A Victorian Cottage Spa

How appealing is this vintage Victorian cottage bathroom, all in green and white?

The wood floor, the beadboard, the patina—the space!—all give the room a spa-like feeling that leans toward Victorian flavor.

Susan Teare, Courtesy Countryman Press

My client Emily has a bathroom everyone falls in love with—a cornucopia of vintage finds and soft color. Many features were here when Emily and her husband bought the house, including the period tub and lighting. They added the antique Queen Anne-style door; surrounded by salvaged beadboard painted a watery blue-green in the hall, it allows light to stream into the bathroom. In my design work, I often use salvaged doors to brighten a dark hallway or a windowless bath; they’re also great for closets and pantries.

The stained glass came from the Round Top Antique Shows in Texas. The paint-decorated cottage dresser is an antique. The column is just decorative. An old door with great green patina provides separates the water closet but lets light into the small chamber. The wood floor, the beadboard, the patina—the space!—all give the room a spa-like feeling that leans toward Victorian flavor.

This salvaged door is glazed to admit light while offering privacy.

Susan Teare, Courtesy Countryman Press

1. GLASS AND GLAZING
The salvaged doors—one leading into the bathroom, another to the WC—are glazed, so they admit light while allowing some privacy. Attached to the prime windows, vintage art glass creates a screen to the street.

2. SALVAGE SUCCESS
This is a room made of salvage! The tub and pedestal sink, large stained-glass windows, beadboard (in the hall), and the column all were repurposed from other buildings.

3. VINTAGE EVERYTHING
What isn’t salvage is vintage or antique, including the late-19th-century, cottage-style, paint-decorated dresser for linens and toiletries; the decorative trays hung on the wall; and all of the lighting fixtures.

‘Morgan’ three-light chandelier from Revival Lighting.

4. THE PALETTE
It’s a large room with a lot going on, but remains serene due to the limited palette of old-fashioned greens and creamy white. The scheme is underpinned by a warm, red-tone wood floor.

The ‘Morgan’ three-light chandelier from Revival Lighting is an authentic reproduction of a vintage fixture, 12″ wide by 30″ long, sold in eight finish options. revivallighting.com

A reproduction baroque mirror from The Painted Cottage Studio.

The Painted Cottage is a studio offering one-of-a-kind furniture: vintage, new, or customized. Pieces are brush-painted with non-toxic, VOC-free paint, their selection or yours. This reproduction baroque mirror may be painted any color. ‘Romantic French Mirror’, thepaintedcottagestudio.com

‘Nellie’ dresser by Maine Cottage

Maine Cottage offers high-quality, American-made furniture with wonderful style flourishes and a wide range of colors. The ‘Nellie’ dresser, 40″ wide by 20″ deep, adds a frill to the apron of what’s essentially a Shaker design. Shown in Sprout, mainecottage.com

Chadsworth column in traditional wood.

Chadsworth makes columns in traditional woods as well as composites. The Doric architectural wood column is fluted and tapered. Custom sizing and wood species; get a quote online. shop.columns.com


Tags: bathroom cottage OHJ February 2019 victorian

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