When BOWA project leader Steve Scholl and his team started work on this client’s master bath, she had been struggling with leaks, clogged pipes and uninspired finishes. Healthy and mobile at 70, she was ready for a dramatic change, with an eye trained on the future.
“But she was concerned. Could she stay in the house into her 80s and 90s?” he says. “So we made sure to widen doorways for walkers and wheelchairs, to put grab bars wherever was appropriate and really create a space where she could live her life as an elderly person.”
So Scholl set to work transforming her previously uninteresting, underperforming master bath into a bespoke suite complete with a panoramic picture window. Now, “it’s a true wet room,” he says, with drains strategically placed in the floor beneath ample shower seating. For easy access with no step up, she enters the wet room through a genius sliding glass barn door.
Now, she has the delicious choice to step into her high-powered shower or take a soothing soak in her bathtub. No matter her decision, she’s got her own private four-season vista of scenic, wooded Lake Barcroft right there in her backyard. That was an important piece of the project, too, which was actually part of a whole-house renovation: “Knowing she’s going to have a beautiful home on the inside as beautiful as the outdoor surroundings,” he says.
Client Wants
In addition to the homeowner’s desire to age in place, she wanted to modernize the master bath to maximize views and include luxurious, spa-like features. Scholl’s thoughtful install of the oversize barn door shower system was not only a smart solution, but a hallmark of universal design principles that “allow a space to be used by anybody of any ability,” he says, adding, “something that we employ in most bathrooms these days.”
So, Scholl proceeded with the “curbless” or “barrier-free” entry into the wet room, installing multiple shower heads for two to enjoy, and multiple body sprays and a handheld shower wand for a “car wash” experience. The tub doubles as a soaker or massager with its Jacuzzi settings and its built-in lighting system has a rotating rainbow that colors the water depending on her mood.
Final Remodel
Outside the wet room, the quartz-topped vanity includes double sinks and streamlined cabinets in white oak that float above the porcelain floor for a contemporary feel. Recessed and task lighting give the homeowner options for getting ready in the morning or into bed at night. The mirror above the vanity boasts built-in lighting that provides a nightlight affect, emitting just the right amount of gentle light to complete early morning or late-night tasks without jolting awake. In addition to the natural light from the picture window, Scholl installed a skylight, which amps up the shower experience, he says, to “be able to see the stars above.” Not part of the original design plans, the skylight was a last-minute request that Scholl was happy to accommodate.
Challenges
Scholl understood that the master bath makeover needed to be a place for the homeowner to pamper herself, but with a strong sensitivity to her concerns about aging. He delivered on a view-filled oasis where she can age-in-place gracefully and with indulgence, but without sacrificing style or function. Curbless entry to the wet room provides easy access, grab bars prevent slips and comfort is central to every element. The only drawback: she wishes she’d done it sooner.
