A spa bathtub surrounded by antique french bathroom decor.

A Refined Bathing Indulgence

Before entering this stunning personal oasis, you get a glimpse of the elegant bathroom decor and what awaits you.

An antique French buffet, now used as a dresser, sits just outside the entrance. The piece is topped with old steel urns and flanked with blue painted metal antique Italian sconces. A collection of assorted antique Guerlain perfume bottles sits atop the dresser, as well as on vintage silver jewelry trays on a vanity in the bathroom.

Left of the bathtub is a large walk-in shower, and a walk-in closet is to the right. But the expansive bathing tub, flanked with shelves on either end, is the main event.

Bathroom Remodel

An antique boiserie with a raised violin is a striking focal point on the wall above and perfect bathroom decor addition.

Several sketches of nudes celebrating the beautiful forms of women are on the shelves. Bathing salts and oils are within easy access on the ample Carrera marble surround, designed precisely for that purpose; as the homeowner says, she loves indulging in her beauty rituals with all the lovely scents and bathing products.

Beneath the boiserie is a print that holds a special place in the homeowner’s heart. In her previous visits to southern France, she often frequented the Café de la Poste. At one of her visits, she asked the café owner for an extra placemat. Now the placemat of her favorite place is framed and sitting on the side of her bath, where she can enjoy it daily as she soaks and reminisces.

Stepping into this eminently feminine room is a treat for all the senses.

Shimmering hexagonal tiles in shades of white to grey reflect the beautiful hues of the Carrera marble used as counters on the vanities and the tub surround. Three separate vanities are on one side of the room, the center vanity flanked with shining white cabinets.
The owner had custom-made gold-framed mirrors created to place above the two side vanities. The beautiful details make them appear as though they, too, are antiques. The three mirrors provide a full-surround view.

Once belonging to her mother, antique candlestick holders sit on the center vanity. The stool beneath is covered with linen fabric that echos the “Sky” color of the textured Twiggy wallpaper by Schumacher. The design of flowering branches silhouetted against a solid background was created in the 1970s but brought out from the company’s archives to reintroduce recently. Natural linen fabric was also used to make the pinch pleat café-style drapes and the seat for the additional chair.

One of the homeowner’s prized collections is her vintage ivory celluloid French Art Deco vanity set.

Although the word “ivory” is often used to describe these items, they were, in fact, an early plastic replacement for real ivory, and it also describes their color. These vintage boudoir accessories—originally part of a well-to-do woman’s dressing set from the mid-1800s through the 1930s—harken back to more genteel times when women used vanities to ready themselves for the day—or dinner.—By Kathy Heaton, photography by Patrick Wherritt