Bathrooms Designed to Hold Up Beautifully

The lavishly tiled master bath in this White Mountain ski home reflects a warm, Western style, even down to details like antler horn-shaped candle holders near the tub.

This active family’s Timberpeg home in Lincoln—near Loon Mountain ski resort—is rustic yet sophisticated, similar in style to ski homes found in Colorado and the western United States.

Designed by Tom Samyn (now retired) and Amelia Brock, of Samyn-D’Elia Architects in Ashland, the home’s style and warmth extends to the master bath and its four other bathrooms. Thanks to a working partnership between the homeowner and Randy Trainor, of C. Randolph Trainor Interiors in Franconia, the bathrooms are designed for generations of use and comfort. 

“We live in Massachusetts, so Randy was my eyes and ears during construction,” the homeowner says. “She really understood how things are built, which made the design process much easier.” Trainor—who was recommended by builder Don Lawton, of The Lawton Company in Littleton—helped guide the homeowner through the process. “The homeowner wanted the ski house to be bold, but also subtle and refined,” Trainor says.

The master bathroom and guest bath reflect that boldness. Both rooms are lavishly tiled in multi-toned, red onyx tile. Lush and luminous, onyx is a natural stone that creates dramatic effects in rooms, with shades of red, white, soft brown and streaks of gold. “I knew I wanted natural stone,” the homeowner says. “The onyx really blew Randy and me away. It makes a huge statement in the home.”

The second-floor master bathroom is both grand and warm, with natural oiled fir-paneled walls and exposed beams. The floor, vanity top and accent walls are polished onyx, as is the large walk-in shower (the floor tiles are twelve-inches-by-twelve-inches, the wall tiles are four-inches-by-four-inches). The honed onyx-tiled walls add sophistication.

A large double-sink vanity topped by two large pieces of book-matched onyx and a built-in linen chest provide ample storage. Smaller mosaic tiles surround the spa-like bathtub. Trainor also created a frame for the large mirror behind the vanity by combining a large onyx rail on the outside, a smaller pencil molding on the inside and smaller mosaic tiles in between. “I wanted to use a very large mirror to reflect the outside light,” Trainor says.

That mirror frame is repeated in one of the main-floor guest bathrooms, where onyx tile is used to slightly different effect. Three walls are covered in split-face onyx tile, an effect created by splitting the stone. Set against the polished onyx floor, vanity top and mirror frame, the tile appears crystalized and virtually sparkles in the light.

“Building a new house can be time consuming and stressful, but working with Randy on the bathrooms and learning about stone was fun and creative,” the homeowner says. “The look is timeless. I’ll never change it.”

The project team included, from the left, Tom Samyn, retired from Samyn-D’Elia Architects in Ashland; Shad Lawton, of The Lawton Company in Sugar Hill; Randy Trainor, of C. Randolph Trainor Interiors in Franconia; and Mitch Greaves, of Littleton Millwork Inc. in Littleton.