Welcome to our master bathroom. I love this room very, very, very much. It feels bright and happy, and has a great mix of traditional (like the house) but modern (like we are). HOWEVER, this is the room in which I have the most regrets – permanent, unchangeable regrets (not necessarily mistakes) that aren’t worth the annoyance to change. Some regrets bug me every day, others just don’t – these don’t, but I have to recognize that they could have been better.
The benefits of renovating your entire house in 3 months is just that – you get to move into your brand new, freshly designed house in THREE MONTHS. But the flip side is that some decisions were made too quickly, some things overlooked or mistakes were made by others that weren’t worth sacrificing the time to change. The typical check-in that ends with a, ‘wait that should be like this, not that’ just had to be lived with because the inspector was coming the next day and changing it would potentially set us back 2 weeks.
Why the rush? Sponsor deadlines, which I was honestly happy to have. Having a hard date, and having the contractor be beholden to that date keeps you from going a year over your original deadline. But it means that you have to make some sacrifices to not hold up the project.
When we bought the house the bathroom was totally charming, but the layout wasn’t great and we had to steal from it to make the tiniest closet in our bedroom, a foot bigger.
I wanted it to feel classic but with a bit of fun (Head to this post to see the design plan, inspiration and the original product board). One of the challenges of having such a big audience who rely on you to create content is that you don’t want to do something too safe or boring. I try to create work that is more editorial (magazine worthy) yet timeless and man, that can be a challenge. Making a statement while being practical and having longevity is really hard, folks. Fashion bloggers have it so much easier with outfits they can throw on and off. And if you are in a modern home then you can take some more risks, but a 1920’s tudor is not something you do anything too trendy in. Luckily I think this bathroom really does it – it feels editorial but relatively timeless. The only thing that feels ‘trendy’ to me is the blue paint color which would be super easy to paint white or a neutral if I want to in 7 years (although it’s navy, which is kinda timeless – and FYI where it looks brighter is less accurate, it is darker and deep and not royal in the slightest).
Let’s chat vanity first. This piece is ready-made from Wayfair, but I switched out the silver hardware and the stone on top. I actually hadn’t planned on replacing the stone, but as our guys were moving it, it cracked. We had extra stone from the kitchen so we had our fabricator cut it to fit. We chose a vanity with a ton of storage, and kept it white to help the bathroom feel as big as possible. I love this piece and honestly wouldn’t have custom designed anything differently.
We used unlaquered brass for all the hardware. The faucets are from e-faucets via Newport brass and they are totally classic and fit the style of the house. Now you need to know that a live finish is harder to care for. We softened our water (using Culligan) and we clean them with Brass Pro tech and Wax – NOT BRASSO. Why would I burden myself with high maintenance faucets? Because they make my heart so happy because they age so beautifully. When I was debating over them I asked a super experienced salesperson at George’s Plumbing about unlacquered brass and he said ‘Oh I love it because it means you’ll be in here in 5 years replacing it’. Terrifying, I know. But a heart wants what a heart wants.
The only other finish that I would consider is live nickel (same problem) or matte black – a different direction altogether. Some oil rubbed bronze are great and look almost black and some are less great and look cheap.
That wallpaper is from Farrow and Ball and I couldn’t love it more. It might be my favorite of all of their patterns. What you can’t tell from photos is how it is a painted pattern so the white has a texture. It felt like ‘water’ to me and the tones (a taupe and a cream) are so warm with my navy.
The ceiling in the bathroom was curved so there wasn’t an obvious place to stop the wallpaper on one of the walls. So we added this tiny little moulding to give it a natural stopping point. It’s super simple and you would think it was always supposed to be there.
We had to replace the windows in the bathrooms but kept the frames. They are vinyl and while that’s typically not my favorite finish for an older home it made the most sense for a bathroom. Plus it was the right place to save some money.
We put in V-groove on the bottom half of the walls to add some architectural detail (V-groove is like beadboard without the bead and generally a bit more modern) and added a cute little molding on top to finish it off.
The tile on the floor is from Floor and Decor and is a simple white porcelain herringbone. We chose something classic and more affordable because the shower tile was more of a splurge.
Inside the shower we have that amazing cle tile (which I want to use in every house ever, in different shapes – big square, little square, subway … I just LOVE IT). It has so much texture, but it is so quiet and looks so handmade. It is really, really thick (like more like a brick than a tile.) We didn’t know this (the sample was thinner) so we designed the shower niche to be a certain depth. When the tile arrived we realized that the niche would be too shallow to hold shampoos if we tiled the inside of it, which was the plan. We could have demo’d out the niche and have it redone but the tiler had already started so we changed plans. We put solid white tile, which matched the bridge at the base of the shower door, instead. It matches the herringbone on the floor and it was leftover so we didn’t have to spend more dough.
This is one of the things I kinda wished were different but it’s not a big deal and definitely doesn’t bother me enough to consider changing it. In these photos it bothers me even less, strangely 🙂
Our tiler did a FANTASTIC job of mitering the edges of the tile so it returns so beautifully.
The sconce was brought in to help modernize the bathroom and give it an edge. It’s from Circa Lighting (who gifted all the lighting for the house).
What I love is the scale and statement it makes, but with simple shapes and finishes. The unlacquered brass of the faucets and hardware will eventually match this ‘aged brass’ and the black is echoed in little accents in the shower hardware as well. The little screws and how it’s constructed feels timeless. Plus it gives out fantastic light and only required one junction box, which is great over the solid mirror.
It’s hard to see/shoot the shower door, but it deserves a conversation. We went with glass simply because there was not other option that wouldn’t make the bathroom feel tiny. Ideally I wanted the french black framed paned doors which was the original idea but as the bathroom was being framed we realized it was going to make it feel too small and busy.
