Nov 19, 2008

Sit down, stay a while!

When most people think of bathrooms, they think of the basics- tile, paint, flooring, countertop, fixtures, hardware, mirrors.

But the designing shouldn't stop there- we love a good "homey" master bathroom. A room as cozy as your living area (that is, if you have the space). You definitely don't want to haul in an 85 inch sofa to make things more "homey" in there- that could be a bit awkward. But there are ways you can give your bathroom a more welcoming and luxurious look by just adding a few unexpected pieces....

This master bath gives off a spa-like vibe. A chair and ottoman sit nestled in a corner, a garden seat serves as a side table, and a potted plant helps to bring some of the outdoors in. Guazy Ikea curtains give off an ethereal type quality while a bamboo framed mirror and wooden armoire provide a few natural elements that juxtapose nicely with the crystal chandelier.

I love what they have done here with the petite sunburst mirror. They positioned it over the window to where its shadow creates a crest like symbol in the floor. Genius! A sitting chair in between two built ins also gives the space a more homey vibe.

This bathroom is simple, clean, and fresh looking. However, without the few unexpected elements such as the feminine window treatment, yellow flowers, and mirrored side table (for that extra bit of sparkle) it wouldn't look nearly as interesting and inviting.

This idea is the absolute best out of all of them! Usually you see clam shells on a living room coffee table or in another public space- but in this master bath, the residents chose instead to place it in the shower...it serves two purposes- it is visually interesting as well as functional- it could hold all of your bath accessories! Is that a loofah in theirs? The zebra print stool, lamps, sconces, light fixture, side table, and flowers aren't too shabby either and give this bathroom more of a lived in look!

It's baaaack! Wallpaper that is. Of course we have been through this before in previous posts- but I really do love wallpaper in a master or powder bath...it gives that extra bit of pattern that you don't get with paint or tile. With wallpaper, the possibilities are endless (including the possibility that you could splash water on it!) Yikes. But all paranoia aside, this bathroom looks stunning with its pink floral paper from Cowtan & Tout and metallic stool. Very cute also how they placed a random framed picture against the tub!

The vanity in this bathroom looks like a living room piece of furniture- a gorgeous console table! Almost reminds me of something from Modern Dose! The ornate Brocade Home mirror, framed piece of art, vase of pink flowers, and interesting glass globe pendants hanging from the ceiling made me almost mistake it for a living area.

If you have the space in your bathroom, why not utilize it? Get creative and try different pieces that you love in there. In my bathroom, I framed copies of room pics from one of my favorite Interior Design coffee table books and created a series out of it.
What are some of the things you've done in your bathroom that is unique and different? We'd love to know!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

If I am not mistaken, the framed piece of art in the last bathroom photo is a wallpaper from Designer Guild's Sarafan book. It also comes in a great orange-red background. It is one of my favorites!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous. I love that mirror!!!

Anonymous said...

I love the chandelier in the bathroom. Oh so luxurious!

Just found your blog, can't wait to surf through the past posts for ideas!

Thanks
Rachel Gradwohl

Anonymous said...

could you tell me where the images come from? we are redoing our bathroom in the spring and i love the shower w/ clam shell and the tub photo above it. thanks!!

Material Girls said...

Anon,
Could be! In my own bath, I framed room photos from Tricia Guild's "Patterns" book...I love Designer Guilds look!

Hi Anon,
I think the tub photo might have come from House Beautiful and I'm not sure about the shower one- I ripped them both out of magazines and for some reason they aren't labeled at the bottom! If you are looking for clam shells, try www.zgallerie.com! They have tons usually

Julia B. Edelmann/Buckingham Interiors + Design said...

Metallic stool against that tub and wall covering...majestic!
Great image!

cotedetexas said...

love that clam shell!!!!
and Randy Power's bathroom with the starburst in the mirror! love the eye candy, thanks!

Maria Killam said...

Wow, amazing bathrooms you found to show! But I am a sucker for white bathrooms! Thanks for the lovely post.