Bathroom of the Week: Light and Airy Feel With Farmhouse Details
Designers ditch dark and heavy materials for bright finishes and open space to create a spa-like look with charm
Abundant sunshine and a laid-back attitude are hallmarks of Southern California living. So this Newport Coast couple felt their dark and heavy brown bathroom wasn’t quite fitting in. Wanting a light and airy spa look with casual worn-farmhouse details, they gathered inspiration photos on Houzz and reached out to designers Natalie Carr and Aaron Golden to overhaul the space as part of a whole-house remodel.
Carr and Golden brought in lots of light finishes to brighten the space, and they replaced a built-in tub with a freestanding model to create more breathing room in the layout. Light wood-look tile flooring, a maple double vanity in a gray-brown finish and industrial-style outdoor sconces add those broken-in farmhouse elements the couple wanted. Meanwhile, the soaking tub, heated floors and steam shower deliver spa-like luxury.
Carr and Golden brought in lots of light finishes to brighten the space, and they replaced a built-in tub with a freestanding model to create more breathing room in the layout. Light wood-look tile flooring, a maple double vanity in a gray-brown finish and industrial-style outdoor sconces add those broken-in farmhouse elements the couple wanted. Meanwhile, the soaking tub, heated floors and steam shower deliver spa-like luxury.
After: Carr and Golden stripped the space back to the studs and introduced light finishes that brighten the room. “To open up the space, we chose a lot of white for this bathroom,” Carr says.
Light wood-look 4-by-12-inch porcelain tile flooring enhances the airiness and adds subtle texture. “It was more of a farmhouse look than doing regular tile,” Carr says.
White walls, ceiling and trim (Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore) and marble-look porcelain tile in the shower also lighten the look.
The freestanding tub replaced the former built-in tub, loosening up the layout.
Floor tile: Acif Koge, Tileshop
Light wood-look 4-by-12-inch porcelain tile flooring enhances the airiness and adds subtle texture. “It was more of a farmhouse look than doing regular tile,” Carr says.
White walls, ceiling and trim (Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore) and marble-look porcelain tile in the shower also lighten the look.
The freestanding tub replaced the former built-in tub, loosening up the layout.
Floor tile: Acif Koge, Tileshop
The new maple double vanity across from the updated shower and tub has reverse raised-panel doors and drawer fronts and a soft gray-brown finish. Ash gray transitional-style pulls have a warm feel and low-reflecting shine. “To achieve the patina farmhouse look, we wanted to use natural materials with metals that are contrasting yet complementary,” Golden says.
The vanity’s full-access cabinets and full-extension drawers offer storage for bathroom essentials, while a large open cabinet on the bottom holds extra towels.
The tall maple towers flanking the vanity have a contrasting brushed ebony glaze. “The cabinets look gray in the photo, but they’re actually more sage green,” Golden says.
Cabinets: Beckwith in Maple with Riverbed finish (vanity) and Beckwith in Maple with Rain finish and brushed ebony glaze (towers), Omega Cabinetry; cabinetry hardware: Cumberland pull in Ash Gray, Top Knobs
Shop from a curated collection of popular bathroom vanities
The vanity’s full-access cabinets and full-extension drawers offer storage for bathroom essentials, while a large open cabinet on the bottom holds extra towels.
The tall maple towers flanking the vanity have a contrasting brushed ebony glaze. “The cabinets look gray in the photo, but they’re actually more sage green,” Golden says.
Cabinets: Beckwith in Maple with Riverbed finish (vanity) and Beckwith in Maple with Rain finish and brushed ebony glaze (towers), Omega Cabinetry; cabinetry hardware: Cumberland pull in Ash Gray, Top Knobs
Shop from a curated collection of popular bathroom vanities
The vanity’s durable quartz countertop is a luminous white with gray veining.
White rectangular undermount sinks include widespread lavatory faucets with two handles and a combination nickel-and-matte-black finish. “Those go with our philosophy of integrating mixed metals,” Golden says. “It just creates a found look, because in a true farmhouse you would have a mix of metals.”
Countertop: Amara Grey, Vadara Quartz Surfaces; sinks: Verticyl in white, Kohler
White rectangular undermount sinks include widespread lavatory faucets with two handles and a combination nickel-and-matte-black finish. “Those go with our philosophy of integrating mixed metals,” Golden says. “It just creates a found look, because in a true farmhouse you would have a mix of metals.”
Countertop: Amara Grey, Vadara Quartz Surfaces; sinks: Verticyl in white, Kohler
Before: The aging oval jetted tub was surrounded by a large tile deck that took up valuable floor space.
After: The orientation of the new freestanding white acrylic soaking tub — which resists scratches and stains — was rotated 90 degrees to allow for breathing room between the tub and the updated steam shower. “It was a key move because this primary bathroom was not extraordinarily large for the scale of this home,” Golden says. “To run it in the same direction as the shower made the space feel bigger.”
