Today you are going to go deep into our life and hear about the debates we went through and the thought process that helped us come to decisions. This reminds me of a funny anecdote – while documenting the mountain house design process at a certain point (during the hyper-realistic SketchUp rendering reveals) a reader wrote, “WE ARE DONE SEEING HOW THE SAUSAGE IS MADE JUST SHOW US THE SAUSAGE”, and it was thumbed up a lot by others. We laughed a LOT about this in the office (Julie might not have laughed as much) because we were busting our butts to create these hyper-realistic renderings for the blog when many of you just wanted some sneak peeks and to wait to see the room IRL. And I get that. So this time around we aren’t doing SketchUp at all (which saves so much time and money), and I’m showing you less process. But this post is more for you “sausage maker” lovers… Turn away if you want to be surprised in 4 months with the reveal. 🙂
The Inspiration (Our Primary Mountain House Bath)
Like my patio at our former LA home, I am once again trying to recreate the vibe of my favorite room/s of all time – our primary mountain house bedroom and bathroom. Neither rooms are perfect, but our experience in them for a full year (and continuing) was/is wonderful. So after much analyzing why I loved being in them so much I’ve painstakingly included them here with a heavy farmhouse vibe.
Then we listed our priorities for the layout and I rambled this off real quick:
1. A relaxing spa-like tub area…
2. away from others/aka a sense of retreat…
3. in front of a big window (which now seems totally contradictory with #2)…
4. not facing west to avoid any afternoon harsh light…
5. visually very quiet…
6. with pretty elements that make it look and feel special, but not overly designed.
When we asked Brian what he wanted in this bathroom he agreed with the above and added: “a door on the toilet room” (we didn’t have one at the mountain house) and he 1/2 jokingly mentioned that he would like a tray table in said WC – like in an airplane. He suggested a cup holder would do. I actually think there is a hole in the market when it comes to what guys want in a bathroom (my brother is begging for a urinal in his). He wanted it simple and spa-like too, but otherwise, he put it in our hands.
We wanted this one to lean more traditional and add some color (since outside might be gray, whereas it was blue skies 300 days a year in Lake Arrowhead). Beyond that, we had to make some decisions. Over the years I have gleaned so much from you guys, being able to really crowdsource decisions based on people who are further into living than I am (especially in regards to kids). But now that we’ve lived life as an adult for a while, we feel more dialed into our needs both stylistically and functionally. So most of our layout and permanent design choices reflect that, and they might be so different than yours. Let’s get into it – the main bath.
THE EVOLUTION
What you are about to see is a billion iterations (ok a handful) of the design, none of which were flushed through or ready for public viewing. But I think it shows you the process and how we got to the final design:
Anne took a stab at placing things before we jumped on a zoom, where we told her almost immediately that we are “storage vanity” people (not open consoles – I don’t understand how those people live). I also totally forgot that at one point there was a fireplace in the bathroom – as requested by me which is SO DUMB. This is before I knew how bad unnecessary fireplaces are for the planet. I would be literally in a hot tub of water!!! Silly, “past Emily”.
This iteration didn’t really go far, once we told Anne we like shower rooms instead of open/glass showers (privacy, coziness, warmth). We would have customized the vanity so it looked actually good, but it’s fun to see the different iterations. Oh, and this was when Anne was in in the “let’s make it look like one flew over the cuckoo’s nest bathroom” phase (all white tile everywhere) which I almost got on board with but we shifted from it.
Here is where we experimented with a niche which we liked the idea of, but this arch didn’t make as much sense (remember when I wrote a post about how arches won’t make sense in everyone’s homes?)
This is getting closer to the final design. We added a storage cabinet on the right, which connected to and a bench under the window. We actually just cut the bench a few weeks ago for budget reasons (which I already regret). But that vertical cabinet is staying, just simplified. Originally I wanted to tile the entire ceiling, you know QUIET IMPACT, when we realized that it was going to be at least an additional $5k in labor alone. So this was our compromise – just the inside of the niche, but stopping there (Hot Tip – anything on the ceiling is wildly more labor/expensive).
The Final Design Plan
Here’s what we have going on here as you can see:
1. A double custom vanity (made by Unique Kitchens and Baths with a custom base of special joinery by a local carpenter)- It’s designed more like a piece of furniture (which means you lose storage space, which we are fine with). If you think it looks like a lot of storage know that the top drop under the sinks are dummy drawers (not usable due to plumbing) and the bottom drawer has a cutout for the plumbing. So we have the two on the ends and the middle.
