THE STORIES BEHIND BRESSLYN MANOR’S BATHROOM DESIGNS
There are 7 of them…
Honestly I felt a little overwhelmed when I first started thinking through the designs of the bathrooms because I always try and give each bathroom their own identity. But once I found the core behind each bathroom and the anchor in the design it was smooth sailing. The original home only had three bathrooms, and the original primary was very typical of this age and size of home; a single vanity and a tiny corner shower. And this one was blue, floor to ceiling… even the toilet. We chose a different design direction.
Two things that I always preach to people when it comes to bathroom design are:
- Bathrooms do not require white subway tile. Somehow that has become a default for bathrooms and to be honest, it’s tired and boring
- If you choose to do subway tile, it doesn’t have to be boring! Add a a chair rail, or maybe a border along the top/bottom, something to give it some life!
I think people naturally fall under the subway tile spell because it is easy and has somehow become a staple in builder bathroom design. But I think we can do better. In this house we have marble walls, we have penny round floors with a border, we have zellige mosaics, and a touch of trim in the showers as well. I love the idea of a family with a few kids buying this house and each kid picking which room and bathroom they want to be theirs. To be honest, I’m not sure which one I’d pick but I do know that everyone that has been to the house loves the zellige bathroom the best. And I don’t blame them.
Zellige is a really expensive tile but I knew I wanted to put it in this house, so I put it in the smallest bathroom. If you’ve been following me for a while you know that even if a bathroom is tiny, it can still be packed with character and design. If anything it’s these small spaces that need those thoughtful touches even more to avoid getting completely lost in the style of the home. This bathroom I matched a zellige product for the squares on the wall with the octagon in the mosaic on the floor. I then tried to match the color of the small piece in that mosaic for the v groove on the wall and absolutely love how the colors turned out. I chose a pop for the vanity in the wood stain instead of a white because I thought the white could fall flat with an otherwise vibrant room.
Yes, everyone’s favorite paint color. I’ve never had so many messages in my inbox on Instagram than when I posted this bathroom after the paint was up. And yes, it is just that good. I can’t stand a literal blue, and what I mean by that is a literal navy and light blue that you imagine when you think of a baby shower or something. I also want my colors to have natural undertones to make it a little more classic and a little less in your face. This color is the perfect shade and I’ll absolutely use it again.
But while the guest bathrooms were an area I had a little more fun, the primary was when I got down to business. I wanted it to feel like if you lived in the Penthouse of a Ritz, tons of polished nickel, a touch of glam with the light fixtures and an insane moment with the tub. This space is very long so what I didn’t want to happen was that it felt too heavy on one side or overly cold because of all the tile. This tile and the countertops are a beautiful and subtle marble that not only exude luxury but also give a softness as well in the veining. It’s not too harsh or contrast so it’s just enough to show that’s it a real stone without being in your face. Did I mention the in-floor heating and towel warmer?
This house is full of natural stone and I wanted to carry that into the powder as well. This floating sink is a dream and while it took forever to get here, bringing it in from Italy was totally worth it. Again, a powder room is where you want to go bold! I brought in more luxury with a high gloss paint throughout the room and added my touch of vintage with the mirror.
I have found throughout my design journey is that the rooms that are kind of design “underdogs”, or not really used for conventionally pretty tasks (mudrooms, bathrooms, laundry rooms), are the ones I love designing the most. I love bringing beauty into the every day! Because every corner of your house should be beautiful, even that small bathroom on the second floor that only your kid sees…
I learned from this project to trust your gut. While you want your house design to be cohesive, that doesn’t mean that all the tile has to be the same, or all the walls have to be white, or that it even looks the same at all! That’s how you end up with a house that falls flat. I wanted to bring life to this house that felt like someone had lived here and designed it for themselves and the many facets of their life. Although the one thing that I do wish I had done was more shower rooms, meaning instead of one long line of glass to close in the shower, doing a full wall of drywall and a single glass door instead. You can expect to see that more in the next house.