Mood Boards

The Upstairs Bathroom Mood Board

May 31, 2022

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I’ve been calling this Greta’s bathroom, but it’s not solely her bathroom really. Yes it’s the one across from her room and she uses it the most, but it’s also the main bathroom we use whenever we’re hanging out upstairs (which is frequent). Therefore, I wanted it to feel feminine, but also classic and clean since it will get a lot of use. This bathroom also needs to be able to work hard since tweens (and eventually teens) aren’t exactly known for taking it easy. Here’s what I had in mind.

Bathroom Mood Board

A custom vanity wasn’t in the budget, so a solid vanity in the right size and style was my first priority. Before even deciding on the flooring or anything else, I picked out this mahogany vanity. I love bringing in a wood tone when there’s so much tile in a space. It really warms it up with paired with this brass faucet. I needed to make this decision early on so that I could make other decisions around these dimensions. I went through so many flooring options before I thought, “What if I did a callback to the powder bathroom floors… except inverse?!” So imagine this, but flipped.

We’re also going to use these black hex tiles and pearl hex tiles rather than penny, but I think it’s going to all tie together so nicely.

Initially I was considering doing wallpaper in here but it came back to–this bathroom has to be fit for a tween. I just don’t think it’s a great idea to mix wallpaper and shower together in the same, relatively tight space.

Instead, we’re going to tile all the walls and make it really water friendly. I found this gorgeous marble subway tile to go on all the walls, along with this marble trim and we’re gong to do a type of box trim and chair with the tile to create a lot of depth and even more interest on the walls. As for the shower, we’re doing a corner, enclosed shower similar to this one, only with more of a brass grid design with the glass. To coordinate with the sink faucet, we’re doing all brass fixtures including the shower head, arm, and valve. Fun fact: I’ve never done brass plumbing fixtures before and I’m so excited to bring in some warmth to this tile covered bathroom!

There’s not really a clear center in this room which made the lighting solution less obvious. It’s going to be divided between the vanity side and the shower side and a central light wasn’t looking right in the room. So we’re going to do recessed lighting along with these two sconces on either side of the mirror.

Other details include this this brass hook to hang this striped towel on, a cute marble canister, and some art.

I’m hoping it will be all done by the end of June so stay tuned for lots of updates coming!

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What do you think?

  1. Melanie says:

    I love a patterned floor but always think a rug will look odd. I just did a patterned tile in my kitchen and have no idea how to make a rug work in the space. Any tips and tricks? Thanks!

  2. Kelsey says:

    Curious- will you stack the marble shower wall tiles or stagger/ subway lay?

  3. Sher says:

    A black tile floor with teens? lotions and makeup spills and foot traffic? You might want to re-think this one.

  4. Ava says:

    Your options are beautiful, and in keeping with the overall colonial vibe of your home. I know other people besides your daughters will be using this room – but more importantly, your preteen! That said, this bathroom seems more formal that what I’d expect a preteen/teenager’s bathroom to look and feel like: a little lighter, more casual and relaxed, without being overly “girly”. Just my thoughts! 🤍

  5. Anna says:

    As a note of reassurance, I have white-on-black patterned encaustic tile in my bathroom, and water spots and hair have not been an issue.

  6. Lori W says:

    This looks classic and will be gorgeous! My only worry is: light hair on dark tile (especially as the girls grow up and may be into doing their hair more … and leaving dirty bathrooms more too) — will that drive you crazy?

  7. Shannon says:

    Can’t wait to see it come together! Something to think about with the recessed lighting. Our builder used a recessed light with an exhaust fan built in to minimize the fixtures on the ceiling.

  8. Joan says:

    Love the mood board but if I can just offer one piece of advice…a black floor will show every water spot and hair- ie high maintenance, particularly for a girl’s teenage bathroom. Might be best to just duplicate the powder room floor.

  9. Lindsay says:

    WOOOOOW! I’m getting #moderncottage vibes along with #moderncolonial. It sort of is a callback to your primary bath re-do in the cottage before you left! I love design echoes like this. It’s going to be beautiful!

  10. Julie says:

    I’m so intrigued to see the floor pattern! I can’t picture it yet but I’m sure it will be amazing!

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