2. Undermount sinks – Again we are a fan of the wall mount faucet with the undermount sink because its a really clean look (but can only really be done when renovating, not if you have to match deck mount rough plumbing).
3. Arched mirrors with different tile coursing along the top – I have too much to say about it to drop right here so stay tuned on what our thought process was and why I’m still ambivalent about it. Can you integrate a medicine cabinet here to look awesome? Yes. But we fear it will cost a lot in troubleshooting time in order for it to look perfect. It’s a whole thing, super hard to understand unless I really get into it. Just trust me that there are like 7 experts working on the situation and it’s not an easy solve. So we might lose the look we want or lose the function we want unless we spend $2k in the time and custom materials. I’m so sick of trying to troubleshoot this though… I might not have the energy to walk you through why an arched custom medicine cabinet inset into an arched brick backsplash, with soldier coursing around the top and how it might not work. Anything is possible but at a certain point, when you are paying hourly, you need to look into the future and ask yourself if it’s going to be worth it.
4. I also have the cabinet to the right for what Brian calls my “hair appliances” (aka tools) and my a basket of spa stuff for my nightly bath sessions (which takes up the bulk of my beauty supplies). We had a whole bench under the window with drawers but had to cut it for budget purposes so we’ll find something freestanding if we need it. There is also a possibly too big walk-in closet nearby for overflow so it will all be fine. See below.
My brother saw our shower and was dumbfounded why we chose not to have a massive open shower. I don’t love the exposure of a big glass shower and it also takes a while to heat up, but TBH I mostly bathe so we prioritized the space there. I wanted it in front of the window mostly because that’s how we had it in Lake Arrowhead and I love it so much. Cozy shower, airy/exposed bathtub – I understand the confusion but it’s just how we like it and mostly has to do with the experience you want in both. I think it’s also what you are “used to” and if you are used to a big shower, then a normal-sized one in a remodel feels small all of a sudden.
Here are some more angles so you get the whole picture.
If you are concerned about my privacy just know that I plan on a sweet little cafe curtain, shoulder height. Something I can easily open and close while in the bath. Hopefully, a fabric that just filters the light, and adds privacy without making it dark.
Here’s a messy little mood board for those of you tracking inspiration and some of the products we are using (note the tile coursing in the lower-left inspiration shot – that’s what we are going for). And note how Jessica Helgerson floated a furniture style vanity in that nook? That was a great inspiration for us. We loved how it looked traditional/classic in an interesting way.
So that’s where we are at as of now. Every order has been placed (months ago).
Fully support the more enclosed shower decision! I pinned all kinds of photos of huge glass wall showers with stone walls and the designer I was working with immediately pointed out the lack of privacy and temperature issues. Now my cave like shower is the best part of the bathroom!
As someone who “runs cold” I can’t stand large shower spaces because they’re so chilly. The only time I’ve enjoyed them is in an ultra hot climate!
Worst of all is the shower that doesn’t have a door or curtain; I was just in Hawaii, and there was a lovely open shower with a half wall – but even in Hawaii it’s super drafty if you take a shower in the evening and there’s nothing there to hold the hear in!
Agreed that big open showers are cold. I think a person uses more water and runs the shower longer to warm it up enough to be comfortable (which is wasteful), or you content yourself with never being quite warm. It’s also drafty toweling off which I hate. Big open showers look beautiful but where I live it would be unpleasantly cold 9 months a year.
Tile choices are pretty. Also love that quote. I’m feeling that way- wish we could just see what’s happening at the house IRL, but I know it’s a process and need to be patient. I’m just glad you are taking us along for the ride!
I am also team smaller, cozier shower. We recently bought a new house and the master bath has a large glass shower with no door, just an opening. Any limb outside of the showerhead is in a frozen wasteland. While I love the renderings the mood boards are where I really get a sense of your “vision.” Now that (I’m assuming) more surfaces have been chosen (tile, floors, cabinets etc.) I would love to see a farmhouse mood board! Or even room by room. I especially love to see your vision for the kids rooms come to life.
I love to see your journey!
For the medicine cabinet, can it be rectangular and an arched miroir put in front of it?
West Elm makes an “Arched Metal Framed Medicine Cabinet”: https://www.westelm.com/products/arched-metal-framed-medicine-cabinet-d8658/
yes! you could recess them into the wall (maybe) enough that all you see is the arched mirror. i like it!
This is wonderful! For the medicine cabinet issue, what about the idea of doing two hidden medicine cabinets on the side walls of the nook, maybe make them like jib doors so they blend in. Then you can have the arched mirrors!
I have tilt out trays in my vanity behind the top drawers at the sink that are the PERFECT place to store the toothbrush. Like I get excited about this little thing every single day. It’s so awesome.
