Tranquility on Treeknoll

Have you ever walked into a space and thought, “This is gigantic! But there’s so much wasted space?” That was our first impression of this master bathroom and closet when we saw it.  A large “dressing area” in the middle of the space along with an angled garden tub collectively took up half of the available square footage in the room.  A good-sized walk in closet was under-utilized with a minimal organization solution that only occupied two walls. 

Original blueprints of the master bathroom. The large garden tub and walk-in closet take up almost 1/2 of the entire square footage of the room.

Large garden tub with decking around.

The vanity and “dressing area” on the floor plan.

Another view of the “dressing area” on the floor plan.

In order to achieve the client wish list of a more functional floor plan and more linear feet of hanging space, the program included four zones: 1. An “open-concept” style closet system with wardrobe cabinetry; 2. A walk-in wet room with freestanding tub and shower; 3. Separate his and hers vanities; 4. A separate toilet room.

Rendered floor plan showing our proposed layout.

By proposing an open concept closet system, we gained the space that typically would have to be created to build walls around a walk-in closet in addition to the floor space one would need to be able to walk around in their walk-in closet.  In the wet room area, we had plenty of space to add a large freestanding tub in addition to a large shower area.  The area is closed off adjacent to the shower head with a clear glass shower enclosure and open on the side toward the closet and hers vanity. Separate his and hers vanities, provide more countertop space for getting ready.  By placing her vanity in the middle of the floor plan, we created a natural barrier between the front area of the plan and the rear “wet area” and were able to maximize counter space for both vanities. Each vanity was completely custom, tailored to the needs of each spouse, designed by us and fabricated by Western Custom Cabinetry. 

A few elevation drawings for the project.

Demo complete; you can finally see just how much space you have! In this case, a lot!

Framing and pluming going in.

Floor to ceiling tile going in. This nook is where the tub will go.

Vanity wall tile. We love the lemon shape of these tiles!

Medicine cabinet from Robern features internal lighting and amazing storage.

Looking from the shower to the “his” vanity. The countertop expends into the void and open shelving above allows for additional storage.

The materials palette in the space is a tranquil mix of neutrals and clean lines, complimenting an architectural lighting package. The “hers” vanity was the perfect location for an accent tile, where we added a white marble decorative tile in a lemon-shape.  A cluster of pendants hangs to the right of the hers vanity, while the rest of the lights in the space are either recessed or a simple double ended sconce

Materials palette for the project.

Her vanity.

His vanity.

Standing at "his” vanity and looking into the wet room.

The open closet system continues around the perimeter of the space.

Because the design provided ample storage space, hidden by the mix of clean lined, neutral materials - this master bath became a calm and organized space to start or end the day. Ah, tranquility.

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Riverside Retreat: from builder beige to vintage eclectic

Riverside Retreat | A master bathroom redesign (and one of our favorite projects to date!)

When we first toured this Riverside home, we saw a lot of potential.  One of the first things the homeowners said was, “This is the crappiest house we’ve ever bought!”  Not entirely true—the location is phenomenal—minutes to downtown yet just far enough way to not feel like you’re *really* downtown—but the overall space was very builder grade—very beige and very boring. 

Master bathroom before: very beige and very boring

Master bathroom before: another view into the shower

We wanted to give them a tranquil master bathroom that met their functional requirements—useable storage, a large shower, and better lighting—and complimented the homeowner’s style: an eclectic mix of vintage, craftsman, mid-century modern pieces.  The materials palette is a subtle mix of grays and whites, contrasted by black accents and a mid-tone wood vanity.  

Master bathroom materials palette: neutrals with accents of wood and black finishes.

The vanity is a vintage mid-century modern piece from one of our favorite local antique stores, Riverside Antiques.  MCM purists fear not: the previous top was a pretty beat up laminate, and our construction crew kept the plumbing so tight that only the top outside drawers were affected.  We then added a 6” mitered edge quartz top to achieve the standard vanity height.  The result is a beautiful custom vanity that fits our clients’ style perfectly. 

Check out some under construction photos as well as the afters below, and let us know what you think!           

Framing of the new shower and large shower niche.

A view inside the shower showing the large shower niche and bench as backer board is going in before the tile.

Tile starting to go in, and the space starts to turn the corner.

Speaking of tile turning a corner… look at this corner!! How beautiful?! Our tile guy is truly phenomenal!

Creating the framework for the 6” mitered edge, quartz top that will go on top of this dresser to become the vanity.

Beautiful sconces from Sonneman going in. We love the contrast of the black finish with the more muted tones in the rest of the space.

The space is really coming together! The vanity is in place and awaiting its quartz countertop.

And she’s in—along with the mirrors and sconces! We love this eclectic mix of materials—it matches our client’s style perfectly.

The final result! Including a beloved fiddle leaf. The client loves plants—and so do we—so it was the perfect fit for a corner in this bathroom. {Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography}

The vanity. We love many things in this bathroom but this may be our favorite. {Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography}

The large walk in shower has a European feel with partial glass enclosure and Hansgrohe fixtures. {Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography}

Another view into the shower from the opposite side of the vanity. {Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography}

A few of the vanity from inside the shower. We found the vintage dresser at Riverside Antiques in Cincinnati and had our construction crew modify it so it could become the vanity. The 6” mitered edge top on top of the 30” dresser makes it the perfect height for a vanity.

Detail of the shower curb, showing the mix of materials in the space. {Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography}

Close up of the vanity area. {Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography}

A photograph of our photographer and her adorable son. Like mother, like son.