So we went with glass. Now there are a few different thicknesses you can choose from and tints. We were recommended to get a 1″ because the arrangement of the glass only had two wall supports. It was designed that way to allow for more floor space in the bathroom, otherwise it would have been tiny.
We ended up going with the ‘crystal clear’ glass, which was about twice the price as the more heavily tinted green tempered glass. Ultimately I think the whole thing was around $3700 which was not what I was expecting to pay. I’m not totally convinced that the clear glass is even that clear, but I’m sure that the less clear glass would have bothered me a lot. It doesn’t have a tint anywhere except the seams/corners.
That tiny bit of green does annoy me, but I don’t think there was an option. Hell, I paid twice as much to not see that green but tempered glass will always have a tint (or so I’m told).
So what are my regrets? First off, not having a bench or a built-in seat for shaving. This was in the plan but was overlooked and I should have had them re-build it, but I’m pretty sure this wasn’t caught until the tile was already started. It’s not a big deal and that teak table works to put my leg up on, but since we didn’t have room for a tub, I wouldn’t have minded a place to sit if I just wanted to take one of those 20 minutes showers to, you know, have a break from parenting.
I keep meaning to look for a beautiful teak bench that I can sit on, but it’s not a priority in my life right now.
I also regret not getting a fancier ‘looking’ shower faucet. Now, this was intentional because I have found that the three-way (shower, wand, tub) is tricky to navigate. Often it’s hard to turn them completely off, or so I thought. We wanted it to be simple – on/cold/hot, and that’s it. But I think that I was just particularly bad at the types of showers that had temperate control and the two or three way converter, etc. It just felt so complicated when I really just wanted hot water on my face right now. I think that while this shower faucet is high end, it would look prettier if it had the wand. We aren’t fans of the rain shower (and I have a personal theory that it’s a thing that most men love, but women don’t.
Not a big deal, but visually I think I missed an opportunity. I could have found one that goose-necked out further and did something more architecturally interesting. Also someone did ask once in the comments “how do you clean the shower’ and it hadn’t really occurred to me. We have a professional clean the house once a week and we squeegie it as we get out, daily, but that is a fair question with a very unsatisfying answer.
But don’t get me wrong, I love the whole suite of faucets so much, I just wished I had made that master shower look a bit more masterful.
Additionally I wish that I had put some sort of steam function in there. Never in my life did I think I would want that (and surely it would have been bad for the paper which is otherwise holding up perfectly) but without a tub in here there is no sense of ‘spa’. Not a big deal, but basically I can only shower in here, and not really luxuriate too much. Poor me, I know.
I guess those regrets weren’t too bad in retrospect. Just remember, build-in a bench if you have the space for it and if it’s your master think about some additional luxuries that you might not in a normal guest bathroom.
I really love it. The light in here is also so beautiful and when it’s clean I want to instagram it all day long.
It has a lot of texture, without being too busy and it does feel traditional – but just my version of traditional, with a modern, younger edge.
If you are into it, we’ve linked up all the sources below. I HIGHLY recommend all the finishes and fixtures in this bathroom. I don’t regret my choices, just the slight oversight of some things that should have been in there. But honestly I wouldn’t switch out a thing. It feels big, it’s super functional with great storage, beautiful light and a lot of texture and style.
1. Farrow & Ball Wallpaper | 2. Hook | 3. Black & White Wall Sconce | 4. Tile | 5. Shower Hardware | 6. Mirror (similar) | 7. Towel Ring | 8. Beadboard (Paint Color: Farrow and Ball Stiffkey) | 9. Toilet Paper Holder | 10. Toilet | 11. Faucet | 12. Vanity | 13. Herringbone Floor Tile | 14. Towel Bar | 15. Drawer Pull | 16. Drawer Knob | 17. Hand Towel (similar) | 18. Glass Vase (similar) | 19. Short Vase (similar) | 20. Rug (similar) | 21. White Fringe Towel | 22. Oil Painting (similar) | 23. Ceramic Vase (similar) | 24. Seascape Painting (similar) | 25. Tray (similar) | 26. Wood Stool (similar) | 27. Bud Vase (similar) | 28. Pink Dish (similar) | 29. Soap Dish (similar) | 30. Dry Brush (similar) | 31. Kristin Ess Shampoo | 32. Kristin Ess Conditioner
***Photos by Tessa Neustadt
For more reveals from Emily’s Los Feliz Home: Powder Room | Jack and Jill Bathroom | Living Room Update | Charlie’s Big Boy Room | Master Bedroom | Living Room | Kitchen & Dining Room | Elliot’s Nursery | Backyard | Closets | Laundry Room | Elliot’s Nursery Update | Family Room Update | Kitchen | Updated Living Room
The main lighting fixture is the stuff of my dreams! ❤️❤️❤️
Same!
That shower is very unique but nice and spacious from what I can tell. Those giant light bulbs above the mirror look so cool! To me it seems a bit like a mixture of an English home (the sink and taps) and a Swedish home (the wooden theme and blue walls).
Very homey and country sidey!
You’ve done it again! What a lovely bathroom, the perfect mix of traditional with a modern edge. And, I didn’t post the other day but you’re living room is stunning. Thank you again, and again, and again for sharing your home.
Oops, Your, not you’re
Echoing this! You’re spoiling us, Emily, with all these room reveals. They’re so yummy! How amazing is it to have a complete house so early on?? I didn’t comment on the others either, but know they are all blowing me away. So lovely. I’m in a very country-trad-Soho house kind of phase, so your house is such a breath of fresh air from the monochrome Cali casual stuff.
