A Jersey City vintage bathroom remodel highlights a mint green palette and higher ceilings

“After” photos by Curious Lens for Sweeten

• Homeowners: Homeowners posted their vintage bathroom remodel on Sweeten
• Where: Jersey City, New Jersey
• Primary renovation: Revamping the main bathroom in their 150-year-old home, inspired by a bygone era
• Sweeten general contractor

Written in partnership with the Sweeten homeowner

Bathroom remodel “must-haves”

Our home is a wood-frame row house in Jersey City, New Jersey. It’s 150 years old, has three floors, and 1,000 square feet. When we first visited the house more than five years ago, I fell in love with the main bathroom’s vintage mint-green bathtub. I knew I wanted to preserve it. 

Our home is historic, but over the years and through many renovations, most of its charm had been lost. The house’s two bathrooms are “newer”—added at some point onto the back of the house. The one we wanted to update is on the second floor, off of the primary bedroom. It’s our only full bathroom. We didn’t want to change the floor plan, but had a goal of modernizing while injecting a vintage feel. We planned to do this by keeping the original tub and adding a period medicine cabinet we’d found.

Our second goal was to make the room warmer. We suspected it wasn’t properly insulated because it got so cold in winter. We’d lived in this house for five long winters, but there was never a good time to improve on it.

Staying home during the remodel

We embarked on the bathroom renovation last summer. Our household—two adults and two cats—had been working from home since the pandemic began in March 2020. My partner and I are handy and we’ve done many projects ourselves, including tile work, sheetrock, trim, carpentry, and minor plumbing and electrical work. We have a good sense of how things should be done, but we didn’t have the personal bandwidth to complete this project ourselves. Luckily, the lockdown gave us the flexibility to have our only full bathroom out of commission. We would not have a shower during the bathroom renovation, but we had a backyard with a hose! We would prioritize our bathtub and shower update, then move to the rest of the bathroom. 

Style sparks inspiration for the vintage bathroom remodel

In our Sweeten post, we mentioned the mint-green bathtub and our desire to work with it. We wanted the tub to feel intentional in the space, rather than something that was left there because it was too heavy or too expensive to get rid of. To make the room feel more “classic,” we wanted to introduce vintage elements, but merge them with a modern design. Posting our project on Sweeten made it possible for us to “take the plunge.” We were hesitant about hiring a contractor, but Sweeten gave us confidence, knowing we wouldn’t be going it alone.

Our Sweeten contractor used inspirational photos and sketched the design for the inlaid black pencil tile.

Improving the bathroom layout

As planned, we did not change the bathroom layout, but some demolition discoveries influenced the project. We found remnants of original pastel pink tiles near the tub—but while the color combination was classic in the bathroom’s era, we decided not to go so bold. With the walls down, we saw that we not only needed additional insulation behind the new sheetrock but in the ceiling as well. We also noticed that the ceiling near the door had been dropped by several feet. Pulling it down and replacing it offered an opportunity to open and visually enlarge the space. This nice surprise changed the whole feeling of the room.

Picking bathroom tiles

Finding modern tiles that seemed true to the historic nature of the house, but that would also play well with the tub, wasn’t easy. Matching tile to vintage mint-green porcelain is impossible, and coordinating colors—other than neutrals—are limited. We’d first selected a different floor tile, also with a green marble effect, but when we tried to order, it was no longer available. We’d already chosen a project start date so we scrambled to find a replacement. Fortunately, we found this mosaic polished stone tile. It was more expensive than our original pick, which gave us pause, but we needed to move forward. I love how it complements the tub.

Our Sweeten contractor used inspirational photos and sketched the design for the inlaid black pencil tile. He then executed it beautifully and it came out exactly as we’d hoped. The white wall tile has a vintage vibe but is simpler, allowing the tub and floor tile to shine.

Design ideas: old and new

We chose this vanity in part because it was larger than our prior one, and has drawers. Our little old house is tight on storage, so it was important to maximize the vanity’s potential. I like the legs—it resembles furniture and lets the floor tiles show. We’d come across the chrome medicine cabinet with lights at an antique shop and saved it until we were ready to start. Its curves are wonderful, as are the inner glass shelves, which are still intact. The mirror’s silvering has imperfections, but that adds to the charm.

My favorite aspects of the vintage (but still modern!) bathroom remodel are the high ceiling and floor tile. I had been planning the renovation for several years, and during that time I had collected probably 15 different floor- and wall-tile combinations. Ultimately, I was glad we took a few years to decide what we wanted and to find the right pieces. And I still love the green tub.

