by heidimrtsn | Sep 18, 2017 | Project Spotlight
Serene Spa Master Bath, Mill Valley California
The request was for a spa-like serene atmosphere with warmth, color, and Asian inspired touches brought together in a very clean lined contemporary way.
A steam shower was a requirement for the homeowners along with an air massage tub. And unlike the old bathroom they had been living with we would design adequate storage …… this was to be a relaxing space so no clutter was going to be allowed on the countertops!
Spa master bathroom steam shower
The starting point for our tile design was the floral pattern mosaic glass tile from Artistic Tile. I saw it as a reference to the chrysanthemum patterned fabrics sometimes used in Japanese kimonos.
Using the floral pattern sparingly so as not to overwhelm the space, we then balanced it with a straight patterned glass mosaic, a creamy tile, and warm Cherry wood for the vanity and medicine cabinet frames.
A minimalist custom vanity floats above the floor along one wall, the cabinet doors and drawers are all out of a single piece of Cherry so the beautiful wood grain pattern is continuous along the front.
Custom Cherry wood frames surround the two medicine cabinets which provide storage for small items, an open shelf in the vanity provides extra towel storage, and a linen closet was created right outside the door for larger items.
A custom floating vanity of stained Cherry wood and matching frames for the medicine cabinets.
For the countertop we selected Taj Mahal quartzite with amber colored veining that perfectly coordinates with the glass tile colors. Punctuating these warm tones with some very crisp spa-like whites for the sinks, towels, and bathtub keeps everything feeling contemporary and light.
Warm tile and crisp white fixtures
Ample light for the vanity area is provided by sconces as well as a center “lantern” light fixture created by hanging a pendant light fixture from a metal wall bracket.
Spa Bath lantern light fixture
The new pocket door for the bathroom is two layers of glass with actual birch branches pressed between the clear and frosted glass.
Birch branches between glass create a beautiful pocket door for the serene spa bath
The success of the design lies in the balance of the elements; warm colors against crisp whites, organic elements counterbalanced with strong lines.
The success of the project is that the homeowners now have a beautiful place to relax and unwind from their busy days.
by heidimrtsn | Jan 15, 2015 | Project Spotlight
After: Backlit wine bottles showcased at the end of the hall
Glass doors at the end of the hall display wine bottles on steel frame wine racks, an acrylic panel that resembles sandblasted glass is backlit with LED lights creating a glow behind the wine bottles. You wouldn’t know by looking at it that this whole wine rack can be slid aside to reveal stairs into a hidden wine cellar.
Who doesn’t love the idea of a secret room and even better when it holds a lot of wine?
My clients had cases of wine stacking up in a spare room for lack of a real storage area. When we discussed options of where we could put a wine cellar the idea of using the naturally cool space under the house seemed like a smart move. The house is built into a hillside and the access space under the house was a sloped mess of concrete with exposed pipes and insulation.
Before: Access space under the house
First order of business was to jackhammer out what excess concrete we could to create a few terraced levels and figure out how to make it easy to access from the house. Then it was all about how to design as much wine storage capacity as possible in a way that was interesting and attractive.
It seemed a shame to put a solid door on the wine cellar when we could create a great focal point at the end of the hallway. Finding glass doors that would fit our purposes proved a bit of a challenge though. We needed to keep the cold air out of the living area and the warm air out of the wine storage. Standard glass wine cellar doors had more framing than glass and we wanted as much glass as possible to showcase the wine. After much research we came up with the idea to use commercial refrigerator case doors.
Wine display rack slides aside to reveal the entrance to the hidden wine cellar. The sliding rack itself can hold over 200 wine bottles when full. Once you slide the initial wine rack to the side diamond tread plate stairs are revealed leading you up to 3 levels of concrete lined with wooden wine racks.
As we were left with some exposed pipes it seemed natural to go with a somewhat industrial look and then glam it up a bit. Shiny diamond tread plate is juxtaposed with rough concrete, natural cork, and a deep blue wall color.
Industrial Glam wine storage
A challenging project to design and engineer but so worth it. My clients have a fun secret and wine storage for over 1200 bottles!
Metal, concrete, cork, and wood against a backdrop of intense blue.
by heidimrtsn | Aug 11, 2013 | Project Spotlight
After: A light filled, colorful, and open kitchen
The homeowners wanted an updated kitchen with a light and fun feel that would work well for a busy family.
The old kitchen was showing it’s age with dark wood cabinets, laminate countertops, and a vinyl floor, but the floor plan was also from another time where people preferred their kitchens to be separate from the rest of the house. Today we live much more in our kitchens and especially in a household with two energetic little boys, having the kitchen open to the dining and living room was a priority.
Before: Two doorways into the kitchen were eliminated and a large opening created between the kitchen and dining room
To accomplish this we had to remove not one, but two awkwardly placed doorways, creating a large opening between the kitchen and dining room. The two rooms now flow into each other and to keep that continuous feel we chose to extend the wood floors into the kitchen.
After: The kitchen is now open to the dining room
White countertops were an essential component in creating the light feel of the kitchen, and while we considered an engineered stone, ultimately the natural organic quality of real stone won out. Princess White Quartzite was chosen as a beautiful yet durable material; it has some movement of soft grey tones without appearing too busy and very subtle flecks of green and blue that work beautifully with the glass backsplash and island color.
Glass mosaic tile brings in a fun punch of bright green but also includes the caramel tones of the wood cabinets, the gray and white of the countertop, and bits of blue – pulling all the colors of the kitchen together.
With careful planning of the size and shape of a new island we were able to fit seating for four, even though this is not a very large kitchen. The island is a custom Aquamarine color providing a colorful break with the surrounding wood floor and Cherry cabinets.
Placing the microwave in the island cabinetry allowed us to clear off valuable counter space
In the end we accomplished what we had set out to: a light filled kitchen integrated into the rest of the house with lots of thoughtfully designed storage space and increased counter workspace. This is a fun family and they now have a kitchen that reflects that.
