Living design · Upstate New York

Bathroom remodeling, designed around calm

A peaceful place to begin and end the day, with natural light, warmth underfoot, living plants, and the craft to make it last.

A finished master bathroom: white vanity with a black vessel sink, glass sliding shower door, freestanding tub under garden windows, pebble-tile floor and tall potted plants.
Ballston Spa master bathroom

The service

A bathroom is the room you start and end every day in.

We design bathrooms the way we design every space: starting from how it should feel, then solving how it has to work. That can mean moving a wall to bring in garden views, sloping a tile floor so a rain shower drains without a curb, or building alcoves so everyday essentials have a place to live.

Because we are a design-build studio, the same team carries your bathroom from the first conversation through the final walkthrough: layout, materials, fixtures, lighting and the finishing details that make it yours.

What a bathroom remodel can include

  • Layout changes and enlarged openings for natural light
  • Walk-in and rain showers with sloped, curbless tile floors
  • Soaking and jacuzzi tubs
  • Radiant heated floors
  • Custom tile, built-in niches and alcoves
  • Vanities, fixtures and storage
  • Lighting and mirror placement that moves light around the room
  • Biophilic details: plants, wood accents, views outward

Featured project

Garden View Spa Retreat

Ballston Spa, NY · Master bathroom

This Ballston Spa master bathroom renovation transformed an outdated space into a spa-inspired retreat designed for comfort, light, and relaxation. Our team removed an interior wall to introduce large windows overlooking the garden, bringing natural light and views of the surrounding landscape into the room.

The redesign includes a deep soaking jacuzzi tub, a custom rain shower with a sloped tile floor for seamless drainage, radiant heated floors for year-round comfort, and carefully installed custom tile throughout the space. Built-in alcoves provide clean storage for bath essentials while maintaining a minimalist aesthetic.

Drag the handle on any photo to compare before and after.

The old bathroom: a cramped corner shower in blue wall tile behind a cloth curtain. Before
The same area finished: a glass-enclosed rain shower and freestanding tub in white marble-look tile, with garden windows and trailing plants. After
The old bathroom: a cramped corner shower in blue wall tile behind a cloth curtain. The same area finished: a glass-enclosed rain shower and freestanding tub in white marble-look tile, with garden windows and trailing plants. Before After
Shower and tub: a curtained corner became a glass-enclosed wet area under new garden windows.
Before: a toilet beside a blue-tiled half wall and a curtained tub. Before
After: a pale blue wall with a white vanity, black vessel sink and mirror, beside the glass shower. After
Before: a toilet beside a blue-tiled half wall and a curtained tub. After: a pale blue wall with a white vanity, black vessel sink and mirror, beside the glass shower. Before After
Vanity wall: blue tile and a cloth curtain gave way to clean storage and a glass shower.
Before: a curtained shower, blue tile and a small window. Before
After: the full room from the doorway: vanity, glass shower, freestanding tub and pebble-tile floor in natural light. After
Before: a curtained shower, blue tile and a small window. After: the full room from the doorway: vanity, glass shower, freestanding tub and pebble-tile floor in natural light. Before After
The whole room, opened up to the garden.

Project highlights

  1. 01

    Enhanced layout & natural light

    Optimized the room layout and enlarged openings to maximize natural light, creating a bright and welcoming atmosphere throughout the space.

  2. 02

    Custom finishes

    Designed and installed custom tiling, built-in niches, and thoughtful architectural details that elevate both aesthetics and ease of use.

  3. 03

    Luxurious fixtures & features

    Integrated premium fixtures (including a spacious walk-in shower, sleek vanities, and spa-inspired elements including a heated floor) to enhance daily comfort and long-term appeal.

  4. 04

    Functional storage

    Added intelligently designed storage to keep the space organized and clutter-free without sacrificing style.

  5. 05

    Nature-integrated design

    Subtle biophilic touches, like plant alcoves or warm wood accents, infuse the room with a sense of calm and connection to nature.

Trailing plants and a tall citrus tree around a freestanding white tub, with three windows onto the garden behind.

