Room of the Day: Small Master Bath Makes an Elegant First Impression
Marble surfaces, a chandelier and a window seat give the conspicuous spot the air of a dressing room
This master bathroom had to look good not only from the inside but also from the outside. “You look right into this bathroom as you come down the staircase and hallway, so it needed to be a pleasing vignette that fit in with the rest of the rooms on the floor,” says interior designer Meredith Tomlin-Hilliard. Together with the designers at Lee Kimball, she made the most of the tight space and gave it a sophisticated dressing room feeling.
AFTER: “We created this vignette with the view as you come down the staircase in mind,” Tomlin-Hilliard says. The design team wanted to tie the bathroom’s look into the pretty yet tailored style of the other rooms on the same floor. Now the view from the hallway is elegant and inviting.
“When the client showed us photos of bathrooms she liked from Houzz, I realized most of her photos were actually of dressing rooms,” Tomlin-Hilliard says. “We didn’t have room for a dressing area, but the idea of a dressing room inspired the overall design.” The window seat and top treatment, mahogany vanity, chandelier, framed and triple-matted intaglios, and “not-a-bathmat” rug lend luxuriousness to the space. This brings a sense of comfort and a cohesiveness with the rest of the home.
Chandelier: Eiffel chandelier in hand-rubbed antique brass with natural paper shades, Visual Comfort; intaglios: M-B Home (in the Boston Design Center); rug: homeowner’s own
“When the client showed us photos of bathrooms she liked from Houzz, I realized most of her photos were actually of dressing rooms,” Tomlin-Hilliard says. “We didn’t have room for a dressing area, but the idea of a dressing room inspired the overall design.” The window seat and top treatment, mahogany vanity, chandelier, framed and triple-matted intaglios, and “not-a-bathmat” rug lend luxuriousness to the space. This brings a sense of comfort and a cohesiveness with the rest of the home.
Chandelier: Eiffel chandelier in hand-rubbed antique brass with natural paper shades, Visual Comfort; intaglios: M-B Home (in the Boston Design Center); rug: homeowner’s own
“We also wanted to take advantage of the window,” Tomlin-Hilliard says. “We have a lot of hard surfaces and angles in here, and the valance helps soften the room.” Because the bathroom is on the first floor, she chose a woven faux-grass shade that lets in natural light yet still offers privacy and topped it with a valance that looks like a Roman shade. “The homeowner loves pretty things but with an unfussy, tailored look,” the designer says.
The window seat feels like furniture and provides storage with two large drawers underneath. Its cushion is upholstered in an all-weather fabric that can stand up to moisture.
Paint: Cloud White, Benjamin Moore (trim and doors in a satin finish, walls in an eggshell finish); valance fabric: Clarence House; cushion fabric: Pindler & Pindler; pillow fabric and trim: Kravet
The window seat feels like furniture and provides storage with two large drawers underneath. Its cushion is upholstered in an all-weather fabric that can stand up to moisture.
Paint: Cloud White, Benjamin Moore (trim and doors in a satin finish, walls in an eggshell finish); valance fabric: Clarence House; cushion fabric: Pindler & Pindler; pillow fabric and trim: Kravet
Replacing the curtained tub-shower with a shower stall that has walls and a door of ultraclear Starphire glass opened up the space, making it feel larger, light-filled and airy.
After picking out stone with the client, project designer Bruce Johnson used the same slab of white statuario Calacatta marble for the vanity top, backsplash, shower bench and window seat top, jambs, threshold and shower niche, creating continuity throughout the room. The tile selections are in the same type of marble in various sizes.
The stall’s glass corner (at left in photo) is a small yet important detail. It extends only about 10 inches before hitting drywall, which was necessary to house the plumbing. “This glass corner added more transparency,” Johnson says. The alternative was a solid wall that would have chopped up the room.
After picking out stone with the client, project designer Bruce Johnson used the same slab of white statuario Calacatta marble for the vanity top, backsplash, shower bench and window seat top, jambs, threshold and shower niche, creating continuity throughout the room. The tile selections are in the same type of marble in various sizes.
The stall’s glass corner (at left in photo) is a small yet important detail. It extends only about 10 inches before hitting drywall, which was necessary to house the plumbing. “This glass corner added more transparency,” Johnson says. The alternative was a solid wall that would have chopped up the room.
