Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2018 - 41

ORGANICALLY MODERN

A 25-year-old
space with a narrow
layout becomes a
contemporary oasis

OUTDATED SPACES OFTEN HAVE SO MANY IS-

SUES that it is better to start with a blank palette.
For budget reasons, the majority of these types of
redesigns have to stay within the same footprint.
This is what challenged designer William Burke
of Longwood, Fla.-based S&W Kitchens, who
had a client looking for a completely new, Zenlike look in their quarter-century-old bathroom.
The space was terrible to begin with, but the
main challenge was making the room seem bigger
than it really was," said Burke.

BATHROOM
SECOND
PLACE

ADDING LENGTH AND HEIGHT

Before the redesign, the space sported outdated
oak cabinetry and a giant corner tub. Once the
bath was gutted, Burke was left with a narrow floor
plan and a ceiling that only reached about eight
feet high. Using 20/20 to create 3D perspectives
and then AutoCAD for the specific construction
details, he eliminated one vanity and removed the
old shower enclosure and tub, replacing them with
a freestanding tub and a walk-in shower.
"The shower didn't come together until we were
standing in the space with the client and realized
that a centered plumbing wall would give us the
height we were looking for," said Burke.
This wall is in the center of the bath and extends from floor to ceiling,
giving the door-less shower - which is now a wet space - some additional
privacy. The frameless glass panels on either side of the wall surreptitiously
help define the space.
"We wanted to take the eye away from the fact that the room was narrow,"
said the designer, explaining that he used travertine marble in a vertical mosaic
pattern on the wall to emphasize height as well. "I think the tile detail added
the weight needed to offset the open feeling of the shower."
NATURAL AESTHETIC

According to Burke, when clients ask for a spa-like space, he uses more
organic elements. The vanity - which he found at KBIS 2018 - is made
of walnut wood with white-painted cabinet fronts. This streamlined
piece further adds to the modern look of the bath with its contemporary
concrete countertop.
Made by a local fabricator, the 3-in.-thick countertop includes a 30-in.wide ramp sink with a slot drain in the back and two faucets. The sink also
highlights the look of the running water from the faucet, which flows into the
slot drain at the back of the sink rather than directly into a drain. Behind the
vanity, a backsplash of travertine marble echoes the shower wall and further
enhances the illusion of height in the bath.
PERSONAL TOUCHES

A Zen-like space calls for calming hues, but sometimes a pop of color can
make a design stand out.
"I get the most comments on the piece of artwork the client selected to go
over the tub,"said Burke, referring to a bright and colorful painting of birds.
After starting with a fairly modest budget, the client ended up adding at
least 50 percent more than what he thought he would spend to the project.
With that, the team was able to tile another whole wall in the toilet room, as
well as create a fun and innovative entrance.

ABOVE The freestanding tub

was a natural alternative to the
giant corner tub that occupied
the space previously and
added desperately needed
floor space to the bath.
BOTTOM RIGHT "Aesthetically,

I love the look of the shower
plumbing wall and the way
the combination of the floor
and wall tiles offer a pleasing
complement to each other,"
said Burke.

"The room on the other side of the shower is a
theater," said Burke. "Adjacent to the shower, we
built a tall cabinet that looks like a linen closet, but
it's actually a door to the next room."
This secret entrance was further customized
by Burke and his son, who make fishing lures as a
hobby and used some of those to accent the face
frame of the door. The result is the organic and
modern aesthetic - with the luxury of a customized look - the client was looking for.
This year's judges were impressed with the budget-friendly project that kept a thoughtful process
in mind.


SOURCES
DEDESIGNER: William
Burke, S&W Kitchens;
PHOTOGRAPHER: Rickie
Agapito - aofotos
CABINETRY & MIRRORS:

White Square;

COUNTERTOPS & SINK:

Price Concrete Studios;
FAUCETS & TUB FILLER:

KOHLER; TILE: Crossville;
TOILET: TOTO; TUB:
Victoria & Albert

Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2018

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