Perhaps more than any other single material, beadboard can define a room as ‘country.’ In this children’s bathroom, where it’s used as wall panelling to chair-rail height and to face the tub and cabinetry, it creates a vintage look that’s nevertheless timeless. Used in combination with column detailing set on pedestals, it gives a built-in, double-sink vanity the look of free-standing furniture reminiscent of farmhouse kitchens and baths.
The space, designed and built by Vanessa Raven and Edward Zemla of Glenrose Homes, borrows from the old-time look in other subtle ways too. Though the fixtures are modern, the details provide many vintage cues: lever-style faucets, iron drawer pulls, milk glass-look wall sconces. Both the shallow top drawer of the vanity, left bare of panelling and ‘unmatched’ to the other drawers, and the deep kick space below reinforce the impression of a man-made rustic chest rather than a sleek manufactured piece. The layout of the bathroom, subdivided into two spaces to allow it to more easily accommodate two children, implies the type of renovation one might expect to see in an older home, with two rooms combined for use and the structure – doors, walls, mouldings – left intact.
Still, there is a spa influence here, and it kicks in to add a fresh, up-to-date appeal. Marble tiles with a soft grey veining on both tub surround and floor provide a seamless look in the small spaces, as does the putty wall colour. A thick marble countertop paired with undermount sinks offers luxury and ease of maintenance. And a bamboo bench adds rusticity along with an all-important touch of comfort.
Essentials
Be sure to shop around for what you want. Very similar tiles, for example, are often available in a broad range of prices, so you can find the look you want within your budget.
Tiling walls right up to the ceiling, especially in a children’s bathroom, makes cleaning much easier.
Make it country
Old silver pieces provide a personal, hand-hewn quality that mass-produced accessories never match.
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