KBB - May/June 2015 - 23

BEFORE AND AFTER

A tilt-out hamper was added to one side of the tub.

tiled niche for toiletries, a heated bench and a handheld shower, and
Wangenheim added blocking in the event grab bars are installed at a
later date. To cater to the design tastes of both homeowners, she tiled
the shower walls in European style using oversized porcelain tiles made
to resemble stone.
* Toilet Toil. According to the designer, the previous toilet/bidet area
was cramped with a door swing that barely missed the original black
toilet and contained no sink.
"The new space features a separate pedestal sink and shoji screen
sliding door to allow for privacy without intruding on the passageway
from the main bath to the ladies' dressing room," she added.
A custom built-in closet was added in this space at one end where the
roof pitched to 62 inches.
* Let There be Lighting. Decorative LED lighting was recessed into the
ceiling and above the his/her vanities, and ADA-compliant sconces that
project out four inches from the wall were repeated in the space.
"A hand-blown Murano glass chandelier was centered over the custom-designed natural walnut island for a "wow' factor," added the designer.
* Frumpy Vanity to Spectacular Storage. A 10-ft.-long dysfunctional
his/her vanity with no overhead lighting was replaced by a customdesigned set of natural walnut units with slab doors and drawer fronts
and oversized hardware. Wangenheim incorporated a small island
between the vanities designed to resemble an apothecary chest.
"It serves as an alternative to medicine cabinets that could not be
installed in the space because of angled rooﬁng rafters behind the wall,"
she said. She also added built-ins along the bottom of the bay window
that connect one vanity to the other and provide open storage.
* Fostering the Floor Plan. "The entrance into the shower from the
master bedroom was at the far end of the space, requiring my clients
to walk into a back hallway from the master bedroom to use their bathroom," explained the designer. "The doorway to the space was narrow
and bumped into doors from a storage unit in the wall behind the entry."
She designed the new space to accommodate direct access from the
bedroom and increased the doorways to 36 inches wide. She replaced
all of the doors with barn-style options to omit door swing. Interior, nonstructural walls were removed or altered to decrease the overall square
footage to a more functional size. Wangenheim squared off walls to omit
unusable space, eliminate angles that one could potentially bump into

Ladies' dressing room

and make the space more welcoming without impacting the structural
components of the wall.
"By the time I laid things out, we were short 70 square feet from the
original design, but it was a more useful space," said Wangenheim."I took
a lot of the angles away and squared things off, and the aisle ways are
now more usable."

Hits and Highlights
Aside from the typical elements found in a master bath, this space
also accommodates a custom-designed ladies' dressing room with a
make-up table and sconces - surrounding a large framed mirror - that
match those in the main bath. Custom cabinetry in the dressing room
hides a double-drawer refrigerator unit, microwave and additional storage, and the space also includes a wall-mounted TV, an intercom and
security cameras with views of the home's exterior.
"This ladies' dressing room - marked with femininity and appropriately
labeled - is a quiet haven for the misses," said Wangenheim."We honored
her request for privacy but also included a 'pulse' as to what's going on
in the rest of the house."
Wangenheim has since designed other bathrooms in the same house
and is currently working with her clients on yet another.
"Good space is attained when we as designers know how to manipulate it," she said. "The end result of this project was a space designed
with thought of every step, every turn and every convenience. It provides
comfort and luxury in one place, for now and for time to come, without
ever having to leave the space." ■
- By Chelsie Butler

sources
Design Team: Marlene Wangenheim, Interiors by Design and Tewksbury
Kitchens & Baths; Architect: Faith Zimmerman, Zimmerman Architects;
Photographer: Peter Rymwid
Cabinetry in Main Bathroom: Custom designed by Interiors by Design
and fabricated through Lazarus & Williamson Custom Cabinetry;
Cabinetry in Dressing Room: Fabricated through Creative Kitchens
& Baths; Chandelier: Bella Figura; Countertops/Tub Decking: Danby
Marble; Fixtures: Kohler; Microwave: GE; Refrigerator: KitchenAid;
Sconces: Corbett Lighting; Tile: Design with Tile; Tub: Bain Ultra

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