Designing a vintage, seaside bathroom for your lake house

Summer may not be here yet, but it always seems to sneak up on us faster than we realize. So if you’re planning on doing some renovations to your lakehouse in time for the warmer months, now is the time to get started. Focus on one room at a time to make the process more organized and stress-free. It’s good to stick to a recurring theme so that your house appears coordinated and cohesive. And what better theme for a lake house than the sea? For a vintage, nautical bathroom, here are a few design ideas:

Clawfoot tub
Much like the ocean or a lake, clawfoot tubs give off a feeling of serenity, relaxation and tranquility. Their structure allows you to easily sit back and relax, listening to the waves crash onto the shore. You can choose from an acrylic or cast iron tub, both of which offer the benefit of retaining heat, so you can de-stress as long as you would like without having to refill your tub with warm water.

Create an accent wall
Bring in the colors of the beach through the use of an accent wall. Choose a soothing shade of blue, which will contrast beautifully with a stark white clawfoot tub sitting in front of it. You can also add removable decals featuring fish, seashells or coral to your walls to contribute to the seaside theme.

Another idea for an accent wall would be to use wallpaper with a seaside pattern on it, or tiles made up of a blend of blues and greens.

Choose unique flooring
Instead of tile or wood flooring, choose a material that reflects the sandy look of the beach. Install stone flooring made up of small, multi-colored pebbles to add texture and color to your bathroom. If you don’t want to use the material on the floor, you can consider it for a backsplash or an accent wall. Match the darker tones in your floor with antique bath fixtures for your shower and sink.

Decorate with beachy details
On open shelving, use old driftwood and shells you found at the beach to speak to a vintage, seaside theme. You can also store bathroom essentials like toiletries and towels on the shelves.

Seashells are an extremely versatile decor element. You can use them for DIY projects like creating a frame for pictures or your bathroom’s mirror. Another way to incorporate seashells would be to simply fill up a mason jar with them for a piece of simple beach decor.