A dramatic light and dark contrast takes Interior Designer, Erin Hatzis' master bathroom's straight set tile from simple to stand out, topped off with gold-finished fixtures for a splash of luxe.
Tile shown: Loch Ness 3x9 and 1x4, Feldspar Gloss 2x6 // Design: Everyday Interior Design // Photos: Kelli Kroneberger Photography
We caught up with Erin to learn more about her space, what it was like designing her own master bath, and her top design tips. Keep reading for our full interview!
Meet Erin Hatzis
Tell us about your company, Everyday Interior Design!
Everyday Interior Design is a one woman business started by me, myself, and I. I spent many years of my life as a research scientist and after a move and three children, found myself no longer working in science. I began working for an interior surfaces showroom and from there got a few clients who wanted help with more aspects of their home outside of picking surfaces. So began the humble beginnings of Everyday Interior Design, located in Fort Collins, CO.
How did you hear about Fireclay Tile?
I heard about Fireclay Tile when I worked at the interior surfaces store. Fireclay Tile was the one company I found myself pulling samples from for most of my projects as I loved the array of colors and the ability of Fireclay Tiles to fit into so many different design aesthetics.
You recently designed and renovated your own personal master bath -- tell us more:
We got the house we live in by putting a note on the door asking the owners if they were interested in selling. Serendipity certainly was in play when they were interested in selling and were also a family of 5, like us. The house was built and functioned great for 5; I remember telling my husband- “there is nothing I would change in this house” when we moved in. Fast forward 6 years and we have touched almost EVERYTHING! But that is how it goes when you get into a space and live in it for a while. You find that things aren’t exactly as you want and you begin to change. The master bathroom was one of those spaces for us. It certainly functioned ok, and really the style of it wasn’t terrible (lots and lots of travertine!), but it was always a space that I knew we could make really amazing.
Master bathroom before:
Almost two years ago we bought a lot and were planning on building our dream home. After a year of planning I finally faced the feeling that was deep in my gut the whole time- I didn’t think we should build or move. We really did love our house and we had put so much into it already (and our neighborhood was amazing!). We had great friends and our kids could walk to elementary, middle, and high school. It was a lot to give up just to build a new house. So we decided that we would stay in our current house and make the changes we wanted to gain by building. The first space that was up for a change was the master bathroom!
Before:
After:
What type of look or aesthetic were you going for in your master bath?
I wanted the space to flow with the rest of the house which has a lot of natural materials, neutral colors, textures, and contrast. In fact our dining room is probably one of my most pinned/shared rooms on social media and that room is completely designed to have a major impact because of the contrast between the black walls and ceiling against the white wainscoting:
For our bathroom, I really wanted to use that contrast again and have the shower be a focal point with full glass from floor to ceiling and dark green Fireclay Loch Ness tile you can easily see as you enter the room. The light colored floors along with the Fireclay Feldspar Gloss tile on the vanity wall, were designed to contrast the dark shower. A bit of a Star Wars theme- light and dark side.
Erin's Design:
How did you decide on the colors in your master bath?
I have been dying to use Loch Ness in a project, and believe me, I pitched it to a lot of clients but it never was the chosen tile. It is a bold color, and many times clients want to keep things light instead of putting in a dark material. But dark colors can bring so much drama to a space and I knew that I wouldn’t regret having that color in my shower. I chose the classic subway shape for the shower wall tiles but did have it set in a straight set pattern to go a bit more modern. The Feldspar Gloss color was chosen as it was a nice white that had enough gray/cream undertones to match up well with the countertop.
How did the installation process go? Did you face any challenges?
The tile installation went off pretty much without a hitch. I did use a tile installer that was familiar with handmade tiles whom I knew could handle the “quirks” of handmade tile. The only challenge we faced was getting our order produced in 6 weeks because Fireclay is/was becoming so popular that at the time when we ordered they were experiencing some growing pains. I’m happy to say that my order only took 7-8 weeks, which was actually quicker than I was quoted.
How was designing for your own home? Any lessons learned?
Making choices for your own home is so much harder than making suggestions to clients for their homes! Its hard because I spend my days being exposed to so many beautiful rooms and designs that when it comes time to narrow down ideas for my own house I have a hard time. I just want to include all the pretty things!!!
What are your top 3 design tips?
1. Live in your space for at least 6 months before you make major changes.
2. Neutrals are colors too! Once I gave up on the idea that rooms had to have “a pop of color” and embraced that neutrals were colors, my design aesthetic became so much clearer.
3. Don’t design your house for future resale value. You’ll never be able to accurately predict what the buyer of your house will want so instead design for what you love!
What Fireclay product are you dying to use on your next project?
I am dying to use the new glass tile! I was really sad when Fireclay discontinued their original glass products so when glass returned I was already scheming about where I could use that tile next! Their colors of glass tile are so beautiful- muted but such an array of colors. I would love to see a shower completely done in one of their glass tiles.
Why do you love tile?
I love that tile is able to bring another texture to a room. When I’m designing a room I tend to lean towards neutral colors to keep rooms visually interesting and I like to bring in lots of different textures in a space. Tile is perfect for bringing in that texture, especially since it can be made of so many different natural materials.
Check out more of Erin's work on her website!
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