Before & After: How a Gurnee Homeowner Got a Magazine-Worthy Master Bathroom Without Moving a Single Pipe
Some projects stop you in your tracks at the reveal. This Gurnee master bathroom was one of them.
Not because we had an unlimited budget. Not because we gutted everything. But because the homeowners came in knowing exactly what they wanted, made every decision with intention, and trusted us to build it. The result looks like it belongs in a design magazine — and it cost a fraction of what most people assume a transformation like this requires.
Let me walk you through it.
Where It Started
If you've been in a home built in the late 90s or early 2000s, you know this bathroom. Burnt orange walls — that aggressive terracotta that was everywhere and then very suddenly wasn't. Builder white vanity with no drawers. A giant frameless mirror spanning the entire wall. Chrome fixtures on everything. A frosted sliding shower door enclosing a basic plastic surround.
It wasn't broken. It was just deeply, thoroughly dated — and it no longer reflected who this family was or how they wanted to feel in their home.
The Pinterest Moment
The homeowner came into our Grayslake showroom with a photo saved on their phone. A Pinterest image of a bathroom with a bold patterned tile feature wall behind a double vanity, decorative mirrors, a tower cabinet between the sinks, and matte hardware tying it all together.
That image became the north star for the entire project.
This is actually one of my favorite parts of what we do — taking a screenshot off someone's phone and turning it into something real in their actual home. Not a version of it. Not "inspired by" it. The actual vision, built for real life.
The Smart Decisions That Made It All Work
Here's what makes this project worth talking about beyond just the pretty pictures: the homeowners thought like contractors.
They didn't move any plumbing. No pipe relocation, no new drain locations, nothing. The sinks stayed where they were. The shower stayed where it was. Every dollar that would have gone to plumbing relocation went somewhere you can actually see.
They kept the floor. The existing tile floor was in good shape. Pulling and replacing it would have added demo labor, tile product, and installation cost — thousands of dollars that instead went toward the feature wall and the shower.
They kept the tub. The jetted tub stayed. No demo, no patching, no additional plumbing work. For a homeowner who actually uses the tub, this was the right call — and it completely disappears in the finished design because everything else is so strong.
They spent on the wall that matters. That stunning encaustic-style medallion tile feature wall behind the vanity? That's where the budget went. And it earns every penny every time someone walks into that room.
They chose stock Rose Hill Cabinets. This is the one I love telling people about. That white double vanity with the tower cabinet between the sinks — the one that looks completely custom, the one that perfectly mirrors the Pinterest inspiration photo — is a Rose Hill stock cabinet configuration. All-plywood construction, soft-close everything, built to last. At a price point that left room in the budget for everything else.
What We Built
The vanity wall. Rose Hill white cabinets in a double vanity with center tower configuration. White quartz countertop. Oil rubbed bronze faucets — not matte black, despite how they photograph, but that warm dark bronze that adds depth and a slightly more traditional character. Decorative arched mirrors replacing the builder slab. Sconce lighting on either side of each mirror. The result is the exact bathroom from the inspiration photo — built in Gurnee.
The feature wall. That bold geometric medallion tile runs floor to ceiling behind the vanity. It is the star of the show and the decision that elevates everything else in the room. Against the soft gray-greige walls and white cabinetry it feels curated and intentional — nothing like the burnt orange builder bathroom it replaced.
The shower. The sliding frosted door and plastic surround are gone. In their place: a fully tiled walk-in shower with large format stone-look porcelain tile on the walls, a matching tiled floor, a built-in bench, two recessed mosaic niche shelves with a beautiful geometric pattern accent tile, and custom frameless shower glass. This is where the homeowners chose to invest — and the shower shows it.
The Outcome
A master bathroom that looks like a complete gut renovation — because the right things were changed. The floor is original. The tub is original. The plumbing is in the same place it always was.
What changed was everything you see, touch, and experience every day. The vanity. The storage. The mirrors. The light. The shower. The tile. The hardware. The color story.
That's not luck. That's a plan.
Ready to Turn Your Pinterest Board Into Your Actual Bathroom?
Come into our Grayslake showroom and bring your inspiration photos. We serve homeowners throughout Lake County — Gurnee, Libertyville, Vernon Hills, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Highland Park, Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, and beyond.
We'll look at what you love, talk through what's possible within your budget, and build you a plan that spends your money on exactly the right things.
Contact Lotus Home Improvement to start your bathroom renovation.