Creating the Perfect Shiplap Style Bathroom
If you are a fan of the farmhouse interior design style, then there are several ways that you can interpret this theme around your home. The farmhouse style is a comfortable and warm look that makes use of natural materials, but how people do this can vary significantly. When renovating or replacing your bathroom, a great way to interpret the farmhouse style is to use shiplap. Here is how you can create the perfect shiplap bathroom in your home.
What is Shiplap?
Although most people are aware of farmhouse interior design styles, not everyone has heard of shiplap. Therefore, it is possible that your first query is what exactly shiplap is and how it is used. According to Sebring, shiplap is a type of cladding that was originally used on the exterior of homes. People began to recognize the beauty of this material and the potential it could have for interior design. The popularity of this material has increased partly due to it being used on property development and real estate shows on television. It is now used by people to clad all or part of the interior walls in their homes. Usually, the strips of wood each have a ridge running along it so that the pieces of cladding can interconnect.
Shiplap Walls
In a shiplap bathroom, the walls are the main feature for you to consider. While it may just seem a straightforward process of adding shiplap to the walls, this is a surprisingly versatile material that you can use in various ways. Elle Décor suggests that you spend some time thinking about how you want to apply the shiplap cladding to the walls. For example, do you want to lay it vertically or horizontally? If you have a small bathroom, then laying the shiplap horizontally can draw your eye along the room, thus creating the illusion of space. Similarly, if you have low bathroom ceilings, you can create the illusion of greater height by laying the cladding vertically.
Another consideration is whether you want to cover all the bathroom walls with shiplap from floor to ceiling, or whether you want to cover only parts of the walls. If you want to cover all the walls, this is something that you should ideally do before fitting your bathroom suite. If you decide that you want to only partially cover the walls, you need to think about how much and where you want the shiplap coverage. You could choose to have just one feature wall with the shiplap or opt to add shiplap to only the bottom half of the bathroom. A further option is to create an interesting feature using pieces of shiplap.
Color and Finish
The color and finish are your next consideration as there are various types of shiplap available and you then have the option to finish this type of cladding to suit your personal tastes. Usually, it is a lighter wood in its natural form. If you like this look, then you can simply wax or varnish the cladding to retain the color but add a water-resistant surface. On the other hand, you may wish to add another finish. You can stain the wood to get a darker finish, or you can paint over the surface of the shiplap in the color of your choice. This means that you can coordinate your walls with your chosen style and color scheme.
Flooring
Apartment Therapy highlights that walls are not the only place you can use shiplap. You can also use it on ceilings and floors. However, it is a bit much to use it on every wall as well as the floors and ceilings, so you should choose where you add this material carefully. If you are using shiplap for flooring, it is important to treat the shiplap properly, preferably by varnishing. This will prevent water from getting between and below the cladding and causing water damage.
Choosing Bathroom Furniture
The style of bathroom furniture you choose comes down to personal preference, and most styles will look good with shiplap. A freestanding bathroom is in-keeping with a rustic farmhouse feel but can also look sophisticated. If you have a freestanding bath, it will show off your shiplap walls or flooring at its best. If you opt for a fitted bath, you can replace the side panel of the bath with a fitted panel of shiplap cladding to follow on from your shiplap theme.
Accessorizing
Adding accessories to a bathroom is a way of personalizing the space and reflecting your personality. You can use almost any accessory with shiplap, depending on the overall look you are trying to achieve. However, shiplap is generally associated with either the farmhouse or rustic style. Therefore, you may wish to opt for accessories that work with these themes. Some examples include a wooden-framed mirror, floral prints, and potted plants, as these accessories work well with these interior design styles. Another interior design style with which shiplap works well is the nautical theme. This is because the nautical theme is often linked to stripes and the cladding has a similar appearance to the exterior of old wooden ships or the floors of piers and boardwalks. If this is the style you aim to emulate in your bathroom, then you should choose some nautical-themed accessories to complete the look.
Shiplap Bathrooms – The Final Verdict
Shiplap is becoming an increasingly popular material to use for interiors, despite its origins as a material used on the exterior of properties. It is predominantly used for cladding walls, but you can also use it on floors and ceilings. There are options in terms of how much you use, where you use it, and the finish you choose for the shiplap. This material works well with rustic, farmhouse, and nautical interior design themes. How you accessorize and personalize your bathroom will depend on which of these interior design styles you choose.