Congrats on your gorgeous home!!! Can’t wait to see the rest. <3
THANK YOU guys. Seriously. And yes, while making decisions (and mistakes) isn’t always awesome, having your house done is WORTH IT. I always say that ‘done’ is often better than ‘perfect’. (especially when you become a mom). xx
Hi Emily!
I really love your style, your blog and other platforms (I also follow you on Instagram), but I have to say that I’d rather see your Instagram pictures and stories, instead of here, in blog posts, because honestly, the white balancing (is this the name of the extreme brightness of whites?) is so, so over the top it actually hurts my eyes! It also seems to blurr details and makes a blazing sun out of every window! 🙂
Please don’t take this the wrong way, I love your content! Just not the «Oh so bright whites!»
PS – No need to publish this comment, if you dont want to! I agree with your new comment moderation policy and with the freedom we all have to deal with (any kind of) criticism! 🙂
To each his own, for sure. But I think the texture of the white shower tiles tones down any brightness. Love it!
If I understand Ana correctly, she is not criticizing Emily’s design choices (I love all her white designs too! Those tiles are to die for!), but rather Emily’s website’s white background. I similarly find the white webpage background a bit annoying but I know my computer’s monitor is old and distorts the colour, making it seem brighter than it probably is meant to. I just try to view the site on my phone instead so I can fully appreciate Emily’s lovely colour choices and not be distracted by my monitor blowing out all the whites.
Weird. So the background color of the homepage? Not the photos, right? Interesting … I feel that if it were a tone it might be harder to read … but definitely good feedback. thank you!
How strange! I was thinking the exact same thing about the whites being almost too bright (at least on my screen — a Macbook Pro btw).
I am reading on different devices – never had any problem with brightness and I am pretty sensitive to that.
I disagree about the white from a web design perspective, however if you are on a Mac, try removing some of the blue light if you are sensitive to your monitors brightness. Apple > System Preferences > Displays > Night Shift. This will warm up the whites which can be jarring sometimes to some people. Xo
I agree with Evane, I’m a (small-time) web designer and co-own a real estate photography business… and I think the white web background is the only color that makes sense for Emily’s blog (please don’t change it). And as for the blown out windows, Tessa is an incredible photographer with mad editing skills, and I’m so glad that she keeps the bright windows b/c that’s what it looks like when you’re not layering in a gazillion different exposures to show the view (ala cheesy real estate photos – yes we do this everyday bc it makes sense for real estate, but not editorial or design blog photos). Also most of these photos are taken in southern CA, and it’s bright outside our windows almost everyday, so it makes sense 😉 And plenty of photos have not been blown out, on more overcast days or because the ivy on the windows blocks a lot of light, I think Tessa’s photos are staying very realistic to the conditions. And everyone’s monitors are going to read differently. Anywho – just wanted to comment that I think the brightness/white balance, etc looks great and don’t think anything needs to be changed. And I always appreciate when you mention if a color reads differently online than in person, it really helps when considering (copying) your paint, etc choices. Thanks!
Beautiful bathroom, particularly love the art and the rug in there.
I’m curious why you would want a bench in a shower? I have one and never use it except to prop my leg to shave. Is sitting in a shower a thing?
Haha, my husband loves to sit in the shower. We’re not going to be putting a bench into the shower, because California’s water supply is limited and I am NOT giving up our top 20th percentile water saver status 😉
I sit in my shower all the time. So glad I have a huge bench in mine.
I mainly want it for shaving. Sometimes I have to sit on the ground and its annoying, obviously 🙂
I love all the unusual angles. Just like your daughter’s room. Great job Emily!
Um, your regrets here are MINIMAL! Nothin’ really. I wonder how the floors are – easy to keep clean? Not too grout-y? LOVE the herringbone.
Looks good!! I have a question for you I have been struggling with, like keep you up at night struggling!! I want to install paneling in my kitchen and paint it the same color as the cabinets. However I have vinyl replacement window, so I can’t paint the window trim. Unlike your room the paneling will end half way up the window.
While I am at it, can you recommend cabinet paint colors? Navy is my favorite color, but navy cabinets have been in for awhile, same as gray. I don’t want to repaint in 2 years when I can’t look at another navy kitchen again, but I sure do love them now!!
I think that your window and door moldings can be different than the beadboard paneling.
Also while there has been a ton of navy kitchens its still a great classic color. its hard to get sick of navy, it just is. but that one is a HARD decision 🙂
Looks beautiful to me- love that tile and all the brass. Also those soap holders almost look like shadow boxes without the additional tile, kind of a cool effect. Love the navy + wave-like wallpaper for a subtle evocation of water/ocean -very soothing and spa-like.
Quick Q: I see there are no shades or curtains on the windows. Do you have anything on there for privacy? With all the sunlight it is hard to tell if it is straight window or not. We have blinds in our master bath which look lovely but always seem to break the minute one string gets out of whack, and my husband hates them for this reason. There is privacy film of course, but it’s not the prettiest thing around. Thanks!
Thank you Bubu. It’s on the second floor so need for privacy and since we can’t have window treatments inside the shower we decided to forego them on the outside, too. xx
I have a crush on your house. More specifically, what you’ve done with your house. I’m a long time follower of yours and have honestly loved all of your work, but this house speaks to my soul. Dramatic, I know, but for real. Thanks for all the fantastic inspiration!
THANK YOU. For such a nice compliment, but more importantly for being a long time follower. thank you thank you. xx
Your bathroom is beautiful, but I totally get you on the luxuriate comment. When we redid our bathroom in our last house, I was really disappointed that I didn’t think about the tub part of the shower/tub combo being deeper. It was cast iron and beautiful to go with our 1930s home, but I couldn’t properly soak in it because it was too shallow! It seems simple, but I kept dreaming of a luxurious long soak in a tub with rose petals. Happy to say that our new bathroom will have a large soaking tub.
yah, at the fixer upper we are doing I want to put a MASSIVE soaking tub. It’s such a good excuse to take a break from kiddos when you need it. Just going to sit in your room feels totally weird, but if you are in a bath you aren’t a bad mom, right? 🙂
I have a large soaking tub and I NEVER use it. Takes too long to fill, water gets cold quickly, and it’s so big I actually float in it when I’d rather sit. In contrast, at a hotel in Italy the tub was sort of perfectly petite. I bathed in it every day. It was perfection.
