MASTER BATH DESIGNING

As our rough-in plumbing nears completion, I’m getting more and more excited about our reno jobs starting up again.  I know a lot of you think I’m crazy, but the prospect of tiling and painting makes me so happy!  Being covered in paint, thin-set and grout – yes please!

Last month, as the husband worked on pulling out the remaining electrical work in the

basement, I did some YouTube University and taught myself how to tile with the 20 tiles I had bought on a whim months ago.  Since I knew that our back splash is going to be a herringbone pattern with elongated subway tiles, I figured it would be wise to give it a test run (especially since I had never done any tiling in my life).  While I was happy with how it went, this did solidify that I want to use 2×8’s not 3×8’s…but that’s not for this post, today we’re talking about the design plan for the master bathroom! (You can read all about the design for the kitchen here)

Ahhhh, the master bath.  This room is supposed to be a sanctuary, a spa, a place to relax and take a steamy shower at the end of a long day.  Because the bathrooms in our Little House on a Hill are not going to be all that big this means keeping the design light and bright.

I’m a huge fan of contrast (if you haven’t already figured that out based on the black windows, two-tone kitchen or other design choices I’ve shared to date) so finding a way to achieve contrast while balancing the bright-ness I was after was really important to me.  My love of mid-century design and clean geometric shapes also helped guide my search for master bath inspiration.

I originally found a light teal starburst-like hexagon floor tile which I was absolutely in love with.  However, it became very clear very quickly that tile was going to be a place we could keep our budget manageable and still be happy with the outcome…so scratch that hand-painted cement tile – wah wah.

After this realization, I settled on a classic black and white theme but stuck with my original shape inspiration and settled on large black hexagon tiles for the floor.  Though I’ve been warned of water spots on black floors, I think that’s something I’m willing to deal with to get the look I am looking for.  We’ll use 8″ hex’s on the main part of the bathroom floor and 2″ black hex’s in the shower pan to keep consistency but break it up just a little.

The plan is to pair the black floor with square white subway tiles in an offset/traditional subway tile pattern.  We’re not sure yet just how much of the bathroom will end up being tiled (halfway up the walls?) but at least the shower will be fully tiled along with the ceiling above the shower.  I love the classic look of the subway tile, but similar to my rationale for why we’re doing herringbone there, I am hoping for a somewhat less “typical” look so I’m hoping the squares will bring that.

To bring in some warmth to my black and white design, we’ve purchased an old mid-century modern wood dresser which we’re going to convert into our double vanity.  It’s the perfect length at 60″ exactly and will be just the right height once we add the vessel sinks to the top.  Stay tuned for how that DIY conversion goes as we’ll be tackling it in the next few weeks most likely!  We’re also going to be using light, brushed brass hardware and fixtures throughout the bathroom to continue the warmth and probably a bath mat with some color in it as well as some greenery…but those smaller touches will have to wait for now.

Below is my design inspiration board, what do you think?