That’s a brilliant idea!!💡
Yes! Rev-a-shelf makes the hardware that you can add to any false front as long as you have a tiny bit of clearance. I’ve been meaning to order them for my kitchen. Thanks for the reminder ; )
Same. I have three along the top of a 48″ vanity. One holds my eye cream, night cream and daily moisturizer. One my husband’s stuff and the center toothpaste etc.
I have a tilt out under my sink and inside is a shelf with an electrical outlet. I can keep my blowdryer plugged in there all the time and then stow it away when I am done. I love that thing!!
Is it something like this “Vanity Valet”? https://www.amazon.com/POJJO-Vanity-Secret-Curling-Holder/dp/B0149MSQ00 Did you add it or was it there originally?
We live in hot South Texas, so an open shower feels heavenly most of the year. But I have such fond memories of showing in a cozy little green-tile-enclosed shower at my grandmother’s house… it always felt very spa-like and special. Can’t wait to see your blue iteration!
Your mood board is beautiful! Happy that you are doing what you like for your shower instead of super trendy. One of my homes had a huge shower that was cold unless you were under the water and you could never get enough steam going. We did have a little heat light for when you got out but it didn’t help much. Cozy and warm sounds lovely especially for your climate!
Wow! 😊This is so good!
I love your vanity inspo. It’s shaker-ish in it’s essence.
The pared back look is great yoo. Not fussy, but traditional with a new, edginess to it.
I can ‘feel’ the whole vibe coming together. It’s exciting!!!🤗
The cafe-style curtain will be cute, but I wonder about functionality next to a bath.
I guess it could’ve been fab to install those panes of glass that you can turn opaque with a switch….clear glass… BINGO …opaque glass! They’re used a lot in front doors. Surely hugely expensive though. The curtain will be sweet and add more shaker element to the room.
This is the bit I like. Where you have done all the hard-yakka, grindingly tough, background work … and we get to see it like it’s effortless, cruizy, design-guru stuff.
I appreciate all the wah-really hard grunt work that hides behind the beautiful lines and materials.
Kudos and awe ensue.
💞
I see no issues with curtains in the bathroom. The room is big with ventilation. Why would there be an issue? I think it will add warmth to the space. If they do trees outside there will be more privacy too
Yeah, I get it. I thought about splashes and stuff getting on the curtains with it being right next to the bath (and that at the mountain house, the kids use the same bath a lot too). It’ll look so sweet, for sure. I’m a bit of a clean-freak, so that’s my thinking.
if you were to have rambunctious kids in the tub, the curtains may be affected. I think the cafe curtains are a sweet nod to farmhouse. Alternatively, one could put a soft linen top/down Roman shade.
I like the warmer tone of your blue tile. As much as I like your MH bath, I found it leaned cold. When I think of a farmhouse, I think warm, cozy and enveloping.
I agree with Rusty on this. I also question the functionality of curtains in this layout. Though I question more the functionality of the floor to ceiling window itself. I get trying to recreate something you love from another home, but there is a big difference between looking out over the treetops and looking out into your backyard…and across to your kitchen window. How exactly do you hang “sweet cafe curtains” when your window extends to the floor?
Do you leave window uncovered on the top AND the bottom? Or do you make it floor length, which in this case would interfere with the tub filler and hand shower? Maybe placing the tub in the corner between the windows would allow for a curtain moment but the current setup feels forced to me.
I think Emily means a single set of curtains (she can open when not bathing) that hang from shoulder height to the floor. If the curtain fabric is relatively lightweight and made of something like linen, it would dry quickly if it happened to get a little wet, although I doubt it’ll be a common occurrence, since she’ll get in and out of the tub on the side away from the window.
YES to enclosed showers (so much warmer!). And all the heart eyes for those fixtures and tiles.
A thought on the dummy drawerss! I just learned like last week about tip-out hardware that you can use to add a little shelf inside those drawer faces. So you tip them out and it’s a nice little cubby, especially good for things like toothbrushes/toothpaste and other small items you use at the sink a lot but maybe don’t want to look at. Just ordered some myself to add to our vanity, and I’m pumped!!
Love it. The details are so thoughtful! Especially fond of the coursing , and the floor to ceiling blue in the shower. Feels t me like you are doubling down on one experience of light and sky (bath) and one of warmth and dark, (shower) rather than averaging the experience throughout. I can really imagine living in it.
