HS Awards Winner Project Spotlight: A Pretty in Pink Girls Bath
There’s just something about a pink bathroom. It’s classic on the one-hand: between 1946 and 1966 every newly constructed house practically had to have a pink powder room. For many years after the post-war period, cotton candy-colored bath spaces lost their luster. The millennial pink craze and current Barbiecore trend are bringing them back in vogue. But for a young girl choosing a color for her new bathroom, the truth is: pink never truly went out of fashion!
Texas-based Jennifer Kizzee Design and HS Award Winner immediately saw pink potential for a secondary bath. The firm was tasked with renovating for a client relocating to Houston’s Woodlands community. Built in the 1990s, the custom Mediterranean home had good bones, but its traditional interiors (heavy on earth tones and ornate details) felt dated and clashed with the family’s modern, casual style. “This particular bathroom was designed for our client’s youngest daughter,” recalls McKayla Gookin, the lead designer on the project. “We knew that she loved the color pink, but we also wanted to create a layered and feminine space that she could appreciate not only now, but also when she’s 16”
Jennifer Kizzee Design Photo: Gisele Parra Photography
After evaluating the room layout, the team embarked on a gut renovation. Their first priority? “Repositioning the alcove tub to make more room for a bathing and relaxing experience,” Gookin explains. Next came brainstorming sessions for the alcove tub and shower space. One team member pitched the idea of building shower wall niches in the shape of bubbles. Everyone loved it. “Niches are essential in shower/bath combos,” says Gookin, “so we wanted a unique twist, something playful and modern. It struck the perfect balance between fresh and modern. It’s a real eye-catcher upon entering the bathroom.”
The team inset the bubble niches with white scalloped tiles – a whimsical nod to fish scales and mermaids. Scalloped detailing was continued in the custom-made lavender cabinetry on the vanity. For the shower wall, the team opted for a large format pink subway tile laid in a herringbone pattern. The tiles offered subtle color variation, with lighter and darker shades adding depth to the space.
Jennifer Kizzee Design Photo: Gisele Parra Photography
When it came time to choose the alcove tub, they went with the clean, minimalist lines of Hydro Systems’ Lindsey tub. “The old tub was a very traditional circular alcove tub and shorter to the ground,” explains Gookin. “The Lindsey has a slight slope on the back so you can lean back and relax while you soak. But it’s also taller so she can completely submerge and soak in there.”
The team was also impressed with the quality of the tub upon visiting a luxury Houston showroom. Ultimately, we wanted to present the client with a beautiful, functional, and high-quality product that would last a lifetime, and with Hydro Systems, we knew that’s exactly what we were getting.” Once the tub selection was finalized, the team commissioned a custom-made, layered tub skirt.
“Safety was a top priority for the client, especially with their youngest daughters still being babies,” explains Gookin. “We wanted to create a carefree space for them to splash around, which led to the discussion of a tub skirt. We often incorporate wainscoting for an elevated look, but in this case, we opted for a unique touch – a waterproof, pearly acrylic material for the tub skirt. It adds a sparkly, bespoke element that truly makes the alcove tub the focal point of the bathroom.”
The bathroom was given additional touches of elegance with stunning marble and mother-of-pearl flooring, a cheerful floral wallpaper mural behind the vanity and acrylic accent accessories. Plumbing fixtures and modern bubble lights were finished in warm brass to give the entire space “a feminine feel,” adds Gookin.
The Jennifer Kizzee Design team’s award-winning revamp proves that pink bathrooms are anything but passé, especially when designed to spark the imaginations of young hearts (and maybe even the young-at-heart!). Their ingenious take on the alcove tub transformed a young girl’s bath into something entirely new: sophisticated yet playful and wholly unexpected. And how do their clients feel now that they’ve gotten splash around in their new bath sanctuary? “They’re in love with it!” says Gookin.
Jennifer Kizzee Design Photo: Gisele Parra Photography
