Are you one of the many renovation survivors whose funds and ideas ran out before you'd ticked off all the rooms on your checklist? If so, have no fear; there are many advantages to enduring a two-step makeover process.
When called to the Beaches neighbourhood to consult on a charming three-storey home, I immediately wondered why I was needed there. The clients clearly had great taste and a strong appreciation of design. They had created a beautiful home, which they renovated extensively seven years ago. But it soon became clear that the infamous seven-year itch had set in (and not with each other, I might add).
Past the sleek, contemporary kitchen and open-plan living space, past the Eames stools and Martha Sturdy steel sculptures, past the efficient custom cabinetry lining the hall and going up the stairs, there was reminder of "before" -- a peek at the mess and destruction of renovation.
Behind a cool maple door, with leaded glass and steel designer hardware, was an unfinished, roughed-in yet non-functioning bathroom cum storage room. After deciding the placement of bathtub, sink, shower and toilet, installing drywall and a concrete board shower enclosure, my clients decided to step back and let their bank account heal itself before diving headlong into debt.
A wise fiscal choice I'd say, and one that required remarkable restraint, since the only other functioning bath and powder room was on the third floor. If you've been through it, you know that surviving a renovation is never easy emotionally or financially, and that time is needed to heal all wounds before throwing yourself back in the ring for more punishment.
What often happens next is tantamount to design paralysis -- the longer you wait to get back on the horse, the harder it becomes to commit to a vision. The original concept seems dated, but new revelations aren't always forthcoming. That's when it's time to "seek professional help."
Our job was a bit like a science experiment or crime scene investigation -- to observe our stylish clients in their natural habitat, and gather information about what would suit their lifestyle while complementing the original renovation.
A quick study revealed a few key things: it had to be crisp, modern, minimalist and cool in palette, free of clutter, and void of colour. A walnut dining table, chairs and stools offset the maple throughout the main floor, so we had clear direction on where to go when it came to cabinetry and built-ins.
Besides the sewing machine and ironing board in the pseudo-shower stall, there wasn't much to be saved in the room when the renovation started, and it provided our clients with a great opportunity to have an almighty weekend purge. Out went her old, white-painted 1930s vintage dresser and rococo-inspired vanity stool; down came the rolling garment rack, which had turned the room into her extra walk-in closet; banished was the lovely Victorian claw-foot tub they'd originally purchased to use in the bathroom; and down came the shower enclosure with the angled door that had been roughed in by the previous contractor and designer. As I previously mentioned, after seven years there's bound to be changes in the priorities.
The good news is we had an effective layout to work with, complete with efficient use of space. With a few minor changes, we were able to quickly adapt the footprint of the bath to suit our wish list perfectly. That list included a six-foot rectangular soaker tub complete with air-jet massage and perfectly simple lines to appease even the most minimalist eye; a roomy three- by five-foot, glass-enclosed shower stall with jets and water flowing from all directions; a 48-foot-wide storage cabinet for linens, towels and toiletries; a wide, floating vanity; and a separate make-up table to replace the pieces originally earmarked for use in the room.
That's a tall order for a room that measures 11 feet square. As you can imagine, knowing you want to make a change is the easy part, committing to making the right choices after seven long years is altogether frightening.
Addressing our clients' desire for all things sleek, subdued and monochromatic, we assembled a multilayered palette of stone tiles to satiate my need for texture, interest and warmth. While they thought lab-chic, I was thinking of leisurely soaks in a hot bath deep enough to swim in. Afraid of having this room appear too mainstream, we tried to use the few materials in unusual ways.
After locating a chalky-white Greek marble with a smoky grey-blue vein in 12- by 24-inch slabs, we promptly sent it off to be recut into six- by 24-inch planks, to be installed like hardwood flooring. Graphic interest and high contrast was achieved through the installation of an entire wall of "magic" mosaic assembled from various-sized squares of white, grey and blue marble, ranging from a quarter inch to one inch. We wrapped it from floor to ceiling on the exterior wall of the bathroom, one wall in the shower and continuing all along the length of the tub.
Next came a touch of pure white. We used two Thassos mosaics inside the shower --5/8-inch by six-inch-wide elongated bars on the wall containing all the shower fittings, and one-inch square on the shower floor and ceiling. The jambs for the shower and the face of the tub were done in grey-veined Carrera marble slabs and were used to link all the tones together.
The biggest challenge with contemporary style is achieving a finished product of unwavering quality and design. While low-priced alternatives exist in many areas of home design, I have never felt that enduring results in contemporary style can be reached at a bargain price, no matter what those clever Swedes try to come up with.
The cabinetry and the plumbing fixtures had to be craftsman-quality in order to pull this room off with any measure of success. Since I like to make a unified statement when it comes to plumbing, I am a huge fan of the products offered by Rubinet. Not only do all the pieces, including the toilet shut-off valve, match, but you can build your own shower system to suit your needs.
In this case, I deemed this to include an oversized jetted rain shower (so that it feels like you are having an invigorating shower, as opposed to standing under some English lady's watering can when it trickles over your soapy body), plus a series of three body sprays. (Selecting these involves quite possibly my least favourite client discussion, as everyone likes to spray something different. And you thought design was all glamour.) Lastly, a hand-held shower on a sliding bar was necessary for easy shower cleaning and to make the stall useful for the shorter, younger set.
We knew we wanted walnut and straight lines for the cabinetry, but how to keep it from appearing as a hulking mass when juxtaposed with the light, fresh dazzle of the tub and shower was another matter. We chose a wall-hung vanity, allowing it to float to showcase more of our dynamite plank-style floor. Instead of having a somewhat useless cabinet door beneath the sink, I designed the vanity to have a centre pullout, which is ideal for storing clunky items such as a hairdryer and tall bottles of hairspray and other products.
The make-up table sits slightly off the edge of the vanity with a full overlay drawer making it virtually unnoticeable. Since lipstick, eyeliner and mascara are all in long skinny formats, the drawer only needed to be a couple of inches thick. Having a huge armoire for storage in the bathroom is, for most of us, more of a dream than a reality. We opted to keep it shallow and tall so it didn't overwhelm the space, and to dedicate one-third of the width to open shelves, giving a place to display a few pretty things while keeping thirsty towels close at hand.
Satisfying the dreams and goals of two savvy, independent-minded aesthetes is never an easy task. But in the end, she got the light, bright fresh and crisp airy oasis, and he got sleek, cool, minimalist modern with the softness of natural wood.
After seven years, the itch has been scratched, and the bathroom reno is off the to-do list.
Sarah Richardson is a designer ( http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com) as well as host and co-producer of design inc. ( http://www.designinc.ca), which airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on HGTV. Her column will appear occasionally in Globe Real Estate.
Sources
Saltillo Imports: stone tile, 416 441-2224
Caledonia Marble: countertop and bathtub slab, 416 256-0251
Treebone Design: custom cabinetry, 514-993-8733
Gingers Bath: countertop sink and toilet ( http://www.elte.com), 416.787-1787
Rubinet Faucet Co.: all faucets, including shower system and body jets ( http://www.rubinet.com)
BainUltra: bath tub ( http://www.bainultra.com)
Adanac Glass & Mirror Ltd.: shower enclosure ( http://www.adanacglass.com), 416 785-6309
Joey's Atelier: vanity stool, vintage bar cart and accessories, 416 925-2702