Date: August 18, 2016 | Story: Susan Darcey | Photography: Rett Peek | Styling: Chip Jones |
Designer Sean Shrum transforms a dark, outdated master bath into an organic retreat
A familiar street, a new house, and a master bath that was not everything this homeowner dreamed about. “It started out much darker. Before, there was lots of black trim, and black granite, and very heavily hand-painted, textured Italian wallpaper. It was much more glam than my client preferred,” says designer Sean Shrum of Sean Shrum Studio. The new homeowner, who is a huge animal lover and rescues animals, desired a simpler, yet refined space that was more fitting to her and her husband’s lifestyle.
With the help of Shrum, this master bathroom was transformed into a much lighter, and more natural area that gives the illusion of a small, secluded space in the woods instead of a bathroom. To create this illusion Shrum started with an intricate onyx slab in a pattern that blended with the color palate throughout the home, and then backlit the onyx around the tub with LED lighting to create a central focus point that can be viewed from all areas of the bathroom and bedroom, which are open to one another. “Rather than use a piece of art, we allowed the Onice multicolored onyx to be the art at this terminus,” Shrum says. The chandelier by Paul Ferrante was custom-made to look like a natural branch pattern and creates the aura of being outdoors. “The horizontal nature of the chandelier gives your eyes something to move to but doesn’t detract from the onyx,” Shrum notes.
The existing cabinetry by Gilmore’s Custom Cabinetry was refinished with new paint and then glazed to give it a softer, more organic feel. “It was much more slick and refined so we softened it and brought it back to an organic nature,” Shrum says.
In keeping with the neutral scheme throughout the bathroom and home, Shrum kept the vanity areas simple but dressed in natural element sources. For “his” vanity, Shrum accented the cabinets with Arteriors horn sconces, inspired by antique Russian hunting horns, to give it a more masculine feel. Since the master bath is open to the bedroom and connected by a walk-through dressing area, Shrum kept “her” vanity area more understated, yet stylish and feminine. “Anything that gets back to nature and natural elements is an underlying theme in their lives,” Shrum says of the homeowners.
Design Resources
Interior design Sean Shrum,
Sean Shrum Studio, Jonesboro, (870) 926-7326
Contractor Rick Foreman, Foreman Construction, Bono, AR
Cabinetry Gilmore’s Custom Kitchen, Jonesboro, (870) 932-7638, gilmoreskitchens.com
Lighting Sean Shrum, Sean Shrum Studio, Jonesboro, (870) 926-7326
Paint Sherwin-Williams, locations statewide, sherwin-williams.com
Painting Guerra’s Painting, Jonesboro (870) 810-1503
Tile Laws Abbey Flooring, Jonesboro, (870) 932-5297, jonesboro.abbeycarpet.com
Mirrors Union Glass Company, Jonesboro, (870) 932-6942, unionglassar.com
Rug Blu D’or Interiors, Jonesboro, (870) 336-1435, Memphis, (901) 207-4392, bludorinteriors.com
