The 1990s may not seem so long ago, but in terms of house decor it’s an eternity, as Tamsin Mascetti of Tamsin Design Group can attest. Tamsin encountered a walk back in time with the recent redesign of client Christine Shore’s master bath. The home had undergone a refresh to most rooms, but the bathroom remained 220 square feet of anachronistic dysfunction. The interior design equivalent of the plaid flannel shirt, distressed jeans and Birkenstocks.
Shore, a married mother of two, found the sea green walls and dated marble floors out of style, and the lack of natural light at the sink where she got ready each morning were never-ending sources of frustration.
“There was a linen cabinet that sort of put a wall between the natural light and the vanity,” Shore says. “The window was in the shower area. The whole space was dark and cold.”
Working with her client, Mascetti came up with solutions to solve the homeowner's design dilemas. Through a gut renovation, her new design would bring in more warmth, modernity and function.
Gone were the gold-tone fixtures and cold marble flooring. A heated, wood-look tile floor warms the room in every way, while silver and brushed metal fixtures bring the look into the 2010s. They are timeless materials that Mascetti says will age well with the times.
No more pre-turn-of-the-century green, either. “The color palette is very neutral with layers of different shades of whites to grays in many different textures to create interest,” says Mascetti. Stacked white marble tiles behind the new freestanding tub and white marble subway tiles behind the vanity — with similar larger tiles in the shower — perfectly complement the adjacent light-gray walls. A Jeffrey Court accent border in gray and white pulls everything together.
And the drafty shower window? It’s gone, replaced by a larger one next to the tub and closer to the vanity, where it is needed most. Can lights, bright glass pendants and an elegant, yet understated, chandelier from Wilson Lighting banish any remaining shadows.
“I love that it’s got this mountain-y look without going too far, too literal,” Shore says of the warm, rustic vibe. “I absolutely love this room — love it!”
Resources
Designer: Tamsin Design Group, 314-282-0035
Contractor: Las Aguilas Contracting, 314-821-2512
Lighting: Wilson Lighting, 314-222-6300
Cabinetry: Beck/Allen Cabinetry, 314-677-6713
