Master Bathroom Final Reveal | Our Seaside Retreat

When we last left off, we were wrapping up minor touch-ups in here and building out a linen cabinet for extra storage. After a few weeks of pushing hard to get this all done, and waiting for our shower glass to arrive, I can finally say, welcome to our Master Bathroom. Here's a before and after:

Before.

After.

Before.

After.

The design of this bathroom went through a few stages before we landed on the best plan for our own personal style, which is basically living out our (my) dream to design a seaside escape. When we were younger, we thought we'd love to have a super luxe hotel bathroom, because who wouldn't want to feel like they were staying at a fancy spa in their own home? It's such a great design concept for a lot of people, but we decided it was too fancy for our personalities. Then we thought about a true shabby chic bathroom that had high-end amenities, and was super rustic and country. A few other design concepts followed that before we landed on our winner, which hit me after a day at the ocean.

The Inspiration

I took a photo while at South Beach on Martha's Vineyard about two years ago when the fog started to settle in. We loved how we felt that day when that photo was taken. We were the only ones on the beach. Josh was in a beach chair, reading a book he bought in Vineyard Haven at A Bunch of Grapes bookstore (where Obama shops, no big deal). I came to the beach with full intention of doing the same, but my chair was empty the whole time because I, fully dressed, was chasing after the waves along the shore, getting my pants totally soaked. My book sat on my chair in my place, next to Josh, who would occasionally look up and laugh at my ridiculousness. It was the perfect late afternoon moment that I daydream about when I'm stressed. The memory instantly relaxes me.

The photo that was my inspiration for the design, unedited to show how serene everything was that afternoon.

I looked at the picture after I snapped it with my phone and loved the serene, peaceful colors. And it just hit me. This was how I wanted to design our bathroom. After being blocked for months on what direction we should take in here, I was suddenly flooded with ideas and a clear path for my design plan. I wanted us to feel like we were on vacation on the Cape or its islands while in our bathroom. And I wanted to use the color palette from that photo so it still felt natural and organic, and worked with our farmhouse aesthetic. 

Shortly after we got home, I had this whole room design in my head. The soft, beachy tones that were only hints of color against a white foggy, New England backdrop: misty grays, warm driftwood and sand, and finally, the softest of blues that you could get a peak of when the waves curl over themselves before hitting the shore. Everything fell into place once I had this plan, and this is my favorite thing we've designed ... ever.

So, anyway, that's my little story about the design of this room, which I call East Coast/Farmhouse/Seaside Cottage. And with that, let's begin:

The Details

Our biggest priority was keeping it as open as possible because we added a huge element by bringing in a free-standing tub. It's a decent-sized bathroom, but adding another big piece definitely made it feel more closed in. So, the glass shower enclosure helped a lot in keeping it as airy as possible. That was our biggest priority. We almost did an entirely glass shower, but decided to keep the half-wall by the toilet because one, it is awfully convenient to have a place to hang a towel. And two, it allowed us some additional storage, which I'll get into later on.

The sink console is one I've had picked out for about 8 years (not even joking). I loved the open shelf at the bottom and the turned wood legs, which added a little softness to the design. And the carrara marble top is hard not to love, amiright? The best thing about it was, I didn't have to do much to it. No priming, no painting, no reconfiguring - I just swapped out the hardware (because I'm a sucker for nice hardware) to make it more custom, and it was done and ready to go.

The sink faucets were purchased separately from the console, and they're from my favorite website for faucets and other fixtures, Signature Hardware. I was originally going to use the same sinks we put in our guest bathroom, but decided that a more simple, plain metal cross style handle vs. the porcelain handle just worked better in here with the look we were going for. I also didn't want a super high goose-neck spout because those feel so formal, but I wanted something a little higher, and a little bit fancier. These faucets were a combination of everything on my list. I don't know why, but I love - love - picking out sink faucets. I could do it for a living. And confession: When Josh and I would pick out hotels to stay at on vacation, I would sometimes base our decision on places that had really cool bathrooms with the best faucets. I'm not proud of it, but it's true.

