Beadboard advice

14 years ago

Our house is a fairly traditionally styled 1990s ranch with thick crown molding in most of the rooms and trayed and vaulted ceilings. It has very clean lines though and the moldings are not ornate, and we have transitional styled furniture throughout. We are contemplating an update to the master bathroom and I would like to use beadboard, in part to disguise a poorly designed tub area. The bathroom has vaulted ceilings and I was considering using beadboard both halfway up the walls in the bathroom, and then on the ceiling as well, and will probably use a slate-look tile on the floor and in the shower. I would plan to carry over the beadboard onto the vaulted ceiling of the adjoining master bedroom. Though I know it would be lovely, my question is whether beadboard is too "cottage-y" for our traditional/transition styled house. I've attached a picture of the bedroom, though many updates are planned in there like hardwoods, etc., so you can see the moldings and ceilings that are fairly characteristic of the house as a whole. Any advice?

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Comments (5)

bronwynsmom
14 years ago
To be honest, yes, I think it's not particularly consistent with your elegant, well-edited style.

By way of disclosure, I'm not a big fan of beadboard in kitchens and baths, not because it doesn't look good, but because it can be more challenging to keep clean in moisture-prone, food friendly, product-heavy environments.

I feel that way about a lot of elaborately detailed kitchen cabinets, too, so I'm an equal opportunity disdainer...
Oakley
14 years ago
Bronwynsmom, when we built our house 30 years ago we had half-wall wood paneling put in both bathrooms. The wood is solid, with no beadboard or anything. Can you tell I don't know the proper name? lol.

They are stained brown to match the trim in the baths, and they are incredibly easy to care for. To this day, none of the stain has worn off. Even around the toilets where I do more scrubbing.

They didn't look country/cottage until I decorated the bathrooms that way.

I do think beadboard does look country though.
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Sandy1963
14 years ago
We did put bead board in our bath this past winter, it came painted(primed?) white, but I painted it off-white before it went on the walls....this is what it looks like in our bath. I live in a Dutch Gambrel style home, built in 1993, so it's not old, but not brand new either.
graywings123
14 years ago
I vote no for two reasons - it's not consistent with your overall style and it is unlikely to disguise the poor design of the tub area.
yayagal
14 years ago
I WOULD use the beadboard but I'd paint it a rich espresso brown, that changes the entire look and makes it read as dark wood, same with the ceiling. Think about it.