Room of the Day: Modern Farmhouse Chic in a Denver Master Bath
Harmony reigns as white pairs with wood, rustic texture with sleek surfaces and straight lines with curves
In this bathroom makeover, modern 3D wavy tiles provide the backdrop to bronze finishes, while a streamlined white tub sits next to a rustic, rough-hewn vanity. “This project really was a lot about balance,” says interior designer Crystal Russell, who helped her Denver clients find just the right mix of farmhouse-inspired and sleek, modern, white elements for their master bath.
AFTER: Her clients had already completed a lot of work on their home, which gave her a good idea of what they liked: a quintessential farmhouse feel with touches of modernity. The vanity is the largest nod to farmhouse style.
“The mercantile vanity was a great way to get a statement piece into the room,” she says. “My clients lie somewhere between wanting very crisp modernism and a true farmhouse feel, so we had to be careful not to overdo it in either direction.”
The rough wood on the vanity brought in rustic warmth to the mostly white space and keeps it from feeling stark. Baskets in the cubbies bring in a woven texture and can be used for towels, as hampers or for additional storage of items such as hair dryers.
Wall paint: Gray Owl, Benjamin Moore; vanity: Early 20th C. Mercantile collection, Restoration Hardware
“The mercantile vanity was a great way to get a statement piece into the room,” she says. “My clients lie somewhere between wanting very crisp modernism and a true farmhouse feel, so we had to be careful not to overdo it in either direction.”
The rough wood on the vanity brought in rustic warmth to the mostly white space and keeps it from feeling stark. Baskets in the cubbies bring in a woven texture and can be used for towels, as hampers or for additional storage of items such as hair dryers.
Wall paint: Gray Owl, Benjamin Moore; vanity: Early 20th C. Mercantile collection, Restoration Hardware
A quartz top adds a fresh touch to the piece, which was inspired by early 20th century mercantiles (think Nels Oleson’s shop on Little House on the Prairie). The faucets have modern lines, but their oil-rubbed bronze finishes add that sense of age.
New sconces, recessed lights and mirrors help the light gray and white room achieve maximum brightness.
Faucets: Vero collection in oil-rubbed bronze, Delta; countertops: Frosty Carrina, Caesarstone; sconces: modern taper sconce with glass shade, Restoration Hardware
New sconces, recessed lights and mirrors help the light gray and white room achieve maximum brightness.
Faucets: Vero collection in oil-rubbed bronze, Delta; countertops: Frosty Carrina, Caesarstone; sconces: modern taper sconce with glass shade, Restoration Hardware
BEFORE: The clunky tub surround’s relationship to the vanity made everything feel crowded.
AFTER: “We wanted the bathtub to really be a statement piece, particularly given its location opposite the entry door,” Russell says. “We went with free-standing because we wanted to offer some breathing room around the tub, and it was also just more dramatic.”
So is the tub filler, which stands tall and adds an industrial element to the room. The white tile and mirror around it make its bronze finish stand out even more.
Adding a striking accent behind the bathtub without taking attention away from it was a tricky order. The Billowy Clouds tile is dramatic but also subtle. “The white tone allows the tiles to disappear a bit, and the movement of the texture captures just enough light and shadow to make some really amazing visual interest,” Russell says. “We loved that this wavy pattern mimics water and felt that its perfect home was over this bathtub.”
Tile behind tub: Billowy Clouds, TileBar; bathtub: Serenity 71-inch freestanding tub, Ove Decors
So is the tub filler, which stands tall and adds an industrial element to the room. The white tile and mirror around it make its bronze finish stand out even more.
Adding a striking accent behind the bathtub without taking attention away from it was a tricky order. The Billowy Clouds tile is dramatic but also subtle. “The white tone allows the tiles to disappear a bit, and the movement of the texture captures just enough light and shadow to make some really amazing visual interest,” Russell says. “We loved that this wavy pattern mimics water and felt that its perfect home was over this bathtub.”
Tile behind tub: Billowy Clouds, TileBar; bathtub: Serenity 71-inch freestanding tub, Ove Decors
The bathtub is flanked on each end by full-length mirrors with sconces mounted on them. You can see in this photo how the two mirrors create an infinite reflection. This makes the most of the natural light coming through the window.
The bathroom flooring, at left above, is a mix of old and new: It’s a tile that’s digitally printed to look like hardwood. This leads us into the more minimalist shower, where playful circles dot the floor, seen on the right. Russell wanted to introduce a few circles in the strongly linear space and notes that, similar to the waves behind the bathtub, these were her interpretation of bubbles. She kept the rest of the stall clean and minimalist, choosing large-format glossy white tiles for the walls.
More circles pop up as an accent in the shower niche.
BEFORE: The shower was small and dated-looking, and an awkward bench hogged space inside.
Russell expanded the shower’s footprint several feet out for the remodel, and she got rid of the bench. Using frameless clear glass makes it feel even larger and more open. “We deliberately chose to run large-format tiles in a horizontal direction to help visually expand the space width-and length-wise,” she says.
The clients also asked for upgraded features such as a hand shower and body sprays. The rain-head shower is pivoting, and all the fixtures are oil-rubbed bronze.
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The clients also asked for upgraded features such as a hand shower and body sprays. The rain-head shower is pivoting, and all the fixtures are oil-rubbed bronze.
More
Trending Now: The Top 10 New Bathrooms on Houzz
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: This is a couple’s master bathroom
Location: Stapleton neighborhood of Denver
Size: 125 square feet (11.6 square meters)
Designer: Crystal Russell
BEFORE: “The existing bathroom was functionally OK but was very much a disappointment for my clients aesthetically,” Russell says. “The house is not very old, but many of the interior spaces were truly builder-grade, basic and lacking a nice design energy.” The room was dreary and needed a better lighting plan, and the ventilation didn’t work well and caused water issues on the walls around the bathtub.