Bathrooms
July 13, 2016
Inside The Beautiful Bathrooms Of House & Home Editors
It’s a private space for sure, but House & Home editors aren’t shy about revealing the insider design tricks they used in their own bathrooms. Whether it’s a busy family hub or a serene escape, these bathrooms are savvy style statements that both translate and transcend the trends to become functional spaces. From modern bathrooms to colorful family bathrooms, click through for fresh decorating ideas from our editors, past and present.
Sally reclaimed her two daughters’ bedroom to carve out this dreamy ensuite for her renovated bedroom. Setting the tub under the existing skylight creates a bright spot for bathing, while statement tile turns the wall into a piece of art. The European-style wet room houses the bathtub and shower area behind a glass door to contain moisture. Open shelving keeps soaps, brushes and apothecary goods within reach.
Sally kept the design of the Corian vanity simple and clean, with double sinks and added storage space behind the mirrors and in white oak-trimmed lower drawers. With everything tucked away, there is space for a pretty tray of her favorite fragrances and a vase of peonies.
The design of the wet room ensuite is a chic, clean envelope that highlights handwrought natural materials such as a basket and rustic stool.
In her hardworking — but compact — family’s main bathroom, Stacey updated the space with a tranquil watery blue and soft white. A window was replaced and shifted down the wall slightly to accommodate the wider tub and shower area. Mixing metals — brass hardware and lighting, a matte black faucet and polished-nickel fixtures in the shower — adds character.
Stacey had fallen in love with the bold Manuel Canovas floral fabric used for the shower curtain years ago. The stylized pattern injects color and life to the room and is a rich focal point. The tub and shower plumbing is housed inside the new linen closet created alongside the door. Gleaming polished-nickel fixtures have a modern sensibility and temper the old world brass of the vanity’s hardware.
Kai is known for an adventurous use of color and standout wallpapers. In her bathroom, she captures a Bloomsbury vibe (just witness the handpainted clawfoot tub and Turkish rug) with lush, layered patterns and jewel tones. Wallpaper with a Bloomsbury-era floral pattern warms up the white tile and lends its colors to the watery blue shower curtain, making the room feel pulled-together.
When Suzanne and her husband designer Arriz Hassam of arriz + co renovated their second floor, they were able to incorporate his-and-her bathrooms. His bathroom is bright and feels spacious. Suzanne kept the tub fixtures from the previous update.
Suzanne bought new faucets for the upgraded wall-mounted sink. To get a uniform — and luxurious — look, she had all the pieces dipped in unlacquered brass. A subtle ocelot print wallpaper adds just the right amount of pattern.
Suzanne’s basement bathroom is a study in spare, Scandinavian style with a white oak vanity and white panelled walls. A single black sconce (repurposed from another room in the house) and black-painted mirror punctuate the glossy subway-tiled wall. Simple hardware dowels stand in for towel hooks, and textural woven baskets hide the plumbing. A Nuheat system warms the tile floor for a year-round spa-like experience.
Back in 2013, Sarah Hartill revamped her family’s seriously outdated bathroom as part of a major overhaul to her ’50s bungalow. A double vanity makes the bathroom twice as functional, while brass picture lights and cabinet pulls add a decorative feel. Sarah brought in the photo of lily pads by Michael Graydon (who also shot this image) for added color. Heated floors keep bare feet warm, even in the winter.
A tiled chair rail gives the tub walls a trad flavor. The shower curtain fabric (Midnight Moon in Blossom by Beacon Hill) was chosen for its pink and purple palette and painterly pattern, which play off the photograph next to the vanity.
In 2013, when Mandy reinvented her dated bathroom on a budget, an authentic clawfoot tub topped her wish list. The cost to reseal and refinish a vintage clawfoot would torpedo her budget, so she sourced a present-day cast-iron model for a fraction of the cost. Stacey Smithers, who Mandy turned to for design advice throughout the makeover, suggested hand-painting the tub a matte black and plating the stainless steel feet in patinated brass.
A crisp black and white palette and brass accents define Mandy’s bathroom. Square-cut tiles laid in a brick pattern with dark grey grout make a modern statement behind the sink. Personal touches, such as the painting, give the pared-down design personality.
In the “wet room,” a honed granite slab covers the threshold for a seamless transition into the shower. The shower floor has a subtle slope toward the drain so no water builds up at the feet. A linen shower curtain and dramatic brass rod give the clawfoot tub presence. A weathered stool is a homey touch.