Luxurious spa bathroom

Sometimes even a newly remodeled bathroom doesn’t work!

These clients had purchased a home where the primary bathroom had been remodeled.  While each spouse had a dedicated vanity and the rest of the bathroom included a jetted tub in a bulky deck, a separate walk-in shower, and a dedicated water closet room, the bathroom felt oppressive and small.  There were beams and columns separating spaces and the shower was closed off.  The clients wanted the space to feel more open and inviting; they wanted a place to go after a long day of work that felt like a trip to the spa.  They liked the separate vanity spaces and were good with the amount of storage.  They wanted light, bright and airy.

The columns, beams, and half-walls were nonstructural and therefore removed.  The angled entry walls, while meant to be inviting were just wasting space—these too were removed.  In doing so, we were able to create a larger shower that now includes a bench seat and a wall of glass that opens the shower visually to the rest of the room.  On the opposite side, we gained and a hidden wall compartment that houses the tub’s mechanical equipment.  The remainder of the layout was functional, so a freestanding tub was set between two furniture-style vanities.  Goodbye bulky tub deck!  The freestanding tub also adds to the open feeling and brings a sculptural element to the space.  The exterior wall behind the vanities was built out to add insulation to the room, run plumbing and regain storage space in the vanities.  Light white and grey marbled porcelain tiles were chosen for a rich look without the cost of maintenance requirement of real marble. Lighting was reworked and dimmers installed to create a mood when desired.  Sleek plantation shutters on the windows provide privacy when needed while retaining the natural light.

By rethinking the same square footage, making some minor layout changes but bigger finish changes, we obtained the more open and airier feeling that the client sought.