Photography: Ema Peter / Styling: Debbie Frederickson
Whether you live in the country or just love the style of a farmhouse bathroom, you can’t go wrong with a rustic touch in an ensuite, powder room or main bathroom. You don’t need to go all out (although you can and it looks so gorgeous if you do), but even a few rustic bathroom elements can help make a neutral space feel so much warmer, more inviting and full of character.
So, what features might you find in a rustic farmhouse bathroom? Well, it’s all about the freestanding bath, with extra points if it’s clawfoot. Brass shower rails, wall lamps and taps are a go-to for country bathroom designs. Or pretty much any hardware that feels a little bit vintage will work.
Go for wooden accessories, with raw stools topping the list for country style bathroom ideas. Other rustic bathroom ideas include baskets, floor tiles that suit a country bathroom and wall textures like VJ panelling.
For some visual inspiration, check out these country-style bathrooms.
1. Timeless country bathroom with clawfoot tub
Homeowners Kimberly and David approached interior designer Kelly Deck to be part of the process of creating a Vancouver home for them and their three children, Ronan, 10, Greta, seven, and Hugh, five – plus their dog Leonard.
“They wanted to create a traditional interior that was both relaxed and stately,” says Kelly. “With their busy and recreational lifestyle, it was important to them that the house was impressive without being pretentious or precious.”
One of Kimberly’s favourite times of the day is when the morning sunlight hits the bathroom’s drapery. “I coveted the gauzy drapes encircling the tub,” she says. “They provide privacy and soften the natural light.” An artwork by Diana Brambila adds even more character. Get the look with curtains from Wynstan and an Early Settler ‘Alto’ clawfoot bath.
2. Rustic farmhouse bathroom with a freestanding bathtub
Set on 100 acres of regenerated farmland in the Greater Blue Mountains, the incredible restoration of Edwina Bartholomew and husband Neil’s Warramba homestead was completed with the help of Felicity Slattery of design practice Studio Esteta. “The bones of it were so good, we didn’t have to do anything to the structure,” says Edwina.
While Felicity did a lot of the plans for the interior fit-out and suggested lighting solutions and where to place artworks for added drama, Edwina chose all of the furnishings for the interiors herself, honing what she calls a modern country aesthetic.
3. Country style bathroom mirror and tapware
After homeowners Lynne and Glenn’s two children had long since left home, they asked architects Regan VanderWert-Walsh and Paul Lucas of Cradle Design to help renovate their bungalow on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. “The house needed a major update,” says Lynne. “It was tired and, with its split levels and additions, the flow was poor.”
While the bathroom very much fits the serene Hamptons aesthetic the couple were going for, it also includes country bathroom touches like ‘Hardie Groove’ VJ lining boards and joinery in Dulux Sea Breeze Half. A ‘Zeta’ mirror from Café Lighting & Living sits above Faucet Strommen ‘Cascade’ tapware from Bathroom Collective.
4. Refined country bathroom design with gold details
Orchard Cottage in the Blue Mountains, 80 minutes from Sydney, was given a delightful update after it was bought in 2014. The trickiest part of the renovation, says homeowner Carol, was working with the quirks of an aging home. “Not only did it require special care, especially dealing with old structures and building materials, but it was important for us to give it new life while still respecting the character of the original building,” says the talented homeowner.
Like every room in the house, the bathroom is elegant but still has a homely, country feel. Carrara marble mosaics and Osso subway tiles, both from Di Lorenzo Tiles, form a fresh setting for the Elwick bathtub by Victoria + Albert and gold fittings by The English Tapware Company. The steel-framed shower screen by Cordony Constructions and the marble-topped black vanity from Vanity By Design add bold contrast.
5. Character-filled cottage bathroom with rustic floor tiles
Remote and off-grid, The Stone House is located on a 12 hectare property in the NSW Southern Tablelands. It has been sympathetically restored to serve as a comfortable weekender that visitors will likely never want to leave.
The rustic bathroom mixes original farmhouse features with modern updates. Amanda’s dad made the shutters and the walls were given a fresh coat of Dulux Strong White. Door knobs from This Old House Studio elevate the black cabinetry. “The chair was a restoration project that I did with my mum – she had a matching one,” says homeowner Amanda.
6. Farmhouse bathroom with wooden floors
At ‘Jardim’, a sun-soaked property in Noordhoek in Cape Town, South Africa, visitors encounter a sprawling self-sufficient food garden, horse paddocks and stables and a yoga studio built using reclaimed doors and windows from their home renovation.
The ensuite is a clean-lined, minimalist zone that, in keeping with the rest of this welcoming home, brims with natural light and greenery (try Temple & Webster for a similar basket).
7. Country bathroom ideas: wooden mirror
Monique – the founder and director of homewares company Malawi Cane and wholesaler Coastal Drift – and her husband transformed their home from a rundown house into a luxurious four-bedroom, three-bathroom home.
It has a Mediterranean feel but brings in rustic country elements like a wood-rimmed mirror and brass hardware in the bathroom. “We jackhammered three layers of tiles away from the floor in here,” recalls Monique, who designed the stunning concrete vanity, which has Brodware tapware in Weathered Brass Organic and a Nero Stone sink accessorised with Coastal Drift’s ‘Tiffin’ basket, against a Beaumont Tiles splashback. A pendant by Home With Grace completes the beautiful space.
8. Colourful take on country bathroom designs
A diamond in the rough in need of some extra attention – that’s how interior stylist Sarah Parry-Okeden describes her delightful four-bedroom beach cottage that dates from the 1960s. “Sometimes the older properties hold the most inspiration!” she says.
It may be on the coast but it’s full of country bathroom ideas, such as VJ panelling on the wall behind the freestanding tub, rustic ‘Alto’ gold tapware from Early Settler and nature-filled wallpaper. “I chose Superfresco Easy ‘Adilah’ wallpaper, a whimsical waterproof design stocked by Bunnings,” says Sarah.
9. Elegant country bathroom ideas
It comes as no surprise this home’s interiors were created with an artist’s eye. “Many of the skills I have as an artist are transferable to interiors,” says homeowner Laura, an interior designer who also project managed the renovation of the five-bedroom home she shares with husband Damian; sons Ralph, 20, Sam, 18, and Eddie, 15; and bordoodles Frankie and Bentley.
Overall, the home has a Hamptons feel, as seen in the boys’ shower room which has a classic Shaker-style vanity by Mark Howard. But this could also make for an elegant country bathroom, thanks to elements such as the overhead brass lighting and wooden elements which soften the look.
