Katie Goodrich of Ivory & Bone Interiors set out on her most personal project yet: her own primary bath. “As a designer, I feel honored that my clients trust me to artistically cultivate a look that reflects their style,” she says. “Yet I must say, it was really liberating to revisit my own.”
And though she was designing for herself, this project ultimately serves her clients, as her ultimate goal was to encapsulate her passions. “I threw thoughts of trends or fears of resale out the window! I set out to create a design that, to put it simply, made, and continues to make me happy,” she shares.
Originally, the bathroom was clad in dated green tile, floral mirrors, and a bland shower curtain. “It was narrow and disjointed,” the designer recalls. “Two closets flanked the side of the room and two ‘sinks’ stood at either side of the window. Except one vanity did not have plumbing which always felt like a ‘gotcha’ moment.” And at the very end of the tunnel-like space, the shower and toilet were in a separate room.
“During the renovation, we removed both closets, widening the entire area which allowed us to completely disconnect and transform this separate room,” she tells us. “This room became a new guest bathroom that is now accessed by the bedroom on the other side of the wall. We then retrofitted two cabinets with dough bowl sinks and wall mounted aged brass faucets.”
No renovation comes without challenges, but the designer had solutions in spades. “My husband wanted a lot of room to walk into the bathroom, so he pushed both vanities down. This was against my better judgment because I’m obsessed with symmetry,” she admits. “However, in my career, after the initial frustration wears off, I find that with every problem comes an even better solution. We created rounded shelving in the corner and a wicker waste basket to even out the spacing! Here I can display my candles, succulents, and Q-tips, and I now have somewhere to put my dirty laundry!”
The space features a variety of textural materials and global themes that evoke a feeling of travel and exploration. “The walls are stucco, reminiscent of the Aztec indoor/outdoor way of life,” she explains. French limestone flooring pairs with a Moroccan-inspired arch and curbless shower—she did not want shower glass or a door, and ultimately raised the pitch of the room to direct the water to a single, linear drain along the back wall. (The height disparity is hidden with a slightly angled threshold.) For accessories, there’s a Caribbean cane luggage seat for an old-world touch, Italian bird sconces, and a palm chandelier. “Plus, a tongo stool from Africa for shaving my legs,” Katie laughs.
It was a quick two month project. “In the end, our entire family loves it–which can become a burden when we’re all trying to get to school and work on time,” she laughs. “It’s honestly my favorite design because it represents me, who I am, and what Ivory & Bone stands for: family, nature, and broadening our horizons.”
