It’s the last reveal in my apartment before I move you guys!! If you want to see the rest of the space, I already revealed the kitchen, living room, dining room, and of course, the famous closet speakeasy. I’ve done A LOT to this space as a renter, and yes, I’ll have to reverse some of these DIYs when I move out (which is sad but also expected). To me, I’ve gotten to live in such an incredible space that healed me and truly felt like home. That was my one goal when moving in here: to make the space feel like home.

As someone who’s moved a ton of times throughout their life, I know it can take a lot to finally feel settled in a new space (months, years, even). Growing up, I moved all around Orange County because my middle/high school was a charter school, so you didn’t need to live in a specific city to attend (shout out to Orange County School of the Arts). So my parents took that as an opportunity to move around and try out some different cities. I always tried to make my room feel like “me” wherever we went – even if it was just for a year or two. I think this really helped me get into decorating because I had so many fresh, blank slates. Then I went to college, and we all know how that goes – you move pretty much every single year, and your furniture is just a hodgepodge of things you can scrounge together. So I set up and decorated what I could, but I can’t say any of my college apartments were homey (or even cute…)

Once I graduated, I sublet month-to-month in New York while job/career searching, and then I eventually landed this EHD job in LA and moved into my first studio apartment in Hollywood, and that was the first time I was really able to make my own space feel like home. It took a solid 3 years before it stopped feeling like a barebones Airbnb and actually felt like mine. But right as I dialed it in, life threw me for a loop, and I moved to New York (again) only to break up with my ex and come straight back to California, and a few months after that debacle, I moved into this apartment in Los Feliz. So that’s my life story: home edition. Moving into this space – I really just craved the feeling I had in my Hollywood apartment, where I would walk in, and every muscle would relax, and I felt like I could just breathe. Home can give you the feeling of peace and safety when the world outside lacks so much of it. So yeah, I did a lot to this apartment (especially in those other room reveals you saw) – but I FINALLY got it to feel like home, so I was really happy to accomplish that goal.

On the flip side of things, as a renter, it’s important to know what upgrades are going to be the most high-impact to you and then do those things. This is your permission the leave the rest behind. It’s important to remember in the world of picture perfect homes, sometimes, ‘good enough’ is totally fine – ESPECIALLY in a rental. In my bathroom, I was originally considering wallpapering (which I still think would’ve been awesome) but once I realized that my dining room was the room that needed wallpaper more (this wallpaper, to be exact), I invested my time and resources there instead. Had I been here for longer, I would have considered wallpapering, but I really didn’t want to add to my plate of taking even more wallpaper down when I move out (it’s a thing, trust me), and this bathroom was already pretty dang cute. So I decided to just elevate and swap a few small things to make it shine a bit brighter. Let me show you…

BEFORE

That tile!! The little shelf!! THE TUB! It’s all so adorable. The only wonky thing is the fact that that cabinet just doesn’t close all the way (maybe a new 2026 design trend??) The green vintage tile really just sings – I actually found the perfect wallpaper I was going to install but like I said, it ultimately just ended up not being worth it for the cost, effort and removal. So I cut my losses, and instead came up with some affordable, easy swaps that would make the space feel like mine without breaking the bank or having to spend hours undoing it upon move out. And they were all totally worth it.

So I was looking for design ideas other than expensive (but awesome) wallpaper, and I saw this inspo photo and immediately knew I wanted to do something similar.

I loved the idea of doing a “painted crown moulding” to draw your eye upward (and knew I could figure out an even easier renter-friendly way to do it)…

Bath Mat | Towel Holder | Towel | Toothbrush Holder | Vase (Similar) | Stackable Wooden Bowls | Mirror

So this is the new view into the bathroom after my simple renter-friendly upgrades!! The space has so much more personality now, and I can take almost everything with me when I move out, which I love.

I loved the look of that inspo photo so much – so I used this washi tape in two different colors (I could only find this variety pack, so I ended up ordering 3 sets – so I used 6 rolls total, and it covered the whole room). Now, washi tape notoriously doesn’t stick well to dusty surfaces, so I was wary that this would hold up since my apartment can collect a lot of dust being in a city, but I just thoroughly cleaned the wall before I applied it, and it stuck on – no problem. And now it’s held up great for over 6 months! It genuinely worked so well for this space and will be so easy to remove when I have to leave.

Washi Tape | Towels | Bath Mat | Towel Holder

Those towels are so good, I bought a second set for my boyfriend’s house that I’m moving into next month!! They’re the Parachute x Target collab, so the quality for the price is awesome (Parachute’s towels are normally $60-$70+) and I think they’ll last a fairly long time since they’re so forgiving (and are so so soft).

Mirror | Pulls | Knobs | Outlet Cover | Towel Holder | Towel | Trash Can | Mirror | Toothbrush Holder | Window Film

These were truly the easiest swaps – my goal here is to show you that not every space needs a complete overhaul or remodel to look and feel better. The very first thing I did was swap the hand towel holder to this one – it’s from Anthropologie and I had my eye on it for a LONG time. Then, I changed out the boring circular mirror to my DREAM mirror from Soho Home (which I can’t wait to take with me to my boyfriend’s place), then added new hardware (the old ones were crumbling in my hands which was cool, so I didn’t buy super expensive ones because I’ll likely be leaving these), and then added this pretty window film to add some more pizzazz.

OH, and upon moving in, I swapped every single outlet and light switch cover in the apartment to these fun brass ones. They were super affordable but made such a big impact to my everyday.

Wooden Bath Caddy

I’m a firm believer that a bath is basically the same as having a hot tub inside your house. Taking a bath here is actually magical. This tub is so perfect, and if you light a few candles, get your dirty martini and bubbles going, it is DIVINE.

I usually read on my iPad or Kindle (my sister got me into the fairy smut genre, and I cannot get enough…My Fourth Wing, ACOTAR, and Throne of Glass fans RISE UP!), so when it came to styling I only had a few physical books, so please enjoy this photo of My Body by Emily Ratajkowski, hahaha.

The art pieces above the tub are some of my absolute favorites. The skateboard guy I found at Market Market in Palm Springs (if you haven’t been – GO!), the top right is by Mucci (who I found at the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival and have now put his artwork in 3 of the rooms in my apartment!), and then the top left is actually from my Hollywood studio (it’s a sketch of the view of the Chateau Marmont by the Max Gooding Co).

Light Fixture | Tassel

We didn’t get a good photo of the no-electrical-required light fixture swap (this bathroom is pretty small and hard to shoot, so shoutout to Lyle for doing an amazing job with the photos regardless!!) But I wanted to chat about this boob light upgrade that required NO ELECTRICAL! It was super easy – I just took off the boob light shade, then put the light fixture through the long screw from the original boob light, then secured the same hardware back on and covered it with a tassel. I made a video on it here, so it’ll make a bit more sense, but it was the easiest DIY ever. Someone joked that it went from boob light to nipple tassel, and I’ve never laughed harder. But yes, I highly encourage you to add a nipple tassel to your boob light!! It looks so much better.

This will always be our girly little apartment that helped us heal and grow, and I’ll forever be grateful for this space. I hope whoever moves in next loves every bit of it the way we did. Thank you for reading and checking out all of these makeovers – it means the world!!

