Room of the Day: New Dormer Creates Space for a Master Bath
This en suite bathroom has abundant natural light and a separate toilet and shower room for privacy
“Long and narrow” often sounds less than ideal for a master bathroom. However, when architect Andrew Mikhael presented his clients with several designs for a new upstairs configuration, they chose the long and narrow master bath option. But that description doesn’t do the brilliant use of space justice. A new dormer let the homeowners maximize existing floor space in this compact Cape Cod–style home by creating some headroom. The dormer fills the open en suite with natural light that’s shared with the bedroom, and it allowed them to create a separate private room for the toilet and shower, so the couple can get ready at the same time in the morning. It also left enough room to create a much-needed guest bathroom.
Tip: If you’re thinking about incorporating an open en suite, consider a compromise like this one. Here, the vanity area is open to the bedroom, while a separate room for the toilet and shower has a pocket door for privacy. This way the narrow bathroom has a more open and expansive feel, while the bedroom enjoys the natural light provided by the new windows in the dormer. This setup allows two people to get ready at the same time in the morning without getting in each other’s way too much.
“My clients were very interested in reclaimed wood; they loved the feel of it, and it matches their decor,” Mikhael says. As we’ve learned from a recent Houzz Comments section, many of you are afraid that an open en suite would make you feel like you had a bathroom in the middle of your bedroom. “Using the reclaimed wood kept the vanity from feeling too … bathroomy,” Mikhael says. “We wanted it to feel like it was truly a part of the master suite.”
The architect also used the reclaimed barn wood across from the sink in a recess that contains a hamper. A mix of painted drywall and tile walls eases the transition from bedroom to bathroom.
Mikhael kept to a tight budget via the fixture and tile choices. “You can design something special without going crazy moneywise,” he says. The custom reclaimed-wood vanity is the standout piece that makes the room unique.
Counter: soapstone, Kanada series, M. Teixeira Soapstone; medicine cabinet: Kohler; floor tile: Diamonte series in Ardesia, Daltile; wall tile: 3- by 6-inch Rittenhouse Glazed Ceramic in Arctic White, Daltile
The architect also used the reclaimed barn wood across from the sink in a recess that contains a hamper. A mix of painted drywall and tile walls eases the transition from bedroom to bathroom.
Mikhael kept to a tight budget via the fixture and tile choices. “You can design something special without going crazy moneywise,” he says. The custom reclaimed-wood vanity is the standout piece that makes the room unique.
Counter: soapstone, Kanada series, M. Teixeira Soapstone; medicine cabinet: Kohler; floor tile: Diamonte series in Ardesia, Daltile; wall tile: 3- by 6-inch Rittenhouse Glazed Ceramic in Arctic White, Daltile
This photo shows how the room appears with the pocket door closed. A long, narrow trough sink and a long medicine cabinet suit the the proportions of the room and vanity to a T. “It also keeps it very visually clean,” Mikhael says. He left plenty of room on either side for makeup and other toiletries for prep time.
A charcoal-colored floor tile grounds the room in a contrasting color and complements the colors of the soapstone countertop. Gray grout picks up on these tones as well.
A charcoal-colored floor tile grounds the room in a contrasting color and complements the colors of the soapstone countertop. Gray grout picks up on these tones as well.
Continuous white tile and clear glass doors in the tight shower and toilet room make things feel larger and more open. Using the same flooring, paint color, subway tiles and grout created a sense of continuity; a sharp contrast in here would have been jarring.
Toilet: American Standard
Toilet: American Standard
AFTER: This section shows the new dormer (left). The faint diagonal line represents the original roofline.
More:
A Designer Shares Her Master-Bathroom Wish List
Key Measurements to Make the Most of Your Bathroom
More:
A Designer Shares Her Master-Bathroom Wish List
Key Measurements to Make the Most of Your Bathroom
Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who welcomed their first child, a daughter, during construction
Location: White Plains, New York
Size: 68 square feet (6 square meters)
The new scheme is a partially open en suite made possible by a new dormer. The new windows provide lots of natural light, and their height and placement assure privacy from the neighbors.
Sink: Cube, Wetstyle; Hampton Transitional Wall Sconce: Hinkley Lighting; Purist Widespread Faucets: Kohler; towel rings, hooks: Emtek