principal ensuite design CONCEPT
It was one year ago when we starting design work on the PEI Copper Barn Project. Its a new build barn on a family homestead and the upper level of it is being built-out to be used as a full-time residence with lots of space for family to visit for extended stays. Located near Summerside, its a short drive to beaches and other family members on the island.
The barn has a beautiful copper roof, and the basic floor plan for the second floor residence was completed and already framed in when I came on board last August - but beyond that the interior shell was a blank slate to work with. We even have the opportunity to tweek the layout a bit before detailing the kitchen and bathrooms and finalizing the millwork. The home is all one level with open concept living/dining/kitchen space plus 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a laundry room and a future games room and elevator.
Today I’m sharing a peek at the design concept for the Principal Ensuite, a bit of an unusual start to introduce the project but I’m excited about this room because we’re reusing some antique pieces in here from the original 19th century farmhouse (no longer standing on the land) and which the head of the family grew up in. In this room we were presented with the blank shell and tasked with selecting all the fixtures, finish materials and millwork.
The initial concept we created for the ensuite is shown above. While ordering the fixtures and finalizing the paint choices for the rest of the interior a couple of changes were made - the tub was changed to a pedestal style model (which was more readily available) and the panelling and trim colour was changed to a light blue/grey. Unfortunately the paint change was missed and so the first coat of the wainscotting was done in the preliminary colour choice but was quickly corrected before going further. Ultimately down the road we anticipate adding wallpaper above the wainscotting.
From the family’s inventory of antiques we chose a china cabinet for towel and toiletry storage and a 3 drawer dresser for a vanity as well as a mirror for above. We’ve paired all of this with traditional classic faucets. We opted for chrome because the one fixture that was already installed in the residence was in this room, a shower unit with chrome faucets. We’ve mixed the chrome with antique brass hardware and light fixtures.
All of the rough-ins were completed and closed up before we came on board, so we worked with all the existing plumbing rough-in locations. This 4pc ensuite has a single sink vanity, freestanding tub, walk-in shower and toilet.
Ensuite In-progress showing the tub change and the not yet updated paint colour..
I have to say I love the wainscotting in the initial colour too, as much as the final colour choice, shown below…..
Enusuite in progress showing the wainscoting in the updated colour and one of the mirror options.
There’s been lots of progress since these photos were taken as construction is now wrapping up. I’ll be in PEI this week to see it in person and …to go through the rest of the antiques and vintage furniture in storage to sort out what can be used where, then send things off for refurbishing or recovering. Aside from reusing a lot of the family antiques I’ve also incorporated some architectural salvage pieces from the old homestead throughout the interior.
I’ll be sharing some sneak peeks from PEI on Insta so follow along there and stay tuned here for more posts about the project.
You can see some glimpses of the projects’ process in our Instagram story highlights.
