Our Social Media Manager's Bathroom Addition: When Modern Design Meets Old World Glazed Terracotta
A bathroom addition pairing geometric lines and rustic brick
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Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do
My name is Victoria Duncan, and I am the social media + partnerships manager at Clay Imports! I am originally from Houston, Texas but moved to Austin a little over four years ago with my husband, who grew up here. We now reside on the east side! I enjoy traveling, being in the great outdoors, spending time with my family, and Mexican food on repeat.
What do you love about what you do? (Assuming you love what you do!)
Well, I enjoy design, pretty interiors and seeing the creative ways people use the same (or similar) materials. I also love building relationships via our partnerships and making things happen with artist and designers that create cool, one of a kind spaces that inspire others. I also love that I work for a company that celebrates craftsmanship and design, and everyone on our team comes from a completely different background.
Tell us about your project
With a baby on the way, we wanted a functional space where friends and family could come and not feel like they were in our space since we now did not have a guest bedroom. When we bought our home, the space was just an unfinished room above the garage – meaning it had no ac, plumbing or electricity, but it did have walls! So it was always part of the plan, but it’s what kicked our behinds into gear. We had planned for it to be done pre baby, but as everyone knows renovations always take WAY longer than expected. We just finished the bathroom last week and plan to add a kitchen in phase two.
So far we’ve added HVAC, plumbing, electricity, a skylight, and a wall!
What inspired your design?
Grout and Tile Layout
For our bathroom addition I went with Mapei charcoal grout. This darker grout brings in a slight contrast with the noir glazed terracotta tile. For the floor, I chose Mapei avalanche to match the white base of the Dandy tile. For the shower tile layout, I went with a vertical stack with a one-inch spacer on the walls and herringbone for the floor.
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Curious about grout colors? Check out the Clay Imports blog
How did the overall process go? Did you face any challenges? Did you work with a tile installer or contractor?
The permitting process took a painstakingly long time of back and forth. BUT once we finally got permits, it was a breeze for the most part. We did opt to general contract it ourselves, which came with its own set of hiccups – such as miscommunications between the plumbing, HVAC and electrical guys which led to having important components not quite lining up. For those reasons, I might suggest a general contractor next go around.
For the tile installation, we worked with The Tile Press. We could not have been happier with the outcome and overall experience for our bathroom addition Hiram was our project manager, and he was super professional, informative and helpful every step of the way. Jose was our installer, and he too was very professional and brought my vision to life despite having plumbing/drain inconsistencies (hire a general contractor!) Everyone from start to finish was extremely punctual and dependable + left the space sparkling clean after the job was finished.
Where do you seek design inspiration from the most?
The gram and travel, but since travel is not an option right now I love to peruse through Airbnb listings. I have quite a few trip lists going for when the timing is right and a global pandemic is not a threat. The accommodations for me are almost just as important as the location while traveling. I’m always seeking out pretty spaces.
Favorite designers
If you could have an unlimited supply of one of our products, which would it be?
That's a tough one. I will say I am very excited about the two new artist series launching soon. As well as the new ceramics line under wraps. You can never go wrong with terracotta though, so if I had to choose just one with an unlimited supply… I’d go with traditional terracotta!
We hope this project inspired you to do something similar in your home. And remember, if you have any questions or require more information, don't hesitate to reach out to us at contact@clayimports.com.
