HIS AND HERS
The couple that grooms apart stays together in this redesigned Alamo, California master bath. An exterior wall of the vintage cottage was bumped out 15 feet to create an L-shape, but the house’s odd angles and small niches were retained and used to cozy advantage. Her vanity is tucked around a corner beneath the slanted ceiling. Beadboard wainscoting and a claw-foot tub enhance the bathroom’s antique look, while skylights and a window flood the room with the natural light that contemporary homeowners prefer.
Before: Rubbing Elbows
Before the redesign, the couple negotiated around each other to use either side of a double vanity, and to reach the tub at one end of the room and the shower at the other. A closet to the left of the tub hid the slanted ceiling but narrowed the space. Mirrors right and left didn’t dispel the claustrophic feel of the 257-square-foot room.
Good Boundaries
Now his vanity sits next to a shower with frameless glass doors, which help the enclosure feel open and bright. Unseen is his closet, separate from hers and located just to the right of his vanity. Both closets were left doorless to help keep the bathroom’s sightlines open.
Soaking in Light
The porcelain double-slipper tub sits on claw feet. The muted green wainscot color is the result of two Kelly-Moore paints the homeowner mixed together. Tucked between the low roofline and the tub, the sliding window lends an airy quality to a soak.
Nickel for Every Time They Bathe
The tub filler, like all the fittings in this bathroom, is brushed nickel. The material accentuates the vintage feel of the room and goes nicely with the wainscoting and tub.
ROOM TO GROW
A 1916 Arts and Crafts bungalow might be just right for a party of two. But when baby made three, this family outgrew their small upstairs bathroom. A remodel resulted in a two-part master bathroom that includes a half-bath accessed from the hall and separated from the main bath. The bath’s vintage look—hexagonal black-and-white floor tile, goosneck faucets, console sinks—is in keeping with the home’s early-20th-
century origins. A 12-inch-deep built-in below the vanity mirror allows for drawer, cabinet, and shelf storage.
Raise the Roof
Seven feet of head clearance were added to the bungalow’s second floor. The bath’s vaulted ceiling features twin skylights that help fill the room with natural light; pendant fixtures hang from its peak.
Slide Show
To create a unique connection between the bath and the master bedroom across the hall, the homeowner refinished and installed two salvaged carriage doors with cross-reeded glass as sliders that hang from overhead tracks. When open, the doorways create an unobstructed sight line from one room to the other.
From All Angles
The steam shower features an array of sprays and is lined with subway tile finished with gray grout for an antique look. The built-in bench is lined with granite. Water-resistant teak frames the awning window. If the family wants to bathe, they use a clawfoot tub downstairs.
Full Cupboard
A built-in cupboard is tucked next to the shower to store toiletries and wardrobe overflow. The built-in storage helps preserve a feeling of openness in the bathroom.
BATH FOR A BROOD
With four athletic kids living at home, the owners of a circa 1917 Tudor in Chappaqua, New York knew the steam shower and jetted spa tub in their new master-suite addition would be hot commodities. To garner some privacy for themselves and free up the goods for the rest of the family, the couple divided the master bath, installing a sink and toilet in a half-bath separated from the shower-and-tub area. Finished with wainscoting and vintage-look fixtures, the two parts of the bathroom are united by a turn-of-the-century English style that complements the rest of the house. The legginess of the console sink echoes the lines of the tub-filler faucet and helps preserve a feeling of spaciousness.
Jet Set
The 6-foot jetted tub sits in a surround with a gray marble deck and beadboard sides. One corner of the tub surround is cut on an angle to keep people from nicking their shins on the way to the shower or sink. A generous linen closet is right outside the tub-room door.
Lending Light
A Victorian-era leaded-glass window, bought at a salvage yard, is installed on an interior wall in the tub room. Light from the bath is filtered through the window to illuminate the stairwell on the other side.
Private Perch
The toilet and a sink are in a separate half-bath, so they’re accessible when the tub or shower is occupied. The design allows the family to use different parts of the master bath at the same time without sacrificing privacy. In both spaces, Benjamin Moore’s Sherwood Green covers the walls above the beadboard wainscoting.
