Almost simultaneously with starting the renovation of our children’s bathroom, my close friend and realtor, Courtney Chipouras and her husband- Chip, came to CTI for help reimagining she and Chip's guest bathroom.

A little Ctown Memorabilia

Courtney and I go way, way, waaaaaaaaay back.

Courtney and I first knew each other during our Sho'men Aquatics Swim Team days. We think this photo was taken around 1986 or 1987—and you can pick out so many Chestertown greats. But swim team is another blog post entirely…lol.

Can you find us? 20% discount on an item at CTI for the first person who spots my older brother, David. As my children used to say when they were younger "Sorry Not Sorry", David.

We reconnected as adults when Courtney became one of the first people to trust me with her home. Six years later, both her style and mine have evolved—and she was ready for a home that felt more personal, layered, thoughtful, and entirely her own.

What does that mean exactly? Well, she doesn’t want a home that looks as though it belonged in a generic Florida VRBO: perfectly acceptable, but completely devoid of color, texture, pattern, or any evidence that actual human beings live there.

Chipouras Guest Bath Remodel

We started by dipping the Chipouras’s toes just slightly outside their comfort zone with a colored tile. Yes, it was gray—but it had beautiful blue undertones. Step one was complete: COLOR.

Step two was locking down the mirror. The mirror we sourced was perfect because they live on the water, and while they are decidedly not NaUtIcAl, we’ve woven texture with a subtle nod to the coast into their home before with prior designs and installations.
The next decision was the sconces. We loved these simple fixtures from Visual Comfort, which continued that thread of texture and added a pop of brass to tie in with the mirror. Layered. Intentional. See where I’m going?

The final piece was the wow factor. Courtney knew she wanted wallpaper, but it needed to be special. As a realtor, she has seen firsthand just how much BAD wallpaper can drag a house down.

We have every wallpaper account I can get my hands onI pulled all sorts of samples for her—grasscloth, vinyl, patterned, abstract—but we both landed on the same one. The colors worked perfectly with the tile and even tied into the wall color in the adjoining guest bedroom. Thibaut’s Meadow in Sage wrapped everything up in the most perfect, punchiest bow.

Zierfuss Party of 3 Bathroom Remodel

At almost the exact same time, I was tackling our children’s bathroom at home. The goal was to make it youthful but timeless—and, most importantly, functional. All three of our children share this bathroom. That includes a 15-year-old daughter who owns more skincare and makeup than I do, a middle brother whose entire bathroom inventory consists of an occasionally used toothbrush and a stick of deodorant, and their youngest brother, who is. into. EVERYTHING.

Functionality wasn’t just a consideration. It was a HUGE driver.

For the walls, I chose a 3-by-12-inch subway tile with a glossy finish and a slight wave. I knew it would bounce the light beautifully while giving the bathroom some youthful funk without sacrificing timelessness. I wanted to stacked the tile for a cleaner, more updated feel, then added a quarter-round accent in the most beautiful muted green between each section. It’s a small detail, but it brings just enough color and dimension to keep all that white from feeling flat.

For the niche, I landed on a beautiful but pricey marble penny tile made up of green, blue, and white marble “coins”. All of the wall tile was finished off with a grout that hints blue. Again - doing that weave thang that CTI has become so good at- pulling it all together with subtle nods that speak to something else and balance it all out.

On the shower floor, I went with a fun two inch circular porcelain tile with a marble look. For the main bathroom floor, I used a porcelain basketweave tile, with borders defining both the sink area and the commode area. Those borders gave each section its own identity without physically dividing the room.

Why porcelain instead of marble, you ask?

Because the primary users are 15, 13, and 11. Marble is gorgeous, but it’s also porous, and I wanted a floor that could go the distance. So, I put the (pricey) marble mosaic somewhere it had a fighting chance of staying pretty: the niche.

Polished nickel fixtures and hardware brought in the same finish, as well as the lighting that was sourced from Visual Comfort. The fixture is technically a sconce, but I chose to run it horizontally because sometimes the best choice for a room isn’t necessarily the way something was originally intended to be used.

The true chef’s kiss, though, is the custom cabinetry by Chesapeake Top Shop. I ALWAYS love collaborating with Bob and I love bouncing ideas off of him. We came up with this reeded front but kept it timeless by only using it on the drawers and not overdoing it. We also landed on the V-groove paneling topped with a chair rail. It perfectly balances out the uniqueness of the cabinetry and pulled everything together seamlessly. I truly could not be more pleased with how it turned out.

Classic, Coordinated, and Completely Different

Courtney’s guest bathroom and our children’s bathroom are very different—as they should be. Every project we’re part of will always have its own flair. The Chipourases’ bathroom is bold, layered, and designed to make guests feel as though they’ve stepped into something special. Ours was created to survive three children with wildly different bathroom habits while still making me (the picker upper of towels) happy every time I walk in it.

What these two spaces share is personality and timeless appeal. Neither bathroom was created by choosing the safest tile, paint color, and fixture and calling it finished. We considered who would use each room, how it needed to function, and how we wanted it to feel. Then we layered in color, texture, pattern, and thoughtful details that made each space personal without making it feel trendy.

That is always the goal: not to create a room that could belong to anyone, but one that very clearly belongs to you—and will continue to feel like you for years to come.

Now, if I could just get the boys to put the seat down.

Chipouras Bathroom Credit:
Tile selection, Wallpaper, & Lighting: Common Thread Interiors
Wallpaper Installation: Joe Cetrone

Zierfuss Bathroom Credit:
Design: Common Thread Interiors
Cabinetry: Chesapeake Top Shop
Tile: Chesapeake Family Flooring
Electrical Installation: Smartech Electrical
Tile Installation, Drywall, Carpentry, Paint: Zierfuss Painting and Restoration