In this Chestnut Hill townhouse, they turned a bedroom into a bigger, brighter bathroom [photos, video] | Home & Garden

Elizabeth and Eric Corsini were already thinking about finding a home to fix up in Lancaster when the pandemic hit.

Their banking jobs went remote, turning their Brooklyn apartment into a workplace for two. Add Tux, an energetic 2-year-old Australian shepherd, plus the closures in the neighborhood and escaping to the country became a priority.

Luckily, they found an old house in Lancaster’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood with no big-ticket repairs. That allowed them to focus their creativity and budget on design. A professional remodeler brought the biggest change: the main bathroom, which went from claustrophobic to a bright space big enough to add a soaking tub.

A space to design

When the Corsinis decamped to Lancaster in spring 2021, it was a homecoming. Eric graduated from Franklin & Marshall in 2010. Elizabeth graduated from Manheim Township in 2008 and has family in the area. They set a tight deadline of less than two weeks to find a house. A high school classmate of Elizabeth, Tyler Stoltz, now a real estate agent at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, showed them the house in the 400 block of North Mary Street. They quickly made an offer on the town house, which had been recently renovated. They still wanted to make their own changes.

“We wanted a space that we could design and have someone else enjoy it,” Elizabeth says. “Living in New York, you don’t have a lot of square footage to do much of anything and you’re renting.”

“It gave us some creative freedoms to design all of this,” Eric says.

The couple gave up their New York apartment and with help from family, they started peeled away modern layers throughout the 1890 house, hoping to find brick walls and character. When the demolition was finished, they hired several contractors including Dan Bleecker, owner/operator of Modern Synthesis Remodeling, Lancaster.

Slide the button to see the difference between the before and after. 

A bigger bathroom

Bleecker replaced the well-worn treads on the main staircase. His biggest project was the main bathroom, which Elizabeth calls the crown jewel of their home. The Corsinis decided to expand the bathroom into an adjacent bedroom that was small enough to be an office.

“For the size of the house, having four bedrooms was pretty tight so were weren’t nervous to use that space to make the bathroom bigger,” Elizabeth says.

“If we’re going to have one full bath, we’re going to make it as spacious as possible,” Eric adds.

The vintage plumbing needed an upgrade and needed to be re-engineered in the new, larger space. Zeigler Plumbing, Columbia, managed to re-orient and replace lines down to the basement.

Not unexpected in an older home, the floor wasn’t level so the subfloor had to be replaced.

Throughout the home, the Corsinis picked moody paint and dark wallpaper. In contrast, they wanted the main bathroom to be light, airy and inviting.

The bathroom has neutral white walls, tub and shower wall tile. They picked slate gray tiles for the floor. The subtle veins in the porcelain floor tiles compliment the marble sinks. The hexagon shape of the porcelain floor tiles (found at Tileology, East Hempfield Township) is repeated in the towel ring and toilet paper holder.

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This main bathroom, which went from claustrophobic to abright space big enough to add a soaking tub. That was possible by expanding the room into an adjacent bedroom.

Eric and Elizabeth Corsini hired contractor Dan Bleecker, owner/operator of Modern Synthesis Remodeling, Lancaster, to handle the bathroom renovation as well as a few other fixes around the house.

The new space had enough room for more than one sink. Eric suggested two separate sinks instead of a double sink. When two marble vanity tops arrived, the colors were noticeably different. They ordered more and found two that matched.

Elizabeth found the sinks at Home Depot, the lamps at Lamps Plus and the mirrors at Kate and Laurel.

Eric leaned towards traditional details and wanted a clawfoot tub. Elizabeth picked this more modern tub from Lowe’s, a compromise they both like.

Brass repeats through the lighting, sink, hardware and fixtures.

The new shower extends beyond the footprint of the original bathroom.

There was a debate over the faucet placement for the tub. Placing it offset blocked less of the window.

Beecker was nearly finished installing the shiplap panels horizontally, not uncommon. However, the couple wanted the panels to be vertical: less farmhouse and more French cottage.

The Corsinis found this artwork at Next to New Fine Furniture.

The subtle veins in the porcelain floor tiles (found at Tileology, East Hempfield Township) compliment the marble sinks. The hexagon shape is repeated throughout the room.

Throughout the home, the Corsinis picked moody paint and dark wallpaper. In contrast, they wanted the main bathroom to be light, airy and inviting.

Hexagons (like this towel ring from Anthropologie) and brass fixtures tie things together.

The new room has two windows, making it brighter. New lights brightens the space as well.

This main bathroom, which went from claustrophobic to abright space big enough to add a soaking tub. That was possible by expanding the room into an adjacent bedroom.

Eric and Elizabeth Corsini hired contractor Dan Bleecker, owner/operator of Modern Synthesis Remodeling, Lancaster, to handle the bathroom renovation as well as a few other fixes around the house.

The new space had enough room for more than one sink. Eric suggested two separate sinks instead of a double sink. When two marble vanity tops arrived, the colors were noticeably different. They ordered more and found two that matched.

Elizabeth found the sinks at Home Depot, the lamps at Lamps Plus and the mirrors at Kate and Laurel.

Eric leaned towards traditional details and wanted a clawfoot tub. Elizabeth picked this more modern tub from Lowe’s, a compromise they both like.

Brass repeats through the lighting, sink, hardware and fixtures.

The new shower extends beyond the footprint of the original bathroom.

There was a debate over the faucet placement for the tub. Placing it offset blocked less of the window.

Beecker was nearly finished installing the shiplap panels horizontally, not uncommon. However, the couple wanted the panels to be vertical: less farmhouse and more French cottage.

The Corsinis found this artwork at Next to New Fine Furniture.

The subtle veins in the porcelain floor tiles (found at Tileology, East Hempfield Township) compliment the marble sinks. The hexagon shape is repeated throughout the room.

Throughout the home, the Corsinis picked moody paint and dark wallpaper. In contrast, they wanted the main bathroom to be light, airy and inviting.

Hexagons (like this towel ring from Anthropologie) and brass fixtures tie things together.

The new room has two windows, making it brighter. New lights brightens the space as well.