Our Austin Casa || The Master Bathroom Design

There has been lots of exciting progress over at the house and I'm so excited to finally be able to share this master bathroom design that had been evolving for the past few months. It's true that one of the downsides people always talk about  when it comes to building from scratch is the long, sometimes arduous timeline that it takes to go through the plan creating, permitting and building to get to your final product, but one of the great things that I feel like no one talks about is that the process gives you so much time to marinate on a space and the design.  You inevitably go on trips or stay in hotels or walk into well-designed restaurants that all end up being great resources and inspiration along the way.  As a whole, our house design and aesthetic is influenced by a decade spent in Southern California more than anything else.  When I think about how I want it to feel, I think about the mid-century houses in Palm Springs and that inimitable desert color palette.  I think about the indoor / outdoor flow of houses in the Hollywood Hills and the warmth of the bungalows of Silver Lake and Los Feliz.  (You can see our mood board for the whole house in this post.)  I love that the Master Bedroom and Bath are off a somewhat long hallway, nestled in the back of the house.  It feels like a space that we can make into a little retreat, so that no matter how crazy the work day or how over the top the toddler tantrums might have been, everything can melt away back there.  These are a few of the things that have been inspiring me along the way:

1.The South Congress Hotel here in Austin feels like the most perfect blend of mid-century style and modern design.  (You can see our shoot in one of the rooms here.)  The design was done by an LA-based firm, Studio Mai, and I've spent countless hours using their common areas as a work space, their Cafe for breakfast meetings and lunch breaks, and have even styled a lookbook shoot there in one of the suites.

2. I adore my friend Sarah's design style and have found so much inspiration in her Instagram feed.  She epitomizes laid-back, California style.

3. Pinterest, of course! Since we began this process, I've spent many an hour on the couch after P goes to sleep, pinning away into board after board. (This is our dream house board and this is the board of bathrooms that I've been collecting since last summer. Photo via Jason Frank Rothenberg.)

4. Palm Springs. We started renting a house here with friends almost seven years ago, right after we got married. In addition to that annual tradition, there were work trips that made my time here even more frequent. It's really just such a special place with so much mid century design inspiration. (You can see two of my posts on this magical place here and here.)

The Bath vs. No Bath Debate:

Up until just a couple of months ago, our master bathroom actually was designed without a bath.  We had one in this space and didn't use it as much as you might think.  Ultimately, though, I couldn't imagine anything more relaxing than a hot bath and a glass of wine after a long day, so the bathroom got a re-design and a tub was included. (This bubble massage tub, actually, which I could not be more excited about!)

One Big Rule You Might Have Noticed We Are Breaking:

We are mixing finishes.  We like how the brushed nickel of these Kohler pieces complemented the tile colors we had chosen and thought it worked so nicely with the walnut vanity.  It gives it a different feel than brass would and we are into it.  Meanwhile we like the darker pops that the oil rubbed bronze details of the light fixtures and mirror give the space, so that's what we're doing!

01. Sconces, Rejuvenation || 02. Wall Tile, Fireclay || 03. Floor Tile, Fireclay || 04. Sink Faucet, Kohler || 05. Mirror, Rejuvenation || 06. Cabinet, Kohler || 07. Purist Shower Faucet, Kohler || 08. Toilet, Kohler