*Design by Mallory Wackerman
**Photography by Lyle Nelson

Bathroom trends (much like kitchen trends) are a funny thing to evaluate on a year-to-year basis because they simply do not move that quickly. If they did, by the time you got through the design process, material selection, permitting, contingencies and snafus, and then final install, your spaces would already be obsolete. That would simply be a ridiculous and wasteful way to live in our homes.

That is not to say there isn’t anything to talk about, though, because there’s always a new idea, color trend (like these I wrote up recently for 2026), or material popping onto our radar that makes us scream YESSSSS, including the six concepts below I’ve been noticing more and more in beautiful, finished bathrooms. Like many renovation-required trends, they tend to begin in luxury spaces, so you’ll see a lot of aspirational homes here, but that doesn’t mean you can’t borrow inspiration for your own homes from them. That, or just sit back and enjoy the show for the sake of design entertainment.

Amber-Colored Tile

Last year was all about burgundy zellige tiles, but this year? Amber, caramel, and earthy mustard reign supreme. This color tile is absolutely everywhere right now and is so adaptable to many styles. Take a look above at the killer shower stall our friend Brady Tolbert designed in his home; in true Brady style, it’s cool, contemporary, yet warm and graphically neutral.

However, here, designed by the team at Dunham Robinson, you can see a more traditional aesthetic with the chrome and stone sink, floral wallpaper, and wavy wood mirror. The turmeric-like hue works well to draw attention away from the white fixtures, which could otherwise appear somewhat sterile.

These tiles, in a bathroom by Annie Downing Interiors, are certainly more terracotta than they are amber, but the vibes still hit the same. To me, the takeaway here is how well they play with other jewel tones and saturated shades, such as the deep, chalky blue in the other tile design.

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Tiles aren’t getting all the burnt caramel love; designers like Reath Design (who collaborated with Emily Farnham Architecture on this space, shot by Laure Joliet), are using the color in bathrooms via paint, as well. How marvelous does it look here with the oxblood marble on the vanity and shower stall?

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So far, we’ve seen amber tiles marry beautifully with mustard, black-and-white, denim blue, and deep red. Next up, courtesy of Pierce & Ward (shot by Michael Clifford Photography), is olive green and aqua. What a stunning way to bring new life to vintage pieces such as that sink.

Colored Fixtures

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Two years ago, Caitlin wrote a piece about colored plumbing fixtures in the bathroom as something to keep our eye on (thanks Kohler for bringing these back around more accessibly!), and she was 100-percent right. And look, I know this is fairly niche, but who decided that white porcelain had to be the standard of “safe” choices in a bathroom’s design? “But you might get tired of that pistachio green toilet, Arlyn!” Well, who is to say I wouldn’t get tired of white? We can use the same logic here. If you’re designing a bathroom for home resale, it’s not worth the effort of getting it right, design-wise, but if it’s for you, and you are a fellow color lover, I say GO FOR IT.

It doesn’t have to be something as large or prominent as a toilet, either. Faucets and faucet handles can do the trick, too. Hannah Go of Studio Hanego selected candy-coated red Fantini fixtures for her client’s bathroom. The slap of color is just the right amount of unexpected pigment to break through the beige-and-white color palette, making it feel playful and youthful instead of overly serene.

Here’s another angle of the same space, where Go carried the Fantini faucet into the sink area for a cohesive design story. (That sculptural floral arrangement is by Gentle Offerings out of LA, in case anyone is wondering.)

Another tip-toe entrance into the world of lively fixtures is with a partially-colored item, like this cast-iron farmhouse basin in a room by Hendricks Churchill. And the beauty of a sink like this (or anything cast iron, for that matter) is that it can be reglazed should you need to change the color down the line.

This bathroom by Jamie Haller—shot by Jenna Ohnemus Peffley—highlights two of our favorite bathroom trends so far: amber zellige tiles and a butter yellow vintage sink. The room looks both like a perfectly preserved time capsule from the 1970s but also something that very much could have been designed and installed today (because it was). Good design can be appreciated no matter the decade, in my opinion.

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Giving very different vibes, but the same design backbone is this happy little spot by, yet again, Reath Design. Not only is the sink itself an azure I can barely look away from, but the cross handles on the sink are a sky blue.

Built-In Tub Surrounds

The freestanding tub became the calling card of a luxury bathroom a decade or so ago, but as things happen, that quickly got tired, thanks in great part to property flippers and developers who would shove one into a space even when it didn’t make much sense.

And while a stand-alone tub can still be a wonderful hallmark of a bathing space, of course, don’t underestimate a built-in tub surround. No longer relegated to the second-tier guest bath, they are now being used more and more in primary suites. They have their merits, too: The overhang surface is great storage for bathing supplies, and even decor items like art and candles, as seen above by Heather Peterson Design.

For a bathtub surround worthy of a primary suite, it’s important to be mindful that the surround itself elevates the design, rather than drags it down. Here, designer Nicole Dohmen for Atelier ND Interior brought the large-format stone from the floor up around the tub to create a seamless visual transition.

Here, in a bathroom transformed by Trouthouse, the small square yellow tile of the shower walls comes down around the tub insert, as well. This could have easily been a standard white porcelain tub, but the tile surround creates a more intentional design moment.

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Would I be nervous to have a wooden top and sides to my bathtub? Yes, but certainly, there’s a way to make it work. Either way, it sure does look serene and spa-like thanks to the minds at Honeyedfigs that dreamt up this muted space.

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On the opposite end of muted is this glitz and glam bathroom by Gregory Rockwell. I love how the red marble continues from the bathroom sink basin, tub wall, and floor, and baseboard detailing.

Fluted Glass

Shower details always make our bathroom trends roundup, and this year, we’re covering glass specifics. Fluted details in general have been everywhere for five-plus years, and now they’re frequently being used in contemporary bathroom spaces. Advantages include moderate privacy while allowing light diffusion, added texture, and limiting the visibility of water spots. Bonus points for a cool red frame to make the wall of glass the protagonist of the room’s design, as Megowan Architectural did here.

I’m partial to how youthful ribbed glass can come off looking with a colored door frame like in the previous project. Here, the mauve-lilac Butterfly Studio used here is quite eye-catching, don’t you think?

The international design and property acquisition firm Banda Studio kept things sleek and luxurious in this outrageously covetable bathroom with a frameless fluted shower wall. The vertical lines of the glass texture add a nice rigidity to the more organic veining of the marble and Roman clay or limewash walls and floors.

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Stop. Scroll to the fourth photo. Okay, now we can talk. I really wanted to show this bathroom, in the home of celeb Rita Ora, designed by Joanna Plant, for anyone thinking fluted glass is simply for contemporary bathrooms. It’s not, and certainly has a place in more traditionally minded areas, too.

Stone Basin Sinks

Last year, I presented the idea of raw-edge stone sinks as a trend, and this year, it’s similar but more refined and polished. Full stone sink basins are very popular right now as they strike a balance between simple, clean lines, luxury, and an impactful visual story through dramatic natural stone.

There’s a lot to take note of in this bathroom by Marie Flanigan, including the gorgeous pinkish stone for the sink basin and vanity. The side wall-mounted faucet is a unique approach that, to my eye, keeps the focus on the stone; the pendant light on the left beautifully echoes and balances the small window at right.

Cannes-based firm Caprini & Pellerin designed this elegant luxury bathroom, complete with a deep teal stone basin and countertop. I very much appreciate the slight lip detail (also seen in the Marie Flanigan sink) to limit water spill and run off. The coordinated marble frame around the mirror and lights is a nice touch to mimic the lines of the cabinet and tub in the foreground.