This looks really lovely! I was hoping for a reprise of the wood ceilings to add some warmth, I really loved that about the mountain house. My one thought was that the tub window might be nice to have a seeded or bubble glass for more privacy without losing light. Looking forward to seeing it come to life!
i have a TINY bathroom with an open shower, lol, no problem keeping the room warm, plus the TINY bathroom looks so much bigger.
Anyway, i love the look emily is going for here and lovelovelove the blue tile
Same same! Really tiny little bathroom with no natural light but a big walk-in open shower! It works brilliantly for us but I can imagine in a bigger draughtier space it would feel cold.
It’s going to be beautiful and you will love it just as much as the one in the mountain house!
I’ve never had a huge shower really, but our new house has a fairly small, enclosed shower and its hands down the best shower experience ever. It gets so warm and steamy. The ceiling is tiled so the soft echoes of the water is so luxurious. The previous owners used a designer for their whole renovation so while that remodel was in 1990, it’s all done so well with quality materials. We love it.
I wonder if you could circumvent any privacy concerns with landscaping. Planting a few strategically placed trees or bushes around that corner of the house might block the view into the bathtub and give the bather a peaceful green backdrop
Emily!! This is my dream bathroom. I love our big bathtub in front of the window. We have a bottom up light filtering white shade on the window, and I love that it allows light in but gives us privacy. I am team shower closet/room too. We have a bit open shower, and although I love our bathroom, it’s just not necessary. I would love a little private cozy shower closet as my kids walk in on me all the time (we have two doors to our bathroom, and one doesn’t lock!). We would actually get a lot of use out of a bench in the bathroom – instead of sitting in an empty bathtub talking to me and interrupting my shower time, my kids would at least have a place to sit. Ha! Sorry that one had to go.
Can’t wait to see it all finished. It’s going to be beautiful!
It looks beautiful! I can’t wait to see the finished product. I love our enclosed shower, it’s so nice and toasty. Another thing that I’m so happy I splurged on in our bathroom reno is a towel warmer. The joy I get from wrapping myself in a warm towel is indescribable. The warmer is on a timer, and if I happen to have a shower at an odd time, and my towel isn’t warm, I’m so disappointed. My 14-year old son uses our bathroom just so he can have a warm towel. On the flip side, my husband couldn’t care less about it. One added bonus is that I squeegee down the walls and glass more often because I’m all warm and cozy in my towel while I do it. I highly recommend a towel warmer for people in a cold climate.
Is it electric or hydronic? And is it built in? I would love a towel warmer but am kind of overwhelmed by the complexities of the options!
I went with electric mainly for cost reasons, and it’s hard-wired in. The game changer for me was the programmable timer. Originally, it was on one of those timers where you select 15min, 30min, or 60min, but the warmer needs to be on for a couple of hours to really warm up the towels. Ours typically turns on at 4am and turns off at 9am.
Emily I installed a hydronic towel warmer (Runtal’s Fain) during construction – it’s located at the far end of the shower so electric wasn’t an option. It was a little complicated for my plumber as it’s powered by my boiler, with a simple thermostat in the bathroom. It’s nice to have a warm towel but even better that they’re actually dry!
I think not using tile on the ceiling is a good thing. It would be so noisy with 360 tile.
What about an electric fireplace in the bathroom? Understand that may not fit the aesthetic of this house, but I hate getting out to a cold bathroom and the electric fireplace seems like it could work.
What is the type of tile/is there a source for the blue tile.
A previous post about the bathroom said “blue handmade tile (custom color from Pratt + Larson)”. Here’s the post: https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/our-farmhouse-bathroom-design-plan-is-here
This is unrelated to the bath, but can we have a post about what to do with a robot vacuum(s)? My husband installed an outlet in a coat closet for me so I moved the wall-mount cordless vacuum and Roomba out of our small laundry room, but having to open the closet door for the robot vac isn’t working out very well. I wonder if something like this amazing “secret cat door” but vaccum-sized could work: http://www.hellovictoriablog.com/2021/02/25/diy-secret-cat-door/
I like a cozy enclosed shower too – I appreciate the steam.
We have a wonderful and what feels like gigantic shower even tho it’s just about 6 x 4. It feels massive due to the spa-like tile going all the way up the wall, the glass door, and skylight right in the tall ceiling. LOVE IT. No bathtub for us!
I think this might be your best design every. It’s beautiful, but the thoughtfulness behind how you will actually use the space is what really sells me on it. I like your caveat that this is based on your’s and Brian’s preferences (of course it is! It’s your bathroom!), and I like hearing your thought process behind why you chose/prioritized certain things. Way to go!
I love the hair appliance/spa stuff cabinet! The arched mirrors not so much but each to her own!
