Bathroom of the Week: Luxe Spa Feel With a ‘Mad Men’ Vibe
This newly built bathroom combines midcentury lines with high-end materials and finishes
The owner of a midcentury house in Atlanta loved its classic lines and modern updates, but the home didn’t feel large enough to comfortably host family and friends. So he reached out to a local architect and a designer to build an addition that includes a family room and a primary bedroom with an en suite bath.
Designer Carl Mattison intended the new en suite bathroom to look and feel like a luxury spa with a Mad Men vibe. “Gorgeous materials, clean lines, masculine shades of gray and touches of gold connect the space to the home’s midcentury roots and elevate it at the same time,” he says.
Designer Carl Mattison intended the new en suite bathroom to look and feel like a luxury spa with a Mad Men vibe. “Gorgeous materials, clean lines, masculine shades of gray and touches of gold connect the space to the home’s midcentury roots and elevate it at the same time,” he says.
The custom maple vanity in a toffee stain is attached to the wall and appears to float above the floor. A pair of deep pullout drawers with brass pulls in the center of the vanity offer storage space for personal items.
The window above the vanity and the other window in the shower were key to the selection of darker materials. “The room gets plenty of natural light, and it has 10-foot ceilings, so I was confident all the gray and charcoal wouldn’t feel too oppressive,” Mattison says.
The window above the vanity and the other window in the shower were key to the selection of darker materials. “The room gets plenty of natural light, and it has 10-foot ceilings, so I was confident all the gray and charcoal wouldn’t feel too oppressive,” Mattison says.
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The countertops are a matte gray speckled quartz. “They look like concrete but have none of the upkeep issues,” Mattison says.
The black undermount sinks are intended to fade into the background and are a low-maintenance option. “Top-mount sinks have grout lines where the sink meets the counter, and they tend to collect grime,” the designer says.
Faucets: Levoir, Brizo
Shop for brass bathroom faucets
The black undermount sinks are intended to fade into the background and are a low-maintenance option. “Top-mount sinks have grout lines where the sink meets the counter, and they tend to collect grime,” the designer says.
Faucets: Levoir, Brizo
Shop for brass bathroom faucets
The pair of gold-frame vanity mirrors and four wall sconces with gold finials have a lighter and shinier finish than the faucets.
“It’s nice to mix up the finishes a bit so it’s not too matchy-matchy,” Mattison says. “It’s like wearing a pair of black shoes and a black belt. They don’t need to be identical.”
“It’s nice to mix up the finishes a bit so it’s not too matchy-matchy,” Mattison says. “It’s like wearing a pair of black shoes and a black belt. They don’t need to be identical.”
The vanity wall is covered in 8-by-8-inch porcelain tiles in three patterns in a random layout.
“The tiles feature a midcentury-style pattern that reminds me of a wallpaper you might see in an episode of Mad Men,” Mattison says. The patterned tiles run the length of the wall and flow into the wet room, which is separated by a small ledge and a glass door with brass accents.
“The tiles feature a midcentury-style pattern that reminds me of a wallpaper you might see in an episode of Mad Men,” Mattison says. The patterned tiles run the length of the wall and flow into the wet room, which is separated by a small ledge and a glass door with brass accents.
The patterned tiles create a stunning feature wall behind the white freestanding tub.
“The bathroom was just wide enough to create a wet room with a tub on one end and a shower on the other,” Mattison says. “It’s important to have enough distance between the tub and the shower. If you don’t, the tub will get splattered every time you take a shower, and there’s not enough space to move.”
Small square porcelain tiles in a light matte gray cover the shower floor.
Tub: Signature Hardware; tub filler: Levoir, Brizo
“The bathroom was just wide enough to create a wet room with a tub on one end and a shower on the other,” Mattison says. “It’s important to have enough distance between the tub and the shower. If you don’t, the tub will get splattered every time you take a shower, and there’s not enough space to move.”
Small square porcelain tiles in a light matte gray cover the shower floor.
Tub: Signature Hardware; tub filler: Levoir, Brizo
Glossy charcoal ceramic tiles cover two of the shower walls. The two shower niches are edged with brass.
“It’s the little details and finishes that really pull a room together and take it to the next level,” Mattison says.
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“It’s the little details and finishes that really pull a room together and take it to the next level,” Mattison says.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a local bathroom remodeler
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A single man and his dog
Location: Atlanta
Size: About 145 square feet (13 square meters)
Designers: Carl Mattison Design (interior design) and Anne Architecture (architecture)
This photo was taken from the door leading from the primary bedroom into the en suite bath. The first door on the right leads to a linen closet, and the second leads to the water closet. Both of the doors have matte black hardware and are painted in Light French Gray by Sherwin-Williams.
“I didn’t want that wall and the doors to be a big mass of white,” Mattison says. “Painting the doors a subtle gray helps to break the wall up and connect it to the other shades of gray in the room. It’s a nice trick I like to use in modern spaces that often have lots of white walls.”
Large-format porcelain tiles that mimic the look of black marble cover the floor. “The swirls in the floor tiles are so beautiful and random that it’s hard to believe it’s not a natural stone,” the designer says. “They make the space feel like a high-end spa.”
Wall paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams
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