Raw-edge stone is still absolutely appropriate; Ursino Interiors masterfully uses the boulder effect to bring a rustic quality to a luxury space, juxtaposing polished brass and a metal window-frame shower stall.

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Another beautiful example of the visual power of the stone basin vanity, this time in a refreshing spearmint, by Benjamin Vandiver.

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Wall-to-wall installs don’t get to have all the fun. What a compact yet powerful statement this stone sink makes in a bathroom by Zoe Feldman.

Bathroom “Islands”

Bringing up the rear of our trends list today is what I’m affectionately coining the bathroom “island.” Perhaps there is a more technical and accurate name for this, but I haven’t found it. Basically, what I mean by bathroom island is a freestanding unit that houses a key bathroom fixture, such as sinks or a shower.

Case in point, this floating vanity (note the fluted glass! and the stone basins!) in a space by Australian firm Se Déa. In these types of installations, the mirror is most often supported by a metal structure attached to both the island and the ceiling, which can free up valuable wall space and take advantage of positioning that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. Of course, you’d need to run plumbing through the middle of the room rather than along the perimeter.

Another one by Caprini & Pellerin that this time showcases an unusual shower island. It’s quite a cool concept, and the center placement in the room opens up the walls to added storage, display space, and a separate vanity space.

I found this opulent bathroom design via Belgian interior architect Wouter Tousseyn. I’m fairly certain it’s a rendering, but I wanted to include it as another visual study of the sink island, as this angle helps you to see the practicality of a double-sided floating vanity, which can be used from either side by multiple people.

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Pierce & Ward show that the use of a floating bathroom fixture doesn’t have to be one-note, either. Here, they’ve adjoined the sinks and cabinetry to a large soaking tub.

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And finally, proof that it doesn’t have to be this grand thing, either. By LA. M Studio, back-to-back sinks in a narrow cube-like island turn open floor space into a memorable design moment.

—

So now we’ve reached the end, and I have fully exhausted my ability to say another word about a bathroom. After all, how many synonyms can one find for the words sink, bathroom, tub, tile, and the like? I may have gone against my journalist instincts to say the same thing over and over again, but I hope you’ll forgive me and were too focused on the expertly designed bathing spaces to notice.

Any that stood out to you? Any others you’ve taken note of recently that you want to add to the list? Feel free to party on in the comments. I’ll be there responding.

Until next time, friends…

Opening Image Credits: Design by Ursino Interiors, styling by Brittany Albert, photo by Nicole Franzen

Over the holidays, anything “non-urgent” got moved to the back burner (or just put in the freezer, out of sight/mind). So, outside of partnership deadlines and timely end of year admin, I let myself indulge in my family and totally forgot that I had this adorably run-down house that needed my attention. But I’m back and so excited to keep this project moving (but don’t worry, you haven’t missed anything since this post). Today I want to walk you through a few bathroom ideas I’m VERY excited by, that are more fantasy than practical. It’s a big room, 12×16, so it’s going to be perhaps an oddly large bathroom with vaulted ceilings…and a urinal. Just having the basics (toilet, sink, shower) felt dinky and weird. So I’ve got some fun guest cottage bathroom ideas, and I wanted to share them…

Hoping to keep the paneling on one wall and find reclaimed wood to go around the rest of the room. I need 600 square feet (3 walls and ceiling). I have the vision of it clear in my head, but it’s hard to explain. It’s going to be rustic (but cohesive), with a side of “summer camp” due to the amount of wood, but with a cohesive color palette and fun tile and fabric. More to come on the materials.

Ok, so since the room is big and has high ceilings, I want to divide it up and do a “room within the room”. And since I’ve promised Brian a urinal, I want to put that and the toilet in its own room. There are, I’m sure, many ways that I can do this, but I have two main ideas that I love almost equally.

Toilet Room Idea #1: The “Outhouse”

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Ok, so picture this – a small, roofed room inside the paneled bathroom. It would be almost free-standing (grounded against the back wall) with double doors going into it. It could be shaped like an outhouse (but stretched out wide, for double doors and to fit the urinal). I can 100% picture it, and I have zero doubts about this, as odd as the idea sounds. It could be paneled and painted so it fits in the same world but pops off the wood walls (which we hope to match and keep).

I was heavily inspired by this bathroom, below, with the tiled toilet room and shower.

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What a totally delightful (and ballsy) design. This designer put two tiled rooms (with glass blocks, no less!) inside what seems to be more of an old-world bathroom.

One room is for the toilet and one for the shower. Now, while a tiled version of my “outhouse” would be incredible, I think the tile budget might be totally out of control if we did this. But I think it’s the best representation of this out-of-the-box, fantastical idea. Well done, Buchanan Studio! When we first saw it a few years ago, our “Watercooler” Slack channel was a-BUZZ. I know it’s controversial, but we all thought it was just a totally fascinating idea, executed so well.

Toilet Room Idea #2 – The “Through A Secret Armoire”

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I mean, I’ve always wanted to do this (who hasn’t). You walk in, and it’s just an unsuspectingly large armoire (flat roof, not pitched), and then you open it, and it has a toilet and urinal. What a delight! The only caveat with this is that in order for the toilet to fit with the right clearances, it needs to be pretty deep, which, from the side, would give itself away (no armoire is that deep). Most of the ones that I’ve found online steal space from the adjoining room, which we don’t want to do here. So while this idea is a 12 on the fun scale, I fear that the execution of it is more challenging. Not only do I need to either find a massive, beautiful armoire, OR make one, but I need to build it out to be at least 4′ deep, and I think it would stick so far out that it would look dumb.

Our First Renders…

My team is having so much fun using Spoak, so we created some elevations here to show you. Now it’s rough, but it hopefully demonstrates what I’m talking about enough to visualize it and either agree with me or not. Depending on the size of the fixtures we go with (toilet, urinal, sink), we might not be able to bump the structure out from the side wall like this, but I like how it looks with some breathing room if the spacing works out. The sink would likely be vintage (and possibly wall hung), and the water heater location is still TBD (and would have to be small), but we wanted to account for it (it’d likely be hidden within a faux cabinet).

When I was in the space, I mocked up the depth of the outhouse to be a lot more, but now I’m realizing it could be a lot less deep (toilets are about 30″ and front clearance needs to be 15″). But you have to account for framing, so I think we are at least at 60″ from the wall. There are a lot of things to troubleshoot (and build), and this whole idea might not work. But picture this – you are over in our yard at a big outdoor party, and you are told the bathroom is through “that door over there”. Then, when you walk in, you see this quirky room that says “restroom” or “toilet room” on impossibly cute stained glass doors. Then you open them and inside is your own private toilet and urinal (might need to figure out a privacy situation for the stained glass doors, lol…). Maybe it’s a tiled wall inside (or the OG paneling). Maybe a little sconce, too. How cute does that sound???

And Where Does One Shower?

