A leak and resulting water damage allowed a Whistler couple the opportunity for a major renovation of their master bath, a contract entrusted to award-winning designer Earl Lawson of V6B Design Group of Vancouver.
The original room was a standard condominium five-foot by eight foot bathroom with a sink and toilet on one wall and a tub on the other. The master bedroom suite, however, was quite large, and there was enough room to plan for a more luxurious master ensuite.
There were concerns as to how to include all the elements requested by the client inside the bathroom while incorporating a proper hallway and the closet storage required outside, Lawson said. The bathroom was redesigned to accommodate a double sink vanity, a frameless glass shower enclosure (for him) and a soaker tub (for her).
The key element in making the room plan work was the angled hallway. While decreasing the space in the bathroom at the toilet end, this hallway plan allowed for additional closet to be included on the opposite wall and gave a more central entry into the bedroom, he explained.
V6B, which accepted three awards this spring in the 2007 Art of the Industry National Kitchen and Bath Association Design Competition, drew out extensive floor plans and elevations on the project so the client and crew would know exactly what was to be done.
As the residence is at a ski resort, the finishes were kept very natural: stained knotty alder cabinetry with black highlights, matching his and hers mirrors, and extensive use of travertine and tumbled marble. In order to accommodate the increased bathroom size, the hallway and closets had to be reworked. The new closets were framed out with knotty alder closet doors to match the vanity cabinetry. The entry doors were also changed to knotty alder to complete the transition. Matching door hardware was used throughout.
Lawson notes that homeowners should not be swept up with the most recent fads or fashions, but concentrate on putting together a design that works for their lifestyle and the particular style of the home, at a quality level that is consistent with the homes value.
