Room of the Day: Walnut Vanity Warms Up a Master Bathroom
Marblelike tile, a floating vanity and a soaking tub elevate the simple design of this white bath
This bathroom on Canada’s Vancouver Island had spectacular views of the Salish Sea and the coastal mountains, but its drab 1980s finishes were detracting from the scenery. “My clients wanted to make over their home to be bright and white and not overly ornamented — just pleasingly simple,” says interior designer Rachelle Gervais. She kept the palette neutral, but thoughtful choices like tile with high-contrast marblelike veining and a warm walnut vanity make it inviting. Now the homeowners enjoy a “coastal contemporary” master bathroom where they can appreciate the views.
After: The layout of the updated bathroom remained close to the original, with the soaking tub placed under the large picture window. The window looks across the Strait of Georgia to the coastal mountains.
The homeowners purchased the free-standing cast-iron bathtub from a local reclaimed-building supplier before the renovation, giving it new life in their home.
In this photo, you can catch a closer glimpse of the backsplash tile around the vanity. It’s a textured porcelain mosaic backsplash tile. “It combines tones of both vanity countertop and flooring, complementing both finishes,” she says. The floor is a high-contrast, large-format textured porcelain tile that resembles marble but is more durable and safer than sometimes-slippery marble.
Floor tile: Castle series in gray, 12 by 24 inches, Olympia Tile; marble/limestone backsplash tile: Cronos engraved mosaic in gray, Driftwood series, Tierra Sol Ceramic Tile; paint on walls: Cloud Cover OC-25, Benjamin Moore
The homeowners purchased the free-standing cast-iron bathtub from a local reclaimed-building supplier before the renovation, giving it new life in their home.
In this photo, you can catch a closer glimpse of the backsplash tile around the vanity. It’s a textured porcelain mosaic backsplash tile. “It combines tones of both vanity countertop and flooring, complementing both finishes,” she says. The floor is a high-contrast, large-format textured porcelain tile that resembles marble but is more durable and safer than sometimes-slippery marble.
Floor tile: Castle series in gray, 12 by 24 inches, Olympia Tile; marble/limestone backsplash tile: Cronos engraved mosaic in gray, Driftwood series, Tierra Sol Ceramic Tile; paint on walls: Cloud Cover OC-25, Benjamin Moore
The faucets and accessories are polished chrome, in keeping with the coastal contemporary style of the home. The free-standing tub filler has a hand shower.
Tub filler and towel bar: Trinsic collection, Delta
Tub filler and towel bar: Trinsic collection, Delta
After: Removing the wall was the one thing Gervais did to tweak the existing layout. It allowed her to lengthen the shower stall’s footprint. She used clear frameless glass to extend the views. She used the same series of tile for the shower floor that she used on the rest of the flooring, but in a mosaic format.
Shower floor tile: Castle series in gray, 2 by 2 inches, Olympia Tile; paint on trim and door: Oxford White CC-30, Benjamin Moore
Shower floor tile: Castle series in gray, 2 by 2 inches, Olympia Tile; paint on trim and door: Oxford White CC-30, Benjamin Moore
The shower has a clean-lined linear floor drain and a contemporary hand shower bar with a ceiling-mounted rain shower.
The glazed ceramic field tile in the shower is 12 by 24 inches. It maintains the overall minimalist white style and reflects the light. An accent tile in an off-white runs behind the shower fixtures — the slightly warmer neutral tone plays off the backsplash tile. She outlined it with a marble pencil tile with veining that ties all the tile in the room together.
When I asked Gervais about any unexpected challenges that came up during the bathroom renovation, she said there were surprisingly none, and credited the ease to a successful collaboration with the skilled professionals at Westmark Construction.
Field tile: Waterfall series in white, Centura Tile; accent tile: Maya series in white, 8 by 24 inches, Euro Ceramic Tile Distributors; marble pencil tile: Bianco Venatino in polished finish, five-eighths inch by 12 inches, Tierra Sol Ceramic Tile; shower fixtures: Trinsic collection, Delta
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The glazed ceramic field tile in the shower is 12 by 24 inches. It maintains the overall minimalist white style and reflects the light. An accent tile in an off-white runs behind the shower fixtures — the slightly warmer neutral tone plays off the backsplash tile. She outlined it with a marble pencil tile with veining that ties all the tile in the room together.
When I asked Gervais about any unexpected challenges that came up during the bathroom renovation, she said there were surprisingly none, and credited the ease to a successful collaboration with the skilled professionals at Westmark Construction.
Field tile: Waterfall series in white, Centura Tile; accent tile: Maya series in white, 8 by 24 inches, Euro Ceramic Tile Distributors; marble pencil tile: Bianco Venatino in polished finish, five-eighths inch by 12 inches, Tierra Sol Ceramic Tile; shower fixtures: Trinsic collection, Delta
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple of recent empty nesters
Location: Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Size: 95 square feet (8.8 square meters)
Designer: Rachelle Gervais
“The Pacific Northwest light is often gray and can be cold, so we needed to add warmth to all of the white,” Gervais says. She knew that beautiful wood would solve that problem, and she chose flat-cut walnut with a clear finish for the vanity. “We used this in the kitchen and the other bathroom as well, so it creates continuity throughout the house,” she says.
The vanity is a custom cantilevered piece that expands the floor space. “They did not want to have to bend over to search around behind cabinet doors for things, so we went for all drawers,” she says. Streamlined cabinet hardware and light fixtures achieve the minimalist look.
The ceiling is only 8 feet high, but thanks to an existing skylight that floods the room with light, it appears higher. Also helping the illusion is the walnut-framed mirror, which extends to the ceiling. “By mounting the sconces on the mirror, the reflection doubles the light they emit,” she says. Painting the ceiling Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace was the final brightening touch.
Countertop: Nougat, Caesarstone; aluminum cabinet pulls: 989833170 in stainless steel finish, Richelieu Hardware; LED sconces: Loft collection, Modern Forms; faucets: Trinsic collection, Delta
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