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Bobby Ruocco renovated the dated bathroom in his nearly century-old apartment, replacing worn finishes with navy Zellige tile, a shower arch and vintage-inspired brass fixtures. He says the finished room feels relaxing after physically demanding work, and friends described it as resembling a boutique spa.
Bobby Ruocco has replaced the worn, 1990s-era bathroom in his 1930s apartment with a navy-blue, old-world-inspired redesign featuring an arched shower, Zellige tile and brass fixtures. In a renovation reported by Apartment Therapy, Ruocco said the new room gives him a more relaxing place to clean up after his physically demanding gardening work; friends compared it to a boutique spa.
Ruocco had lived with the bathroom for about four years before deciding to redo it. The previous update had not aged well, he said, and the dirty, worn tiles were difficult to clean. He initially considered keeping some of the blue tile and replacing only the flooring and fixtures, but chose to renovate the entire room instead.
The design draws on the apartment building’s age and on Victorian bathrooms and kitchens. Ruocco used navy Zellige tile on the lower walls and carried it around a newly built arch at the shower entrance. Above the tile, he painted the walls Farrow & Ball’s Dorset Cream. In the shower, a blue-tinted tile made to resemble Calacatta marble provides contrast; Ruocco said real marble was outside his budget.
Ruocco selected a furniture-style vanity with legs after he could not find a suitable piece to convert for the available 24-inch space. He changed its top to Carrara marble and added an exposed brass shower system and faucet. The renovation lasted about a month. Without a shower at home during the work, he said he went to his sister’s place after work each night.
A More Restful Post-Work Routine
The project is a personal home renovation, rather than a reported change to housing policy or the design industry. Its relevance is in how Ruocco tied the choices to the way he uses the room: he said his gardening job leaves him dirty, and he wanted a space where getting cleaned up could feel relaxing rather than purely practical.
The redesign also shows how the room’s small footprint shaped the plan. Ruocco said the arch helps distinguish the shower area and makes the bathroom seem bigger. Friends’ “boutique spa” comparison is their reaction, not an independent assessment, but it suggests the bold blue palette and traditional details gave the room a cohesive identity. Two friends asked him to design their primary bathrooms after seeing the result, according to the report.
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From 1990s Update to Vintage Details
The apartment building dates to the 1930s, while the bathroom had been renovated in the 1990s by a previous tenant. Ruocco told Apartment Therapy that the older renovation had not stood up well over time. He had lived with its all-blue appearance for roughly four years before starting the new work.
For the redesign, he wanted the bathroom to look as if it belonged in an old building, rather than appear newly installed. His chosen details included Zellige tile, an antique-looking vanity and unlacquered brass hardware. The exposed shower pipes were part of the visual plan too: Ruocco said their appearance helped create the impression of an older bathroom. He described the marble-look shower tile as a statement that still felt classic.
“I wanted a relaxing bathroom where I could really enjoy getting cleaned up and feel relaxed.”
— Bobby Ruocco, speaking to Apartment Therapy
Budget and Construction Details Unreported
The Apartment Therapy report does not provide the total renovation cost, a detailed materials budget or a breakdown of labor. It also does not specify whether Ruocco hired contractors or handled particular parts of the work himself. The report describes the shower tile as a marble look-alike but does not identify its manufacturer or price.
The “boutique spa” description comes from Ruocco’s friends, as recounted in the article. It is not a formal rating, and the report does not include measurements, photographs’ technical details or an independent evaluation of how much the arch changed the bathroom’s usable space.
No Further Work Announced
Ruocco told Apartment Therapy that two friends asked him to design their primary bathrooms after seeing his finished space, and that he enjoyed exploring different ideas for them. The report does not say whether either project has gone ahead. For his own bathroom, the renovation is presented as complete; no additional work or follow-up date was announced.
Key Questions
What changed in Bobby Ruocco’s bathroom?
He renovated the whole room, adding navy Zellige tile, a shower arch, cream-painted upper walls, marble-look shower tile and vintage-inspired brass fixtures.
How long did the renovation take?
The work took about one month. Ruocco said he showered at his sister’s home while the bathroom was without a shower.
Why did Ruocco renovate the bathroom?
He said its 1990s-era finishes were worn and difficult to clean. After taking a physically demanding gardening job, he also wanted a more relaxing place to clean up.
Did he use real marble in the shower?
No. Ruocco said real marble was beyond his budget, so he chose a blue-tinted tile designed to resemble Calacatta marble. He did use a Carrara marble top on the vanity.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
