Bathroom Design
Bring the Pleasures of Water-Smoothed Pebbles to the Bath
Celebrate summer all year with pebble tiles and river rocks that create that lazy river feeling at home
1. River rock bed. This Rancho Santa Fe, California, bathroom features a bed of loose river rock, intended to bring a dry riverbed to mind. The house is surrounded by lots of stone and rock, elements that designer Alison Smith-Dorvillier of Inplace Studio and her clients wanted to bring indoors.
To keep this cool effect practical, the designer recessed the floor, waterproofed and tiled the bottom and installed a shower drain, then put in the tub and placed the river rocks around it. When the rocks get dusty, the homeowners can simply hose them off and let the water run out the drain.
Cabinetry: slate oak laminate, custom by Inplace Studio; vanity top: 2½-inch Caesarstone in Blizzard; sconces: Stiletto LED, Sonneman; tub: Escale, Kohler; river rocks: Modern Builders Supply
Read more about this house
To keep this cool effect practical, the designer recessed the floor, waterproofed and tiled the bottom and installed a shower drain, then put in the tub and placed the river rocks around it. When the rocks get dusty, the homeowners can simply hose them off and let the water run out the drain.
Cabinetry: slate oak laminate, custom by Inplace Studio; vanity top: 2½-inch Caesarstone in Blizzard; sconces: Stiletto LED, Sonneman; tub: Escale, Kohler; river rocks: Modern Builders Supply
Read more about this house
2. Pebble pathway. This bathroom in Fairfax, Virginia, features a pebble path that winds across a floor of large-format tiles. It evokes the curves of a river and certainly makes the freestanding tub feel like a destination.
If pebble or rock pathways are a part of your landscaping, an interior path like this one can also create a connection between indoors and out. To get this look, kitchen and bath designer Justin Mattice had the tiles cut and installed outside a path he drew with a large marker. Workers then filled in the path with a large pebble tile that’s mounted on mesh; the tile was then grouted, creating the rocks-in-a-stream look.
Find a bathroom designer to help you create your own pebble path
If pebble or rock pathways are a part of your landscaping, an interior path like this one can also create a connection between indoors and out. To get this look, kitchen and bath designer Justin Mattice had the tiles cut and installed outside a path he drew with a large marker. Workers then filled in the path with a large pebble tile that’s mounted on mesh; the tile was then grouted, creating the rocks-in-a-stream look.
Find a bathroom designer to help you create your own pebble path
3. Pebble floor. Pebbles can also work well on the entire bathroom floor. Here, their application brings a spa-like feel to a contemporary London bathroom.
Calm neutral colors and subtle texture on the walls strike an elegant note.
Calm neutral colors and subtle texture on the walls strike an elegant note.
Pebbles are versatile enough to work with various bathroom styles. This Boston space features planked walls that add a farmhouse touch to the otherwise more contemporary finishes.
Sleek fixtures such as the toilet, cabinet hardware and faucet enhance the room’s transitional style.
5 Bathrooms That Mix Modern With a Touch of Farmhouse
Sleek fixtures such as the toilet, cabinet hardware and faucet enhance the room’s transitional style.
5 Bathrooms That Mix Modern With a Touch of Farmhouse
4. Wall runner. The pebbles on this shower wall in Vancouver, British Columbia, seem to spill onto the floor, like a waterfall of smooth river rock.
The wooden stool adds a softer, warmer element.
Find teak shower benches and seats
The wooden stool adds a softer, warmer element.
Find teak shower benches and seats
This pebbled wall runner likewise spills onto the shower floor, where designer Jenny Ballantyne says the material also serves a functional purpose. “The pebble tiles create a wonderful foot massage as you walk in,” she says. They help evoke the “feelings of the sea” the client wanted.
5. Vanity back. If you like the look of pebbles but not the feel of them underfoot, consider placing them on your vanity wall instead.
This Orlando, Florida, bathroom gets a natural feel from brown, gray and cream pebbles on a sand-colored wall.
Find pebble tile
This Orlando, Florida, bathroom gets a natural feel from brown, gray and cream pebbles on a sand-colored wall.
Find pebble tile
A wall of dark pebbles in this New York bathroom adds drama and elegance to the space. The natural element contrasts with the sleek lines and shiny surfaces of the sink stand. Zebra-print hand towels amp up the glamour in the room.
Your turn: Have lazy rivers or Class 5 rapids inspired your use of pebbles and rock at home? If so, please share a photo of your project in the Comments and tell us about it.
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Pebble Surfaces That Rock, Indoors and Out
The Artful Garden: Pebble Mosaic
Your turn: Have lazy rivers or Class 5 rapids inspired your use of pebbles and rock at home? If so, please share a photo of your project in the Comments and tell us about it.
More
Pebble Surfaces That Rock, Indoors and Out
The Artful Garden: Pebble Mosaic
One of the great pleasures of summer is the chance to float down (or, for the cautious, just in) a river. It’s an experience that tends to leave one with a quintessential summer feeling: happy, baked in the sun and pleasantly exhausted from the day.
Since creating a beautiful home is all about setting up spaces that make you feel the way you want to feel — perhaps calm, relaxed or happy — you might consider re-creating the feel of summer on the river with pebbles or river rock at home. With its wet environment, the bathroom is a fitting space to start.
Here are five ideas for incorporating pebbles or river rock in your bathroom. Perhaps one of them will inspire you to capture a bit of that floating-down-the-river feeling long after summer has faded away.