Working with the right renovation partner

From the very beginning, our Sweeten contractor responded to the issues and questions we raised and collaborated with us in the design process. He helped us plan out what materials we needed and told us when we would need them, helping us to avoid scrambles and delays. It never felt like our input was creating a problem, or that we were being ignored.

There was no avoiding the fact that we were living in a tiny construction zone but our contractor and his crew made it as painless as possible. It was great to see the time and effort they put into clean-up each day. We’re both extremely happy with the end result.

Thank you for sharing your bathroom remodel story with us!

Renovation Materials

BATHROOM RESOURCES: WJ Mosaic Vitruvius Botanic Green floor tile: Artistic Tile. Restore ceramic Bright White subway wall tile and bullnose: Daltile. Nero ceramic Listelo liner wall trim tile: SomerTile. Santorini Nero Zocalo structural base ceramic chair rail trim tile: Merola Tile. Robe hooks, shelf, and toilet paper holder: Latitude Collection. Blair thermostatic shower and tub set with Round Contemporary shower head: Rejuvenation. Emma 43” white undermount sink vanity with black granite top: Avanity. Blair Cross Handle faucet: Rejuvenation. Hydronic Omnipanel towel radiator: Runtal. Neorest Cotton White WaterSense dual flush elongated chair height 2-piece toilet: Toto. 110 CFM ceiling bathroom exhaust fan: Roomside Decorative. Vanity mirror/medicine cabinet: vintage. 

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Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation with Sweeten.

This pre-war Bronx remodel gives a work-downstairs space for its artist owner

• Homeowners: Steve and Lewis posted their rowhouse remodel project on Sweeten.
• Where: Bronx, New York
• Primary renovation: A whole-house remodel in the Bronx to create an in-home art studio and a feeling of “warm minimalism”
• With: Sweeten general contractor and architect, Shannon Reid of Reid Wilson Architects

Written in partnership with homeowners Steve and Lewis. “After” photos by Kate Glicksberg.

Setting goals for a new home

We bought this house with dreams of a live/work space that would reflect our style and offer plenty of room for our art collection. Steve is a painter, so having his studio at home was a life-long dream. We also wanted a place where our friends and large extended family could come together.

We are Steve DeFrank and Lewis Holman. Steve teaches at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Lewis is self-employed as a tax accountant. We sold our loft condo in Williamsburg after living in it for nearly 15 years to purchase a small townhouse in the South Bronx.

From a two-family to a single-family rowhouse

The engineer’s report on our 1882 rowhouse in Mott Haven, the Bronx, looked good, but we still wanted a gut renovation. The structure has three stories comprising roughly 1,500 square feet. The home had been divided into two apartments and had eight rooms on two of the floors. We wanted to renovate and convert to a single-family home to accommodate a live/work situation.

We listed our project on Sweeten and began our search for design-build services in the Bronx. Sweeten’s introduction to our Bronx contractor and architect was a valuable service. As first-time renovators, our biggest question before starting was how much overhauling the home would cost. the project were about cost. In addition to an in-home studio, we wanted to open up every floor of the building, giving us fewer walls and more windows. We understood that altering the building in this way would be an investment.

The plan we made with the architect was for the ground floor to be Steve’s studio and a water closet—a bathroom with the sink outside. The middle floor would be the living and dining rooms, plus a customized kitchen and a half bath. On the top floor would be our bedroom and a home office/guest bedroom, a remodeled full bath, and a laundry closet.

We planned for a true gut renovation—nothing was in good enough shape to retain. Our Sweeten contractors demolished down to the bricks and joists, all of which had to be replaced or sistered; this was necessary to allow removal of the central beam, which had to be done to open up the ground- and middle-floor spaces.

Radiant heat and functional stairs

Throughout the home, we aimed for low-maintenance, design-worthy materials to evoke an aesthetic of warm minimalism. We wanted expansive wall space for hanging artwork. The ground-level studio interior is an open workspace with recessed LED lighting, a lot of artist’s storage, and radiant-heat flooring—which we installed on all levels. To bring as much light as possible to the studio, we opened the rear wall with an 8’ x 9’ three-panel glass sliding door.

We decided to remove the original front stoop and relocate the house’s entrance to the ground floor, which created some challenges. Our architect Shannon envisioned—and our Sweeten contractor produced—a storage unit that divides the entry area from the studio space. We had hoped to save the original interior staircase and railing, but our Sweeten contractor showed us options that made more sense.