I second this. Floating is especially annoying – I am trying to relax, but all I am really doing is fighting the water that is pushing me on the surface. In our new house, we have a shorter, but deeper tub, with steeper walls. I can comfortably sit in there and it makes it so much easier to stay under water.
Ha! It’s like you’re doing “something” as opposed to recusing yourself and doing “nothing”! Damn, you’re funny xoxo
We put a soaker tub (the Kohler Archer) in our remodeled master bath and I LOVE it. Pro tip, though: check the size of your water heater. We did not think that one through. It took us a year to renovate (we did it ourselves), and after months of looking forward to that first soaking hot bath … it was decidedly lukewarm because our tub capacity is 70 gallons but our water heater capacity was 50 gallons. Woops.
We ended up putting in an 80-gallon water heater several months later, but that was an expense we weren’t planning on!
beautiful!
I think this looks great!
OMG There should be a discussion just about rain showers because I so agree with you! haha! I have been to vacation rentals with a rain shower and while my husband loves them I have such a hard time with water pressure and like not getting my hair wet when I’m showering?! I tend to curve awkwardly and seriously don’t know how women manage!!
My bathroom had a rain shower when we moved in. It was a slight adjustment, but now I love it and am kind of shocked when I shower in a normal shower.
We built in both – a rain shower on the ceiling and a smaller, wall-mounted adjustable shower head. It’s perfect.
Stop regretting the lack of a built-in shower bench! I had one in my last two showers and found it was usually too cold/hard to sit on, so not that relaxing (especially if you don’t have a hand held sprayer to warm it up with.) It’s just another place where bottles and soap scum collect. that and the amount of floor space you lose doesn’t justify its existence. When we renovated out current shower we removed the bench and just added a little corner shelf down low where I could put my foot for shaving. All they had to do was notch out a tile or two during installation. Your bath is gorgeous, as always!
I agree. They are cold. The last think I want to do while showering is sit my naked butt on a cold hard surface… I’ve never understood the appeal.
Yep!
Make that cold, hard, wet surface!
Came here to say the same thing about a tiled bench. I was gung ho about it in our master bath and it is FREEZING all the time! Even right after I use the wand to run hot water on it. I never want to put my bare bottom on it, haha. I just use it for shaving my legs.
oh good!!!!! This is making me feel MUCH BETTER. I guess I just need something to put my leg on to shave (instead of the window frame – yes, i’m serious). YAY. thanks you guys.
Did you struggle with the decision to remove the arches in the bathroom? I know it was necessary from a pragmatic standpoint, but was it hard to lose that architectural detail?
Yes it was sad because they were adorable. But we needed to make it smaller in order to have a functioning closet (which is behind the shower now) . So we had to reconfigure it all, get rid of the tub and alas completely redo it. xx
Hi! I’m curious about the pocket door. Was that original to the room or did you add it? We are considering swapping for pocket door to help with space constraints in our very small bathroom. If you did add it, how are you liking it? Can you share some details or sources?
Check out the original layout post for this house, I think they changed the layouts of doors a lot
yah, we wanted to create a master suite so we bumped out the door into the hallway instead of the bathroom going directly into the hallway. So our bathroom/master are connected. Does that make sense?
I think this is such a beautiful bathroom! I love all of the tile and finishes–really gorgeous. The only thing that kind of surprises me is the mirror. I guess I expected two round mirrors or something more antique. But I bet this large mirror helps to open up the space. Anyway, wonderful job, as usual!
Same, it felt like builder basic, before I noticed the beveled edge. I would have expected something else from Em.
Third this, I wondered the whole post when you were going to apologize for the not quite finished mirror with exposed tab holders! I would expect either having picture frame moulding waiting to be installed around it or it being a placeholder for something special?
HA. Ok so I STRUGGLED to find the PERFECT mirror. I wanted something gorgeous and old, but big. Since the sconce is a single I think it needs to be one large one. Then one day I found this mirror for $90 at an estate sale and it was antique (it is beveled and the mirror is chipping on the side) and we hung it because I was so annoyed with not having one for so long. Now I do think this is a good point that if I didn’t know it was antique I would also think its builder grade. Maybe I should customize something amazing???? Although honeslty i’m still on the hunt for a more deco-antique mirror, too …
I love the mirror with the bevel and clips. A framed mirror would feel heavy. But deco style, that sounds like it would fit right in.
I actually like this mirror and think you made a good choice. It serves function and is a good scale for the room. Also, the mirror doesn’t compete with the lighting, the faucets, or the vanity: It lets everything have its moment without overtaking. You can always replace it with something nicer, but I don’t think you can do better in letting the other focals come to life.
What a beauyiful bathroom! I would love to know the dimensions of the room and of the shower. I know it’s tough as they’re not square. Thinking of a reno and it’s nice to know what fits!
Just beautiful, Emily. I find my eye is always drawn to those wonderful rugs you no doubt spent a long time procuring! The mix of new, vintage and personal finds is why I come back to your blog again and again and again. It’s a part of my life now! 🙂
I love the blue paint! and thank you so much for describing this type of beadboard. It’s such a nice update to the traditional type. I think this room is soo pretty.
Can you share the dimensions of your shower? I’m working in a small space myself and would love to know the size. thank you!