Two new energy-efficient fiberglass casement windows bring fresh air and natural light inside. “Throughout the house we had custom casings made for the windows,” Carr says. “We did all in black to add to that farmhouse feel.”
A matte black cord-free seven-bar towel warmer on the wall by the tub (to the right) keeps towels toasty and includes built-in overheating protection. “The towel warmer is on the wall of the water closet,” Golden says.
The homeowners chose the framed art on the wall above the towel warmer.
Bathtub: Voce Grande, Fleurco; window: Impervia, Pella Windows and Doors; towel warmer: Tahoe seven-towel hardwired in black, Warmly Yours Radiant
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Two new energy-efficient fiberglass casement windows bring fresh air and natural light inside. “Throughout the house we had custom casings made for the windows,” Carr says. “We did all in black to add to that farmhouse feel.”
A matte black cord-free seven-bar towel warmer on the wall by the tub (to the right) keeps towels toasty and includes built-in overheating protection. “The towel warmer is on the wall of the water closet,” Golden says.
The homeowners chose the framed art on the wall above the towel warmer.
Bathtub: Voce Grande, Fleurco; window: Impervia, Pella Windows and Doors; towel warmer: Tahoe seven-towel hardwired in black, Warmly Yours Radiant
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
The tub includes a floor-mounted tub filler with the same combination of nickel and matte black seen on the sink faucets.
The upgraded low-curb walk-in steam shower has a custom tempered glass enclosure with matte black hardware. “We updated the steam unit in the shower,” Golden says. “We relocated where the steam comes out, because it would burn the back of your legs.”
A new exhaust fan in the ceiling outside the shower (partially seen at the middle top of this photo) improves ventilation and captures excess steam.
The ceiling also has added LED lights for better general illumination.
The upgraded low-curb walk-in steam shower has a custom tempered glass enclosure with matte black hardware. “We updated the steam unit in the shower,” Golden says. “We relocated where the steam comes out, because it would burn the back of your legs.”
A new exhaust fan in the ceiling outside the shower (partially seen at the middle top of this photo) improves ventilation and captures excess steam.
The ceiling also has added LED lights for better general illumination.
The wall-mounted shower head and hand shower also have a nickel-and-matte-black finish for a coordinated look.
The shower walls include polished 12-by-24-inch Calacatta Gold marble-look porcelain tiles with white grout. “The ceiling inside the shower is also tiled,” Golden says. “Because it’s a steam shower, you want to create a sealed environment.”
A focal-point inset on the shower wall features 6-by-6-inch blue and silver marble tiles with an overlay. “Each one of those 6-by-6 pieces makes a large-format piece of art,” Carr says.
The shower also includes a built-in shower bench with quartz top and a shampoo niche (on the right) that keeps products off the floor.
Shower wall tile: EC Calacatta Gold Polished, 12 by 24 inches, Elysium Tiles (to the trade only)
The shower walls include polished 12-by-24-inch Calacatta Gold marble-look porcelain tiles with white grout. “The ceiling inside the shower is also tiled,” Golden says. “Because it’s a steam shower, you want to create a sealed environment.”
A focal-point inset on the shower wall features 6-by-6-inch blue and silver marble tiles with an overlay. “Each one of those 6-by-6 pieces makes a large-format piece of art,” Carr says.
The shower also includes a built-in shower bench with quartz top and a shampoo niche (on the right) that keeps products off the floor.
Shower wall tile: EC Calacatta Gold Polished, 12 by 24 inches, Elysium Tiles (to the trade only)
The shower floor has elongated (11¾-by-15-inch) white hexagonal mosaic tiles with white grout that provide contrast to the wall tile.
A linear drain offers a clean, modern look. “We just wanted to create a space that fit the personality of the homeowners and give them an inviting retreat they would enjoy spending time in,” Golden says.
Shower floor tile: Elongated hex white 11¾ by 15 inches, Elysium Tiles (to the trade only)
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A linear drain offers a clean, modern look. “We just wanted to create a space that fit the personality of the homeowners and give them an inviting retreat they would enjoy spending time in,” Golden says.
Shower floor tile: Elongated hex white 11¾ by 15 inches, Elysium Tiles (to the trade only)
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their son
Location: Newport Coast, California
Size: 230 square feet (21 square meters)
Designers: Natalie Carr and Aaron Golden of Sea Pointe Design & Remodel
Before: The existing space had yellow walls, with the aging jetted tub with tile deck and steam shower crammed into one side of the room (on the right), across from a double vanity with a makeup counter in the middle (partially seen on the left). “There was not really storage for her, and she didn’t use that makeup counter,” Carr says.
A chocolate brown marble-look porcelain tile floor felt cold and made the room feel dark.
The open door seen at the back middle of this photo connects the bathroom to the primary closet.
A toilet and bidet sit in a water closet (not shown) that the homeowners wanted to keep.
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