Client Project: Vintage-inspired Bathroom

I’m working with a lovely, young couple to renovate their main bathroom.  It is a typical 5’ x 9’ small bathroom and the only one in the house, except for the powder room.

Here is the before with the previous owner’s handiwork including  shoddy/ugly tile installation. (Sorry to be so cruel!)

I’m all about repurposing when possible so we considered keeping the vanity and painting it white. However, it is a very heavy, dominant presence in the small room so it had to go.  Instead we selected a floating vanity.

This gorgeous bathroom designed by David Jimenez and featured in House Beautiful was our jumping off point.  Specifically, the marble mosaic floor tile, subway tile and overall spa feel is what appealed to my clients.
Having an inspiration photo that really speaks to the client’s wishes is important when designing any space.  It becomes a reference point and saves time when it comes to making decisions.  If a design choice is not in line with the look and feel that a client is after, it is not considered. 

Here is the design we came up with.
 
Some key design ideas:

*  splurging on the marble mosaic floor tile and the quartz counter but saving on the subway tile for the tub surround and the vanity. 

* subway tile is clean, crisp and never goes out of style.  We are using the larger 4” x 8” tile with no bevel. We considered doing a band of blue/grey glass tile within the subway tile but really want to keep it classic and timeless so are forgoing any embellishments.

* adding natural elements to an all white space makes it feel not so clinical.  The wicker basket, aged wood mirror and the tones in an Etsy photograph add another dimension to the space.

(Notes: the paint colour looks green (on my screen anyway) even though it is a pale grey; the black chandelier is not part of the design – it was part of the mirror image.)

So what do you think?  Stay tuned for the reveal!

I’m linking up here.

If your bathroom is looking like it’s from 1984, please contact me at vanessa@vanessafrancis.com to arrange a design consultation.