A feature wall adds a stylish statement in bathrooms of every size. Here are three examples to show you how.
People often underestimate the esthetic impact walls can have on a space, and all too often they underutilize or completely ignore this valuable square footage. Do you want your walls to impact or detract? From a designer’s perspective, we love high-impact bathroom walls. These typically small spaces don’t leave much room for accessories, so a fabulous feature wall does just the trick.
How does one achieve walls that wow? Here are some tricks of the trade.
All Eyes On Me
Which wall should be the main focus of your bathroom? In most cases, the easy answer is the vanity wall. This is where the main function of the room takes place, so it becomes a natural focal point.
By maintaining a neutral penny-round floor tile for texture, the wall stands out with a stunning, slate-patterned, large-format vertical porcelain tile.
In this powder room, we placed the feature wall at the vanity area. By maintaining a neutral, penny-round floor tile for texture, the wall stands out with a stunning, slate-patterned, large-format vertical porcelain tile. We then pulled the darkest colour from the tile into the vanity to complement the tile itself. The remaining walls, floor and countertop are finished in a neutral white, allowing the focal area to really stand out.
Designer Tip: We are fans of polished tiles on walls for their reflective quality, easy maintenance, and larger formats that reduce the number of separations and grout lines for an uninterrupted sightline as your eye moves through the room.
Bathing Beauty
The bathing area is another common focal point in the bathroom, so much so, that the room is named after it! Since the eye is immediately drawn to the bathtub and shower, it makes sense to make this a featured area.
Upon entering this master ensuite, you’re immediately greeted by the massive shower and freestanding tub; turn your head slightly, and glorious nature becomes your next focal point with a view of the mountains and ocean. So, our storyline became shower, tub, view, which formed the narrative.
The feature wall called for something earthy and bold, and in this case, cost-effective. We opted for large-format 24-by-48-inch porcelain tiles in a natural onyx pattern and colour, creating the appearance of natural stone slab walls. We carried the wall tile from shower to tub to window, creating a cohesive theme. This strategy also created the illusion of a larger space, with no definitive beginning or end to the shower and tub area.
Tile Talk
Tile is the most common material of choice for bathrooms, thanks to its practicality – it’s waterproof, easy to clean and durable. Tile also has awesome artistic merit. Think of your walls as a blank canvas, and a great place to introduce pattern, texture, colour and materials.
Porcelain tiles have evolved thanks to technology, and are now offered in colours and patterns evocative of natural stone. Marble, slate, you name it – these fabulous fakes make it tough to tell the difference from their authentic counterparts. And when it comes to price, these look-a-likes are the cost-effective option. Gone are the days of natural (also expensive and very heavy) marble and granite gracing our walls.
Thoughtful Details
You’ve likely heard the saying, “the devil is in the details,” and nowhere is this more true than in the world of interior design and decor.
In this bathroom, the tub and shower are the main focus. The eye is led effortlessly along the horizontal porcelain tile, which mimics the look of vein-cut marble. By gracing the walls and ceiling, the tile separates the bathing area from the rest of the space, while visually connecting the tub and shower.
The shower itself is a stunner, outfitted with “his and her” areas, which include double slide bar, hand-held showerheads and an overhead rainhead shower on each side. The tub area features an asymmetrical tub with a freestanding tub filler and hand-held spray for easy cleaning. Gold fixtures amp up the space’s general undertones of subtle luxury.
As you assess the bathroom you’re working in, step back and take it all in. What do you see? What are your bathroom’s best features? What would you like to highlight, or hide? It’s all possible with the right products and this sage advice – great bathrooms are designed with equal parts fashion and function. There is no compromise.
Sources:
BATHROOM FIXTURES & ACCESSORIES, Aquabrass PORCELAIN TILE in master bath, Stone Tile HERRINGBONE LAYOUT PORCELAIN FLOOR TILE, Tierra Sol THERMASOL STEAM SHOWER SYSTEM installed in shower TUB, Acritec UNDERMOUNT SINKS, Pearl Sinks CUSTOM MEDICINE CABINETS, Kalu Interiors
Award-winning designers, Phyllis Lui & Aleem Kassam, are the principal designers for Kalu Interiors. For more than a decade, this Vancouver-based design firm has become known for creating thoughtfully curated interiors that enhance and inspire how you live. The firm provides bespoke design services for clientele throughout Canada. kaluinteriors.com