There are some things that can be readily changed, and some that can’t. Take, for example, a powder room located directly off the living room of a home.
The easiest solution to making something so private a bit less public would typically be to create a new point of access…but as this blog relates, we had to come up with a more imaginative solution. Life is just that way sometimes.
Vision
Our client was never all that comfortable with the fact that their powder room opened directly onto their living room. One can only imagine the potential for surprise. Besides addressing this issue, they had also seen a cabinet in a magazine that they wanted to integrate in a more customized decor — one that would, you might say, minimize the “bathroom effect.”
Challenge
Due to neighboring rooms and a curved wall, we could not relocate the bathroom door without major changes that would have drastically affected the budget for this remodel project. Instead, we designed a room that would serve as an accent rather than as an anomaly. The centerpiece would be a custom-built cabinet based on a design that our client had seen in a magazine.
Accomplishment
Along with our custom cabinet, which we designed to fit into the existing powder room space, we took the overall look of the room from “dated” to “contemporary.” We designed feature lighting to focus specifically on the sink and vase, above which we mounted a free floating cabinet that was built based on our client’s specifications. We added wall mounted faucets, slate tile, a new toilet, and a new color scheme.
Highlights
The moral of this remodel is, “If you can’t remove an eyesore, make it a point of appeal.” In the case of this project, we accomplished our objective by emphasizing some high quality finish materials and a use of lighting that created a sculptural effect. Besides what we added, the photos in this case study also reveal what we took out: an intercom system and a magazine rack. Perhaps the original intent was to give the occupant a way of requesting new reading selections while “engaged” — but who really wants a live broadcast from the john, let alone share ones reading proclivities with the general public?
Click on any of the following images to see larger versions in a gallery.