Shaped to Perfection

Inspired by her worldly travels, designer Julie Baker thoughtfully remodels her personal bathroom.

Words by Savannah Rieke Newson | Photos by Josie Henderson

Life is not always like a sweet box of chocolates. Sometimes, you do know what you are going to get. This is especially true for designer Julie Baker. As the name of her design firm—Shaping Your Space—suggests, she knew precisely what kind of space she wanted in her bathroom and how to shape it into her vision of perfection.

Inspired by memories of dreamy vacations and five-star resorts, Julie visualized her and her husbandʼs future bathroom as the pinnacle of timeless luxury: a high-end, spa-like retreat. She planned to embellish it with lavish details, ultrafunctional upgrades and other lifestyle-enhancing features.

“The goal was adding in the things that felt like luxury to us,” Julie explains. “What things do we notice and love in a resort on vacation? Then I thought through what made sense for us and how we could add [them].”

The coupleʼs bathroom was ideal for a remodel; it included a skylight, an opaque window, and an already optimized layout that could accommodate their desired improvements. However, they still made several modifications—such as removing the large jetted tub—to prepare for their more extravagant upgrades.

Julieʼs dream list was inspired by: “steam showers in Banff, heated towel bars in Zermatt, a vanity with tons of natural light in Cabo, lighted magnifying mirrors in Paris, and a fireplace adjacent to a vanity in Colorado.”

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“This room is full of all the features we have collected through our travels over the years,” she says.

The designerʼs favorite addition is her makeup vanity, now located where the tub used to be. Glamorously customized and cleverly placed, the L-shaped alcove enjoys abundant natural lighting, built-in jewelry inserts, an LEDlit mirror, wood shelving, and—best of all—its own fireplace.

“The makeup vanity is a game changer in my daily routine,” Julie says. “I added outlets and USB ports into two drawers—one for hair dryers and such, and the other for my phone, iPad, etc.”

Other new upgrades include a tiled walk-in steam shower; a fancy Toto toilet with a heated seat and a closet designed by California Closets.

Finally, Julie employed modern eclectic and classically feminine styles for the decor and final selections to fuse everything together. She added natural stone, stained-wood vanities, wallpaper, gold finishes and other vintage furnishings to create a romantic, Great Gatsbyera feel.

Since its completion, the couple has enjoyed every blissful moment spent in their perfectly molded dream space. Though Julie finds it hard to leave her beautiful bathroom every morning, she is also happy knowing this sweet and sentimental piece of home is always there for her.

The cool blues and greens of the lacquered cabinet fronts add a modern take on the mid-century modern color palette. The doors and drawers are inset into the cabinets and have notched out panels instead of handles. The modern geometric shapes of the pendant light fixtures add interest without being kitschy. The kitchen backsplash is Heath Ceramics backsplash tile. It’s installed vertically to mirror the home’s geometric details. “They’ve been around since the ’40s. I wanted that handmade modern feel to the whole thing,” Bill says. The countertops throughout the kitchen are Absolute Black granite with a brushed finish from Carthage Stoneworks.