The Inspiration Behind a Vintage-Inspired Farmhouse Bathroom

When we moved into the farmhouse two years ago the plan was to transform the kitchen into a vintage-inspired bathroom for our bedroom. We knew the process would be costly but a farmhouse of this size needs more than one bathroom. Creating a vintage-inspired ensuite bathroom from the old kitchen seemed the natural thing to do.

The Inspiration for our Vintage-Inspired Bathroom

Some time ago I saw a picture in Country Style Magazine of the most glorious rustic country bathroom (above). It had an old blue cabinet converted into a vanity. I knew right away this was the kind of look I wanted. A blend of modern and rustic to suit our farmhouse with hints of the blue I love. As always, I want to incorporate some form of pattern in the bathroom. My thought went instantly to the floor tiles. Tiles are a huge expense, however, and an item that’s not easily changed. Therefore, I want a tile that’s classic but with a modern vintage twist. It has to be a tile that look good in ten years but says ‘we live in a vintage style home’.

Sticking with Our Whole House Palette

Our vintage-inspired ensuite must stay within the bounds I’ve created of a whole house colour palette. That is cream walls, dark trims and the use of white and brass. My accent colour for this room would obviously be blue, so I began with a blue and grey tile. The rug I’ve recently added to our bedroom blends seamlessly with this patterned tile. The dark charcoal in the tile and the blue also pick up on the colours in the rest of our home. To offset the pattern of the tile, I planned to use a large subway tile with dark charcoal grout. I love the dark grout and it hides the grime often seen in lighter coloured grouting. I want to create an entire ‘suite’ from the bedroom through, with similar

My Spin on the Inspiration Photo

The key to picking an inspiration photo and making it work in your home is to NOT copy. I love the blue with the white subway tile but to keep with our whole house scheme, I plan to use brass and gold accents and an antique timber cabinet of some kind or a washstand. This will work with the other antique elements in our home and will save money. The labour costs will eat most of the budget. Our farmhouse does not have chandeliers either, so I’d like a simpler lighting source with possibly a statement light over the vanity mirror.

Doing What We Can and Reusing What We Own

The rest of our home has been renovated using qualified trades for the skills we don’t feel we could do with a professional finish. Our vintage-inspired bathroom will also be built by professionals. We’ll assist with waterproofing and sourcing materials, then complete the finishing touches such as painting, hanging art and curtain making. We’ll reuse items we already own like our gilt mirror and build the scheme around these items.

I’m yet to decide how to treat the windows. I would love to leave them bare but there are obvious privacy issues when anyone is on the verandah. Blinds will block light and I want a uniform look to the windows around the house. What would you put at the window?

I can’t wait to show you our completed bathroom