Bathroom Design
Sand, Shells and Saunas Inspire a High-Traffic Bathroom
This Toronto room does double duty as a family’s first-floor powder room and a swimming pool bath for kids and guests
While the family wanted a beautiful bathroom, they also incorporated their sense of humor, as shown via the photograph, taken on one of their travels. It shows a monkey and a sign that says “toilet” on it with an arrow that points to the bathroom door.
Mudroom wall paint: Edgecomb Gray, Benjamin Moore
Mudroom wall paint: Edgecomb Gray, Benjamin Moore
Sand, Shells and Driftwood
The first picks for the room were the driftwood-like shower stall tiles and the weathered-wood vanity, which became the jumping-off point for the material and color palettes. The nearby beach inspired the material palette — driftwood-like wood on the vanity and a wavy mirror frame that mimics oyster shells and the sand-like pattern on the floors.
Maintaining an Open Feeling
While at 70 square feet the bathroom is not compact, keeping it feeling as large and open as possible was part of the “spa-like” goal. Raising the vanity up on tall feet gave it a freestanding furniture look rather than a built-in one. And the way the floor tile extends underneath it gives the room an airier feel than a vanity with short legs or a toe-kick would have. Also, this setup left room to tuck the HVAC vent underneath.
Rustic Chic 48-inch vanity: Fairmont Designs; ceiling light: Bouclair; sconces: Union Lighting; floor tile: Olympia Tile
The first picks for the room were the driftwood-like shower stall tiles and the weathered-wood vanity, which became the jumping-off point for the material and color palettes. The nearby beach inspired the material palette — driftwood-like wood on the vanity and a wavy mirror frame that mimics oyster shells and the sand-like pattern on the floors.
Maintaining an Open Feeling
While at 70 square feet the bathroom is not compact, keeping it feeling as large and open as possible was part of the “spa-like” goal. Raising the vanity up on tall feet gave it a freestanding furniture look rather than a built-in one. And the way the floor tile extends underneath it gives the room an airier feel than a vanity with short legs or a toe-kick would have. Also, this setup left room to tuck the HVAC vent underneath.
Rustic Chic 48-inch vanity: Fairmont Designs; ceiling light: Bouclair; sconces: Union Lighting; floor tile: Olympia Tile
The shower stall measures 3 by 5 feet. Frameless clear glass provides an open view into the shower stall, which also makes the room feel airier and larger. The tile on the shower walls is porcelain, digitally printed to resemble driftwood planks. The homeowners decided to stick with a curbed shower threshold because their kids would be using the shower and they felt a curbed threshold would keep the main bathroom floor drier.
Shower floor tile: UniColour Light Grey 1-by-3-inch with matte finish, Olympia Tile; shower wall tile: Taiga Sommer, The Tile Store; shower grout: Pewter 02, Maipei; shower fixures: Boulevard Superkit, American Standard
Shower floor tile: UniColour Light Grey 1-by-3-inch with matte finish, Olympia Tile; shower wall tile: Taiga Sommer, The Tile Store; shower grout: Pewter 02, Maipei; shower fixures: Boulevard Superkit, American Standard
Across from the vanity, a toilet with a low back takes up minimal visual space.
“Storage was key, so we gave them a little closet for cleaning supplies, a hamper and towels,” Wheelband says. The clients preferred to leave it open rather than closed off as a closet for easier access. If they should ever change their minds, the jamb around the frame would make installing a door easy. The designer also thought about every item the family would need to accommodate when she planned out the shelves, raising the bottom shelf high enough to allow for a hamper below and allowing enough room between shelves for piles of folded towels.
Wall paint: Intense White, Benjamin Moore; artwork: Homesense; toilet: Tofino, American Standard; towel bar and toilet paper holder: Boardwalk, Moen; hamper: West Elm
“Storage was key, so we gave them a little closet for cleaning supplies, a hamper and towels,” Wheelband says. The clients preferred to leave it open rather than closed off as a closet for easier access. If they should ever change their minds, the jamb around the frame would make installing a door easy. The designer also thought about every item the family would need to accommodate when she planned out the shelves, raising the bottom shelf high enough to allow for a hamper below and allowing enough room between shelves for piles of folded towels.