Real question: are the beautiful antique rugs shown in your kitchen and bathroom what you actually use on a daily basis or is it just for photo styling? I see those a lot on blogs and from other designers but I’m curious if that’s practical? I read once that it wasn’t a good idea because of the moisture. They look lovely either way! I’m just curious if this is a blogger myth or do-able?
We keep that one there every day, but we have a bath mat we throw on the ground before we shower and hang it up afterwards. well, we try to hang it up. so often there is this rug with a bath mat on top of it. The one in our last kitchen was antique and we LOVED it and it never moved.
Emily, what is your take on mixed finishes in the bathroom? I know there are some designers who like it, but it seems tricky to pull off. (I ask bc we’re in a rental and would love to change out some things without investing in all). If I could, I’d be doing this!
Depends on the finish. I like black and brass. Or white and brass. I’ve used two brasses before (matte and shiny) and didn’t like. I think chrome and brass are OK but not ideal in a smaller bathroom, but often can work in a kitchen. I think its worth investing in getting the same finish, but if you can’t then ikea has simple white and black which work with both brass and silver. does that help?
So much – thanks!
Beautiful bathroom. Easy for so many of us to relate, since it’s not massive and cavernous but uses available space well.
Do you use that antique rug on a regular basis, or is it just for styling? If it’s getting wet daily, can you speak to how it’s holding up? if it’s just for styling, can you do a post on bathroom mats for daily use that don’t suck? On second thought, can you write that post, no matter what?
Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing
Ha. someone else just asked that , too! Here was my answer:
We keep that one there every day, but we have a bath mat we throw on the ground before we shower and hang it up afterwards. well, we try to hang it up. so often there is this rug with a bath mat on top of it. The one in our last kitchen was antique and we LOVED it and it never moved.
We are currently building and we’re having way too many conversations about light. Is overhead light really ok? Does yours make you sparkle and shine and your eyes twinkle? Or does it shadow funny and make you look 10 yrs older? Overhead is our first choice but we don’t want to miss out on a side sconce opportunity if hat would be better. I was debating a white or wood vanity and you have inspired me to go white!!! Thanks for solving that dilema!!
Also, how’s the white tile with the dark haired husband situation? I’m blonde, he’s dark brown and white tile makes me nervous. Is that an invasive question? 😉
We have white tile in the bathroom and I never gave much thought to the color of people hair on the floor. With one black haired person in the house and one black 75 lb dog we have more than our share. I figure if it’s noticeable I should probably sweep.
I love every single thing about this bathroom EXCEPT the big mirror! The whole thing is so, so beautiful, I would have loved to see a frame on the mirror just to make it that tiny bit more graphic.
I actually think that the smooth tile in the back of the shower niche is better than continuing with the cle tile? That may be an unusual way to go, but I think that it really highlights the beautiful texture of the tile to have a little bit of smoothness because the color goes so well.
I agree with all of the above! I kept waiting to read about your decision to go with the simple mirror. I LOVE the bathroom but also think even a thin frame on the mirror would look great. Just curious about your thought process on that. Second the comment about the tiles – the niches look great as is!
I totally agree – the two things I was going to comment on are the same – i really like the white tile backing the niches, I think it looks clean and intentional. AND, why the frameless mirror? It seems like a missed opportunity? I’m assuming you didn’t want to take away from the paper and the light fixture. Overall I would be very happy showering in that bathroom every (other) day. 😉
I think I agree with you, too!!! It is an antique, with pretty beveling and weighed like 200 pounds, but now that you guys are pointing that out it doesn’t look antique in the photos and looks too basic. Im going to keep shopping ….
I really liked the round mirror with thin brass frame from your mood board. Maybe have one made like that only bigger?
I love the vanity. Definitely will look for something similar when it is time to remodel our master. We have two years before that happens.
So beautiful! I love all the tiles, esp the one in shower, it moves so beautifully. For the amount of time there was so do a full demo, it looks like you had much more time to finish. It doesn’t look rushed at all. And I requested a sample of that wallpaper and it’s truly lovely. I was not expecting the texture of the pattern from the paint at all. Great pick!
Off topic, I just tried that shampoo. This is going to sound so silly but I thought the bottles were pretty and I didn’t mind the smell so much but the scent is no much stronger in the shower. Like, overwhelmingly strong but maybe its just me lol.
Hi Emily! This bathroom is beautiful! I’ve been thinking about your towel rod versus hook debate and I have an alternative that I use at my house. I grew up in FL and now live in TX so both places have too much humidity to dry your towels on a hook without that moldy smell. I use a double rod towel bar and hang a hand towel and a bath towel folded nicely for “decoration” on the front rod and then spread out the bath towel I really use on the back rod. That way it is able to dry nicely but on first glance, it looks nice. My husband knows he’s not supposed to use the pretty monogrammed towel on the front ☺️. This may not be the answer you’re looking for and someone may have already mentioned it, but thought I’d throw it out there as an alternative! And who knows if you can find a double rod in that beautiful brass patina?
THANK YOU. Listen, i’m still a hook person because we don’t have humidity here. we shot this before I installed a robe hook right next to the shower and we hang like 5 towels and 3 robes on ONE HOOK. it looks like a monster, but at least my towels are looking nice on the rod 🙂
You don’t regret that mirror? It looks builder grade.
ha. its not. its an antique, but all y’all think its builder grade so now i’m going to replace it with something GORGEOUS 🙂
Is the link to the herringbone floor tile correct? In the post it says it’s a porcelain tile but clicking on the link it says it’s polished marble?
Yea, that is 100% thassos marble. I have some of the exact one. You can tell it’s thassos in the photos, too, with the slight variation. It’s a white, pretty uniform marble with some glimmering flecks that look like sparkly sugar granules.