Ok, we’ve got our toilet/urinal and sink covered, so where should the shower go? And what does it look like? Now this might not be a heavily used shower (at least not for many years), so again we can be more creative with it. I had two ideas bouncing around…

The “Floating” Circular Shower Pan

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How fun is this?? I found this as I was researching how to do a shower without having to do all the hot mop shower pan waterproofing stuff (I was trying to avoid hiring out for that). What’s the least amount of “work” to get a shower without using a plastic insert (which I totally considered BTW and might be worth a blog post). So I found these images on Pinterest, which show exposed plumbing with shower curtains all the way around (no tile, no waterproofing walls) and what seems to be just a marble round shower pan on the floor (there are also cast iron claw foot versions). Now, would this possibly pass US bathroom code or inspections? I have no idea, but I’d bet not? But that didn’t stop me from spending no less than 5 hours planning out the bathroom with this in mind. Ultimately, I decided that future-proofing the bathroom by putting in a tub would be smart, which would shift this floating circular shower into the corner, in which case having it be round made less and less sense (I did find some corner quarter-round showers that were really fun, but started to feel a little too complicated).

Corner Shower With Chest Height Pony Wall

Ok then, I pivoted to doing a square or rectangular shower in the corner, but making it look more analog with a chest-height pony wall for privacy (and because I like the idea of a higher wall). And then above the wall, a super cute hanging curtain (almost like a cafe curtain, but that goes from the ceiling to the top of the pony wall), which gives me an opportunity to add a fun pattern/print and texture/softness. Fabric and tile are two of my favorite design elements, so I want to add them in as much as possible. I also love the idea of a column or some sort of decorative (and seemingly load-bearing) post or newel to add some architectural grounding (and for the paneling to butt into).

Here’s the birdseye view, which is not necessarily accurate yet but gives you a better idea of where everything is going to go. We might make the shower a rectangle, and we might do a floor-mounted faucet for the tub, etc (and pretend the sink inside the outhouse is a urinal). But I think it’s super helpful to see where we are headed.

Here’s where we left off. Since then, the framed floor has been started so that we can attach pipes to it for plumbing. But a lot left to consider:

1. Flooring – If all the walls and ceiling are wood paneling, then a tiled floor sure would be nice, but at 12×16, that’s a big floor, and tile is substantially more expensive to install than wood flooring. And we are planning on painting a pattern on the wood floor of the living/kitchen, so I don’t want to do the same in here, or it will be a circus house. We also might need to do under-floor heating in here, as we aren’t putting a Quilt mini split in this room. More to come.
2. Walls – So my goal is to find reclaimed wood that matches the tone of the wall that has beautiful existing paneling on it already (the wall where the outhouse would be). So far, I haven’t found it. It doesn’t need to be exact, and I don’t even mind if the width or profile is slightly different – it can look a bit hodgepodge, but I want the tone of the wood to be similar.
3. Windows – I think we are getting rid of the one on the far wall since it looks out to a fence and is frosted. I think we are going to put skylights in here anyway. We’ll keep the big picture window.
4. Framing – We have to frame the floor to be higher, so I’ll need to troubleshoot raising the door and creating some sort of step-up on the outside.

It’s pretty exciting, and now that my head is fully back on straight (dude, that holiday break killed me this year), I’m extremely excited to keep moving. Just need to get the plumber to respond to me 🙂

*Photos by Kailtin Green

First, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who read and commented on last week’s post about our primary bathroom! Your kind words really meant so much. I’m not a regular writer on the blog, as you know, so it’s still a little nerve-wracking for me to put myself and our home out there—but hearing from you sure makes it fun!

Today, I’m excited to share our daughters’ bathroom! When you last heard from me back in July, I gave a little peek at the space pre-demo, but here’s a quick refresher.

Honestly, compared to the primary bathroom, the girls’ wasn’t quite as bad. I mean, both were pretty bad, but the condition of the tile in this one wasn’t quite as tragic—and it’s a slightly larger space overall. Unlike the primary, where we had to take down a wall, this one was more straightforward: rip out the old, bring in the new, and make it feel fresh again.

Here was our moodboard for the space…

If you remember, designing this bathroom felt way more challenging to me than working on our primary. I think there are a few reasons for that. First, when we have guests over, this is the bathroom they’re more likely to see. Some of our friends didn’t even realize we had a bathroom off our bedroom until our reveal last week! (Ha!)

We also have a half bath off the kitchen that we quickly updated during our big main floor remodel—we carried the hardwood floors in, painted it white, added an inexpensive vanity, and called it good. It’s teeny-tiny, but it definitely has potential. I’m kind of hoping to give it a little refresh in the New Year—maybe some fun wallpaper? Stay tuned.

Anyway, since more people are likely to see the girls’ bathroom than the primary, designing it carried a little extra pressure. I wanted it to feel fun and playful for them now, but as I mentioned in my previous post, also a space that won’t feel too “little girl” as they get older. If I’m being honest, I’m not totally sure I’ve nailed that balance—but for now, it’s pretty cute 🙂

The Tile Saga

The morning our tile installers arrived, my husband and I both had a brief moment of panic. I was about to head out for a shoot when he came rushing in, asking, “Are you completely sure you want to do the patterned tile in the girls’ bathroom and not just a solid?” Truthfully, I’d been second-guessing it myself—should we go checkered, vertical stripe, horizontal stripe? I had just shared our bathroom plans here on the blog a couple of weeks earlier, and all the feedback about the tile pattern had me questioning things. Should we just play it safe and go with a solid?

When my husband admitted he wasn’t sure if he was sold on the checkered layout either, I started to worry we’d be making a mistake. We ran out to the garage to count how much of the yellow tile we had, and realized we were just a couple of boxes short of being able to pivot and go all solid yellow. Thankfully, we didn’t have enough to change course—because in the end, the pattern completely transformed the space (as you can see in these process shots, we went with checkered). It brings such a playful vibe to the space, and now I can’t imagine it any other way. My husband and I are both so happy with the result.

Alright, here’s where things got a little tricky for me. It might have been because I’ve never designed a bathroom before and wasn’t totally clear in my communication with our subcontractors—or maybe because I have a hard time speaking up in situations like this—but when I got home from work the day the tile install began, something around the niches immediately felt off. I loved how the tile itself was looking, so I tried to convince myself it would all come together once the grout was in. (I know, I know—I should’ve said something right then.) But once they finished grouting, it was clear the niche situation wasn’t improving.

Maybe this sounds dramatic, but I was so bummed. We loved the tile, the color, everything—except that one detail. It felt like I’d completely failed the project (renovation emotions are so, so real). In my mind, it was done, set in grout, and we’d just have to live with it. I texted Emily a flood of photos over the weekend while she patiently talked me off the ledge (I’m fully aware this is a very privileged problem), and she simply said, “Why don’t you just call your tile guy and see if he can fix it?” It honestly hadn’t even occurred to me that it was an option. Again, I sometimes have a hard time speaking up in these types of situations. But sure enough, he came back the next day, fixed it, and was so kind about the whole thing. 

Alright, that’s all for reno drama. I think it’s time for the final reveal…

Vanity | Faucet | Mirror | Light Fixture | Planter (unavailable) | Soap Dish (unavailable) | Tray | Cup (unavailable) | Pink Tile | Yellow Tile | Shower Set

Paneling Color | Bird Art | Vase Art | Toilet Paper Holder | Toilet | White Tray | Bath Mat | Floor Tile

We’re so grateful to AllModern for gifting us so many beautiful fixtures for this space. We love how simple and playful this vanity is. The sides are doors, and the middle section is drawers, giving us plenty of storage for all the knick-knacks, jewelry, headbands, and hair ties that my 8- and 5-year-old girls collect.

