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Our DIY Beadboard Wall Treatment with Hooks + Countertop

We’re sharing how we designed a bathroom wall treatment that incorporates a countertop and open storage, all while working around the Kohler Brockway sink.

We’ve been obsessed with Kohler’s Brockway wall-mounted sink for pretty much forever. I don’t think we’d go so far as saying that our entire Tree House bathroom renovation was designed around it, but from the moment we started planning this space, this big hunky double sink informed every decision we made. So yeah, maybe we did plan our entire bathroom renovation around the sink?

Either way, we’re thrilled that it’s finally installed. We’re also thrilled that we’ll be able to reveal the fully completed bathroom in the very near future! In the meantime, we’re talking through how we designed around the main challenge of the Brockway sink; a complete lack of countertop space and cabinet storage. Challenge accepted!

In-process bathroom renovation featuring green tile, beadboard walls and a wall mounted double sink//via YellowBrickHome

The Magic of Caulk and Spackle

Our contractors applied the beadboard wall treatment before they installed the sink, so what you see above was our starting point. Once it was our turn to take over, we began the storage integration process by caulking and spackling the beadboard. The wall treatment is comprised of 4′ x 8′ sheets of beadboard cut to approximately 39″h with a 1″ x 6″ board installed as a ‘cap’. The same baseboard that we’ve utilized throughout the rest of home was then installed on top of the beadboard. Once the seams were caulked and the spackle was sanded smooth, we were ready to address this storage conundrum.

Caulking a beadboard wall in an in-process bathroom renovation // via Yellow Brick Home

Creating a Countertop

Since people need places to put their toiletry bags, makeup, toothbrushes and other bathroom necessities, we knew we’d need a substantial shelf above the sink for space to remain functional. We started the shelf construction process by fabricating three support brackets out of leftover 1″ x 6″ board. The brackets needed to support the shelf across a span of almost 9 feet, but we wanted them to disappear as much as possible. We settled on a shape that probably has a technical name (is it a trapezoid?), but is essentially a right triangle with a squared off front tip.

Installing a custom-fabricated wood shelf support onto a beadboard wall // via Yellow Brick Home

We used wood glue on the back of the brackets, then straightened and leveled them into place using a speed square. The brackets were then held into place with frog tape and allowed to cure overnight. Our initial intention was to shoot a finish nail or into each bracket, but the nailing angles were tricky and the glue alone turned out to be incredibly sturdy, so we decided to call it good. If we had installed the beadboard wall treatment ourselves, we probably would have screwed the brackets into place from behind before attaching the cap to the wall, but everything worked out great in the end!

Installing a custom-fabricated wood shelf support onto a beadboard wall // via Yellow Brick Home

Adding Towel Hooks

With the shelf brackets in place, it was time to add some towel storage hooks! We’ve used these beech hooks in the past and love the simple, paintable design. We drilled the required 3/16″ pilot holes and the hooks simply thread in by hand. Once the holes were measured and drilled, we removed the hooks – bear with me a moment – to make space for some super cute towel organization, and then we painted All. The. Beadboard. That was a beast of a task in itself, taking almost 4 hours (with no breaks)!

Drilling pilot holes for integrated towel hooks // via Yellow Brick Home

Simple Towel Organization

Keeping track of which towel belongs to which person can get a little tricky when 6 adults are sharing one bathroom, right? To combat confusion, we found these cute hand-numbered brass tags that will make keeping track of towels a snap! The number plates included coordinating brass nails for installation. To avoid damaging the nail heads, we wrapped the head of our hammer in a few layers of frog tape. It worked like a charm!

Hammering in brass number plate // via Yellow Brick Home

Installing the Oak Shelf

Once we had hung the number plates and reinstalled the hooks (and then touched them with up paint), it was finally time to fasten our 1″ x 6″ oak shelf into place. We again used a thin bead of wood glue to attach the shelf to the each bracket, then clamped it into place and allowed it to cure. In addition to the brackets, the shelf is supported on three sides by the 1″ x 6″ beadboard cap (in similar fashion to our DIY floating shelves). We also shot one finish nail into each end and one into the center for added stability. Side note: We finished the oak shelf with three coats of matte Polycrylic to protect it from water.

