It feels like a big day around here. After so much planning and preparation and mulling over photos and looking at samples and making so many decisions (and going back and forth on those decision)–we finally have the mood board for the master bathroom! And 99% of of it has been ordered and is on its way, too. Demo starts in 12 days. It’s really happening! And this is what it’s going to look like:
1. Floor Tile
2. Art
3. Mirrors
4. Countertop
5. Vanity Color
6. Wall Sconces
7. Cabinet Hardware
8. Water Closet Wallpaper
9. Flushmount Light
10. Toilet
11. Shower Floor Tile
12. Shower head
13. Valve Handle
14. Shower Wall & Ceiling Tile
15. Sink Faucet
16. Rain Shower head
When I’m designing a space, there’s usually one thing that I base the whole room off of, or that really helps the room come together. And for a long time while planning this bathroom, I was missing that thing. I was basing it on compilations of things I liked, but nothing felt like me or our home until I thought, “What if the shower wasn’t marble tile. What if it was something deeper and moodier?” Within 15 minutes, I was excited about the direction of our bathroom as a whole, (probably because it had a direction) for the first time. After I found that pretty, deep, greenish, varied tile (Loch Ness from Fireclay Tile–the second one from the left in the screen shot below)–it all came together.
And then we learned that Fireclay has two clay body types–white and recycled. The white clay bodies (which Loch Ness is made on) is not suitable for steam showers (or pools) and recycled clay bodies are. I’ve never been on team must-have-a-steam shower (we’re already having two shower heads and a rain shower for goodness sakes), but it was in our plan because Chris was absolutely on board with it. To my surprise, Chris said he actually would rather give up the steam shower to have that tile because he loved it so much (music to my ears!), but then we learned that Fireclay could use the recycled clay body, add an engobe layer and then the Loch Ness Glaze. It would change the appearance only slightly, but it would add a few weeks on to the lead time. I’m leaving it up to Chris. I’m fine with either. A couple extra weeks to finish our bathroom that we have waited 4 years to do is insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
As for the other areas of the bathroom needing designed, there were three main areas to tackle.
1. The shower area. This really came together after we decided on the 3×9 tile that will be laid in an off-set pattern and how pretty is that Chain Homme pattern going to be on the shower floor?! We decided on polished nickel as the main metal for the bathroom (with brass as an accent metal) and I can’t wait to see all three (!!) shower heads pop off that moody tile.
2. The vanity area. This has been the focus of a lot of our initial planning. Once we figured out the design (see that here), and decided on the color (black), and the countertop (check out that here), all that was left was lighting–where we can’t wait to hang 3 of these, hardware, mirrors (love this walnut one that will add some warmth) and faucets (where the polished nickel comes in again).
3. Toilet Closet. The last area that took some brain power was the water closet where our toilet will be. We knew we were going to add a cabinet above the toilet for toiletry storage and it will have a window and…a toilet…and a trash can. It’s going to be a tiny room, similar to the one above (via) but when I thought about the bare walls, it made me sad. I told Chris, “It would be fun to add wallpaper in there down the line.” And he said, “It will be 100x easier to do that before we add a toilet and cabinet.” We agreed on the smoky floral wallpaper pretty quickly once we plugged it into the rest of the mood board. (It’s always helpful to plug things into a spot where you can see everything together so you can more easily visualize if they’ll compliment each other or not.) This flush mount is well-priced and giving me all the heart eyes–I’ll probably get another for our clothes closet when the time comes.
We’re thinking (but haven’t ordered) these marble floors for the entire bathroom (they’ll be heated) and into our closet. And while there are sure to be a lot of accessories, the first I purchased was this vintage painting I found from this Etsy shop. I love a good waterscape painting in the bathroom.
( To save you a scroll )
So that’s it. I’m excited and feel so good about the direction. There’s still a few more decisions to make but once you have the general design, it’s so much easier to know what’s right for the rest of it. It feels so much like our home–and yet just different enough to be its own space.
I’m starting to build a house and I’m curious how you picked your toilet. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about but looking at your master bath remodel you obviously had to pick one- was it random or are you looking for specific things?
Our plan was to have the toilet closet as small as possible, so we were looking for a toilet with a 12in rough in (meaning the hole could be 12in from the wall). From there we just picked one that had great reviews and looked good. Turns out we had to move the toilet out a little anyway because of a floor joist, but we still like the toilet! :)
Hey Julia! I was wondering if you had any suggestions for a bathroom vent fan? I’m having a terrible time trying to find one that is quality, stylish and not dingy off white. Any suggestions? Thanks!!
We got one from Lowe’s that looks like a recessed light but it has an integrated fan! We’ve used it 3 times now!!
What program do you use to put together your mood board, or is it just Photoshop? I need to upgrade from Microsoft Word. :)
photoshop!
When I first saw your print of the girl in the boat, I freaked out for a minute thinking: “Whoah! I have that original painting that print is made from!” Before my grandma died, she gave me that painting which I have always loved. After I saw the print on your moodboard I started down a rabbit hole of researching the painting and it looks like the original artist may be unknown, and many people have “originals” of this painting which was apparently copied a lot and has a different signature on each painting. Do you know anything about the print or did you just stumble across it online and like it? Regardless, it’s such a beautiful piece!
Hi! I was listening to your stories last night and a follower question prompted a question I had…
My husband and I are looking to buy new bedroom furniture (Currently our two dressers are the same furnish but do not technically match, or are not part of a “Set’). We have an upholstered bed and different nightstands that do not match each other (on purpose). Nothing is a set and looks great and works well. However when we purchase dressers (will probably buy two), do we get matching ones, or opt for two different dressers? I was originally thinking the same.. but now not so sure. I don’t want it all to look like it was thrown together, but purposely curated :)
Thank you!!
Annie
Ideally, I’d look for one large one or even Ikea PAX wardrobes. Or put two together. I’m kind of with you in that I love mismatched nightstands and the collected look but maybe unmatched dressers would be too much?