Living design

A bathroom that continues to grow

Unlike decorative elements that remain static, the living plants throughout this space continue to evolve alongside the homeowners. We assisted in selecting, propagating, and establishing many of the plants incorporated into the design, creating a bathroom that changes with the seasons and becomes more beautiful over time.

The result is a daily experience of light, growth, and renewal: a space where the boundaries between indoors and outdoors begin to dissolve.

Biophilic design

The vanity side of the master bathroom: white cabinet, black vessel sink, pale blue walls and an original painting above the toilet.

Beyond tile and fixtures

Custom artwork, crafted for the space

Rather than purchasing a piece off the shelf, we created an original oil painting specifically for this project. Inspired by the Adirondacks, it depicts a stand of winter pines beneath an otherworldly sunset, a piece that feels both rooted in place and quietly transportive.

Our background in art and design lets us bring a deeper level of creativity to our projects, whether through custom millwork, biophilic elements, or original artwork created for a client's home. The most meaningful spaces are the ones that tell a story no one else can replicate.

More from our bathrooms

A bathroom with a black vessel tub, pebble-tiled floor, teak bench and plants on the windowsill. The finished bathroom with warm wood, black architectural lines and soft pink walls. The finished bathroom under magenta accent lighting, with a soaking tub, black stone surround and plants in tiled niches. A compact basement bathroom in soft grey, with a round mirror over a dark vanity. Scandinavian interior design by New Life Spaces.

How it works

We design for the day we finish, and for the years after

The people who design your space are the same people who build it, so nothing gets lost in a hand-off. You work directly with the owners, not a rotating crew of salespeople and subcontractors, and we take on a limited number of projects so each one gets focused attention. And we don't stop at completion day: we design for what the space will become.

  1. 01

    Consultation

    We start in your home with your goals, preferences and budget: what works, what doesn't, and how you want the space to feel and function day to day.

  2. 02

    Scope of work & detailed estimate

    We outline a detailed scope of work and a transparent estimate, so you have a clear picture of the timeline, costs and deliverables from the start.

  3. 03

    Design & selections

    Layout, materials, fixtures and lighting are worked out before anything is torn out, and we can help with the finishing layer too: furnishings, mirrors, decor and art.

  4. 04

    Construction

    Our craftsmen build it with precision and care, with open communication throughout and work areas left clean at the end of each day. We walk the finished space together, and we stand behind the work after we hand it back.

  5. 05

    What it becomes

    Plants mature, wood takes on character, and the space fills with the life it was built for. That's the part we design for.

In the Japandi apartment

A bathroom built from bare slab

In our flagship basement apartment, we cut the concrete slab for new plumbing and built a soaking tub, rainfall shower and shoji-inspired sliding screens into a corner that started as block walls and ductwork.

See the bathroom

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can you build a curbless or walk-in shower?

Yes. In Ballston Spa we built a custom rain shower with a sloped tile floor for seamless drainage. In Cohoes we recessed the drain into the foundation for a safer, low-threshold shower suited to aging in place.

Do you design and build, or just build?

Both. We are a design-build studio, so the same team designs your project and builds it, from the first conversation to the final walkthrough.

Who will we actually work with?

The owners. You work directly with them throughout the project, not a rotating crew of salespeople and subcontractors, and we take on a limited number of projects so each client gets focused attention.

What areas do you serve?

Albany, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Lake George, Ballston Spa, Ticonderoga, Plattsburgh and the surrounding communities in Upstate New York.

How do we get started?

Fill in our project estimate form or call (518) 401-5992. We follow up within 48 hours, and we usually begin with a conversation in your home.

Can we meet virtually?

Yes. You can meet us in person, talk on the phone or show us your space on video. Just choose a virtual consultation on the estimate form.

What does a remodel cost?

It depends on scope and materials. Most full remodels fall in the $40k+ range, and smaller projects are welcome, especially when design and craftsmanship are part of the goal.

Can you help with furnishings, art and finishing touches?

Yes. We can help you choose furnishings, mirrors, decor and art, and we have created original artwork for clients' homes.

What could your bathroom become?

Tell us about the room you have and the life you want in it. We'll start with a conversation in your home.

Start a Project

Or call (518) 401-5992