Create a Cottage-Style Bathroom

Turn any bath into a cottage-style spa with a claw-foot tub, pedestal sink, and pretty light fixtures.

A pedestal-base soaking tub might have been strictly utilitarian at one time. Today it's the sweetest of cottage luxuries. Romance the look with hexagonal tile and beaded-board paneling, all in white.

A dresser and wicker baskets keep bathroom gear handy but out of sight. The worn finish on vintage pieces, including the dresser, grounds the cottage look and adds character. An old Dutch towel, once used in a laundry for wringing out excess water, now does duty as a bath mat.

To create a big, beautiful bathroom, the homeowners borrowed space from an adjacent bedroom. Wood walls, floors, and ceilings keep the room from feeling too sweet. Vintage hooked rugs blend with the blue-gray floor.

It might look like a log-walled bathroom, but this effect is achieved with wallpaper. A claw-foot tub shows its versatility, looking as comfortable here as it would in a more feminine bathroom.

A brand-new bathroom has an old-fashioned look thanks to beaded-board paneling. The tongue-and-groove boards stretch across the ceiling and up the walls. Windows on three sides brighten the tub area.

Side-by-side pedestal sinks offer double the style and double the function. Classic features, such as beaded-bard paneling and mirrored vanity cabinets, can transform any bathroom into one with cottage style.

Hardworking industrial pieces, such as this office swivel chair and 1920s medical cabinet, enhance a cottage bathroom. Antique liquid measuring jars from a French apothecary hold makeup brushes.

This bathroom's original blue tiles were in good shape and worth saving, so the homeowner added complementary pink-and-white wallpaper for fresh cottage look. The door panels on the back closet were replaced with fabric to bring the blue of the tiles to the upper part of the wall. A skirt made from an old linen sheet romances the sink. A wicker plant stand keeps folded towels handy.

Here are more ways to create a relaxing, cottage-style bathroom:

• Soften the windows. Privacy counts, of course, so dress your windows in layers, which might include shades or shutters.

• Add details that matter. Consider trim along the edge of towels, the perfect door and drawer knobs, or a decorative pull on a window shade.

• Provide a showcase for a collection. Vintage linens, hung in layers over a towel rack, play up cottage style.

• Tone down new mirrors. Frame mirrors in vintage plaster frames for a soft look. To create a worn look, rub metallic paint over the frame's surface, then rub off most of the paint with a soft rag.

• Choose vintage fixtures. Claw-foot tubs, pedestal sinks, and wood medicine cabinets add cottage charm to any bath. Look for new or antique versions.

• Pick a color scheme that soothes and relaxes. This is your getaway space, so keep the palette soft and muted.