Vanity | Faucet | Mirror | Light Fixture | Planter (unavailable) | Soap Dish (unavailable) | Tray | Cup (unavailable) | Wall Hook

You may notice a small change from our original mood board—I swapped out the large pill-shaped medicine cabinet for this smaller mirror. I wasn’t sure the original shape would work with the other elements in the bathroom. Maybe down the line I’ll be bummed on not having a medicine cabinet in here, but for now, this mirror feels just right.

Light Fixture

I found this cute little light fixture on Etsy. Again, on a dimmer, of course  🙂 

For the floor, we went with a sweet 2×2 tile in Ivory Gloss, and on the shower walls, we mixed 4×4 tiles in Tumbleweed and Haystack. Just like in the primary bathroom, we stuck with Alabaster grout throughout, which brightens the whole space and makes the pattern pop. Honestly, now comes the real test—keeping it clean. I’m already doing daily wipe-downs, but truly, it’s worth it for how fresh and happy this bathroom feels.

Pink Tile | Yellow Tile | Shower Set

As I mentioned before, I’d planned to stay away from anything too pink—but clearly, that kind of went out the window. Once we started looking at paint colors, we decided to just lean in. We tested a bunch of shades, from pale blushes to darker pinks, but Pinky Beige by Sherwin-Williams ended up being the perfect in-between. It’s warm and cozy without feeling heavy, and just different enough from the floor so it doesn’t feel too matchy-matchy.

And just like in the primary bathroom, we decided to panel the walls here too. It adds so much warmth and texture—honestly, it gives the space way more character than plain painted drywall ever could.

Towels | Towel Rack

This bathroom had zero natural light and felt very sad, especially pre-remodel. But the moment that the Velux skylight went in, it was a total game-changer. Instantly, the space felt brighter and so much happier. Who knew a little window in the ceiling could make such a big difference? Thank you again, Velux!

Skylight

And that’s a wrap! I said it last week, but thank you, Em, for this opportunity—for your trust, your partnerships, and for letting me share a little glimpse of my little design journey without totally messing it up. And of course, a huge thanks again to Afore, AllModern, and Fireclay for making this space feel so special!

*Design and Photos by Kaitlin Green

And we’re back! It’s been a little over three months since we ripped out our small, builder-grade primary bathroom and our daughter’s bathrooms for a much-needed update. I’m so happy to finally share that the bathrooms are complete! 

Last time you heard from me, we had just demo’d, and I shared our rough design plans for both spaces. Something I failed to mention in my previous post–I’m an interior design school dropout. I was so close to going to Savannah College of Art and Design. Loved the city, loved the school, but as a small-town girl from Oregon, it was much too far from home for me. I settled on Oregon State University. However, by my second term and starting the Kitchen and Bathroom Planning course, I hated it. Seriously–way too many numbers for me! AutoCAD–woof! After barely making my way through that, I got into the photography department, and the rest is history. It’s quite comical and full circle that I now photograph interiors after an 11-year run as a wedding photographer. All of this to say, I mostly just enjoy design–being a designer is not a goal of mine. But, it sure was fun to play one in my own home for a couple of months! (I still hate numbers. Thank you, Emily & Gretchen, for all your mathing during this process, especially with the tile order!)

Back to it.. As a refresher, here is where we started.

The bathroom was boring, dark, bland, and just so, so sad. 

Medicine Cabinet | Vanity | Tile | Checkered Towels | Striped Towels

And here is the mood board we created for the space. 

I photographed The Carly back in the spring and had the pleasure of joining the EHD team on their retreat there. I’m so inspired by all the design choices that Max Humphrey and Curtis, the owner, made throughout the property—especially in the bathrooms. Each one had its own personality with paneling and pretty tile.

While our home’s style (and budget!) is definitely different from The Carly, it was fun to pull a bit of that inspiration into our own bathroom with paneling and a bolder tile choice. Also, ever since we paneled our basement, I’m pretty hooked on the look—I now want to either panel or wallpaper every room in the house. It just adds so much warmth and texture compared to painted drywall.

For our basement, we used Metrie’s individual planks, but this time around, since space was tight and every inch mattered, we went with panel sheets instead. It was a pretty affordable way to get the look we wanted. All in, we were able to panel both our bathroom and the girls’ for about $750 in materials.

The Demo 

As I mentioned in my last post, we didn’t have the budget—or the space, honestly—to expand the overall footprint of the bathroom. But we were able to enlarge the shower area, which felt like a huge win. There were a lot of exciting moments throughout the remodel, but seeing that header come down and the wall open up was easily one of my favorites. The shower is now nearly twice the size, and it completely transforms how open and spacious the whole room feels.

Tile & Grout 

Once the demo and rough plumbing were complete and paneling was up, it was time for tile. Fireclay was so incredibly kind to gift us the most beautiful blue square tile. It’s exactly what I’d been searching for. We went with 2×2 tile on the floor and 4×4 tile on the shower walls. I was leaning toward a warm, neutral gray grout that would complement the paint color we’d chosen, but after bringing the grout deck over to the River House one afternoon and getting Emily and Gretchen’s input, we ended up choosing Alabaster. I had a lot of creative freedom on this project, but I’m so grateful for Em’s perspective on this one—once the white grout went in, the tiles totally popped in a way I hadn’t expected. Yes, it’s white grout, and yes, as a bit of a clean freak, I’m nervous about keeping it pristine. But honestly, that doesn’t outweigh how much I love the look. I’ll just have to be diligent about scrubbing the grout and never wearing shoes in the bathroom, like, ever.

Ok, ok, enough chatter. I think it’s time for the final reveal!

The Reveal!

Wall Color | Tile | Shower Fixtures | Shower Doors | Striped Towel | Toliet | Vanity | Baskets | White Towels

Art (vintage) | Frames | Planter | Shower Fixtures

Tile | Bath Mat | Baskets | White Towels

The Medicine Cabinet & Vanity

I absolutely love this vanity. I was very impressed right when it arrived, and we opened it up—the quality is incredible and honestly feels custom. I don’t usually gravitate toward black countertops, but when I saw this one on AllModern, I knew it would be perfect for our space. The veining adds just the right amount of personality and gives it that luxe, designer feel. I hadn’t been specifically looking for a double-sink vanity—especially since our space is small and I didn’t want to lose valuable counter space—but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how roomy it still feels, and how much I enjoy having our own little zones.

Faucet | Striped Hand Towel | Toothbrush Holder (unavailable)

One of the few things I actually liked about our bathroom before the renovation was the medicine cabinet storage—I knew I didn’t want to lose that. When we found this cabinet, it felt like the perfect match for the new vanity. They’re not from the same line at AllModern, but the white oak finish is an identical match, which makes them look completely cohesive.

Vanity Light | Medicine Cabinet | Vanity | Faucets

Technically, the cabinet is designed to be wall-mounted, but because of our layout and the overhead lighting we chose, our contractor recessed it slightly into the wall. I love the subtle black trim around the edge and the little wooden shelf below.

The Skylight

Skylight

As you know, Em is a big skylight girly—and so are we. We already have a large one in our kitchen and another at the top of our stairs, and we’re so grateful the previous owners installed them. When we started the remodel, skylights weren’t at the top of the list, but we were definitely hoping to add them to the bathrooms, knowing they’d make a huge impact—especially in the girls’ bathroom, which we’ll be revealing next week. The installation ended up being a bit out of order because of installer availability—summer in Oregon is a busy time for skylights, as you can imagine. By the time they went in, the bathrooms were nearly complete. Since we didn’t want to make any major structural changes, we opted for a smaller skylight over the vanity area. Even with just a small skylight and our existing window, the difference was dramatic. Huge thanks to Velux!

