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Bobby Ruocco renovated the worn bathroom in his 1930s apartment, replacing its dated finishes with navy Zellige tile, a tiled shower arch, marble-look surfaces and brass fixtures. Friends compared the finished room to a boutique spa; the makeover is a homeowner’s design project, not a reported product launch or broader renovation trend.
Bobby Ruocco renovated the full bathroom in his apartment, replacing worn finishes from a 1990s update with a design built around navy Zellige tile, an arched shower and brass fixtures. Apartment Therapy reported that friends compared the completed room to a boutique spa; the project matters as an example of how one homeowner reworked a small, aging bathroom around a clear design concept.
Ruocco’s apartment dates to the 1930s, but a previous tenant had updated the bathroom in the 1990s. After living with it for roughly four years, he said its worn features and tiles that stayed dirty despite cleaning had become difficult to live with. His work as a gardener, which left him coming home dirty, also made a comfortable place to wash up a daily priority.
Ruocco initially considered keeping some of the blue tile and replacing only the flooring and fixtures. He changed course because, he told Apartment Therapy, his ideas for the room grew beyond that limited plan. The renovation took about one month, during which he had to shower at his sister’s home after work.
The finished design combines navy Zellige tile halfway up the walls with cream paint above it. Ruocco added an arch at the shower entrance and continued the blue tile around it. Inside the shower, a blue-tinted tile designed to resemble Calacatta marble provided contrast without the cost of real marble, according to his account. A vintage-style vanity with legs, a Carrara marble top and exposed brass shower hardware complete the old-world look.
A Bathroom Designed for Daily Use
The project’s appeal is not only visual: Ruocco described the renovation as a response to a room he used every day and to the practical demands of his physically active job. He said the clean, relaxing space made washing up feel more restorative. That is his personal assessment, rather than a measured claim about health or property value.
The makeover also illustrates a familiar renovation trade-off: a targeted repair might have cost less, but Ruocco chose a full redesign to address both the room’s worn condition and its overall appearance. His choices—marble-look tile instead of real marble, and a new vanity instead of a repurposed piece—show how he adapted the look to the available space and budget. The source does not provide a total project cost.
Friends’ comparison to a boutique spa is a reported reaction, not an independent design rating. Still, the project’s details show how an arch, coordinated tile and exposed fixtures can give a compact bathroom a distinct identity without changing the apartment’s age or architecture.
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From 1990s Finishes to Old-World Detail
Ruocco wanted the updated bathroom to feel as if it belonged in a nearly century-old building. He told Apartment Therapy that Victorian bathrooms and kitchens informed the direction, particularly the use of unlacquered brass, Zellige tile and an antique-looking vanity. The design aims for an older character without claiming that the new work is original to the building.
His material choices reflect that approach. The blue tile carries across the walls and shower arch, while the contrasting marble-look shower tile and Carrara vanity top add variation. Ruocco said he selected the marble-look option because real marble was beyond his budget. He chose exposed shower hardware for its appearance as well as its function.
“I just started laughing because it was just so bold to me at first.”
— Bobby Ruocco, as quoted by Apartment Therapy
Project Costs and Building Details
Apartment Therapy’s report does not give the renovation’s total cost, the names or prices of the products, or a detailed account of who carried out the work. It is also unclear whether Ruocco handled any construction himself or hired tradespeople. The article describes the design and his experience but does not provide measurements, permits, or an independent assessment of the installation.
The “boutique spa” description comes from Ruocco’s account of friends’ reactions. The source does not identify those friends or establish that the phrase was a formal review. No information is provided about the bathroom’s resale value or whether the renovation has prompted work beyond the requests from two friends who asked Ruocco to design their primary bathrooms.
No Further Renovation Plans Reported
Ruocco told Apartment Therapy that two friends asked him to design their primary bathrooms after seeing his finished space, and he said he enjoyed exploring different ideas for those projects. The report does not say whether either design was completed or whether he plans further work on his own apartment. For now, the reported outcome is a finished bathroom that Ruocco says makes his everyday routine more relaxing.
Key Questions
What changed in Bobby Ruocco’s bathroom?
He replaced the worn bathroom finishes with navy Zellige tile, a shower arch, marble-look shower tile, a vintage-style vanity and brass fixtures.
How long did the renovation take?
Ruocco told Apartment Therapy that he went without a shower at home for about one month while the renovation was underway.
Why did he choose marble-look tile?
He wanted a marble appearance in the shower but said real marble was outside his budget, so he selected a blue-tinted tile designed to resemble Calacatta marble.
How much did the bathroom renovation cost?
The Apartment Therapy report does not state a total project cost. Ruocco mentioned budget when explaining his choice of marble-look tile, but did not give an overall figure.
Did Ruocco renovate the bathroom himself?
The report describes Ruocco’s design decisions but does not specify who completed the construction work or whether he hired contractors.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
