I’m curious – do you prefer a small, cozy, and efficient bathroom, or one that is spacious enough for a dance party?

I am lucky to have 3 bathrooms in my house (1 full size bath and 2 half-baths). When my water mysteriously (or because of the Polar Vortex) stopped working in my big bathroom and powder room last week, I felt really fortunate to have a third bathroom in working order. My powder room is a sweet little space that I love. I put thought into every element of the small space and the result makes me proud. My second half-bath is a mess of pink rosy wallpaper that I’m too scared to touch at the moment. My third bath – The Big Bath – is big. And grey.  It used to be grey and shiny on account of the 80s wallpaper and the smoky grey mirror. What a mess. If I win the lottery, I’ll certainly rip the bathroom out and start from scratch, but in the meantime, I have to make do. Here’s what the room used to look like:

Since moving in, I tore the wallpaper to shreds (did I really have a choice?), patched the heck out of the walls, primed & painted (Chantilly Lace, of course), removed all the heavy mirrors, took down/replaced the lighting fixtures, painted the wood trim on the vanity, removed old towel bars (I think there were about 6 mismatched bars around the room), and installed new towel bars (this set). The vanity and toilet are white/cream, the floor is grey/cream, and the rest of the space (including the massive jacuzzi tub) is grey. A new white counter top, sink, and faucet will be going in soon and the combo is sure to brighten up the space. But there’s still a problem.

My bathroom echoes. And I don’t like it.

Does anyone else have this issue? Some friends have suggested I load up the space with towels, but how many “just for show” towels do I really need? Others have suggested that I put some furniture in the space. I had a bookcase in there at one point but it got moved during the painting process. I thought about putting in a chaise lounge or a desk just for laughs. Perhaps artwork and a gorgeous rug will help with the echo issue while prettying up the space at the same time. All this to say that, because of The Big Bath situation, today’s post is all about massive bathrooms.

The space in this big bath allows for a stand alone tub and gorgeous faucet. The extra-long vanity ensures that nobody is stepping on anyone else’s toes while in the process of teeth-brushing. I am pretty sure that the three towels on the heater do not reduce the echoes in this full marble bathroom.

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There’s a decent chance that the grey tufted bench in this marble bathroom might reduce the noise and the bathmat looks to be extra long at the entry way of the double-shower head shower.

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I could easily put a vintage hutch in my bathroom as in the photo below. I see that this one is filled with towels, blankets, and maybe even a pillow or two. The rug and various pieces of furniture really camouflage the fact that this space is actually a bathroom and not a living room. I hate that there are no mirrors over the sinks though.

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The mirror that used to be in the Big Bath reminds me of the one below. The view looks to be lovely. An upholstered chair and some flowers and tables at the end of this room might help the sound travel in this expansive room.

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Similar to some of the other bathrooms, the one below has included several pieces of furniture and art which fills up the space. The fireplace and TV are okay additions, I guess, but I would never put a TV in my bathroom.

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I think I’m more of a luxurious kitchen kind of person rather than a luxurious bathroom kind of person. Maybe I’ll change my mind after I make some more changes in the Big Bath. If you have any advice, I’d love to hear it.