Bath Showcase: A Lesson in Camp

August 21, 2025

Michael Colbert, John W. Hession, Photographer,

When a family from Massachusetts decided to rebuild their lake house in New Hampshire, they were ready for something bold — a playful design customized to their unique tastes and needs.

“The homeowner wasn’t afraid to take risks with the design choices, and she really wanted style and some standout details,” says Lauren Milligan of Backdrop Interior Design in Gilford.

A library ladder in the kitchen sweeps across the room to a bar finished with a stone veneer and suspended glass floating shelves. A pool table abuts the kitchen island.

“It’s a very laidback gathering space, meant for having fun and being relaxed at the lake, which is what most people want up here,” says Milligan, “but they weren’t afraid of making some choices that push it a little bit.”

So after speaking with the daughter about her ensuite bathroom, Milligan collaborated with her to realize her vision for a room with a campsite air.

“We went with glamping,” says Milligan, “a modern camping vibe — trying to weave in that lake feel, but with a modern sensibility.”

Milligan worked in the same spirit of refined playfulness as in the rest of the house. The water closet door calls to mind an outhouse with its crescent moon cutout. Inside, vinyl grasscloth wallpaper brings a warm, organic touch to the space.

Their close attention to a natural palette and set of textures married the rustic coziness of lakeside days with the subtler, more refined aspects of a glampsite. Porcelain wood tile adorns the front of the bathtub and inside the shower. Pebble tile on the shower floor lends this ersatz glamping site the spirit of a spa. When the woven wood roman shades roll down over the windows, an evening bath becomes even woodsier.

Floor tiling and the countertop dress up the space. The floor was done with a matte finish, and the Dekton Laurent countertop ripples with caramel veins that emphasize the room’s warmer hues.

Though the transom windows over the vanity limited the possibilities for installing lighting in that spot, they hung pendant lights over the mirrors. It harmonizes with the chandelier above the tub, which itself evokes a lodge.

The family has enjoyed this sense of playful and sophisticated harmony, too. Since Backdrop completed the design, the family found such abundant new life in the home that they relocated there full time.