A Small, Elegant, Urbane Bath Design - Part 1

 All small bathrooms demand creative planning in order to meet the needs of the client and provide a safe and functional room.  It can be challenging because of all the  necessary fixtures and  the fact that each fixture has its own requirements, for example,  the toilet requires a minimum of  30" of space  by code. That is a very tight spot, but sometimes in an older home this is all you can do.  Most people are more comfortable with a 34 or 36" space. This bath remodel was located  on the 2nd floor and had an additional challenge - a wall that housed the chimney to an old fireplace which was no longer in use.  We knew that there would be a surprise for us when we removed the wall, we just didn't know exactly what to expect.

Shower Wall

Fitting everything into the small space

Sink and mirror wall 

There is much to be done within the framework of the walls before you even get to the tile stage.  For this remodel it was important to work  with the electrician for the location of the pendant lights and the towel warmer as well as where the light switches would go.  But before that the contractor and I discussed where the wall hung vanity would go and where the Robern uplift cabinet mirror would be placed.  Those were critical items and we relied on the specs from the manufacturers to help guide our decision.  We also had the homeowner stand in front of where the vanity would be placed  to verify that everything would be accessible  for her height.  Placement of wall hung vanities also depends on the type of sink and faucet included in the design.  If  the homeowner chose a vessel sink than the height of the vessel sink and size of the  faucet all need to be part of the consideration.

  

Wall Hung Toilet Tank

With all the necessary equipment within
the walls in place we were now ready to start  installing the fixtures.   The first fixture to go in would be the airtub.

If you look at the floorplan you will notice that the tub and the shower are both enclosed within the glass doors.  This means that this design is a partial wet room.  In a wet room design the toilet, and usually a pedestal sink would also be enclosed within the glass. 

If you take a closer look at the sink and mirror wall photo, you will see that the cider block of the old fireplace is only about half of the wall opening.  That means we found 15" of unclaimed wall space.  Wow!  In a small room finding space is like finding gold.  We used it for additional storage as you'll see in the next posting.

On this bathroom remodel in the Princeton area,  I had the opportunity to collaborate with another member of the design profession, Katie McHugh I.D  who is a very talented and skillful designer in the Philadelphia area.  I welcome the chance to work with her on other projects in the future. 

Part 2 will present the beautiful fixtures and elegant materials incorporated in this urbane bath design.