Victorian styling can easily be- come fussy and over-accessorized, but this renovated master bath strikes an elegant tone. The owners wanted a serene spot that was stylistically consistent with their period farmhouse. Rehkamp Larson Architects delivered just that.
The design leaves the room’s existing walls, stained oak beams, and windows intact, focusing on natural light and classic finishes to lend a sense of tailored style. “We were careful to create a balance of things feeling open and closed,” says architect Jean Rehkamp Larson, noting that open towel shelving in the vanity is counterbalanced with leaded glass cabinet doors that hide clutter.
High contrast lights and darks are similarly juxtaposed for balance. Painted white cabinets, frosted glass, and Calcutta gold marble tiles (in the tub surround and floor) are offset by dark, oil-rubbed bronze plumbing fixtures, drawer pulls, cabinet feet, and wall sconces.
A custom shower enclosure burnished to match those bronze finishes serves as a fine focal point and unifying element. “We wanted something that felt kind of like a vintage phone booth,” says Larson. “We wanted to max out the size of the shower, so we didn’t want [solid] walls boxing it in.”
The expressive curves of the shower’s ornamental scrolls are repeated in smaller, more subtle features, such as the calligraphic brackets underneath the makeup and sink vanities—a motif that Larson says was inspired by the legs of beautiful old piano benches.
Entrant/Architect:Rehkamp Larson Architects, Minneapolis; Builder:Dovetail Renovations, Minneapolis; Interior designer: Style Minneapolis, Minneapolis