It is polished marble!! So sorry.
Roger!! Thank you!
I too think that the rain shower is a thing that only men like. How is a gal supposed to keep her hair dry when the water falls straight down?!
I love everything about this room (and all your rooms).
beautiful. ok here is my very boring question– where is your vent? do you have a vent? or do you just open the window? remodeling soon, and vents/fans are so ugly…
It’s in the ceiling, just not in the shots. 🙂
There’s always space for a rain shower AND a wall shower with handle. We have a 3 way valve in our shower so my husband uses the rain, I use the wall, and the house cleaner uses the hand held. And I REALLY love your small herringbone tiles on the floor.
that is a good solution 🙂
This is lovely! It seems like you took out a tub from the old bathroom. I totally think it makes sense for the space, but I’m wondering if your contractor gave you any feedback about how that might impact resale value? We’re about to start our own bathroom renovation and I’d love to just have a shower (we don’t take baths) but I’m nervous about resale if we remove a tub!
I think if you have the space you should keep it, but we just didn’t. We improved resale by having a slightly more functional master closet, so we sacrificed the tub.
We removed tub in our master too, to increase size of shower and get overall better layout. I think having a great layout is more important than having a tub! Plus I had a huge tub in last place that took a half hour to fill and used every drop of hot water in the house…so I never used it! I surveyed a lot of friends and most adults had not used their tub recently/regularly. There is a tub in bathroom down the hall if anyone is a die hard bath person!
I will say, when we remodeled I had contractor reinstall existing steam shower and was excited about that. But discovered the first time I tried to use it that it didn’t work! I think I would use and love a steam shower…to warm up during cold winters here in Midwest, or esp when we all are stuffy with colds!
I think a lot of people are opting for shower only in their master these days. From what I understand, it’s important to have at least one tub in your house in case the next owners have kids and need somewhere to scrub their babies. But if you have another bathroom with a tub, I definitely think a nice shower in the master would be a selling point rather than hurt resale value (I say this as a non-realtor).
Hi! still hoping to find out which grout color you chose for these beautiful zellige tiles. We ordered them for our master bath remodel and would love to know!
The bathroom looks great – I am wondering how your towels are holding up after the great hook vs. towel bar debate unfolded
Oh shooot. I think its a cream or a greige. not a bright white, for sure. but i don’t remember!! Congrats on buying that tile. i LOVE IT.
Yes to your comment on the rainshower! Although my husband also doesn’t care for them – nice in theory but just not practical to shower while you are constantly getting water in your face! Beautiful bathroom, I love it.
+ 1 on the rain shower theory. My husband loves them and wants one – I don’t like not being able to get out of the water stream when I’m shampooing / suds-ing!
Q: Do you have any tips for keeping contractors on schedule? We had some friends do a big remodel and it dragged on over a year late. We’re worried about that happening in our own remodel project coming up. Any tips/ideas would be appreciated!
I’d love a post on remodeling tips and also how to choose an interior designer or even a list of designers that you know and recommend throughout the country. I’m in the Bay Area and I cannot for the life of me find a designer that does anything close to what you do. The good designers here seem to have very luxe or formal styles, which is isn’t for me. Any recommendations??
Yes! We had a nightmare bathroom remodel—the contractor would just stop answering calls/email for weeks periodically, it went waaaaay over timeline, and honestly, the quality was shoddily done. I would love a post about tips for communicating, documenting, researching before hiring, just a basic overview of working with a contractor. I know that not all contractors are like that, but I dread one day when we will need to hire someone for our kitchen.
STUNNING! You make it look easy, and it really really isn’t.
Also I like the simple mirror, I think anything else would make that side of the room look too busy.
this is my favorite thing you’ve done in a while—it’s stunning!! i love all of it. great job!
We have an all-glass shower in our master and I can’t remember where we got the idea, but we applied windshield water repellent to it and it’s been amazing for keeping off water spots. The stuff we used is from Home Depot (I think) – it’s called “Invisible Shield” and you just rub it on, reapply, and rub it off. You can’t see any sort of film once it’s wiped clean, and it makes squeegee-ing SO much easier. It has been a life saver and our shower is so nice compared to the one in our last house, despite the fact that we squeegeed that one every day. Your bathroom is lovely! Love the blog, too – daily reader here. 🙂
Thanks for sharing; this is gorgeous and definitely inspiration for our master bath (where we have a clawfoot tub, but no SHOWER!)
We had our kitchen completely torn out and re-done, along with quite a bit of other remodeling, before we moved into our house. There are little things in the kitchen that irk me, even though to other people it looks “perfect.” There is something to be said for living in the house for a little while because you get better ideas.
Looks great. So clean and fresh, which is obviously what you want in a bathroom! And I feel like a style genius because we remodeled our master bathroom in February and bought the exact same vanity…and also switched out the hardware. 🙂 Again, wonderful job. It’s beautiful.
Hi Emily! Can you share more about using Brasstech over Brasso? I have Newport Brass live brass fixtures, as well, and was told by a number of folks to use Brasso. Thanks!
oh really? I was told NOT to. Hmm.. Newport brass reccomends the brasstech …. thats all I know. Maybe its just a slightly better product?
