Design Brief: Newly purchased home with out-dated ensuite. The shower is very small and the whirpool tub and other bathroom fittings are outdated and not equal to the quality of the home.
Design Goal: My clients prefer to have a large accessible shower and no tub and want everything to be accessible and safe so that aging in place is doable. They would like to upgrade the ensuite to the same level of quality as the rest of their home.
Design Challenges: The ensuite is narrow and the layout awkward. In-floor heat is only under part of the room.
Design Solutions: 1. Remove tub 2. Locate new toilet into bay window area in place of tub 3. Install large, no-threshold shower with glass sides and light coloured tile to help space feel open and larger 4. Shower niche for products and footrest for grooming 5. Add additional in-floor heat and new floor tile 6. Paint upper vanity cabinets same as walls and lower cabinets darker to help widen the room 7. Replace laminate countertop with natural stone 8. Install new sink, faucet, cabinet hardware, and light fixtures 9. New paint on walls, trim, and ceiling 10. New window coverings 11. Accessible facilities
Three Tips for Ensuite Upgrades: 1. Incorporate universal accessibility – to enjoy independence longer and increase the value of your home. 2. Plan for ample, well-positioned lighting for proper grooming and safety. 3. Add in-floor heating including the shower floor and built-in seat because unheated tile always feels cold. In-floor heating is the most efficient and energy-saving way to heat a bathroom.
After Photos:
Happy Clients: We purchased a lovely house in the Valley and moved from southern Ontario five months ago, knowing there was a lot of work in front of us to make it into our dream home. Deborah has been with us all the way, guiding us in everything from paint selection to furniture selection to lighting. She is extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic, but at the same time respectful of our needs and preferences. Deborah is expert at many different facets of decorating, but we are particularly awed at her colour sense and her instinctive grasp of what we really want, even when we haven’t quite recognized it yet ourselves. Deborah is a master at using her time efficiently, and we were impressed at the amount of work she did for us in what amounted to a small number of hours. We highly recommend Deborah for projects both large and small. –Anne and Bob
