Hall Bath: Color Inspiration and Materials

sorry for the lack of/late posting! busy busy here at casa R! so, the bathroom...

the main goal in this bathroom is to create something i love and at the same time something that would appeal to others as well. we have absolutely no plans to sell our house but i always keep resale in the back of my mind. the first color scheme that popped in my head when i thought about redoing the bathroom was crisp white and mint green. very clean and very fresh. but i was struggling with what other colors to add to the mix and what all of the finishes would look like.

then new color inspiration came when i saw this bathroom in the HB feb 2011 issue designed by ken fulk. i posted about this bath before and i wish i could find a better pic than my scanned version but nonetheless...

and the palette of white, tan, and lavender was born! now clearly my little bathroom will not have the luxe finishes that this one does or the grandeur of a stand alone tub. but it gave me a really clear vision for what i wanted to do.

we recently placed orders for the cabinetry, tile, tub, and faucets so i thought i'd pull together a board of the materials.

here's a run down of the items that are going in the new bathroom and why i chose them (clockwise from top left - warning - this is gonna be long!):

1. shaker style cabinet door - i tend to go for simple door styles because they're classic and will go with so many styles and finishes.
2. glossy white subway tile - this particular tile has the appearance of being handmade because the surface is not perfectly flat (which you can't tell in this pic) BUT, and it's a big but, this tile is machine made which means saving $$.
3. kohler memoirs tub - this tub has some nice detail to it. i didn't want just a plain white run-of-the-mill tub. those are everywhere. plus the toilet that is already in the bathroom is also part of the kohler memoirs line so it flows. oh and the drain will be chrome, not brass like above!
4. restoration hardware chatham sconce - i love me anything bath-related from restoration hardware and the quality is fantastic. they run an annual bath event where everything is 25% off so i took advantage. the toilet paper holder and towel bar will also be from the chatham collection.
5. white travertine tile - this is going to be our floor laid in a herringbone pattern. the little square at the top right of the picture is the counter which i'll get to in #8. travertine is not cheap but i happened to luck out that the tile company i work with is moving locations and was willing to get their last batch of 3x6 travertine out the door at half price. so it made the cost nearly the same as going with a porcelain or ceramic tile. these tiles will get sealed and will darken slightly to a sandy color.
6. landsend lilac towels - these towels have to be the best deal out there and currently monogramming is free!
7. rohl verona faucet - like the cabinets, i'm keeping the faucets clean and simple in this bathroom. and they're arched enough to comfortably get your hands underneath.
8. cambria coswell cream counter - can i just say how much i love cambria. it's a natural quartz material that needs no maintenance. granite and marble need to be sealed every 6 mos - 1 year and this needs only soap and water for life. we have it in black in our downstairs bathroom and you wouldn't know it's not granite.

outstanding items - i'm still trying to decide whether to do some sort of wainscoting. not beadboard but something painted out white with a chair rail. secondly i still need to figure out knobs. i'm leaning towards some kind of vintage cut glass but haven't found just the right ones yet.

one tip i learned from previous bathroom renovations is that polished chrome is the cheapest finish available. personally, i prefer polished nickel which has a much warmer feel when side by side with chrome. but here's the thing - you're not going to ever see them side by side and chrome achieves the same overall look so it's possibly not worth going with nickel if you have to purchase a lot of things in that finish. 

another tip i've heard - pick all of your porcelain (tub, sink, toilet) from the same company to ensure that the whites all match. but actually i'm not sure i believe it completely because we have a toto toilet and kolher sink in our master bath and if there's a difference in color, you'd have to be superman to tell.

and if you read through all of this then you really are superman. or superwoman. wonder woman? :) have a great weekend!