Making Spaces

Next to kitchens, master bathroom remodels are the most common choice in updates for today's homeowners.  When Kim and K. C. first approached me and Connie about redoing their master bathroom, their main goal was more closet space.

As you can see from this drawing of the original plan (which was actually built in reverse), their bathroom was dominated by a huge corner whirlpool tub.  Kim and K. C. had been sharing the one walk-in closet, and they had simply run out of room.

Remember how all of us thought we just had to have that whirlpool tub when we built or bought our houses in the late '80's through most of the '90's?  Many of us later discovered that either we never set foot in the tub or if we did we never turned on the jets because yucky stuff collected in the pipes.  Well, Kim was at the point that she was more than willing to give up a tub that she never used if she could use the space for another closet.

After first looking at the possibility of taking part of the master bedroom for another closet, we decided that the best solution was to move the toilet, relocate the shower door (which used to open off the toilet area), and convert the existing toilet/shower room to another closet.  Here's a look at the plan for the remodel.

Now Kim and K. C. each have a walk-in closet, and we more than doubled their storage space by adding an armoire between the his and her vanities.

One thing that Kim was worried about was losing the light from the one bathroom window which used to be over the tub, so the original plan was to simply put a cased opening between the vanity area and the toilet/shower area.  However, concerns about privacy led Connie to suggest using a French door instead.  Problem solved.  The door gives a feeling of privacy but still lets light into the vanity area.

The tall armoire and mirrors that run from the top of the backsplash to the bottom of the crown molding add height to a room with 8' ceilings.

We have found that a lot of our customers like the open look of a channel faucet.  This one is a fairly recent addition to Delta's Victorian Collection in Venetian bronze.  All plumbing fixtures came from Ferguson Supply.  Tropic brown granite for the countertops was fabricated and installed by Architectural Stone Accents.  The backsplash tile is tumbled marble from Jenkins Brick and Tile.  It was also used for the shower floor, ceiling and trim.

We continued the bronze look in our choice of door and cabinet hardware and other accessories, including Kim's lighted wall-mounted make up mirror from Mayer Lighting.  It has both a regular and a magnifying side.  With a little planning ahead, we added wiring in the wall for the mirror, so there is no unsightly cord to contend with.

The shower is tiled in 13x13 porcelain tile laid in a pattern using brick joint and diagonal.  The 2x2 accent tiles complement the bronze fixtures which feature a large rain head, a handheld shower on a slide bar and two body sprays, with a diverter valve that allows you to use any two of these features at the same time.  A frameless shower door gives the whole thing a clean look.

The Nolens have been so pleased with their new bathroom that they've let us move on to their kitchen.  As K. C. said, "Once you let them in, you can't get rid of them."

For other magical transformations, be sure to visit Susan who is hosting Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.