Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | Primary Suite Bathroom Transformation
Some renovations are about refining something good. This one was about replacing something that had simply run its course.
The original primary bathroom in this Bloomfield Hills home was a time capsule — aqua tile from floor to ceiling, a dated double vanity, a tub-shower combination behind sliding glass doors, and a crystal flush-mount fixture that belonged in a different decade entirely. It was functional. It was not inspiring. And for a primary suite in a Bloomfield Hills home, it fell well short of what this space — and this family — deserved.
The client's goal was clear: timeless, elegant, and spa-like. A bathroom that finally matched the quality of the rest of the home. A space that felt like a genuine retreat at the end of the day rather than an afterthought left over from the previous owners.
Before — A Bathroom That Belonged to Another Era
The Transformation
We gutted the bathroom completely — every surface, every fixture, every tile — and rebuilt it from scratch with materials and a design language chosen to last for decades, not seasons.
The result is a primary bathroom that feels like it belongs in a luxury hotel and functions like it was designed specifically for this household. Because it was.
The Design
Dark Fluted Vanity with Brass Hardware
The vanity is the soul of this bathroom — a dark stained cabinet with vertical fluted detailing that runs floor to counter, paired with long brass pulls that catch the light and add warmth against the deep finish. It's a dramatic choice that reads as bold without feeling aggressive — the darkness of the cabinetry grounds the space and makes every lighter element around it feel more luminous by contrast.
A double-sink configuration with white undermount basins and bright white quartz countertops sits above the cabinet — clean, uninterrupted, and designed for two people to use the space simultaneously without crowding each other. Dual brass faucets and a pair of gold-framed rectangular mirrors with integrated sconces frame the vanity symmetrically, creating the kind of composed, considered moment that makes a bathroom feel designed rather than assembled.
Marble Tile Shower with Brass Fixtures
The walk-in shower is wrapped in white marble subway tile — soft veining, natural variation, and a surface that fills with warmth and texture as the light moves through the bathroom throughout the day. A frameless glass enclosure keeps the marble visible from every angle in the room, allowing the shower to read as part of the overall space rather than a separate zone behind an opaque wall.
Inside, a brass multi-function shower system with a rain head, handheld wand, and body spray delivers a genuine spa experience — the kind of shower that makes a 6am start to the day feel less like an obligation and more like something to look forward to. A recessed niche in the marble surround keeps products organized and the shower floor uncluttered.
Free Standing Soaking Tub
The freestanding soaking tub positioned beside the shower completes the primary suite experience. White, sculptural, and deliberately simple in form, it lets the surrounding marble and brass do the visual work while occupying its corner of the bathroom with quiet authority. A floor-mounted brass tub filler rises cleanly from the floor — no wall mount, no exposed plumbing — keeping the installation as refined as the tub itself.
Warmth, Light & Finishing Details
The bathroom's palette — dark cabinetry, white marble, warm brass — could easily have felt cold in a less carefully considered execution. The lighting plan prevents that. Integrated sconces at the mirror, warm ambient lighting at ceiling level, and the natural light that fills the space from the windows create a layered warmth that makes the bathroom feel inviting at every time of day.
Finishing details carry the design through to its edges: a ribbed glass panel at the far window that filters light beautifully without sacrificing privacy, dark towel hooks that mirror the vanity's finish, and the deep purple-toned Turkish towels that bring the only color in the room — warm, rich, and completely at home against the marble and brass.
The Results
From aqua tile and sliding glass doors to marble, brass, and a freestanding tub — the transformation in this Bloomfield Hills primary bathroom is total.
What was a dated, uninspiring space is now the room in the house that gets talked about. The room guests are shown first. The room the owners walk into at the end of the day and feel exactly the way a primary bathroom should make you feel — like you're somewhere special, even though you're home.
This is what timeless design looks like. Not trendy. Not of-the-moment. Just right — executed in materials that will hold their beauty and their value for decades.
Project Details
Location: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Project Type: Primary Suite Bathroom Full Renovation
Scope: Complete gut renovation — framing, plumbing, electrical, tile, cabinetry, fixtures, lighting throughout
Before: Dated 1960s aqua tile bathroom with tub-shower combination
After: Full marble and brass primary suite with freestanding tub, walk-in shower, and custom dark fluted double vanity
Key Features: Dark fluted vanity, white quartz countertops, dual brass faucets, white marble shower tile, frameless glass shower, brass multi-function shower system, recessed niche, freestanding soaking tub, floor-mounted brass tub filler, layered lighting, ribbed glass window panel
Services: Bathroom Renovation, Custom Cabinetry, Tile Installation, Plumbing, Design-Build
Photography: Shelby Dubin Photography