Editor’s note: I don’t often allow guest posts, but I wanted you to hear from Mercedes Austin, principal at Mercury Mosaics. We partnered up to create Boardwalk Bungalow’s gorgeous blue master bathroom and this type of partnership is exactly what I love about the community that social media brings together.   Today we’re looking back at the top 6 elements we considered when bringing these bathroom dreams to reality. Take it away, Mercedes!

1 / FIND THAT INSPIRATION

Thinking about the process of where to begin a project can be overwhelming, so it’s time to illuminate what it’s like to begin with a vision. A favorite recommendation is a mood board. They often go under the radar, but ultimately when it comes to sifting through endless products on your online shopping journey, it’s key to have a vision you’re moving toward. A mood board helps keep it in one place. 

Sometimes all it takes it falling in love with something to spark an entire project and that is just what happened for this master bath. The photo that started it all was this one:

Key elements for the Boardwalk Bungalow Master bath include: painted cabinetry, brass accents, smart storage, lighting that evokes visual comfort and jewel-like elements.

While searching online for tile, the vision for the master bath of Boardwalk Bungalow expanded to going bold with blue tile and skipping the white neutrals all together. The floor lent itself as a canvas as well. All visions to be neutral with tile were cast aside and color expression came to the forefront bringing to life this concept of the space being like a jewel box.

2 /  FLOORPLANS AND MOCKUPS ARE ESSENTIAL

First came the walls: we led with having the vanity be an opportunity to create a special moment. And it was all about selecting just the right blue:

Initially we were thinking of 1013 Denim for the wall behind the vanity. It’s a dreamy blue that has almost the feel of water colors – it can be highly saturated but  ultimately it ended up being a little dark for this space. With the goal to add several pops of color,  Sapphire Blue won in the end. 

23 Sapphire Blue in a 3”x8” Subway Tile

Next the floor needed some love and Hexagon was the shape of choice. Because of the slope of the floor in the shower, it was necessary to go with the regular size to allow for any cutting of the tile.

BRAINSTORM A FEW OPTIONS & HAVE SOME FUN

To arrive at a final design concept, first it’s necessary to look at a few options. It’s easier to review a few ideas and refine based on what you like & what you don’t like:

We ended up going with option 3; the grey accents were slightly toned down to make the floor be all about the blues and the white background tile ended up being more of an off-white.

And of course, one of the reasons this floor worked out so well visually was due to the selection of a zero entry shower floor (no curb). It allows for a seamless transition into the wet areas of the room.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS

One more detail to splurge on: a niche in the shower. At first we were just going to have the shampoos and all the essentials go on a ceramic stool, but going this far with all these luxurious amenities for our Master Bath, we went this extra step to have a truly functional space.

There are a zillion ways to add a shower niche, this was our starting point:

We ended up omitting the shelf in the middle to have a space, later, that if we choose we can add a floating glass shelf. Since this bath will be for guests in a rental, the concept is we won’t need much more than the essentials: shampoo & bath soap.(If you’re exploring what to do for a shower niche, this post will come in handy for research!)

The finishing element of the niche is the ¾” V Caps, a stunning architectural element to make it just a bit more thoughtful and considered.

Our end result is architectural bliss:

TL;DR

-1. Mood Board:

The journey to this stunning master bath all started with a goal of adding onto the bungalow and having inspiration which was capture in a cohesive mood board. Our plans were drawn up by an architect, which provided our canvas, and design was navigated by keeping the mood board at the forefront of all decisions.

-2. Floor Plan + Elevations

If you’re a DIYer, these can be created in conjunction with your cabinetry company, or a vendor which includes this in their service (like Mercury Mosaics!). If you prefer to hire a professional, these will be part of their service.

-3. The Devil’s in the Details

Brass hardware was the finishing touch on the bathroom overall; small details are what makes a room really shine.

-4. Bold colored Subway Tile

The entire space revolved around a bold, blue handcrafted subway tile on the vanity wall up to the ceiling and covering all shower walls and allowed for the rest of the room to stay airy and clean in Benjamin Moore’s Decorator White.

-5. Patterned Hexagon Floor Tile

Easy-to-install sheets of hexagon tile create a bold pattern on the floor and a major visual statement that really amps up the wow factor of the space.

-6. Shower Niche

Form and function: the shower niche was an added detail that provided architectural interest with a dose of style

Thanks so much, Mercedes!