As with any room, the materials and finishes used in your bath have significant impact on the overarching feel of the space. This is particularly true in the bath or powder room of a mountain style home. And, while you are likely familiar with a number of materials and finishes, new interior fashions continually emerge. To follow is a look at log cabin bath finishes and materials, along with a few relevant trends. We hope you enjoy it.
Log and Timber Home Design Considerations
With all the new and exciting capabilities in design we have witnessed in the last 50 years, the possibilities for bathrooms have moved beyond their original function as simple utility spaces. Now there are options in how you can lay them out, what features go in them, and what finishes they will have. When combined, these options will provide a warm, inviting, and functional space in which you want to be. That is why it is important to work with your architect to design a space that is not only appealing, but functional for your lifestyle as well. Here are some design tips we have gathered to help you design the perfect bathroom.
Layout
When you and your architect begin to draw up your bathroom design, it is important to think about how you plan to use the space. Where will your windows be in relation to your bathing and toilet spaces? By not only thinking about how you want to move and flow within your bathroom, but how that space will live within your home and property, you will be able to create a more functional space.
Shower and Baths
Focusing on your daily rituals and what works best with your lifestyle, do you prefer a shower or a bathtub? Perhaps you want to include both in your bathroom design. Do you want your shower to be a walk-in with multiple shower heads? Or maybe you dream of a large, jetted bathtub with a window to enjoy your lakeside view? Knowing what you want in your bathroom is a big determinant in its overall size and layout.
Sink Design
In recent years, we have seen design trends begin to put more emphasis on sink space. In mountain-style homes specifically, even in powder rooms, sinks can provide a focal point for the space. While the design is important to assess, the number of sinks is a consideration as well. For many people, installing two sinks makes logical sense in their master bath, and sometimes secondary bathrooms as well.
Flooring
The flooring options for your bathroom are just as diverse as those for the rest of your home. Whether it is slate, or tile, or a laminate that you choose to incorporate, you will want to take into consideration how it ties into the rest of the space. When you speak with your architect, remember that flooring choice is not just about the look, but also how it feels under your feet. For many who live in areas with colder seasons, an investment in radiant floor heating is an option to consider.
Wood Accents
The natural and raw beauty of your mountain-style design is something that is reflected in your home’s exterior as well as the interior. Why stop that natural beauty at your bathroom? Allow the wood detailing in the rest of the home to flow into your bath space as well. You can achieve this by including a log wall or log beams overhead for a rustic look, or even some intricate timber framing around a window for a more subtle approach.
For more bath design inspiration, visit our photo gallery.
Log and Timber Frame Home Bathroom Finish Considerations
Bath Walls
Beyond paint lies a world of finishes for your log bath or powder room. Further, today’s bath walls often include more than one finish. Create an elegant touch by combining textured glass tiles with burnished timber, or hand-adzed log walls with rugged, natural stone. [i] In addition, Sculptural 3-D and dimensional wall tiles are popular this year as are patterned walls, especially linear and chevron patterns.
Materials you may like: tile, stone, glass, logs, timbers, paint
Finish Considerations: Texture is this year’s overarching interior wall trend. Consider including hand-hewn wood, matte tiles, honed paint, or fabric-like paint finishes.
Browse this home’s photo gallery here.
Read Log Home Bathroom Basics by Log Home Living writer, Mercedes Hayes.
Bath Fixtures
From polished chrome to oil-rubbed bronze, fixtures create the essential character of your bath. This year, antiqued hardware remains a favorite, especially antique by hand. And, as with bath walls, textured finishes are on point. Also moving on the fixtures trend chart? Side mounted faucets, especially in smaller baths with narrow sinks.
Materials you may like: nickel, brass, copper, bronze, titanium, chrome
Finish Considerations: wire brushed, antiqued, oil rubbed, matte
Bath Lighting
While brushed finishes for lighting remain a steady favorite, rising bath lighting finish options include everything from distressed to burnished. The former presents stunning lighting options when added to gold, silver, or brass.
Materials you may like: glass, silver, wood, aluminum, iron, graphite
Finish Considerations: burnished, weathered, satin, suede
Bath Floors
Whether you think of it as old-world, vintage, or rustic, the retro style is en vogue for bath floors. Also trending, tile floors, including stenciled, mosaic, and wood-look ones. In fact, flooring maven, Debbie Gartner, writes, “The biggest trend in tile flooring…is tile that looks like hardwood.” [ii]
Materials you may like: concrete, porcelain or ceramic tile, cork, engineered wood, limestone, bamboo
Finish Considerations: glazed, stamped or stained (concrete), distressed
Bath Cabinets
Wood cabinets are a favorite of PrecisionCraft clients because wood naturally complements their mountain style homes. And, bath cabinets made from wood easily combine with other materials creating sophisticated, one-of-a-kind spaces. For example, solid wood cabinets like oak or maple [iii] perfectly meld with marble cabinet accents or marble vanity tops. Trending this year are two modern styles: floating vanities and console sink vanities. Both styles can be seen on the Emily Henderson website, here and both blend a lovely assortment of materials and finishes.
Materials you may like: wood, (cherry, maple, oak, hickory), plywood, stainless steel
Finish Considerations: hand-glazed, pen-glazed, [iv] opaque, stain, paint (Note: stained and painted cabinets can also be glazed.), bead-blast matte (stainless steel)
Enjoy more photographs of this resort area residence.
Bath Countertops
2018 saw white, ebony, and gray-colored bath countertops surge straight to the top of interior palettes while materials like glass and concrete made major gains. Bath countertops this year add recycled glass and stainless steel to what was already an amazing and eclectic list of materials. And, while classics like marble and quartz show few signs of slowing down, exciting new design opportunities abound in new uses of materials. Concrete in particular seems to be top-of-mind for bath countertop trends. It can be pigmented, textured, or embedded with simple stones or intricate tiles.
Materials you may like: glass, marble, stainless steel, concrete, limestone
Finish Considerations: stained or textured (concrete), backpainted (glass), colored or patterned (stainless steel), tumbled or honed (marble)
Read more about countertops and countertop materials here.
MSI’s blog, On the Surface, provides a useful guide here.
Bath Sinks and Bathtubs
Sinks comprised of marble and quartz were big in 2018. This is a trend that shows little sign of stopping. Tiled and solid marble bathtubs are still big, especially in mountain style homes. An overarching increase in spa-like bath features cannot be overlooked. This includes concrete accents, wood- wrapped bathtubs, aromatherapy lighting, and personal waterfalls. Finally, vessel sinks, especially ones with unique shapes, and gemstone or other unusual materials (think: petrified wood) are also being incorporated.
Materials you may like: hemathoid or rose quartz, labradorite, marble, stainless steel, concrete
Finish Considerations: polished (quartz, marble, and labradorite), matte (stainless steel)
Read Julianne Hilmes Bartlett’s article, 8 Bathroom Trends That Will Be Huge in 2019 on the Better Homes & Gardens website here.
The Finish
With bold, new styles and re-discovered old favorites, your bath or powder room easily moves beyond mere function. It becomes a lovely personal statement and retreat.
Read: Bath Design: Blending Form & Function
Contemplating your log, timber, or hybrid luxury home? Contact us.
Works cited and notes
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[i] natural stone is porous; regular sealing is important
[ii] Debbie Gartner, The Flooring Girl, Top 7 Bathroom Flooring Trends for 2019 | Tile, June 19, 2018
[iii] solid wood cabinets should be properly sealed and painted for best performance
[iv] Read more about hand glazed, pen glazed, and other cabinet finishes at The Pro Wholesale website.
