The bedroom may be the most frequented room in a home—after all, it’s estimated that the average human spends nearly 280,000 hours in bed—but we’d be willing to bet the hours clocked in the bathroom are a close second. Considering, why not transform your loo into a space that you love? Whether you dream of upgrading an outdated en suite into a spa-like sanctuary or you just want to take your water closet from drab to fab, we gathered design ideas, advice, and inspiration from local designer Marianne Brown and her team at W Design Collective.   

Return to the Classics

While modern aesthetics have dominated mountain homes in recent years, traditional design is making a comeback. “I’m personally loving the more layered and traditional-mountain-style homes that are returning after years of the trending mountain-modern look,” says Brown. “I think there is a time and space for both styles, but more earthy and organic materials and tones feel much more peaceful for all spaces, especially a bathroom.” While modern bathrooms highlight clean lines and sleek finishes, more traditional ones might feature details such as claw-foot tubs, crown molding, wallpaper, and textured or decorative tiles. 

Lighten Up 

“When we think of mountain bathrooms, we generally think of a space with lots of wood and other natural materials,” says Brown. But all that wood doesn’t have to look dark and dense. For a recent Deer Valley remodel, Brown’s client wanted to lean into more of a subtle, Swedish mountain aesthetic rather than a heavy-handed Rocky Mountain vibe. “The colors in this home are more neutral and muted, balanced with the warmth from the wood floors, beams, and kitchen island,” she explains. In the primary bathroom, Brown and the W Design Collective team chose slate floor tile, stain-grade cabinets, and quartzite countertops. “We clad the walls and pitched the ceiling in painted tongue-and-groove to give it that Swedish feel.” 

Spend Wisely 

When selecting finishes for your bathroom, Brown recommends splurging on plumbing and lighting. “These are elements in the bathroom that can really elevate the room and make it feel special,” she explains. As for ways to save money, she says you can find inexpensive cabinet hardware that feels unique and high-end, and notes that there are a lot of great stone-like materials for flooring, including a great limestone lookalike from Traditions in Tile & Stone (traditionsintile.com).  

Choose Timeless Over Trendy

“Bathrooms are quite an undertaking, so it’s good to incorporate elements that are easy to update down the road as your taste evolves or styles change,” explains Brown. “Be careful with the hard finishes like tile and countertops, and make sure they are timeless as these are not as easy to update.” She says a good rule of thumb for recognizing timeless elements is anything that feels authentic to the architecture of the home and/or its surroundings. “For mountain homes, stone and wood finishes will always feel timeless and appropriate.”

Paint Wisely 

What’s one bathroom update that would make a major difference? “Paint! It may be the most obvious answer but for good reason: it has the biggest impact,” says Brown. Some of her go-to paint colors for bathrooms are creamy whites including Wimborne and School House by Farrow & Ball, and Natural Cream by Benjamin Moore. For color, she tends to go with blues and greens in bathrooms, such as Lamp Room Gray, De Nimes, and Light Blue by Farrow & Ball, and Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore. 

Welcome to W.D.C. Home

This summer, Brown is launching W.D.C. Home, a collection of bespoke wall coverings and light fixtures all carefully crafted and handmade in the US. She founded the brand with the intention of “creating enduring pieces to accompany timeless spaces.”