Residential Bathroom
Over $60,000
GRAND AWARD WINNER

Brief explanation of the project including scope and retail price

We added a 40’x10’ one story addition on the North side of this Potomac, Maryland home. We tied the bathroom into the existing bedroom suite and reconfigured the entire space so that the existing bathroom became a luxurious walk-in closet and we switched the master bedroom and home office. The bathroom was part of a larger project and cost approximately $150,000 including the addition.

Unusual constraints or challenges

The homeowner is a successful clothing designer and wanted to make a one-of-a-kind, knock-your-socks-off bathroom. Subsequently, establishing and maintaining her high expectations throughout the design and construction phases proved challenging.

Creative solutions to the challenges
Initially, the design challenge presented was to create a bathroom space that allowed the customer to feel like she was outside. However, as the design evolved, we settled for a water feature visible from much of the bathroom and the master bedroom and a large shower space with river stones on the floor, a large window over the shower bench and stone and glass on the walls. The fountain features quiet or audible water flows that allow the owners to enjoy it from either their bedroom or their bathroom.

The high windows above the vanity elevation, the shower window and the two large skylights invite the sun to create different moods depending upon the time of day and weather conditions. The warm and contrasting colors within the bathroom contribute to this effect.

Additional design elements include: starlight LED lighting above the shower, Giallo Ornamental granite counters, electric floor heating zones and custom cabinetry including integrated storage niches left and right of the sinks. A separate HVAC zone was designed into the addition, in part, to help control excess humidity.

The adjacent master bedroom closet was designed to let the fashion designer and her husband keep all of their nicest garments in a convenient and warm changing area. The custom cabinets include shoe storage along the entire toe kick area. An innovative storage shelf was built at the ceiling to accommodate the owners’ storage boxes.

Overall results of the project
When the project was complete, the homeowner wrote, “I would say people's jaws drop when they see the place.” She also wrote, “[The] Verizon guys told me our house was in the top 10 -- and they said they have been in [a lot of] huge mansions.” Within our firm, we are particularly proud of this bathroom because the space elicits a unique range of emotions. The Zen like feeling that is creates is easily perceptible.