Tricia Rose: My house was built in 1939 as a duck-hunting cabin right on the edge of San Rafael Bay‚ positioned out over the water. It’s what you could kindly call unpretentious‚ and I’ve kept it very simple. In the bathroom‚ I really wanted to capture the spirit of the place. I didn’t want to suddenly have acres of expensive marble in something that started out little better than a shack.

I wanted wood‚ in particular‚ and began thinking about carpentry and ships. I have a full complement of saws and made the cupboards and tub skirt myself‚ using Molger stools from IKEA‚ which were still being made of walnut at the time. I cannibalized them to make doors and panels. At all the joints‚ I didn’t want the screws to show‚ so I made oak inlays.

All the baseboards and trim in the room are mahogany. It’s 101 carpentry‚ but with beautiful wood. In the end‚ everything matches and there’s plenty of storage. It’s very airy and to me has a slightly Japanese look. I’m also completely sold on the Toto Washlet—that’s really Japanese.

Make It Yours

Black Accessories: Tricia is continually on the hunt for accessories and toiletries in one of her favorite colors: black. “I have a black back brush‚ black pumice‚ black nailbrushes from Sweden‚ and quite a lot of black soap‚” she says. “Details matter.”

Driftwood: “Whenever I walk around the breakwater or along the bay‚ I find spectacular driftwood‚” says Tricia‚ who uses it for hooks and wall decoration in the bathroom but has also built mirror frames‚ headboards‚ and more with her finds.

Heated Towel Rail: “A heated rail keeps towels dry‚ which equals fresh‚” she says. She’s also careful to put hand towels out in case a guest wanders in. “I don't want them to have to dry their hands on the edge of my bath towel.”

Yacht Floor: Tricia wanted yacht-like flooring. “But I wasn’t going to go for the solid wood stuff‚ which costs an enormous amount‚” she says. She found sheet-based faux wood for a similar look at a fraction of the price.

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Bathrooms We Love: Rough Linen Founder Tricia Rose Showcases Her Beachy, Japanese-Style Bathroom