The Daniels' new Austin home goes from 70's throwback to modern chic with a glass tile revival. A deep matte burgundy boldly envelopes the shower, complemented with creamy white to tie the space together.
Meet Chase + Lauren Daniel
Photo: Katie Jameson
Chase and I are based in Austin, Texas, where we’ve lived for a little over 5 years. I am a food writer for The Effortless Chic and a stay-at-home mom to our 18 month old daughter, Flora. Chase is a part time project designer for Michael Hsu Office of Architecture and architectural photographer.
Fun fact about yourselves?
We had a morning wedding and served breakfast.
This isn't your first time working with our tile. How did you initially hear about us?
We used Fireclay’s beautiful triangle ceramic tiles in our previous master bath. We love the variation and unique colors Fireclay offers. Not to mention, we love the sustainable aspects of this product.
Tile Shown: 6" Triangles in Frost, Rosemary & Salton Sea // Photos: Chase Daniel
Tell us about your new home!
In November, Chase and I bought our second fixer upper home (Yes, we may in fact be crazy). You can see a tour of our first home here.
After quite a few months of casually house shopping, a 70’s house in a great location came up and we couldn’t not go for it -- it just had too much potential. In Austin, the process of buying a home goes a little something like this: a house lists on Friday, you see it Saturday, bids are due by Sunday evening--and most bids are over asking price. It’s an insane market, so it was a quick decision and a risk because it needed a lot of work (aka- full cosmetic remodel). Plus, we would have to list and sell our current home.
Wow! That's some quick decision making...
When you know you know. This house felt like our foreseeable future home (I try to stay away from things like “forever home” because life is full of variables and circumstances that can’t be predicted). It was larger and in an incredible neighborhood and it is across the street from the sweetest neighborhood park. Most importantly, the bones were there for an incredible home. We took the plunge and here we are four months later and it’s feeling less like a work-in-progress and more like our home.
What's the layout like in your new master? How have things changed?
The old layout of the master bathroom had a wall and door separating the vanity and the shower/toilet area. There was also a small cabinet storage next to the toilet. We removed the wall and cabinet and well basically everything else. Then framed out a door, this helped it feel a lot less 70’s. Though it’s not huge, we used some large mirrors to help the space feel bigger than it is.
Tile shown: Pheasant Matte 3x12, Sparrow Matte 3x12, Halite 3x12 // Photos: Chase Daniel
What type of aesthetic were you going for in your master bathroom?
The direction of this bathroom was modern and clean with a splash of bold. This home as a whole carries a warm, modern vibe. As we were making those major household design decisions, I think this bathroom was naturally born from that headspace.
How did you land on the two matte glass shades, Sparrow and Pheasant?
Our last bathroom featured Fireclay's incredible hand-glazed triangle tiles in gorgeous warm greens:
Tile Shown: 6" Triangles in Frost, Rosemary & Salton Sea // Photos: Chase Daniel
That was the first time I asked myself if it was okay to love a bathroom, now I know for sure it’s okay because I love this one too. Fireclay had just launched these incredible glass tiles, which are available in glossy and matte and we immediately fell in love with the matte glass.
Like our old bathroom, we wanted some color. We tend to lean very neutral in our palette choices but we also feel like a bathroom is the place you can have a little fun. So with a deep breath and fingers crossed we went for a bold color called Pheasant in the shower.
The color is the perfect cross between a deep burgandy and a rich rust. It is gorgeous. We complimented it with a floor to ceiling creamy white matte glass tile called Sparrow on the wall.
For the floor we went with a simple white ceramic tile in the glaze, Halite. Since it’s not a huge bathroom, we used a vertical stack bond pattern with 3x12 tiles to trick the eye into seeing long lines.
How was it working with a new material -- glass? Any lessons learned?
Just be sure your installer knows to trowel the mastic on the wall and back butter the tile so you don’t have trowel lines.
Any recommendations/lessons learned when it comes to the ceramic tile in the space?
Be sure to examine your shipments upon arrival. Some delivery companies are not as careful as one might life, despite all of the warnings and signage by Fireclay.
How did the overall installation process go?
We worked with a tile installer. He mentioned that the glass took more patience to cut since it can break more easily than ceramic. It’s important to remember that because the ceramic tiles are handmade there is variation to their sizing just slightly; it does take some care to place them so the grout lines don’t appear too wonky.
How was designing for your own home?
Designing is so much fun for us. We don’t always agree at first but typically land in a great place of agreeance. It feels a little odd to be starting our home reveal with the master bathroom, mostly because it is the room that has taken the longest to finish. We have been using only our hall bathroom up until couple of weeks ago. I feel like we made decisions about this bathroom quickly but the process of waiting for product to come in, getting the plumbing, tiling, fixtures, and all that fun stuff finished was more time consuming than we anticipated. I will say now though, it was worth the wait.
Why do you love tile?
Tile is a form of art. It can bring incredible life to a small space.
Best design tip?
Less is more and don’t be afraid of a few bold choices.
Learn more about Chase and Lauren's first Fireclay remodel here!
Loving the colors Chase and Lauren used? Order color samples online now. Need some help? Simply call, chat, or fill out our Design Assistance Form and one of our talented Design Consultants will get back to you shortly.
