Before
After
This Central Florida master bathroom was a textbook example of its era — sage green painted walls above a beige ceramic tile wainscot with a thin mosaic accent border, a standard drop-in alcove bathtub flanked by half-walls, a walk-in shower behind a gold-framed glass door, and a cherry wood vanity with a granite countertop. A freestanding coat rack holding bathrobes stood in the gap between the tub and shower, and a fabric valance dressed the window. Everything was functional, nothing was damaged, but the room felt dated from wall to wall. The homeowners wanted a complete master bathroom remodel that would strip away every surface and rebuild the space as a modern, spa-like retreat.
Marilou Stones designed the remodel around a three-material palette that gives the bathroom its character: white marble-look porcelain tile, warm wood slat tile, and matte black hardware. The large-format marble-look porcelain — white with soft grey veining — was installed floor-to-ceiling on every wall surface and across the entire floor, creating a bright, seamless envelope that makes the room feel significantly larger than before. The old beige wainscot, mosaic border, sage paint, and tub surround were all removed to achieve this continuous surface.
The centerpiece of the redesign is the freestanding oval soaking tub positioned against a floor-to-ceiling warm wood slat accent panel. The slat tile — a natural-toned, vertically ridged surface — runs from the floor to the ceiling line in a defined column behind the tub, creating a material break that adds warmth and texture against the cool marble surrounding it. A wall-mounted matte black tub filler is set directly into the wood panel, eliminating any freestanding plumbing and keeping the tub area clean and minimal.
Where the old gold-framed shower enclosure stood, the shower is now an open walk-in configuration with a large matte black rain showerhead. The marble-looking tile runs continuously from the bathroom into the shower zone, reinforcing the seamless feel. On the vanity side, the cherry wood cabinet was replaced with a light natural wood vanity featuring a white quartz countertop — a warmer, more contemporary combination that connects to the wood accent panel without matching it exactly.
The master bathroom now reads as a single, calm, deliberate space. The marble-look tile wrapping the walls and floor provides a bright, unified background, while the wood slat accent panel behind the tub introduces the only warm texture the room needs. The matte black fixtures — tub filler, rain showerhead — punctuate the palette without adding visual weight. Removing the half-walls, the alcove tub surround, and the framed shower door gave back sightlines the old layout had blocked, and the room feels open in a way the original never did. This is the kind of interior design project in Central Florida that was committing to a clean material palette and removing everything that interrupts it produces a result that feels effortless. To see how Marilou and the Stones Design team approach spa-style bathroom renovations, explore the portfolio or get in touch.
The wood slat accent panel in this project is a vertically ridged tile that replicates the look and texture of natural timber. It is designed for wet-adjacent areas and handles humidity better than solid wood. We positioned it behind the freestanding tub — a splash zone rather than a direct wet zone — where it adds warmth and contrast against the surrounding marble-look tile. Marilou selects bathroom-rated wood-look materials that suit the specific moisture exposure of each installation.
A wall-mounted tub filler keeps the floor around the tub completely clear, which gives a freestanding tub a cleaner, more sculptural appearance. In this project, mounting the matte black filler directly into the wood slat accent panel meant no visible plumbing on the floor and an unbroken line from the tub to the wall. It also makes cleaning around the tub easier. We plan the plumbing rough-in during the framing stage, so the wall-mount position aligns perfectly with the tub placement.
A remodel of this scope — full demolition, floor-to-ceiling tile installation, plumbing relocation for a freestanding tub and wall-mounted filler, open shower construction, new vanity, and fixture fitting — typically takes ten to fourteen weeks from design approval. Large-format porcelain tile and specialty wood-look accent materials can have longer lead times, so early material selection helps keep the project on schedule.
It is one of the lowest maintenance surfaces available for a bathroom. Large-format tiles mean fewer grout lines, which reduces cleaning time and limits areas where mold or discoloration can develop. The polished porcelain surface used in this project wipes clean with a damp cloth and does not require sealing. Marilou recommends large-format porcelain for spa-style bathrooms in Central Florida where the combination of humidity and daily use demands a durable, low-effort finish.
The key is proportion. In this project, the white marble-looking tile dominates the room and sets a cool, bright tone. The warm wood slat accent panel is limited to a single vertical column behind the tub — enough to introduce warmth and organic texture without shifting the room’s overall temperature. The light wood vanity echoes the accent panel without matching it exactly, and the matte black fixtures act as neutral anchors. Marilou plans the material ratio before anything is specified, so the warm-to-cool balance is deliberated from the start.
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Marilou Stones is an award-winning, licensed interior designer and ASID member serving Winter Garden and Central Florida for over 40 years.
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