When jewellery designer Shereen de Rousseau and her husband, Wilf LeBlanc, bought their Vancouver home in 2003, it may have looked like a 1950s time warp, but behind the pink shag carpeting, pine-panelled walls and retro Formica laminate, the couple sensed a diamond in the rough. “It was one of those houses where you’d peek under things and find mahogany-inlaid hardwood flooring, lath-and-plaster walls and original baseboards from the 1920s,” she says. “We were like, ‘Wow this place is actually a gem!’"

Knowing it would require some work, the couple snapped up the house and immediately turned their attention to the master bathroom. “It had vinyl flooring, wooden slat walls and, my personal favourite, a toilet that was on a wooden platform that you had to step up onto – when you sat down, your feet would dangle!” she says with a laugh. “It wasn’t a bathroom I could live with for very long!” Wanting to create a serene, spa-like escape, Shereen stuck to an all-white palette and incorporated 1920s influences through detailed pedestal fixtures, polished nickel faucets and a classic combination of hexagonal and subway tiles.


Delicate details
Shereen kept all the fixtures in the room similar, choosing a polished nickel finish to imbue warmth and charm to the cool, white space.
Ocean blue accessories
Watery turquoise glass bottles match the other blue accessories throughout the space. The jewel-like colour really pops against all the white.
Elegant tub
“I love the look of cast iron tubs, but they’re so cold,” says homeowner Shereen de Rousseau. “This one is volcanic limestone, so I get the vintage look without the icy bath water.”
Antique hutch
A large antique hutch, given to the couple by a friend, hides away toiletries, towels and bathroom accessories and incorporates a touch of roughness to the clean lines of the room.
Framed photography
Rich pedestal detailing on the toilet and the bidet is a subtle but elegant touch
in the ensuite. Above, a framed black and white photograph reflects the room’s graphic style.
Get the look: Vintage charm

1 Bistro train rack, Restoration Hardware, from $169 USD.

2 Hemnes mirror in White, IKEA, $50.

3 Randolph Morris acrylic double-sided Claw Foot tub, Vintage Tub & Bath, $946 USD. British Telephone fixture set in Chrome, Vintage Tub & Bath, $468 USD.

4 Halfway Sconce in Polished Chrome, Rejuvenation, $285 USD.

5 Dune White CC-70 paint, Benjamin Moore, prices vary.

6 Memoirs pedestal sink, Kohler, $1,086.

7 Cameron buffet, Pottery Barn, $1,529.

8 Hexagonal tiles in Matte White, Ciot, $9 (per sq. ft).