BACK TO BACK AND MARBLE REFLECTIONS FOR BATHROOM |
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Compress a family of four (including two teenagers) into a narrow Victorian row house with one small, quirky bathroom, and you're asking for trouble. Solution? The designers carved two hard-working baths, each with a distinct personality, out of a none-too-generous existing space. The new adult bath, which stole a little room from the adjacent bedroom, revolves around stylish but space-saving vanity areas. Behind the shower, glass blocks receive daylight from an existing light shaft (painted white to boost reflectivity). Behind the tub, etched glass windows provide more light. The teenagers' bath is even smaller. Here, a space-saving storage unit occupies the wall above the sink and toilet; an open shower design and an etched glass window maximize the sense of space and light. A SPLIT-LEVEL SUITE This bathroom comes in two installments: the molded whirlpool tub is at master-bedroom level; nearby, down a set of stylish stairs, is the bathroom proper. The tub sits atop its own oak pedestal, offering a leisurely soak within easy range of the bed. Nearby windows give bathers an ocean view. A skylight well, interior wall openings, and track lighting contribute architectural punch. The downstairs vanity area features vertical-grain fir cabinets, a laminate countertop, recessed sinks, and a trim fluorescent bar fixture. There's lots of built-in storage, plus a separate shower, in the right-angle wing beyond the vanity. MARBLE REFLECTIONS The owners wanted lots of marble, so their architect gave them walls, floor, and countertop of bluish green stone, set off by black fixtures, cabinets, and accessories. A long strip skylight lets in filtered daylight, providing soft modeling to otherwise shiny, dark surfaces. Uninterrupted stretches of mirror amplify the play of colors, light, and angles almost endlessly. The vanity holds twin sinks and a built-in makeup niche. There's ample storage below the countertop, and mirrors conceal shelved cabinets recessed in the wall. A private toilet compartment has a bidet nearby. Three steps down is the dramatic shower, complete with built-in benches. Four watertight light fixtures, tucked into the skylight, add a soft glow at night. PRETTY IN PINK Clean white woodwork, hand-painted tile, and subtle pink wallpaper distinguish this fastidiously detailed bath. The walk-in shower rises through the room's center: white columns, wainscoting, crown moldings, and the peaked ceiling all give it visual importance. Matching grooming areas occupy opposite walls. Each includes a tile countertop and ceramic sink, a raised-panel vanity cabinet, an oval mirror, and candelabra wall sconces. The window-wrapped tub, nestled into a frame-and-panel pedestal, commands a cheery garden view. Double doors on the fourth wall lead to a spacious dressing room. WOOD CURVES It's not hard to see that these homeowners love both wood and curves. In their private bath-retreat, straight lines were avoided, whenever pos?sible, in favor of rounded corners and curved soffits and ceilings. To keep the design as clean as possible, built-in drawers and compartments were set flush, and nearly invisible: all pulls, hinges, and electrical outlets and switches are concealed. Even vent fans are housed behind routed slots in the upper wall paneling. A cedar-lined sauna, double steam shower, built-in TV, and adjacent outdoor hot tub make this retreat very comfortable. A long stretch of built-in closets helps make it efficient, too. | ||||||
| Last Updated ( Monday, 31 August 2009 ) | ||||||
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