The Light Fixture

Vanity Light

If you remember from my moodboard, I originally planned to put two lights flanking the medicine cabinet. However, once all the final measurements were done (again, I’m not really a numbers person—oops!), it became clear that side-mounted lights just weren’t going to fit. So, we opted for a fixture above the mirror, and I couldn’t be happier with both the look and the light it produces. On that note, I’m a big believer that every single light switch should be on a dimmer—even in bathrooms. So yes, this one is dimmable, and I absolutely love it. Especially during these dark winter-like mornings when waking up feels so difficult.

Worth noting because I know it was a hot topic in the River House Game Room comments last week, I did Photoshop out the outlets behind our vanity. I promise, I have zero intentions of trying to deceive anyone! We didn’t really put much thought into ordering pretty outlets until it was too late. The plates we had installed are pretty darn big and white and don’t really go with the overall vibe of the space. Something we didn’t realize until things were finishing up— again, it’s my first time designing a bathroom, so some misses were definitely made. Lastly, in photos, they were in the way of some of the vanity styling that pulled your eye a bit too much. Ideally, we would have put an outlet on the wall to the right of the sinks, but due to the new pocket door placement, it wasn’t possible. All of this to say, sorry if it’s a bummer to not see them, they just weren’t very pretty!

Bath Mat

Here’s the view from our bedroom looking into the bathroom. We definitely wanted the bathroom to feel cohesive with the Kelly Ventura wallpaper we chose for our bedroom.

Here are some pretty exciting before and afters:

And that’s a wrap on our no longer builder-grade primary bathroom! A huge thank-you to AllModern for the beautiful bathroom fixtures that truly brought everything together. And a big thank-you to Emily as well—for your guidance, and for letting me take the reins on this one. And thank you for all the hard work to Ken (Em’s brother), Nick, and Ben at Afore! 

Come on back next week for a fun little reveal of my daughter’s bathroom!

*Design and Photos by Kaitlin Green

Well, I guess this is where I formally introduce myself to you, EHD readers! You’ve seen many photos I’ve taken, you’ve seen my basement, bedroom and living room makeovers that our girl, Emily, has so graciously helped us design, and you may have seen small bits of my face in some of the photos/videos from team retreats—I’m more of a behind-the-camera-gal than in front of it. While I’m not an official EHD employee, it’s been so fun to be a part of this team.

Back in 2021, my family and I made the big move from the Eastside of Portland to the Westside for more space/more yard/slower lifestyle, etc. All the same reasons a lot of young parents move to the ‘burbs. Around that same time, a mutual friend of both Emily and I, Max Humphrey, introduced the two of us. The Hendersons’ rental house (while the farmhouse was being renovated) was in my neighborhood. Because we lived so close, Max thought Emily and I should be friends 🙂 While she’s no longer up the street from me, she’s just a short 7-minute door-to-door drive away. It’s been a pretty great little partnership/friendship these past few years. 

Emily has given a little bit of a rundown of our home in previous reveals, but as a refresher, our home was built in 1962, and we are the second owners. The previous owners made a few (somewhat questionable) updates, likely in the 90s/early 2000s. But we still did a pretty large and necessary remodel when we moved in. We pretty much painted everything white to start, and slowly, with the help of Emily, have been adding in more color and character.

The Bathrooms

Though we made some pretty major changes early on, money and patience ran dry, and we were okay, or more like had to be okay, putting bathrooms on the back burner, knowing very well that someday they would need some serious love.

The Primary

Here’s what the primary bathroom looked like on the day we bought the house. And truly, before our contractors demo’d it a couple of weeks ago, it still looked pretty much exactly like this 4 years later! I had zero desire to do an “in the meantime” quick makeover. I didn’t want to replace hardware, paint the cabinets, hang a new towel bar–I didn’t want to waste a single dollar on bettering this space. (I’m the boring penny-pincher in my family, can you tell?) Honestly, aside from being small, it’s fine. Does the off-center light fixture, shower tile grout that never actually comes clean, and peeling linoleum flooring drive us insane? Of course. But our previous 1905 Eastside home had one small bathroom downstairs and off the kitchen, so an “en suite”, small as it is, felt and still feels very luxurious. I knew that once we saved up, our “someday” remodel would come eventually, so investing any time into this space felt unnecessary. 

Here are a few more photos before demo really started:

The Kids’

On the other side of our bathroom wall is my daughters’ bathroom–equally hideous and luxurious. I say luxurious, again, because I shared a very small bathroom with my parents and brother growing up, so what a treat it is for my daughters to have their own. This space has also not been touched in 4 years. Between bath times when my girls were little, playing nail salon, and doing the mad morning-dash to get off to school, I’ve actually spent a lot more time in this bathroom than my own. The urge to do a few of those small updates in this bathroom came… and then, eventually, dissipated. In the end, the linoleum is still the linoleum, and the off-center lighting will still be off-center. The time and resources for the small updates just didn’t make sense to me.

If it’s not super obvious from these photos, these bathrooms are tiny. Because it’s not financially an option to expand the overall footprint, the best we can do is make them more functional and more pretty. In comes Miss Henderson 🙂 

AllModern reached out to Emily about a partnership a few months ago, and we all felt like this could be the perfect opportunity to finally do some updating. They have a great selection of bathroom items, from vanities to lighting to plumbing–a bit of a one-stop shop. 

To be very honest with you, bathrooms stump me, design-wise. Everything feels (and is!) SO permanent. I had a hard time really knowing what I even wanted for our primary bathroom. I pulled images of so many amazing pieces from AllModern’s site, but couldn’t get a cohesive design going that felt like us. But then, late one night during a doom scroll, I saw my friend and incredible prop stylist/designer here in Portland, Karie Higgins, posted a photo of a beautiful bathroom with a BAINA towel in it. This led me to BAINA’s website, where I fell in love with the color scheme of one of their stack of towels, and the rest is history. 

Once I’d decided on colors I liked, everything else started to fall into place. I found this gorgeous white oak vanity and paired it with this medicine cabinet. 

I was also pretty sold on both the floors and the shower being blue square tile. I immediately pulled out all the samples I’d gathered when we redid our fireplace and ordered a bunch more. We eventually landed on this pretty light blue tile that Fireclay generously gifted. We’ll be using 2×2 squares on the floor and 4×4 squares in the shower. 

Here’s the moodboard I sent to Emily a couple of months ago. Honestly, I was just hoping she wouldn’t hate it—because by that point, I was completely sold on the whole thing. Good news: she loved it too.

Medicine Cabinet | Vanity | Tile | Checkered Towels | Striped Towels

Moving on to the kids’ bath… 

Making decisions for their bathroom felt a bit easier than for ours. We knew we didn’t want to go too “little girl” in here. My daughters are almost 5 and 8, so it would be pretty easy to get carried away and design for their ages now. We still wanted it to be fun, but hopefully, a bathroom they’ll enjoy when they’re in their teens, as well. 

We found this pretty vanity and paired it with a big built-in mirror/medicine cabinet. 
Fireclay was kind enough to gift us tile for both the primary bath and for our girls’ bathroom. We’re going with this gorgeous 2×2 creamy-colored square tile for the floor and will be doing a 4×4 pattern for the bathtub walls in this fun, warm yellow and pale pink. While the tile was ordered with the intention of doing a checkered pattern, we know I love checkered, I am wondering if a stripe would be pretty instead?

