Room of the Day: A New Layout Creates a Spacious Bath Oasis
Classic materials and clever storage solutions lead to a showstopper bathroom
Jennifer Blaise Kramer
April 18, 2017
Houzz Contributor. Lifestyle Writer + Editor. www.jenniferblaisekramer.com
Houzz Contributor. Lifestyle Writer + Editor. More
A busy professional couple were craving a modern oasis where they could relax at the end of the day. To transform the underwhelming bathroom into an elegant refuge that would stand the test of of time, they tapped designer Joanne Padvaiskas, who incorporated grays, marble, mosaics and lots of hidden compartments.
Photos by Joanne Padvaiskas
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Two doctors and their young kids
Location: Montreal
Size: 120 square feet (11.1 square meters)
Designer: Joanne Padvaiskas of Wow Great Place
BEFORE: The morning routine for these two busy doctors is a marathon. Things need to be efficient and well-placed. Before the remodel, they were exactly the opposite. There was little to no storage, and a large, never-used corner bathtub took up most of the room.
“We changed every element, moved every piece of plumbing and even moved the door into the bathroom,” Padvaiskas says.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Two doctors and their young kids
Location: Montreal
Size: 120 square feet (11.1 square meters)
Designer: Joanne Padvaiskas of Wow Great Place
BEFORE: The morning routine for these two busy doctors is a marathon. Things need to be efficient and well-placed. Before the remodel, they were exactly the opposite. There was little to no storage, and a large, never-used corner bathtub took up most of the room.
“We changed every element, moved every piece of plumbing and even moved the door into the bathroom,” Padvaiskas says.
AFTER: The designer sat down with the homeowners and used Houzz to find ideas. In addition to a well-planned space, the couple wanted some “elements of bling,” Padvaiskas says. She refined their desired look to a palette of gray and off-white with elements of surprise, such as a crystal chandelier above a new, now well-used free-standing bathtub, installed in the space previously occupied by a walk-in shower.
Tub: Bath Depot; paint by Benjamin Moore: Storm (cabinetry) and Barely There (walls)
Tub: Bath Depot; paint by Benjamin Moore: Storm (cabinetry) and Barely There (walls)
BEFORE: A toilet was wedged into a narrow space next to a tiny pedestal sink that offered no storage and created a constant struggle for space as the couple got ready.
The custom cabinetry was designed with every item and stage of daily routine in mind. This linear piece has high legs at the perfect width to keep a scale tucked away when not in use.
The same cabinet also hides organized baskets of toiletries away from the sink so the vanity doesn’t get congested.
Next to one side of the sink, a custom slide-out drawer holds hair products and cosmetics used daily, with a makeup mirror installed at the height of one of the clients.
Padvaiskas moved the door into the bathroom down the wall a few feet to free up space to add a curbless shower and a more spacious toilet area.
A cabinet over the toilet houses extra toilet paper. The magazine rack is made of medium-density fiberboard and was painted to match the wall color so the magazines would stand out, not the rack.
Toilet: PMF
A cabinet over the toilet houses extra toilet paper. The magazine rack is made of medium-density fiberboard and was painted to match the wall color so the magazines would stand out, not the rack.
Toilet: PMF
The clients requested heated floors even inside the shower. Adding to the luxury is equally elegant Calacatta marble, which works its way from the flooring up the shower walls as well. The shower door was upgraded to extra-clear glass, which is also antismudge, so daily squeegeeing is not as critical — a boon to people flying out the door early.
“A curbless shower looks seamless against the rest of the bathroom — terrific with these large-format tiles in particular,” Padvaiskas says.
Custom shower glass: Vitrerie Pierrefonds; tile mosaic: Création Scorpion; plumbing fixtures: PMF; floor and wall tiles: Italnord
“A curbless shower looks seamless against the rest of the bathroom — terrific with these large-format tiles in particular,” Padvaiskas says.
Custom shower glass: Vitrerie Pierrefonds; tile mosaic: Création Scorpion; plumbing fixtures: PMF; floor and wall tiles: Italnord
Mosaic tiles create a patterned-wallpaper effect in the shower.
Before Photo
BEFORE: This floor plan shows the original layout, with the oversize corner tub at the top left, the shower with its awkward angled wall at the bottom left and the cramped toilet and sink areas.
AFTER: Padvaiskas moved the door over to accommodate the new shower and toilet area. Removing the corner tub made room for a double vanity. The designer closed up the awkwardly angled wall to square off the room, then added a stand-alone tub. “Literally every stitch of plumbing was moved to a different location,” she says.
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Do you know the brand and style of the light above the tub? Thanks so much!
The chandelier was ordered off Wayfair, but does not appear anymore on their site. It is called 3-light chandelier from Minka Lavery, so maybe you can find it elsewhere?
What brand is the toilet?