I'm Steve, founder of Purpose Design + Build, and this one is for anyone in Chicago scrolling bathroom renovation ideas and trying to figure out how all those pictures turn into one room. The short version: the tile, the glass, the vanity and the fixtures are a single decision, not four. Here's how I think about each one, and how they get chosen together.
Summary
- Our makeover menu describes a bathroom as "a full bath: tile, glass, vanity, and fixtures specified together, with the trades sequenced and managed so the finish reads as one room, not four decisions."
- Tile does the most work. Pick the wall tile, the floor tile and the shower floor as a set, then pick the grout on purpose.
- Choose one metal finish family for the faucet, the shower trim and the hardware.
- The vanity can be custom cabinetry, designed in the same pass as the tile.
- All of it gets locked in the design consult, before anything is built. Starting prices for a bathroom are on the makeover menu.
One Room, Not Four Decisions
Most bathrooms that feel off weren't badly built. They were picked one piece at a time: the tile from one store, the faucet from another, a vanity that happened to be in stock. Each choice made sense on its own, and together they argue with each other.
The fix is boring and it works. Decide the whole room at once. The tile, the metal on the fixtures and the wood or paint on the vanity are talking to each other whether you planned it or not, so plan it. That's the whole idea behind how we do bathrooms, and it's why the menu describes the job the way it does.
Tile: Where Most of the Look Comes From
In a small room, tile covers a lot of surface. It sets the mood more than anything else you pick.
Porcelain, Ceramic or Stone
- Porcelain is dense and absorbs very little water, which makes it a dependable choice for floors and showers.
- Ceramic is common on walls and comes in a huge range of colors and glazes and finishes, including handmade-look tile.
- Natural stone like marble is beautiful and asks more of you. It needs sealing, and acidic cleaners can etch it. If you love it, go in with your eyes open.
Pick the Tile as a Set
Think of three surfaces together: the walls, the main floor and the shower floor. A common approach is one quiet field tile on the walls, a floor with a bit more pattern, and a small mosaic in the shower pan. Small tiles on a shower floor mean more grout lines, which gives more grip underfoot and makes it easier to slope the floor toward the drain.
Grout Is a Design Choice
Grout color changes how tile reads. Grout that matches the tile softens the pattern and lets the shape of the tile do the talking. A contrasting grout draws every line and makes the layout the feature. Neither is wrong. Just decide it on purpose instead of defaulting to whatever is on the truck.
Glass: The Shower Sets the Shape of the Room
The shower enclosure is usually the biggest single object in the room after the vanity. Frameless glass has very little metal around it, so the tile behind it stays visible and the room feels bigger. Framed and semi-frameless enclosures have more metal in view. Whatever you choose, the hinges and clamps are part of your metal finish story, which brings us to fixtures.
Fixtures: Pick One Metal Family
The faucet, the shower head and trim, the towel bars and the cabinet hardware all show metal. The way I see it, the room looks calmest when they come from one finish family, whether that's polished chrome, brushed nickel, matte black or a warm brass. Mixing can work, but it should look like a decision, not a leftover.
Function matters as much as finish. A handheld shower head next to a fixed head, a niche sized for the bottles you actually own, and good light at the mirror are small calls that you feel every morning.
The Vanity: Where Cabinetry Comes In
The vanity is furniture in a wet room. It holds the sink, it holds your stuff, and it's usually the piece people notice first when they walk in.
This is where the woodwork side of Purpose comes in. The brand started as Purpose Wood Co., making custom furniture, and a vanity can be custom cabinetry, designed to the inch for the wall it sits on and finished to match the rest of the scheme. Custom cabinetry for a kitchen or bath runs $250 to $600 per linear foot. The point is that it gets designed in the same pass as the tile and the fixtures, not ordered after the tile is already up.
Light and Air
Two things people forget until they're living with the room: light and ventilation. Layered light, meaning general light plus good light at the mirror, makes a small room work at 6am and at night. A bathroom also needs a way to move moisture out, so steam doesn't sit on your new paint and grout. Both get planned with everything else.
How It All Gets Decided
For a bathroom, it starts with an estimate. You tell me about the room and I send a ballpark range within two business days. The next step is a paid design consult with an in-person visit, and that's where the plan, the full specification and the budget get locked. Nothing gets built until you approve.
I wrote up the full sequence, step by step, in the bathroom remodel process in Chicago. If you're weighing whether a bathroom is worth doing at all, this post on what a bathroom renovation is worth has the national numbers.
Purpose Design + Build is a licensed General Contractor with the City of Chicago, license TGC146780, Class E, and pulls its own permits. The City of Chicago Department of Buildings is the place to look up requirements for yourself.
What Clients Say
"How refreshing to have a great, pain free experience with home renovations!" Lisa
"He's part of the community and goes above and beyond to ensure you're happy." Kell Fahey
Our Bathroom Renovation is one of six projects on the home page with a before and after you can drag across. The full set of work is on the portfolio.
Bathrooms Across the North Side
I'm local, and I work across Andersonville, Edgewater, Lincoln Park, Lake View, Lincoln Square, Logan Square, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Ravenswood, Old Town, North Center, Roscoe Village, Rogers Park, and the North Side generally. The full list is on the neighborhoods page.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bathroom Renovation Ideas
Do I have to choose everything before the build starts?
Yes, and that's the point. The tile, glass, vanity and fixtures get specified together in the design consult, so the build isn't a running list of decisions made on the fly.
What if I only have a few pictures and no plan?
That's a normal place to start. Send what you've saved, tell me what bugs you about the room now and how you use it, and we design it together from there.
Can the vanity be custom?
Yes. A vanity can be custom cabinetry, designed for your wall and finished to match the room. Custom cabinetry for a kitchen or bath runs $250 to $600 per linear foot.
How much does a bathroom renovation cost with Purpose Design + Build?
The starting price for a bathroom is on the makeover menu on the home page. Your number depends on your room and the scope, so request an estimate and I send a ballpark range within two business days.
Do you pull permits?
Purpose Design + Build is a licensed General Contractor with the City of Chicago, license TGC146780, Class E, and pulls permits under its own license.
If there's a bathroom you've been putting up with, tell me about it at /estimate, or call or text (773) 322-1257. HMU if you've got design ideas.