Lake House Lavatory

ORONO, MN

Completed 2023

Behind the Design

Design Notes

Before

Five feet by five feet, a lone pedestal sink, and the busiest crossroads in the house — off the mudroom, beside the kitchen, on the way out the door. A farmhouse powder room that had to serve two young girls now and their teenage years later.

The Idea

Treat the tiny room like jewelry. A vanity hand-drawn for a local furniture builder, inspired by a piece the family already loved, with cane wicker drawer panels and deep full-extension drawers for the everyday stash.

After

Handmade encaustic tile — from the city the client once called home — spreads like a painted canvas underfoot. Star pendants echo the tile’s geometry overhead, sconces with lucite tails dim from makeup-bright to nightlight, and the wall-mounted faucet buys back every inch of marble counter.

The Brief

—Flexibility for a busy family with two young girls
—A space that grows with them into their teens
—Quick stash spots for everyday items
—Still pretty and functional for guests

Materials & Craft

Handmade encaustic tile flooring
Custom cane-wicker vanity
Marble sink with curved backsplash
Champagne brass wall-mounted faucet
Wire-brushed floating shelves
Custom wallpaper

The hand-drawn vanity

Designed in-house and built by a local furniture maker — cane wicker panels, two deep full-extension drawers — furniture first, fixture second.

Tile with a hometown

Handmade encaustic tiles from the client’s former city replaced dark wood flooring — a black-and-white painted canvas the whole room plays from.

Light on dimmers, mood on demand

A geometric fixture over the mirror pulls the eye up; jewelry-like sconces with lucite tails and linen shades dim independently, from event-makeup bright to entertaining glow.

Counter space from thin air

Under-mounting the sink in marble and moving the faucet to the wall opened real landing space in a five-foot room — plus a wall niche and floating shelves for the rest.

The hard part

Twenty-five square feet, no storage, no counter — every solution had to do two jobs, from the seat-height fountain stone to drawers sized for toiletries to lighting that redraws the room’s size.