining bedroom to create an en suite. “Fortunately, there was a half bath directly below the area, which simplified the plumbing,” Kaela says. A nearly 6-foot-long shower with a frameless-glass enclosure preserves a feeling of spaciousness in the resulting 9-by-10-foot space, along with a serene palette of pale blue and soft green. Period touches, including wainscoting and a custom white oak vanity, make the bath feel like it’s been there forever. Says Kaela: “We are thrilled to have a calm, classic bath right off our bedroom—one that we don’t have to share with the kids!”
The American Foursquare, built circa 1895, presented a common challenge for parents of young children: privacy. While the second floor held two bathrooms, neither served the primary bedroom, requiring Kaela and Cason Cusack to dash across the hall and duck inside, hoping neither of their two little ones would beat them to the punch. “The previous owners had ten children—we can’t imagine how they managed!” Cason says.
Pro Tip: A frameless-glass shower enclosure is a go-to move for preserving sightlines in a compact bath—the glass “practically disappears into the room,” allowing the eye to travel the full footprint rather than stopping at a shower curtain or framed door. Pairing it with period elements like wainscoting and a custom white oak vanity lets modern amenities coexist with old-house character.
When upgrading a shower system, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey points to one component that separates a luxurious experience from a frustrating one—the pressure-balancing valve. “A small piston responds to a drop in pressure in one line by immediately dropping pressure in the other line proportionately,” he explains. Without it, “whenever someone turns on the hot water anywhere in the house, the person in the shower would freeze.” The valve ensures “the adjustments you’ve made stay true to each other.”
Pro Tip: If you’re planning wainscoting in a humid bathroom, consider the material carefully. As Tom Silva noted in This Old House Magazine, “This exterior-grade MDF is a lot more stable than 1×3 pine beadboard in a humid environment”—and it installs faster, too, since a single sheet plus construction adhesive and finish nails can cover four feet of wall at a time.
Get the Look
Distinctive forms and finishes lend just enough nuance to help a small bath look and feel unique