On the countertop of the sink console, I did some hydrangea stems and mixed different glass canisters for our cotton balls and Q-tips. While in Kennebunkport this past summer, I found this little wooden canoe decoration and I immediately knew it was perfect for our bathroom. I used it to hold my face masks and oils so that everything was accessible, but also neat and contained so everything didn't start to look cluttered. The little tiny whale catch-all dish was also a find from our travels this summer.

The mirrors are the same ones we used in our guest bathroom, just in a bigger size and a different finish. I was originally going to get oval-shaped mirrors, but once we hung these in our guest bath, I loved the shape of them. They felt industrial without being too harsh or too feminine, and the bigger size really filled up the wall space to reflect light.

We decided to do three sconces across the wall, and to me, they feel a little vintage and a little nautical but also still classic, without being too specific. I overthought this decision too much, and one day I gave Josh three options for sconces, and he picked these. So that was settled, and it was totally the right call. 

The tub. It's a dream come true, you don't even know. I love taking baths, but I'm weird about taking them in a tub/shower combo. I always have to clean out the tub before using it as a bath, and it's a whole process which kind of takes away from the relaxation aspect of the experience. So having a separate tub is pretty much the best part of this whole room. Josh left this decision entirely up to me, and I went back and forth on the style so much. My original plan was a true clawfoot style, and then thought it was just too vintage for the look we were going for. Then I thought of a pedestal tub, but the ones I found online just seemed so overwhelming for the space, especially since this was going on a side wall, and not as the focal point of the whole room. Then I found this slipper style/pedestal combo, and it was perfect. The dip in the middle took away a little of the bulk I was worried about, and of course, we had to get the telephone faucet system to go with it.

On the wall behind the tub, we installed a hardwired heated towel rack, which isn't the prettiest thing to look at (by design, they're pretty robust), but I tried to seek out the one that hurt my eyes the least. We had found some other ones that had a better design, but they had poor reviews, and we were limited on options with our budget for this piece. Once we got it installed, I really loved it. Having a warm towel to curl up in after a nice long bath is so luxurious. And since it's not in a dominate part of the room, I barely notice that it's not my most favorite thing to look at.

The little ladder next to the tub is a find from the Country Living Fair this year. I wanted to add touches of farmhouse in here, and one of the elements I did that with was this guy. I wanted it to be worn, and well-loved, and I loved the step ladder design because it can hold a lot. I added a ribbed glass jar with hydrangeas (because one of our favorite things to do in Cape Cod, and especially Nantucket, is walk around and look at the abundant hydrangea bushes), so they really encourage me to take a step back and reminisce about our relaxing strolls around the cobblestone streets of Nantucket. 

I originally planned on doing a wrap-around shelf that went around most of the room, specifically behind the tub. But once I planned it all out, I realized it would really close in the space a lot. So I decided to stick with one little shelf above the tub just to add some visual interest, and also, hold some bath products. I painted the shelf white, and purchased some reclaimed wood brackets online that had a driftwood tone to them. And it holds the photo I snapped on Martha's Vineyard, which was the inspiration for the whole room. I know it's not the most amazing or high-quality photo ever, but man do I feel so happy when I look at it, and remember that afternoon. I also added a little glass jar of seashells that we've collected during various ocean vacations, mostly from our favorite beaches on the Cape. It's just one additional detail that will allow me to zone out and only think of ocean waves while relaxing.

For the shower, like I mentioned in the last post, we wanted as much glass as possible. This was probably one of things that took us the longest to decide on because our shower shape required a custom job, which came with a lot of different price tags (most of which were out of our budget comfort zone). Because of the architecture of the room, we had to spend a little more than we thought, and we also had to compromise. We originally wanted a swing door with a hinge (as in, push/pull), but we couldn't due to load-bearing things being in the wrong places. We opted, then, for a sliding door (which pretty much looks the same), and then had custom cuts done for our glass pieces. The price hurt a little, but thankfully we didn't go too far out of our comfort zone, and we loved how it came out.

On the interior of the shower, Josh built me a shaving foot ledge because it just makes life so much easier. It also comes in handy for extra shampoo bottles and such. The shower head is also from Signature Hardware, and this thing is bigger than my own head, I kid you not. We wanted a big one, and when it arrived and we opened the box, we couldn't help but laugh. I still question if this thing is too big for the space, but honestly, it's super rainshower-y in here now, it's hard to not love it regardless of proportion. We've both used it prior to writing this, and reported back to each other that it was totally worth it.

