I am long overdue in revealing this moody master bathroom with you! If you are new, welcome! To catch up on the beginnings of this bathroom remodel check out week 1, week 2, week 3&4, and week 5. I'm really proud of this bathroom and that it turned out almost exactly like I had envisioned it in the beginning stages. After months of dreaming, planning, drawing, and actual work we have a jewel-box bathroom! I hope you enjoy the finished tour!
This bathroom is TINY. When spaces are tiny I like to go bold and dark. In my opinion smaller spaces look larger when they are painted dark. The concept of this bathroom was "equanimity.." I wanted to feel like I was showering outdoors in Hawaii. I wanted to be able to relax and come to complete calmness when in the bathroom.
According to Oxford Languages:
e·qua·nim·i·ty
noun
mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation. "she accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity"
The whole space was stripped to the studs. Water resistant drywall was added, all plumbing and subfloor replaced, and electrical was updated. Do you see that 70's wallpaper? The previous owners did a quick "put lipstick on a pig" update on this bathroom, it was fun to peel back the layers.
There were certainly a few design dilemmas to address. Generally I am not a fan of medicine cabinets because there are so few aesthetically pleasing ones to choose from, but I had to compromise due to lack of space. We installed a recessed polished nickel medicine cabinet that turned out so nice. I admit I do love the functionality of it. Everything is in front of your face, literally.
It was such an ordeal finding a vanity to fit this small space while avoiding the custom-made cost. In the end I found a vanity online with a beautiful honed marble countertop. My preference on countertops is to lean towards natural materials like marble. Just know it will etch and patina with time. I will choose honed over polished almost always because it's harder to see etching. It drives my husband crazy but I love the "lived-in" look that honed marble provides.
The most challenging part of this project was the pocket door. A pocket door was on the must-have list for me due to the floorpan of the attached master bedroom. Having a bathroom swing out inches away from the bed was simply not an option. You can read more about the install of the pocket door here.
As for the hardware, I am so glad I splurged for this design. It really elevates an otherwise boring door. I smile every time I go to close the door. Installing the hardware was something we decided to hire out because there was no room for error when routing the mortise.
Let's talk flooring! I chose another natural material- slate for the bathroom floor and shower pan. I wanted something that was uneven under the foot and reminded you of walking to an outdoor shower. It can be slippery when wet but given that this is a small space with most of the square footage covered by a rug, this was the perfect space to install it. To combat the slipperiness in the shower, I chose a small-scale mosaic that provided more grip. Don't get me wrong, if given the chance I would install a slate floor in a kitchen. Just know it requires upkeep. Like most beautiful things, slate require some care.
I went back and forth with trying to decide between using a glass shower door or shower curtains. Even though this is a master bathroom, I was nervous about installing glass with young kids in our family. Our boys rough house a lot so avoiding breakable things seemed like the sensible thing. I also felt like the room needed some texture that fabric provides with this being such a dark space. The linen texture in the fabric of the shower curtain softens an otherwise dark room.
I'm thrilled to have different sources of lighting in this bathroom. For the lighting fixtures I chose brass for the ceiling and vanity light. In the shower we installed a vent/ light combo which I had color-matched to the ceiling color to blend in. We had them installed on their own switch which was a great decision, making it easier to not blind the person still sleeping when the other gets up early in the morning.
Speaking of light switch- isn't this light switch plate gorgeous? I love the detail on the toggles! Things that we use multiple times a day should hold up to the use as well as bring you joy. Unique light switches are a fun way to add style to a room. It is unexpected but appreciated.
If you hadn't noticed already I chose to paint the ceiling dark too. I feel like a broken record because I am taking about painting ceilings all the time but I'll say it again. Continuing the wall color to the ceiling makes the room appear larger and ceilings taller. We have 8 foot ceilings throughout the house so I am constantly trying to find ways to make the room look larger. Imagine this room having a white ceiling. It would instantly bring your eye to the ceiling and your brain would register how small the room is. Have low ceilings? Don't call attention to it, let the eye wander around the room. If I had painted it white, it would also look stark white compared to the dark blue walls.
For this bathroom I chose to mix metals by using brass and polished nickel. I fell in love with this green tile because it reminded me of the ocean in Hawaii. I thought it would make the perfect backdrop for a brass shower fixture and curtain rod. It is not often I want to call attention to a curtain rod, but since we carried the green tile to the ceiling (another tip to make your room look larger) I wanted whatever touching that tile to look pretty and intentional. Here, the shower curtain rod is part of the "jewelry" of the room.
I chose polished nickel for the sink faucet, mirror, and vanity hardware. Polished nickel is is warmer when comparing it to chrome which is why it plays so well with brass. I used mainly polished brass for all other things including all lighting, toilet paper holder, and cafe-rod and rings.
For the paint color, I went with a darker blue than I had originally planned to. I had been trying to decide between Benjamin Moore Yorktowne Green and Tarrytown Green. When I swatched them next to the tile they both were too saturated. The other spaces in this house have muted colors so I ended up using BM Flint. It is a deep navy blue and in this room it almost reads black in the dark corners. It can be controversial to paint a bathroom a dark color because many use that space to get ready for the day and you need to be able to see details. To address that issue we installed three light sources in this tiny space.
So what do you think? What is your favorite thing about this space? Would you ever paint a bathroom a dark paint color? I am so happy with how this project turned out. I had so much fun designing this bathroom into this moody, calming oasis. I love projects like this where I can really stretch my creative muscles and think out-of-the-box. As always, thank you so much for reading. Stay tuned for another bathroom reveal coming up soon! I'm just waiting for drapery to be finalized and then I can share it!
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