Ultimately, we closed the stairs from the ground floor to the first to create more wall space in the studio; we chose a vivid pink hue for the risers, which brightens the whole entrance. On the parlor and top floors, we went with a wood stair-rail that looks simultaneously classic and modern. In the end, we were very happy that we took our contractor’s advice.

Connecting all of the floors

The vision for the kitchen included custom millwork with the front panels painted green evoking the palest verdigris. Our island, which has an angled front, is an homage to artist Donald Judd. We rented nearby during renovations and observed this living area coming together. Visiting the site at least twice a week, we loved seeing the gradual progress, sometimes glacial and sometimes lightning quick.

We understood that altering the building in this way would be an investment.

A dining-area drawer and shelving system provides storage and connects these rooms to the top floor, where the main bedroom and home office also employ coordinating storage units. We had fun with tile to modernize the full bath upstairs, where we mixed matte and glossy tile in a range of sizes and colors, including chartreuse, dark green, and gray-green.

A building exterior refresh

The elimination of the parlor-floor entrance led to an anomaly on the front of the house, with regards to the living-room windows. The window occupying the old door frame is much larger than the window next to it. The architect’s solution—a modular window design, made up of a series of smaller frames, one of which mirrors the smaller window to create a visual connection.

Steve and Lewis’ renovation advice

Throughout the job, we enjoyed a collaborative exchange with our contractor and architect. As first-time (and last!) renovators, we’d embarked on possibly the most stressful project of our lives. Luckily, we had chosen the right team carefully. Our contractor and crew kept a sense of humor during a long, arduous process.

Our advice to other homeowners ready for a renovation: Anticipate bad news and delays, and roll with the punches. Be grateful for the opportunity you have, even when you wonder why you ever thought it was a good idea! And remember, issues that arise and seem monumental during the process get solved, and are forgotten once you move in. Now when we enter our home, we feel serene.

Thank you for sharing your Bronx remodel story with us, Steve and Lewis!

Renovation Materials

WHOLE HOME RESOURCES: Wall and ceiling in Super Matte paint; interior doors, trip/castings, window sills, stair risers, and stringers in Cliffside Gray pearl paint: Benjamin Moore. Radiant heat flooring: Warmboard, Inc. Engineered Hickory Heirloom, ¾” thick, tongue and groove softened edge, 5” face widths, Veiled White satin prefinished wood flooring: Carlisle. Mini Orb stairwell lights: Allied Maker. Light switches: Lutron.

ARTIST STUDIO RESOURCES: Interior doors and door trim in Super White pearl; studio floor and cellar stairs in Platinum Gray glossy floor/porch paint; storage cabinet in Pacific Ocean; stair risers in Hot Lips pearl; stair stringers in Cliffside Gray pearl: Benjamin Moore. Continuum 23 series architectural LED linear fixture: Alcon Lighting. No. 8 LED, flush mount recessed lighting: Dulanski. 

KITCHEN RESOURCES: Custom millwork cabinets: Custom by contractor. Cabinets in Antique Jade paint: Benjamin Moore. Dekton countertops and backsplash in Zenith: TK Quartz and Granite. Refrigerator, dishwasher, and cooktop: Bosch. Electric oven: Samsung. Discus Pendant 2 light over kitchen island: Mattermade. 

DINING AREA RESOURCES: Tolomeo variations light over dining table: Artemide. Dining area drawer and shelving system: Vitsoe.

FULL BATHROOM RESOURCES: Field tile, 6×6 in color P210 (dark green), 6×3 in color R203 (chartreuse), 3×3 tile in color P94 (gray-green), 3×3 in color S1 (off-white, behind sink): Pratt & Larson. Blu Bathworks series 1200 wall-mount vanity and matte white #SA1200-01m sink top; Duravit Darling New wall-mounted toilet; matte black single-function shower head; black Del Rp71751.Bl shower arm; black wall-mounted hand shower set: AF New York. Gravity mirror: Ex.T. Mini Dome light: Allied Maker.

HALF BATH RESOURCES: Adriatic 3×12 lava stone subway tile: Tilebar. Jason Wu sink faucets: Brizo. Nivis wall-mounted sink: Agape Design. Gravity mirror: Ex.T. White Darling New wall-mounted toilet: AF New York. Endless Dome light: Allied Maker. Contempo II black matte towel bar: Manhattan Center for Kitchen and Bath.

BEDROOM RESOURCES: Drawer and shelving systems: Vitsoe. Tolomeo variations wall-mounted bedside lamps: Artemide.

Originally published on July 22, 2021

Updated on June 7, 2023

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ADUs or accessory dwelling units can transform into home offices, living space for family or as a rental, or a retreat.

Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation with Sweeten.