Bright and Classic Bathroom Overhaul

What was the challenge?

Our clients considered the bathroom as among their home’s most important rooms – but their existing master was too small and plain, with just one sink, a small tub and no natural lighting. Not a good fit for a working couple. They wanted a spacious, functional bathroom that would satisfy both their needs.

This presented several challenges for our team. The clients had completely opposite tastes and preferences that they wanted the new space to reflect. He wanted a shower and space flooded with natural light. She desired a soaker tub and muted lighting. Sharing their single-basin vanity to get ready for work was simply not efficient and often frustrating.

We also had to work strictly within the home’s interior confines and in accordance with the building’s condo board whose members were initially less than amenable to our proposals and plans.

Because the bathroom renovation was one part of our clients’ whole home reno, the finished room needed to match the rest of the home’s updated, minimalist aesthetic.

What was delivered?

To create the spa-like atmosphere of the new bathroom, the décor and ambiance had to be relaxing for each of the homeowners, neither too feminine nor too masculine. Our designer struck the perfect balance by opting for soothing neutral colours and a combination of simple, straight lines and sumptuous curves.

The floating vanity is a prime example of our craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail. Its base cabinet features high-quality fluted millwork that also extends up to frame both mirrors, adding an elegant touch of luxe. The cabinetry provides generous storage for his’n’hers toiletries, towels and other bath essentials while keeping surfaces clear and uncluttered.

Upon entering the bathroom, the first thing you see is its centrepiece – the curvaceous, freestanding soaker tub, with its gleaming gold fixtures. They pick up hints of gold from among the brown and grey veins of the vanity’s stone topper.

The designer’s neutral colour palette combines with the delicate oak millwork to create a sophisticated yet soothing and cozy atmosphere evoking that of a spa’s, which was the owners’ expressed desire. As golden natural light streams through the new north window, it’s augmented and reflected in the polished gold finish of wall sconces and the center ceiling fixture.

To accommodate our clients’ conflicting request of ample light versus scant, the new window lets natural light stream in while affording a restful view of outside greenery. A curtain and dimmers on the sconces and ceiling fixture keep lighting low at will.

Our designer chose to complement the light, neutral colour scheme of the bath’s walls by flooring the room in a basketweave pattern of tile with brightly coloured accents and by lining the shower enclosure’s walls with gorgeous tobacco-coloured tile for contrast.

Relocating the bathroom created a much larger, more practical space and spa-like experience for our clients. It also allowed us to take full advantage of all available space on that third-floor level with its unusually shaped, and very challenging, floor plan. How?

We created a full walk-in closet in the second bedroom/now repurposed as home gym as well as two wardrobe-style closets in the corridor connecting the master bedroom and new ensuite bath.

A third closet was added to the hall leading to the staircase and, opposite to that, we were able to make room for a stacked front-load washer/dryer, neatly concealed behind beautifully milled doors when not in use.

The homeowners now have the private sanctuary and minimalist aesthetic they craved. The home gym adjacent to the new ensuite bath completes the feeling of a personal fitness centre in the comfort of home. Our clients can work out then relax their way, in their own spa-like environment. The large ensuite bathroom with its double-sink vanity now facilitates their two morning routines simultaneously.