Project Description
This 170sf bath/dressing room, designed for an exuberant art-naïve artist of note in her 80s, transformed an outdated, segmented suite into a visually elegant and functional space that will enable her to stay in her home safely into the future. She required an accessible, well-lit suite with a laundry closet. The new layout enlarged the bathroom by relocating all the plumbing fixtures including the vanity, shower and water closet. A wall-hung water closet and cantilevered vanity create an obstruction-free floor space for ease of mobility, as well as ease of cleaning. The full-height, easy-glide sliding glazed bathroom door and sliding high-tech shower enclosure door eliminate obtrusive door swings. The Samuel Heath Xenon grab bars with matching towel bars are ADA-compliant and display a functionalist application of simple geometric form. They are bold and sculptural, eliminating any potential reference to a hospital bathroom. Blond-striated strand bamboo, the prominently featured finish material, brings warmth to the rooms. Strand bamboo is a rapidly renewable and durable material. Open closets allow for easy visibility of closet contents. The client required a well-lit space, and the conical, ceiling-mounted, caged-marine light fixtures fixtures cast light to the floor to ensure safe maneuvering while adding a jewel-like quality. The dressing area contains a hidden laundry closet with an energy efficient stacked washing machine and vent-less dryer. The equipment sits on a custom-made, shallow stainless steel pan with a shut-off water sensor. The laundry door bi-folds and tucks tightly under the dropped ceiling soffit to lie flat against the adjacent wall in an open position when the machines are in use. By selectively carving the ceiling planes to relate to function only, a sculptured three-dimensional effect was created. The existing low 7’-6” ceilings were raised to just under 8’-6” where possible. Floating lit edges soften dropped ceilings that hide beams, piping, and ductwork. The hidden strip lights in the ceiling coves and under the vanity and medicine cabinet add an ethereal quality. The owner/artist worked with a master decorative plasterer to mix paint that subtly incorporated all of the colors of the surrounding finishes into portions of the remaining unfinished walls. These serve as a backdrop to showcase a new art collection.