Bathroom of the Week: Inspired by Palm Springs Vacation Joy
A designer plays with shapes and color to create a happy midcentury modern design in this primary bath
When this Canadian townhome owner couldn’t escape Vancouver, British Columbia, for Palm Springs, California, during the pandemic shutdown, she decided to bring Palm Springs home. “Palm Springs is my client’s happy place. When she couldn’t travel there, she decided to use her vacation money for remodeling,” interior designer Sarah Desaulniers says. The homeowner shared photos of some of her favorite Palm Springs bathroom designs, which the designer used as a jumping-off point. The result is a bright and playful primary bathroom that brought the happy place home.
After: A midcentury-style vanity, golden fixture finishes, geometric tiles and pattern play mark the new space. Many of the items were chosen for their immediate availability.
“Because of supply chain issues and millwork shops being shut down, we had to shop locally and pick from what was available,” Desaulniers says. “Rolling with what’s available instead of waiting is part of the design process. We have to be problem solvers and pivot when we need to.”
The shower is a walk-in type with a clear glass fixed panel. The floors are heated and the skylight also brings in some heat. Draftiness isn’t an issue, so no shower door was required. This kept the room feeling more open and the shower easier to access.
Shop from a curated collection of bathroom vanities
“Because of supply chain issues and millwork shops being shut down, we had to shop locally and pick from what was available,” Desaulniers says. “Rolling with what’s available instead of waiting is part of the design process. We have to be problem solvers and pivot when we need to.”
The shower is a walk-in type with a clear glass fixed panel. The floors are heated and the skylight also brings in some heat. Draftiness isn’t an issue, so no shower door was required. This kept the room feeling more open and the shower easier to access.
Shop from a curated collection of bathroom vanities
“We realized we’d need to find a ready-made vanity rather than doing something custom,” Desaulniers says. Her client found this vanity at a big-box store. Its brass hardware, thin legs and midcentury-inspired style were a perfect fit for the space. The vanity also came with the sink and the white quartz countertop.
How to Choose a Bathroom Vanity
How to Choose a Bathroom Vanity
This beautiful blue elongated hexagonal tile provided a jumping-off point for the design. “My client’s favorite inspiration photos from Palm Springs showcased turquoise tiles with lots of movement and pattern. They also had a lot of gold and bronze fixtures,” Desaulniers says. “This tile is so beautiful — it has a little bit of brown around the edges, which we complemented with Driftwood grout.”
The simple one-hole faucet has a champagne bronze finish.“Gold and bronze finishes were also midcentury modern elements we were going for,” the designer says.
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The simple one-hole faucet has a champagne bronze finish.“Gold and bronze finishes were also midcentury modern elements we were going for,” the designer says.
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The hexagonal mirror with wood frame was a happy moment that resulted from having to pivot. “We originally had a mirror with a brass frame picked out, but it wasn’t available. This one works so much better,” Desaulniers says.
Another key detail was choosing just the right spot for the blue wall tile to end and the shower surround tile to begin. “We used custom bronze Schluter [strips] to edge the glass shower panel and we needed to give that a little breathing room,” Desaulniers says. She lined up the shower’s white subway tile with the shower threshold. The threshold is white quartz that matches the countertop.
The double tube light with brass hardware and fluted glass also nods to midcentury style.
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Another key detail was choosing just the right spot for the blue wall tile to end and the shower surround tile to begin. “We used custom bronze Schluter [strips] to edge the glass shower panel and we needed to give that a little breathing room,” Desaulniers says. She lined up the shower’s white subway tile with the shower threshold. The threshold is white quartz that matches the countertop.
The double tube light with brass hardware and fluted glass also nods to midcentury style.
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Here’s a closer look at where the two tiles meet. “Lots of pattern and movement on walls is typical of midcentury modern style,” Desaulniers says.
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Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
Continuing on the idea of playing with pattern, Desaulniers had the simple 3-by-6-inch subway tiles composed in a double basketweave layout. “This was a fun way to create pattern in the space,” she says. “While this may not have been a typical midcentury pattern, changing up directionality is a typical midcentury modern idea.”
The bathroom flooring is a brown penny tile Desaulniers chose to play off the brown edges of the wall tiles. She continued the same tile onto the shower floor. “This has a little bit of metallic bronze to it that plays nicely off the plumbing fixtures,” she says.
She also backed the shower niche in a tile pattern that mixes browns and blues as a playful touch. It’s the perfect little happy-place bonus.
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The bathroom flooring is a brown penny tile Desaulniers chose to play off the brown edges of the wall tiles. She continued the same tile onto the shower floor. “This has a little bit of metallic bronze to it that plays nicely off the plumbing fixtures,” she says.
She also backed the shower niche in a tile pattern that mixes browns and blues as a playful touch. It’s the perfect little happy-place bonus.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A woman who loves Palm Springs, California
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 41 square feet (3.8 square meters)
Designer: Sarah Desaulniers of Moor Design
Contractor: Bizzarri Construction
Before: The 41-square-foot primary bathroom was perfectly adequate, but it wasn’t exactly giving off happy-place vibes. A skylight was the only source of natural light in the room, and fortunately it was in great shape.
“My client showed me inspiration photos of Palm Springs midcentury bathrooms and told me, ‘Just have fun with it and see what you can come up with,’ ” Desaulniers says.
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