Newport Brass is owned by Brasstech so that might be the reason it’s recommended by the brand. 😛
I was wondering when we might finally see a full image of the master, and yay we finally see it today – thank you! I think it looks great! I love the vintage mirror. The simplicity of the lines, the aged clips and just enough of an edge that picks up black thanks to the way old mirrors are mounted. I’ve been hunting for an over-sized one just like it for my master. My space is also tight and I think this style of mirror will keep it open and let the other elements in the space stand out. Plus, the vanity is a new piece and pairing it with the vintage mirror makes a good old / new contrast. After seeing the kitchen reveal I thought my year long search for the perfect sub way but not a sub way tile came to an end. I actually ordered the cle zellige tiles in weathered white and sadly what you see is not what you get and it all went back. I’m still heartbroken. Your tile must have been hand selected for you, lucky you! I also very much like that you kept the shower fixtures to a minimum. I have a hand wand going into my equally small standing shower and I’m hoping I don’t regret my choice. Thank you for all the inspiration Emily! And thank you, thank you for sharing your resources. So many bloggers and designers do not and I think most of us get it but they are less inspiring to follow than you!
thank you 🙂
On less sexy details: How did you choose the material for the shower curb? That kind of logistic gets lost in the more glamorous aspects of your beautiful bathroom, but it is so clean and helps keep the room together. Is it a natural stone or faux Thassos? It is a tile or slab? Can smaller format tile run on a shower curb or is that disastrous?
we felt that the floor tile would be too busy and the wall tile was so thick. So we matched the polished marble in the floor tile for the curb. its simple, but maybe the floor tile would have been fine? In every bathroom its been a strangely hard decision.
I don’t think leaving the bench out was a mistake! A beautiful teak bench will look amazing, plus it’s more flexible that way. A shower with a wand is pretty much non-negotiable for me, though!
This is so bright and lovely! Where did you get the painting of the girl above the toilet? It is mesmerizing!
A thrift store in the valley 🙂
I love everything about the bathroom (I would have wanted a shower bench too) but the mirror. It looks like builder basic but I’m sure it’s not. I get not everything has to be special but I think it missed the mark.
Everything else, spectacular!
Emily, Thanks as always for sharing your beautiful home. Any recommendations for a teak table (similar to the one in your shower) that is similarly waterproof. The Target one you link to looks great, but I doubt that it’s recommended for use in a shower (given the metal legs and choice of wood). Thanks!
Oh yes, good point. don’t use that one in a shower. I think that pottery barn has some? restoration i’m sure does for a fortune … maybe cost plus? If you find one let me know 🙂
Get a bench from an outdoor store made of teak. Don’t look for shower products, look for outdoor products.
Beautiful, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing everything, including your regrets.
-I do like the bench in my shower, for shaving legs, storing larger items (kid toys for when they’re with me) and I do sometimes sit, even though it’s initially cold.
– Like other readers, I’m also wondering about the mirror and the thought process behind it. At first I was surprised you didn’t go for something different. But you’re the designer, so I’m curious to understand how you came to the decision.
– Also curious about the rug, is it just for styling?
– LOVE the shower tile, and I actually like the white tile backing better. Makes it look more like a pretty window. My shower has a different mosaic as the backing of the niche and I like it.
– AGREE on the rain shower thing. I’m not a fan. I like the spray more angled, and more pressure.
Seriously, I LOVE the plain white backs of the shower niches. It contrasts perfectly with the textural field tile and gives your eyes some a place to rest, much like white space does in any type of design. It’s probably my favorite visual area of the entire bathroom seeing that beautiful shower tile surrounding the white, styled-out niches.
Also, I think going with the “less green” glass enclosure was the right choice for you. The green in glass is caused by iron, so the more clear glass you got is “low iron” glass. I went with standard glass in my bathroom remodel and you can definitely see a light, soft green all over when you compare the color of the wall tile that falls inside and outside of the glass.
Beautiful job!
Gorgeous drain 😉
This is a question I’ve always wanted to know the answer to when I see these amazing designer bathrooms, many times with gorgeous vintage rugs: How do you clean a beautiful rug like that? I always tend towards machine washable rugs/bath mats, especially by the shower where you drip water all over them. But those types of rugs are NOT very stylish. I’d love a beautiful rug in my bathroom but am hesitant. I run in to the same issue in my kitchen where they tend to get spilled on. Do these rugs not need to be washed? Do you professionally clean them? How often? I’m so confused!! I did look at the link to the Target rug and it says spot clean. And honestly, I don’t even know what that means. You only clean if there’s an obvious stain?
Just read through the entire thread and saw your answer. I second the person that asked for a post on rugs and how to care for them though! I’m still confused.
It’s nice , but I love the old vintagey bathroom!
Like Grandma’s house.
Love Love! But do you actually shower with the plant 🙂
I think that it’s beautiful and charming. If it were my bath the only things that I would change would be the mirror and maybe swap out the ocean painting with something a little more colorful and modern. You’re right the vanity is amazing and I LOVE that blue!!
Love your bathroom!,!! I would like to know if the top for the vanity had not cracked would you have kept it on your vanity. I am interested in purchasing this vanity for my master bath redo and want to know if the top is as nice as the vanity.
Thank you!
The room looks beautiful! Love the rug and the paintings, especially in a bath-it really adds personality. And those things you regret…well, I know what you mean. I designed my bath a few years ago and wish the shower niche was on a different wall so I didn’t see the shampoo when I walked in (yes! forcing me to take labels off bottles) and the pipes were on the other side of the toilet…but they are small things. The overall look and feel of the space is bright and lovely and so you.
Hi Emily! I’ve been following your work for a long time now, and this is one of my favorites of your designs so far!! What an absolutely beautiful renovation! I love the clé tiles in the shower, and I’m wondering how they weather with regular use? In particular, I’m worried about them getting mold in the corners/crevices between the tiles. I’d imagine they are somewhat porous other than on the glazed finished front surface? Any insight would be so helpful. Thank you for sharing all the gorgeous details with us — and enjoy that bathroom!!!
I love all the tile but the blue bead board is too jarring for me. I think a more neutral color would be more relaxing.