Clamping an oak shelf into place in an in-process bathroom renovation // via Yellow Brick Home

The shelf turned out as sturdy as we’d hoped! It’ll easily provide space for toothbrushes and dopp kits and all the small things we store in our bathrooms. For good measure, we also hung a small vintage brass hook (that was previously on the door) next to the sink. It’s a perfect place for a cute hand towel!

A finished floating oak shelf in a bathroom with white wall tile and grey-tan wall treatment // via Yellow Brick Home
hooks | hand towel

Finishing Touches

We love the way the bright brass number plates play with the color we chose, Sherwin Williams Anew Gray! Honestly, picking just the right greige paint tone was one of the toughest parts of this project, but we couldn’t be happier with how all of the tile, wood and metal tones play together. While everything else in this bathroom was getting upgraded, we also stepped our textile game up a notch and picked up these organic cotton towels in a pretty off-white.

A built-in oak shelf above a beadboard wall treatment with integrated towel hooks // via Yellow Brick Home
hooks | towels | numbers | hand towel

We’ll post the full bath reveal early next week(!), but in the meantime, we’ll just be here reveling in the fact that every interior space at Tree House is finished! Finished. Finished! We can’t wait to show you!

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  • Lara1.10.20 - 8:35 AM

    Do you need a jig for the beech pegs to all be at the right angle? They look so perfectly even! Love this project. ReplyCancel

    • Kim1.10.20 - 8:36 AM

      We just used our miter saw to get the same angle on each one and cut them carefully!ReplyCancel

      • Suzanne1.27.20 - 10:33 AM

        I’m confused…you cut the pegs?ReplyCancel

        • Kim1.27.20 - 11:42 AM

          Maybe I’m confused by the question? The pegs on the wall were not cut, we purchased them and painted them. Is that what you mean?ReplyCancel

    • Jennifer1.10.20 - 12:34 PM

      I had the same question. Hubby just made us a similar peg rail from scratch and the angles stumped us for a while. The pictures above show holes being drilled straight in and the peg hardware protruding straight out. That would have been easier! 
      This looks terrific!ReplyCancel

  • nicole arthur1.10.20 - 12:57 PM

    Ugh, OBSESSED! i love the beadboard so much and i know your contractors installed it, but would it be difficult to install it yourself around a toilet? You’d probably have to take the toilet out, right?ReplyCancel

  • Barbara Flynn1.10.20 - 1:34 PM

    Gorgeous!!!ReplyCancel

  • Amy1.10.20 - 2:45 PM

    Love it! Can’t wait to see the full reveal.ReplyCancel

  • Lauren1.10.20 - 3:43 PM

    Love this! Attempting to be patient for full reveal but spotted the stools in your IG stories a few days ago and was hoping you’d share the source. Cheers!ReplyCancel

  • at home with Ashley1.13.20 - 8:30 AM

    Those brass number plates are the cutest! Great custom work, I love it.ReplyCancel

  • Jackie2.2.21 - 9:41 PM

    I love these pegs – do you by chance have a name or brand for them? The link doesn’t work anymore. I’d love love to use something similar in our laundry room : )ReplyCancel

  • Breanne Leinum11.12.21 - 1:11 PM

    Do you mind sharing the height for sink, ledge and medicine cabinet?ReplyCancel

    • Scott11.12.21 - 1:24 PM

      Hi Breanne! We’ve had a couple requests for this lately and will do our best to share measurements when we’re in Michigan over the Thanksgiving holiday. In the meantime, we used the manufacturers recommendation for sink height. It feels low, but functions great. The ledge is about 5″ above the top of the sink and the medicine cabinet is about 5″ above the ledge. Hope this helps!ReplyCancel

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Kim and Scott

We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

Join us as we renovate and nurture vintage homes across Chicago + SW Michigan!

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