Medicine Cabinet | Vanity | Wall Tile (yellow and pink) | Floor Tile

Medicine Cabinet | Vanity | Wall Tile (yellow and pink) | Floor Tile

And, that’s where we stand today! Demo began a few weeks ago, and the crew (thanks, Afore!) is plugging along. Tile should be starting in the next week or so. Excited to share the finished product with you all in the coming weeks 🙂

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: Kaitlin’s 70s Inspired, Colorful And Cool Living Room Revealed (Y’all, I’m So Jealous)

Well, well, well…I do believe this is the last bathroom of my brother’s river house, and likely the one that gets seen the most by guests. I have an order of favorites, for sure, but this one seems to be the reigning #1 (I’m partial to the primary myself, but perhaps that’s because I’m middle-aged and love an at-home spa experience – I mean, they have a sauna inside the bathroom). This one has a punch and a pattern, and a lot of green (go Ducks!). Green tiled bathrooms for the win.

We chose the tile back when Max and I were both working on this project, and that man also loves a big green tile moment. I mean who doesn’t love a good green tiled bathroom. We worked with Ann Sacks, which has extremely good colors and really solid tile. Max felt really strongly about this tile and wanted it staggered as a 4″ square. I wanted it stacked as a rectangle, and somewhere along the line, it ended up staggered as a rectangle. I honestly don’t remember who is responsible for what anymore! But it turned out so great, and it’s pretty beloved in the home.

A Big Pivot…

I do remember that at one point, Ken and Max chose this big double faucet-ed wall-hung farm sink from Kohler that I objectively love, but as the house came together, it started to feel like it didn’t belong here. Katie felt the same. So with conflicting design visions, we looked for other options.

We had to make decisions quickly as the subs were working hard on all the bathrooms at the same time. So we played around with what we had on hand, which was a leftover wall-hung drawer vanity (seen above) that felt oddly big. But that’s when Gretchen has the idea of using our leftover tile to tile a smaller version of that wall-hung vanity.

So JP and his crews built a box for an inset sink, with the vision to tile overtop of it, keeping the look of the wall tile and running the same way. We taped it out, making sure that it worked with the plumbing that was already behind the tiled wall, while also ensuring that it was the right scale for this bathroom. It was a risk, and a last-minute one on the bathroom that the most people would see and near the end of a long project…

Tile (color: herbes) | Wallpaper | Faucet | Stone Ledge | Pendants | Mirror | Vase (similar) | Soap Dish | Wood Arch Objects

We ordered the faucet from Kohler, and I was so relieved that it turned out pretty darn great. Still unexpected in the house, but now that it’s fully decorated, the pattern of the wallpaper and the colorful tile work so well together. The pendants were bought from Schoolhouse Electric – modern yet traditional and on the affordable side.

On Choosing The Wallpaper

This bathroom is big for a powder bath and dark (no natural light), and just painting felt a bit dead, so once again I was tasked with finding a wallpaper that was organic and fluid so that it contrasted against the linear brick tile, but not too traditional like most florals. As you know, I’m a massive fan of the Raphael pattern for this exact reason – it has this beautiful movement without it being too busy or bold. The large scale of it works so well with smaller tiles, and the white grout pulled so well with the white background. It also felt very Oregon to me – what with the trees and such. Yes, we see it a lot these days, but I enjoy seeing it every single time.

Switchplate | Hand Towel | Hand Towel Holder | Woven Basket (similar) | Waffle Towel

The variation in the tile color is so pretty (with many shaky edges – so make sure you are up for that look). It’s just such a deep, rich green with a lot of high gloss texture.

Toilet

Can’t forget the toilet 🙂 There was enough room for a little side table, which I was on the fence about, but the gap was big, so we added it, and it looked cute.

Art

I went to my inventory of art and found that I had two more of these MaryAnn Puls pieces (I had bought and framed a bunch for my team holiday present years ago, and had a couple left over). They felt like a sweet moment in here and brought in that hit of warmth with the wood that was echoed with the stool and the wooden arch sculptures (which I bought on Amazon, last minute, LOL).

Stool (similar) | Flooring

She’s pretty dang cute and a fun punch for guests upon arrival. Actually, my whole family is coming over tonight to Ken’s for a BBQ to get a full updated tour now that it’s all decorated, which I’m super excited about. Last bathroom done!!! Don’t worry, we still have like 6 more rooms to reveal (I love them all SOOO MUCH), so stay tuned. The river house project is truly never-ending 🙂

*Architect: Anne Usher
**General Contractor: JP Macy of Sierra Custom Construction
***Interior Designers: Emily Henderson (me!) and Max Humphrey
****Styling: Emily Henderson (me!)
*****Photos by Kaitlin Green

Welcome to a quick reveal of my brother’s guest bath which is small, cute, blue and right next to that new pink bedroom that we are obsessed with. Max Humphrey and I designed this together – starting almost 3 years ago when I was still in Arrowhead! He has the same tile in his bathroom, which was the jumping-off point and we designed the rest of it it to be simple and contemporary.

The Tile

Wall Tile (Spa) | Floor Tile (Lantern)

We worked with Ann Sacks on the tile and chose their Context line for the walls in this really pretty denim blue color called Spa. The wall tile is 2×12 so you can see we did a vertical row and then a horizontal tile on top, essentially creating a type of stripe. It’s a nice way to lay out tile to have it not be busy but do something interesting (neither a stack nor a stagger, no offense to either of those :)). We wanted to do a sort of color drench in here so we used a darker blue penny tile in a color called Lantern on the floor – a real Max Humphrey move. As you can see there is a lot of color variation to the tile that you can’t really tell on a sample, so when it’s installed it has some dark spots making each piece look more organic (but good to know).

The Shower Plumbing

Shower Trim Kit | Transfer Valve | Handshower | Handshower Hose | Handshower Wall Mount

We went with the Purist line in the Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass with cross handles. The Purist remains my favorite line of theirs for both modern and transitional, but can absolutely go “modern traditional” as well. And per usual it comes in nine different finishes – all so pretty.

Niche Stone | Drain

Trim Stone | Wood Mat (similar)

Max chose the grout for the tile which was lighter on the walls and a bit darker grey on the floors. We talked about it after the grout was put in, and both of us would’ve done a darker blue grout on the floor, adding more of a contrast with the walls. We used white Caesarstone leftovers for all the trim and niche.

Wallpaper

We wanted to add some other design elements but didn’t want to make it too busy (and honestly at this point we were on a budget so we didn’t want to add a second tile. I felt that a paint color wouldn’t be impactful enough and didn’t necessarily want to add any wood paneling or anything like that. So once I found this wallpaper from Mitchell Black I loved how it picked up on the warmer tones of the brass and wood, but was still quiet and organic. We also didn’t know how we were going to design the guest room (and this bathroom is inside the guest room so they really needed to coordinate). So whatever we chose we didn’t want to lock us into a specific color palette just yet. This wallpaper is so neutral, soft, and pretty.

Vanity | Knobs and Pulls | Toilet Paper Holder | Faucet

This bathroom is pretty small, but this vanity has a lot of storage and works really well in here. We switched out the hardware to be black wood (stained, from Etsy) and I love that it looks like freestanding furniture. The sink and counter come with it making it easy for purchasing and install.