I think you nailed it. It is “editorial” yet classic and modern at the same time. It’s amazing how high end all of those Target accessories look. I like the pink shampoo bottles and I was thinking they would be closer to forty dollars and lo and behold–Tar-jay has them for $10. I like the soap dishes too. I think I’m going to have to use up some birthday gift cards…
But–cleaning a master bathroom. We have pebble stones on our shower floor (for my husband). They really do massage my feet so I love them. But the idea of stones in grout is just a mold frenzy waiting to happen. We squeegie down the shower walls and I leave a nice thick towel with the sole purpose of wiping down the shower floor every time. We got the coating on our glass enclosure, so I don’t squeegee it and instead use the towel to wipe it down. I figure that 3 minutes of maintenance after a relaxing shower is better than 20 minutes of attacking moldy grout any day.
And in my bathroom–we put two shower heads. My husband liked and wanted the rain head shower with the wand. I don’t like it. How am I supposed to get the conditioner out of my hair? On my side, I have my favorite fixture–a $30 water saver special from the hardware store. I love it. It’s just a hard stream of solid water right into my long hair. My contractor couldn’t believe that was my shower head of choice. But I love it. Thank God I don’t have to be in a magazine. I just think you are right about the men and the rain head shower.
We did a whole house Reno I’m 3 months and I feel the same way about the things we missed….hindsight can be cruel!
Beautiful, simply beautiful. I love the vanity and the brass finishes. Curious if the faucets were a special order as I don’t see unlacquered brass as an option and also what color grout did you use on the herringbone floor tile? It’s funny, but the first thing I did when I moved into my current house, several years ago, was replace all the brass fixtures with a nickel finish, now going back to brass again. If only I had hung on to the original antique pieces. Thank you for all the inspiration you provide your followers. Your work is like a breath of fresh air!
Hey Emily – wow another stunning room. I just wanted to tell you that I discovered your blog this spring when my husband and I bought our first house! We have lived abroad in Abu Dhabi and London for 7 years and are finally making a home with our 3 little boys. We renovated the house (a little midcentury 2000 square foot house in Waco Tx – totally not where I ever imagined living but the Lord works in mysterious ways!), from afar and I cannot tell you how useful your blog was when making design decisions and coordinating with our contractor. Seriously you have done such an amazing amount of work on your content and it has helped this family for one (and I’m sure many others) understand a lot more about the how of making a home beautiful. You really did empower me to feel confident in making decisions that I never would have made without you!!! So just want to encourage you – thank you for doing what you do with excellence. Praying a blessing over your business, family and marriage. Also this bathroom is gorgeous – we did our second bathroom with matte black floors and herringbone white walls and brass, but our master bath still awaits!
Emily where did you land in the hard-hitting investigative report on towel bars vs hooks and dampness? I’m about to make that choice too 🙂
One question and one suggestion
Is that one towel rail enough? I have two in my bathroom alone – one for my hair towel and one for my body towel.
Forfeit the shaving aides altogether and invest in laser hair removal – you will never regret that!
Wowwowwow!!
The bathroom is stunning, and very well done solutions! I think spending time in such a beautiful room would feel luxurious and spa like, even without a steam.
You could hire an artist to paint a solid color or subtle pattern on those niches (they make paints that adhere to tile glazes), but honestly I think they look great. And you can swap out the shower head. You just unscrew the shower arm coming out of the wall and screw in a new option that is more statement-y if you choose. Looks good as is. Just remarkable. You are so talented.
I understand your detailed eye finding things you don’t find quite right, but I love all of it! I really, really like the shower niches being plain white, I think it looks like you wanted it that way. It matches to me.
I also love the mirror. Sometimes simple adds to the overall look when there are so many gorgeous details. If you did change the mirror, it would look lovely to still be understated.
That rug!! The blue!
I like the rug in your roundup. So glad it’s from Target–I’m gonna go GIT IT!!
beautiful! i hear you with the small ledge for shaving. is it possible to add something? just need a small triangle in a corner to get your toes on.
also…what is your theory on rain head showers? men love and women don’t? is it because it’s IMPOSSIBLE to shower without getting your hair wet with one of those? and men generally never shower without washing their hair. lol.
Where is the glass shower door hardware from? (Handle and clips?) so hard to find high end nice looking hardware!
Hi Emily! Curious what Farrow & Ball paint finish you choose? The options on their site are: estate eggshell, modern eggshell, full gloss, or dead flat. Thank you! xoxo
Hi Emily! I love all of your content and your design style! This master is beyond beautiful and haves me tons of inspiration for our current remodel! Thanks again for making the collage at the bottom of the post with the east clickable links, literally saves a lifetime!
LeAnne
IG @leanne.shor
Emily,
Beautiful bathroom! I am working on a tile wall with a similar product as you used. It doesn’t look like you used a beveled edge option for the outer edges or the shower niche…how did you manage that without using shluter? Is there not a rough edge visible? Any info would be greatly appreciated!
When we had our shower glass installed the installer said not to use a squeegie but a microfiber cloth. Squeegies can sometimes damage the glass. So I got the microfiber and it works really well. I would have never thought of it. Your bathroom is lovely and don’t we always have regrets?
Is that a vegetable dyed rug? I was worried about putting one in my bathroom and when it got wet, the rug would bleed and discolour the grout underneath. Have you had any issues with this?
Beautiful! Also would like to know finish of F&B paint used. It looks absolutely lovely. Also, for those of us not in CA and cant source the V-groove, is that a common term to describe that sort of bead board?
Love, love, love! Classic and young! Would you mind sharing the paint color in your hallway we can see from your bathroom? It’s lovely and looks like a soft grey!
Thanks for sharing!
So lovely. It feels fresh with the blue and white color. I love the new shower too!
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I disagree with just about everybody! I love the simple plain vintage mirror. Something busy, or with a dramatic frame would just take away from all the other details…
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