Wall paint: Intense White, Benjamin Moore; artwork: Homesense; toilet: Tofino, American Standard; towel bar and toilet paper holder: Boardwalk, Moen; hamper: West Elm
While the bathroom looks elegant, it’s also durable. They chose a quartz countertop for its beauty and durability — it looks like marble but it withstands stains and chipping better. The fixtures are all chrome, chosen for their timeless look. And the fact that chrome is more reasonably priced than other finishes helped balance the budget.
Mirror: Atoll Rectangular, Ballard Designs; Faucet: Boardwalk, Moen; quartz countertop: Frosty Carina, Caesarstone
Mirror: Atoll Rectangular, Ballard Designs; Faucet: Boardwalk, Moen; quartz countertop: Frosty Carina, Caesarstone
A Pleasing Tile Combination
Using clear frameless glass for the shower surround makes the room feel more open and larger than an obscure glass option would have. This angle gives us a good look at the different tiles — large-format 12-by-24-inch tile on the floor, 6-by-24-inch planks on the shower walls and small 1-by-3-inch rectangles on the shower floor.
“These tile work together because we have a good mix of scales and textures. The wall tiles are quite long and have lots of monochromatic variation, so we went really simple for the shower floor tile,” Wheelband says. “We also mixed up the install — the wall tiles are installed offset in a brick pattern so we went with a grid pattern for the shower floor. And the main floor tile is also neutral and brings out some of the lighter tones of the wall tile.”
Takeaways: How to Make a Bathroom Feel Larger
Key Measurements to Make the Most of Your Bathroom
What’s Your Bathroom Style? 9 Great Looks to Consider
Using clear frameless glass for the shower surround makes the room feel more open and larger than an obscure glass option would have. This angle gives us a good look at the different tiles — large-format 12-by-24-inch tile on the floor, 6-by-24-inch planks on the shower walls and small 1-by-3-inch rectangles on the shower floor.
“These tile work together because we have a good mix of scales and textures. The wall tiles are quite long and have lots of monochromatic variation, so we went really simple for the shower floor tile,” Wheelband says. “We also mixed up the install — the wall tiles are installed offset in a brick pattern so we went with a grid pattern for the shower floor. And the main floor tile is also neutral and brings out some of the lighter tones of the wall tile.”
Takeaways: How to Make a Bathroom Feel Larger
- See if a pocket door is a viable option.
- Use a light, tone-on-tone color palette.
- Opt for a wall-mounted vanity or a vanity with tall feet to reveal the floor underneath it.
- Choose clear shower glass to extend the view into the shower.
- If you’re going to keep it neat, forgo a linen closet door within the bathroom. This will extend the bathroom space visually. Keep not-so-pretty things in attractive boxes or baskets.
- A low-backed toilet takes up less visual space and makes the ceiling seem higher.
Key Measurements to Make the Most of Your Bathroom
What’s Your Bathroom Style? 9 Great Looks to Consider
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple, their two young daughters and their pool guests
Location: Upper Beaches area of Toronto
Size: 70 square feet (6.5 square meters); 8 by 8¾ feet (2.4 by 2.7 meters)
Designers: Andi Wheelband of Two Birds Design
This new bathroom was going to be the only bathroom on the main floor of an active family of four’s Toronto home, and it needed to serve double duty as a powder room and as a pool bath where the family and their guests could clean up and change clothes after a swim. Armed with this information before embarking on the design for an extensive home renovation, interior designer Andi Wheelband also knew that the bathroom would need to be located in a spot that was convenient to the pool and the rest of the first floor of the home.
“My clients wanted a beautiful bathroom for guests to use, but it also needed to function for their young children coming in from playing outside,” she says. “They asked for ‘a spa-like feel,’ which is a request we get often and I think means different things to different people. We thought of a sauna space with wood walls and tone-on-tone materials to make it feel serene.”
Also, the homeowners particularly liked the look of weathered wood. One more inspiration came from the home’s location in the Upper Beaches area. Wheelband combined all of these factors and came up with a style of “rustic beach chic.”
Location, Location, Location
This new mudroom was also part of the renovation and provides an easy transition from backyard pool to pool bath (through the door on the left). The floor tiles continue seamlessly between the mudroom and the bathroom. “The floor tiles have a sandy look, further adding to the beachy theme,” she says.