Bathrooms
This Toronto Designer Shares Her Secrets For Creating A Next-Level Ensuite
Updated on November 28, 2023
If there was ever a time to wow a crowd with a splashy design, it’s in a showhome. Just ask Sabrina Albanese, who transformed a Richmond Hill, Ont., model home’s principal bathroom from a blank canvas into a dream ensuite. “I used color and pattern as a narrative to build from, and then all of the other details followed from there,” says the Toronto designer. Seemingly endless porcelain slabs — reminiscent of Calacatta marble but impervious to scratches and water marks — dance up walls and waterfall over cabinets. Lush wallpaper also makes a strong statement, giving the illusion that you’re standing beneath a canopy of trees. Gold-toned faucets and frosted-glass sconces up the glamor, as does a stand-alone soaker tub, which has a curvy coconut-shell pendant suspended above.
Scroll down for Sabrina’s tips on how to design a bathroom that’s the ultimate oasis!
1. Consider Every Vantage Point.
A textural pendant covered in coconut shells sets the scene for luxurious evenings of relaxation and gives bathers something to look up at.
2. Match Metal Tones To Wallpaper
A gold-toned faucet mirrors a similar hue in the wallpaper’s botanical pattern and elevates the bathroom’s earthy palette with a hint of luxe.
3. Opt For Open Storage
The wood vanities, which both incorporate open shelving, put folded towels within arm’s reach and feel like something you’d find in a luxury hotel suite.
4. Stay On Theme
Sabrina’s advice is to find a source of inspiration and let that spearhead the design direction you take. Here, a graphic print of a beetle plays up the bathroom’s botanical theme.
5. Go Bold With Pattern
“If there’s a surefire way to make even the smallest rooms in your home stand out, it’s with wallpaper,” says Sabrina.
6. Choose Showstopping Porcelain Slabs
“The dramatic use of porcelain was a key element in telling the visual story here,” says Sabrina. The huge, bright slabs bring the shower to life.
7. Create Balance With Symmetry
Twin vanities frame the doorway to the principal bedroom and make the most efficient use of space. “They create an appealing balance and accentuate the builder’s excellent floor planning,” says Sabrina.
“It’s about creating a layered, textural look, and using color to evoke a feeling,” says Sabrina. That feeling is old world glamor with a lively playfulness, a hallmark style for Sabrina. Frankly, it’s a look we can all get behind.