Light Fixture | Mirror (similar) | Vase | Hand Towel

I LOVE that light fixture, by Worley’s, which you can customize both the metal and the wood. I was greedy and wanted a multi-finish sconce so this black and wood double sconce was perfect here and married all of our finishes.

The mirror was a $50 Home Goods purchase, y’all. I know these are a bit trendy and I bought it on a whim, but once I held it up we all agreed it was pretty dang cute and the idea of continuing to shop for something “better” wasn’t necessary. I like the tone of the wood with the wallpaper and the shape of the mirror with the organic “flock of birds” like pattern.

For this bathroom we did a deck mount faucet, mostly to switch it up after a lot of wall mounts 🙂 Designing five bathrooms at the same time makes you want a bit of variety.

Old Wallpaper | New Wallpaper

But behind the scenes, we may have wallpapered a dark slightly gold-flecked navy blue paper at first…it was a big “hell no” which was a bummer, but thank god the install of it was also problematic so we were able to re-install the new paper for free. So much better 🙂

Art (unavailable) | Towel Bar | Towels (similar) | Shower Doors (custom) | Toilet

The flow between this bathroom and its bedroom is really pretty and while it’s small, it’s highly functional, so pretty, and does the job. Only one more bathroom left 🙂 Stay tuned!

*Architect: Anne Usher
**General Contractor: JP Macy of Sierra Custom Construction
***Interior Designers: Emily Henderson (me!) and Max Humphrey
****Styling: Emily Henderson (me!)
*****Photos by Kaitlin Green

Like the kids’ bath, this bathroom was “done enough” but I always knew that I wanted to add wallpaper to the water closet (i.e. the toilet room). But life had other priorities and I didn’t feel like rushing any more decisions. The room didn’t need it and I have to be careful because I like “stuff” so sometimes it’s better for me to keep the foundations of a house simple so I can style with my fun things without it getting crazy busy or overdesigned. But after two years of living in this bathroom (which I LOVE) I’ve decided that a pattern in this room wouldn’t add much visual clutter (whereas I’ve thought about doing a pattern on the curtains and I think that might be too much and take away from the sereneness of this room).

As a reminder, this is what it looks like (when it’s clean) and the floor is really the star – one tone but so much pretty texture and that blue tile is PERFECT. Shout out to Pratt + Larson 🙂

But the water closet was kinda boring, yet fine! It’s just a water closet! But it’s also a missed opportunity. And I figured that the wallpaper installer could do both the kids’ and this room on the same day, so I got motivated all of a sudden.

Left: Coppice (Blue) | Right: Coppice (Sage)

I narrowed it down to this pattern – another tree motif (no one is surprised here – nature motifs have long been my go-to). I love that this pattern has a lot of organic movement without a lot of negative space – i.e. it’s busy but not high contrast since the branches run into each other. I also love the warmth of the “wood” that I knew would work with all our hits of wood and gold in the bathroom.

Tile | Stone | Shower Set | Shower Head | Drain (no longer available) | Marble Tray (similar)

Honestly, I love the blue colorway more, but I was genuinely fearful that I would have too much blue in this bathroom, what with the floors and the shower room being all blue. I was afraid that you’d walk in and it would be overwhelmingly blue. If I’m being honest, I also think I was influenced by people saying “woah, you have a lot of blue in your house” and maybe not wanting to just take my “comfort color” easy route.

Which Wallpaper Did I Choose?

Wallpaper | Sconce | Art (vintage) | Toilet | Toliet Lever | Wooden Tray (similar) | Toliet Paper Holder | Switchplate Cover | Basket (not available)

The green! And when I first walked in I was like, “woah”. As in it felt like a LOT. Now that I’ve gotten used to it, I really like it, but admittedly it is a lot. I think if I could snap my fingers I’d add paneling, our horizontal beadboard up to wainscot height, like in our powder bath, but I’ve got other fish to fry so likely won’t get to that for years if ever.

The artwork helps tie in the green with the blue on the floor – I think the undertones are working fine, but maybe not as ideal as they could. All in all, I’m happy, it’s cute/fun, etc, but I didn’t have the same reaction as I have in the kids’ bath (which I think I perfectly nailed the wallpaper color and pattern).

When you look at it altogether – with the shower room and pulling the green from the big tree it works together and I’m pleased 🙂

I suppose the narrowness of the room makes it feel a little more overwhelming than I had predicted – like if it were wider and/or we had paneling 40″ up the wall I think it would be better. But I swear I’m not unhappy and have zero inclination to do anything about it, I just think it’s funny how you can be 100% sure about something that once installed is only an 80% love. And that’s ok because it’s just our toilet room (thank goodness).

*Photos by Kaitlin Green

Well, well, well. A year and a half after the “reveal”, I finally did the update that this bathroom always wanted – wallpaper, and it looks so good that even my kids noticed and went out of their way to tell me! There is nothing sweeter than your 11-year-old son saying “Mama, I love the wallpaper” before you even have time to point it out. I always knew that this bathroom wanted wallpaper above the tile and trim, but I needed to shoot it and I hadn’t found the right paper. It was still pretty beforehand, but now it’s just so much better.

Before Wallpaper

Here’s how we shot it in August of 2023, it really remained the same for the most part. The art fell down off the tile (dumb Command strips) but otherwise, it was sweet and worked. So I kept my eye out for the perfect pattern and colorway…

Choosing The Right Paper

I fell in love with a few of these from Graham & Brown, ordered some samples, and was delighted that there were many that I loved.

Left: Ruskin (Green) | Middle: Folklore Tree (Blue) | Right: Folklore Tree (Sage)

While the middle blue one looks so powerful on camera (and I think maybe one on stories?), I went with the green colorway on the right that has hits of blue in it just so it felt a little more timeless and less saturated I guess? I think the intense color on top with the green tile might have been too much, whereas the green obviously spoke to the floor, more in harmony.

The Reveal

Folklore Tree (Sage)

I LOVE IT. The “wood” of the branches speaks to the warmer tones in the room (like the vanity and the gold fixtures) and the green and blue work so well with the green tile and blue accents (like the curtains and the vintage dog painting).

I love that the green vintage light fixture still pops off it nicely without getting too lost. And while I was open to changing out the curtains (I mean, it was just yardage that I iron hemmed and hung up) I think this looks so fun and cute. The colors are great together and the scale of the large gingham is offset so nicely with the organic movement of the wallpaper pattern.

The bathroom just feels so much more finished, like it was always meant to be this way.

The only thing/s that I’m still debating are: Do I add crown molding? My typical answer would be yes, but outside the tub niche, it would end up being just a little sliver. But you could skip the molding on that front part (maybe, unsure about that) and just do the perimeter of the room… I also might add cafe curtains IF I find the right pattern, but I’m not terribly motivated to persist on that one. Like sure, it could look cute but there is a lot happening already – we may have hit our whimsy quota.

It’s another box checked and only 3 years after we moved in which I don’t think is THAT bad. I actually am loving adding these layers in a slower (and less stressful way).

It’s just so happy and feels appropriate to the house (Scandinavian farmhouse vibes FTW). The organic nature of it contrasts well with the tile, too. With the green floor/wall tile border looking like grass and the wallpaper clearly being a forest, we have a fully executed theme in here 🙂 What do you think??

*Photos by Kaitlin Green