Can someone explain to me the enclosed toilet room? I can’t quite tell, but with a door? I can see it being tucked behind a door. I mean, I can’t see it. But behind a door? We all have accidents. We all have messy hands sometimes, and then you have to grab the knob to open the door? The thought of it gives me the heebie jeebies. I just never understand the idea of a poop room.
The really nice thing about an enclosed toilet room is that it enables the other person to use the bathroom while someone is using the toilet.
If you have a door handle (as opposed to a knob) you can open the door with your elbow or even the heal of your hand. You can also use a bathroom wipe to clean your hands before leaving the WC, and you can keep Clorox wipes under the sink and use them to wipe off the WC door handle after you’ve washed your hands.
So much easier and better to put a sink in the toilet room for washing one’s hands.
Wow, never seen that. So you’d have an extra sink in the toilet room in addition to the one (or two) outside it? This would require a huge bathroom. And if the only sink is the one in the toilet room, then it’s not a toilet room, it’s a powder room, and the sink is off-limits if someone is using the toilet. A toilet room is inarguably a plus unless one lives alone. If you don’t have one, the door-handle issue just gets transferred to the sink faucet, unless you have touchless faucets. It’s funny to me that people are trying to raise ridiculous issues with what is clearly a luxury.
And even if one does live alone, it’s still nice to have a toilet room because then you don’t have to look at the toilet every time you’re in your bathroom.
Oh, and another benefit of an enclosed WC is that with a good fan, odors are contained and obliterated before they can take over the entire bathroom.
Enclosed toilet rooms should have sinks for hand washing. Period. Full Stop. It is insanely unhygenic that they don’t and that building codes ignore the issue.
So, you want bathrooms with water closets to have two separate sinks in two adjoining rooms. Sorry, that’s ridiculous. Full stop. Of all the “unhygienic” worries in home, I find it hilarious that you find this an issue important enough to change building codes.
Ridiculous. Can you not wipe with one hand and open the door with the other? Seems pretty simple.
I’m not sure how you guys function in a public restroom if you are so grossed out about a WC used only by a husband and wife. We simply wash our hands after going to the restroom, just like always. Obviously, those concerned about germs could just not use the door? Leave it open? The rest of us would like to poop in private, though. Thanks.
I had the exact same thought about public restrooms! Another solution for the germaphobe would be to use a piece of toilet paper on the door handle if you’re that concerned. Honestly, this hyper-concern about hygiene sounds to me like sour grapes from someone who doesn’t have a toilet room and is trying to convince themselves that they don’t want it anyway, but dragging Emily in the process. Not nice.
Kim, shutting the door to the toilet room isn’t a “legal requirement”. One only closes it when needed. It’s about having the option to close it. I’ve never seen a high end bathroom without it.
Have to add: I am simultaneously cracking up/fascinated at this debate. Is this something where people are pretty evenly split fifty/fifty for or against? Or is it more of a vocal minority that is stridently for or stridently against? I honestly always assumed that a “doored” toilet room was a given if space allowed.
I’m surprised there is no towel warmer in your plans, especially given the damp climate. I highly recommend you consider adding one to your plans. We too have shaker pegs, but that’s not where our towels live. That would be on the towel warmer just outside the shower. The pegs get used for clothes, robes etc.
This is so much fun seeing your home come together. I would just recommend one more thing in the design: heated floors. Your tile guys lay them down, they aren’t very expensive, and give so much back in terms of a warm, and dry (especially nice on damp Oregon days) bathroom. It’s the number one thing I have on any bathroom list that I make, and it’s the number one thing I wish had been done if the bathroom is too nice to remodel. You will thank me a million times. PS–they run on 110 power and a thermostat. I have mine in the shower floor, as well as the rest of the bathroom.
Yes to both heated floors and towel warmer, especially if they are electric, with is less costly to put in.
What is the size of your shower? Thinking about doing an enclosed shower too.
Yes to the enclosed shower! As others have mentioned, it gets way too cold if it’s open. The biggest problem with that is shaving your legs…goosebumps and shaving is a terrible mix!!!
I love a good shower room! My favorite spa/hotel has 3×5 shower space with just an opening/no door and dark pebble tile and it’s sublime. The current trend for an enormous glass enclosed shower… so impractical (heat loss, glass cleaning).
Love your design. I am all for the closed shower- I have a huge all glass shower with two showerheads and its one of my biggest mistakes! Its cold and not relaxing at all- I usually use the guest bathroom shower because I am more comfortable with it. I also have a vanity similar to yours- I love the look of it, but hate constantly having to clean under it. It seems every strand of hair, dust, whatever finds its way under it.