Kitchen & Bath Business - July/August 2018 - 88

Design With
BELOW The base cabinet on the right of the seated vanity is a

modified wall cabinet with double doors, and the cabinet on the left
features single doors.

The Right Fit

A designer is challenged by a lack of light
and storage in her own bathroom renovation

LENA CAPRA OF FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.-BASED ALENA

felt that no matter how many basic
aesthetics she updated in her master bath, it would not
satisfy her designer's eye until she did a full renovation.
"When I purchased the condo back in 2006, the
developer did a few small upgrades, and at the time
that was fine," she said, explaining that those included new countertops and fresh paint. "As time went on, it was frustrating
that there was so much space in the room and not enough storage."
CAPRA DESIGNS

IMPLEMENTING MORE STORAGE

This one-bedroom condo bathroom had a dropped ceiling and no windows,
which made it feel smaller than it actually was. The sole vanity did not
provide enough storage for the designer.
Hand-drafting her plans and then laying out her cabinetry in 2020 Design, Capra specified more functional storage for the bath. This included a
tall tower for makeup storage, a new organized vanity with different-sized
containers and risers inside and a makeup application area. She was able to
include this area - a high priority on her list - by choosing reduced-depth
cabinetry and placing it in a space that previously held laundry hampers. She
also replaced her 15-in. by 20-in. medicine cabinet with a full-length model.
Along with quadrupling the medicine cabinet storage,the mirror also makes
the space appear more open.It is one of three in the bathroom,including one by
the makeup area and a large one behind the vanity that spans most of the wall.
It's such a misconception that adding more elements to a space can make
it seem small," said Capra. "Sometimes adding more actually fits the space
better and makes it seem bigger."

SOURCES
DESIGNER: Alena Capra,

CMKBD, Alena Capra
Designs; INSTALLER: Pavel
Prichici; PHOTOGRAPHER:
Darryl Nobles
CABINETRY: Thomasville;

COUNTERTOPS: American

Stone & Granite,
Pompeii; FAUCET: Brizo;
HARDWARE: Atlas
Homewares; MAGNIFYING
MIRROR: Wayfair;
MEDICINE CABINET:

Robern; SHOWER: Brizo;
SHOWERHEAD, SINK
& TOILET: KOHLER;

SWITCHES & OUTLETS:

Legrand; TILE: Catalfamo
Gallery; UPHOLSTERY:
Upholstery USA

TRANSFORMING THE BATHING AREA

With the right storage in place, Capra needed to tackle the 3-ft. by 5-ft.
step-in tub/shower. This builder-grade design had white shower tile that
did not extend all the way to the ceiling - a pet peeve of hers. She decided to
stay with a tub/shower combination so she has options, but she knew how
to upgrade the look so that the set fit the rest of the room.

BY ERINN LOUCKS

"As long as I could tile the front of the tub - as
I do in most of my bathroom designs of this size
- it was fine because it gave me another chance to
bring in a nice accent," she said, adding that she
used a glass brick tile to help reflect light.
The designer kept the shower design simple,
lining it with the same tile as most of the walls
in the bath. A large recessed niche with glass tile
adds another texture to the bathing area.
LIGHTENING UP A DARK PALETTE

Capra knew she wanted an all-gray bath and chose
different varieties of the color to create interest.The
countertops are a soft gray quartz with a mitered
edge for a clean, modern look, and the porcelain
tile floor - a warmer gray - resembles linen fabric.
"I have always loved the look of tile that resembles linen or fabric,"said the designer."It's very stylish and has a cool feel, and it's also very forgiving!"
The vanity features a charcoal stain, which
complements the dark gray tile lining the walls
and the shower, and includes a faucet handle
with an insert of charcoal glass.
With such a dark palette, Capra knew she
needed more lighting than what the vanity fixture offered alone. She inserted recessed lights
with daylight LED bulbs over the shower for
neutral illumination rather than an explicitly
warm or cold light.
"The daylight recessed LEDs really make a
huge difference and light the space so well," said
Capra. "The room feels so much brighter and
bigger than it ever did, and I love the neutral,
all-gray color palette."


Kitchen & Bath Business / JULY-AUGUST 2018 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of KBIS (KBIS.com)

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Kitchen & Bath Business - July/August 2018

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