Designer Meg McSherry Turns an Awkward, Cluttered Bathroom into a Luxurious Retreat
The Newton-based interior designer wows with a space enveloped in rich-hued tile, dark wood, and fine detailing.
Waterworks plumbing fixtures and sconces are both refined and detailed, adding a subtle panache to the space. / Photo by Joyelle West
This article is from the fall 2024 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.
When it came to the design of this primary bathroom, Meg McSherry heard the magic words from her client. “She said do something in here that no one has let you do before,” McSherry recalls. “It’s what every designer wants to hear.” The free rein McSherry was granted likely had to do with the confidence she’d gained with the homeowner over several years. “We’ve done their whole house, room by room, and we’ve had a really trusting relationship,” says McSherry, noting that this time around, the focus was on the primary bathroom, a tight, awkward space that was gutted and expanded.
While spaces in the home feature a lot of blue and white, McSherry wanted to do something different and bolder in here. Eschewing gray, she sought another neutral color and settled on a dark-green handmade Pratt + Larson tile for the walls. “Green isn’t always considered a neutral, but this shade is. It feels very sophisticated and calming,” McSherry says. A custom vanity and adjacent linen cabinet constructed of rich, dark wood have a furniture-like appeal. “They feel less clinical. You can look at them and see them as furniture in other parts of the house. We were going for a handsome Ralph Lauren look.”
Ann Sacks Calacatta Caldia marble tops the vanity, and the floor is made of Calacatta Daniele. Nickel hardware complements the warm wood, and refined, unexpected elements abound. Windows, for one, are trimmed in a pencil-edge tile that almost recedes into the wall. And, just above the floor, a few rows of white square-and-rectangle tiling breaks up the green subway tile, adding dimension and light. The crown molding is also white tile, which helps temper the green, ensuring the space doesn’t feel too dark. “These are subtle details without being super loud,” McSherry says. “It should be that it really takes time to digest all of the elements.”
Architect Chris Chu Architect
Builder Finelli Building
Cabinetmaker New England Custom Cabinetry
Interior Designer Meg McSherry Interiors
First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Fall 2024 issue, with the headline “The Green Light.”