One of my favorite little things in here is the secret little toilet-essentials closet. When I last left you, we were working on a sliding door to cover this area, and it may be my third favorite thing in here. Ladies, you know when you have your period, and you don't realize it until you're already sitting down, and you really need a tampon? This is my solution to that. We also keep extra toilet paper in here. I literally just turned to Josh one night and kind of jokingly said, "I need a secret tampon door near the toilet," and he said, "We can make that happen you know." And this is the result. We did a sliding door that we built ourselves and painted it white to blend in with the wall. The sliding hardware is from eBay.

I wanted some artwork above the toilet because that back wall is the first thing you see when you come in. I decided to have a photo I took of a lighthouse in Maine printed on wood planks to tie in with the other rustic accents. The other idea behind it was to also have a happy memory to look at while soaking in the tub, assuming I'd be facing that wall. That lighthouse was a side excursion Josh and I took while exploring Maine for the first time for our 5-year anniversary. It was out of our way to go, but we read online that it was the lighthouse they filmed Tom Hanks running up in Forrest Gump, and we just had to go. It was such an amazing area to see once we finally arrived, and we loved being there. I'm so happy I have this reminder of that up on our wall.

And finally, the linen cabinet is up and running. We had an excess amount of space at the end of the wall by our sink console, and we knew we needed to add some storage over there. I shopped around everywhere and couldn't quite find the perfect cabinet for the space because it was an odd size. So, guess what? We had to build one. And it really wasn't that bad (I swear). Josh built the cabinet and door so we could custom tailor it to our exact specifications, and make it a perfect fit in the space we needed it for. I went back and forth so much on whether to stain the door a driftwood finish to tie in with the shelf brackets and step ladder, or just paint it white. I decided to take the risk and do a stain on it. I mixed some Minwax stains together in Puritan Pine and Weathered Oak for the base layers and did a very light application of Classic Gray on top as the last layer for that driftwood-like tone. I topped it off with a matte poly finish, and added a handle pull from Etsy. Because it's me, I also added a wreath to it that I made from eucalyptus branches and little starfish. Whenever we stay at our cottage in the Cape, I love seeing windows with starfish in them, and it's just not something we can pull off in our farmhouse. But, in here, it totally worked.

And there you have it! Our big project for the year is done, and now we're off to the next. We're torn between starting to re-do our stairway or our downstairs pantry/half bath. But for now, we're just taking a little breather (and I'm taking a bath in our new tub) and enjoying our accomplishments. 

Links to things featured
Bathtub: Signature Hardware Rosalind
Bathtub Faucet: Signature Hardware
Shower Head & Handle: Signature Hardware Lambert in 10 in Size
Sconces: Pottery Barn Classic Ribbed Glass
Sink Console: Pottery Barn Newport*
Sink Faucets: Signature Hardware Barbour
Mirrors: Pottery Barn Vintage Pivot*
Heated Towel Rack: Signature Hardware Lausanne
Towel Wall Hooks: Signature Hardware Linwood Hook
Hand Towel Wall Hooks: Signature Hardware Tullia Hook
Toilet Paper Holder: Signature Hardware Rome Holder
Sink Console Baskets: Pottery Barn Taylor Baskets*
Door Pulls on Cabinet and Sliding Door: 
Soap Pumps: Etsy
Bath Mats: Target
Towels: Pottery Barn Hydrocotton in Gray Mist*
Pallet Wall Art: Etsy (w/my own photo)
Candles: ShopCrookedCottage on Etsy
Milk + Oatmeal Bath Soak: U.S. Apothecary
*I work for the Williams-Sonoma brand and received an employee discount on these items.
If a product isn't listed, it means I wasn't able to find a link to it online (I likely found it at HomeGoods, an antique store or a random craft store).

The Basics
Wall color: White Dove by Benjamin Moore in the Aura Bath and Spa formula
Stain color cabinet door: Mix of Weathered Oak, Puritan Pine & Classic Gray, all by Minwax
Grout color: Platinum by Custom Building Products