AFTER: “Using the three custom mirrors, the brass sconces and the stained wood on the vanity helped bring in a dressing room look,” Tomlin-Hilliard says. The large mirrors, framed in wood with gold fillets, give the illusion that the bathroom is larger than it is and help bounce around the light from the sconces. The mirror over the sink is a medicine cabinet.
“Another fun thing about this room was that the client was really open to mixing metals,” she says. Polished nickel fixtures combine with the gold fillets in the mirror frames and the antique brass on the sconces for a nice balance, while the vanity’s glass knobs add another elegant dressing room touch. The tailored style of the plumbing fixtures also offsets the more ornate style of the light fixtures. “The Pinstripe series of fixtures from Kohler is more geometric and structured and, again, unfussy.… It’s all about keeping that balance,” she says.
Here you can see the beautiful veining pattern in the white statuario Calacatta marble on the countertop and backsplash. The team planned the vanity for maximum functionality and storage. There are no false fronts — it’s composed completely of working drawers, with a few cut short in back to make room for the sink and plumbing.
Vanity: custom, Greenfield Cabinetry; sink: Caxton undermount with Pinstripe series fixtures in polished nickel, Kohler; glass drawer pulls: Restoration Hardware; sconces: Eiffel single sconce in hand-rubbed antique brass with natural paper shade, Visual Comfort
More: Carrara vs. Calacatta Marble: What Is the Difference?
“Another fun thing about this room was that the client was really open to mixing metals,” she says. Polished nickel fixtures combine with the gold fillets in the mirror frames and the antique brass on the sconces for a nice balance, while the vanity’s glass knobs add another elegant dressing room touch. The tailored style of the plumbing fixtures also offsets the more ornate style of the light fixtures. “The Pinstripe series of fixtures from Kohler is more geometric and structured and, again, unfussy.… It’s all about keeping that balance,” she says.
Here you can see the beautiful veining pattern in the white statuario Calacatta marble on the countertop and backsplash. The team planned the vanity for maximum functionality and storage. There are no false fronts — it’s composed completely of working drawers, with a few cut short in back to make room for the sink and plumbing.
Vanity: custom, Greenfield Cabinetry; sink: Caxton undermount with Pinstripe series fixtures in polished nickel, Kohler; glass drawer pulls: Restoration Hardware; sconces: Eiffel single sconce in hand-rubbed antique brass with natural paper shade, Visual Comfort
More: Carrara vs. Calacatta Marble: What Is the Difference?
AFTER: Although there were no major changes to the room’s footprint beyond taking out the bathtub, small moves made a big difference. The architect extended the stall out to meet the edge of the window. He also lowered the ceiling a bit to meet up with the crown molding. These kinds of details created continuity and kept the room from looking chopped up.
Other elements also helped achieve a seamless feeling. The shower bench’s marble top continues through the stall’s glass onto the window seat. A glossy rainfall mosaic tile also flows from the shower onto the wall behind the bench.
Tile: Tile Showcase
Other elements also helped achieve a seamless feeling. The shower bench’s marble top continues through the stall’s glass onto the window seat. A glossy rainfall mosaic tile also flows from the shower onto the wall behind the bench.
Tile: Tile Showcase
On the floor plan, you can see how the team worked the glass corner into the plumbing wall of the shower stall. You can also see how the staircase and hallway look right into the bathroom. And for you “Where’s the toilet?” players, you can see that it’s behind the door. The closet and laundry area shown here was another part of this project.
Design/build: Lee Kimball
Interior design: Meredith Tomlin-Hilliard, Tomhill Studio
Browse Bath Products in the Houzz Shop
More
Sweet Retreats: The Latest Looks for the Bath
18 Dream Items to Punch Up a Master-Bath Wish List
Design/build: Lee Kimball
Interior design: Meredith Tomlin-Hilliard, Tomhill Studio
Browse Bath Products in the Houzz Shop
More
Sweet Retreats: The Latest Looks for the Bath
18 Dream Items to Punch Up a Master-Bath Wish List
Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A single professional woman who travels extensively for work
Location: Charlestown, Massachusetts
Size: 75 square feet (7 square meters)
BEFORE: This is the master bathroom, but since it isn’t en suite (see floor plan at bottom), this isn’t the view from the master bedroom. Instead, it’s looking into the room from a hallway and staircase in the townhouse — not a view that impressed.