Above: The designer chose glamorous brass sconces with glass discs to brighten up the primary bath, and the addition of a clerestory window in the zero-threshold shower bounces around natural light. Brass was also chosen for the vanity hardware and plumbing fixtures. A tile-inset linear drain provides a minimal look and is covered in the same Calacatta-look porcelain used in most of the space.
After a Los Angeles couple experienced a spa-like bathroom at a vacation resort, they knew they wanted one for their second home in Paso Robles. They liked the Honeycomb Home Design projects they saw on Houzz, and owner and principal designer Ariana Lovato was tasked with fulfilling their top goal: to create an open-concept space that made the homeowners feel like they were walking into a spa.
Creating an Oasis
The former primary bath featured a large, jetted tub that no one used, a small shower and no door for privacy. Lovato said there was a lot of wasted space and referred to it as a “90s white bathroom.”
To accommodate the walk-in shower, sauna and double vanity, the designer needed to alter the footprint a bit. She replaced the enormous tile-surround tub with a sizable walk-in shower and placed the new sauna where the smaller shower used to be. The vanity and toilet areas stayed where they were, which put less of a strain on the budget.
Spacing Solutions
The main challenge with this project was to accommodate all the necessities without the bathroom feeling too enclosed.
“We needed to design a custom sauna that would not only fit but feel integrated and intentional,” said Lovato. “We achieved this goal by using a glass entry for the sauna, which makes it feel more connected to the rest of the space.”
The designer also removed the bulky exterior glass block behind the former tub and replaced it with a transparent clerestory window to bring in more natural light. She did not add a door to the shower, keeping it open, and surrounded that area with porcelain slab walls in a light, neutral shade.
Lovato chose a floating vanity, which lessened the heaviness of the black walnut cabinetry. The cedar used in the sauna creates warmth and does a great job of tying the space together since it complements the black walnut.
The clients’ choice of a larger, roll-in shower eliminated the ability to add more storage space along one wall, but there is a storage cabinet/wardrobe just outside the bathroom. Lovato transformed what used to be a catchall opening with no doors into a lovely ceiling-height unit in the same black walnut as the vanity.
Overcoming Other Hurdles
Lovato said the sauna was a challenge to engineer, since it needed to be large enough to accommodate two people comfortably but not so large that it overtook the space. The design team worked with the builder and engineer to study the unit specifications and achieve the correct framing.
The vaulted ceilings were tricky with the sauna placement, so the designer tucked it into a corner, which she said helped hide any tricky transitions. Instead of a installing a drop ceiling, she incorporated a soffit over the sauna and covered it in the same porcelain slab as the shower.
Lovato said this was her first time specifying a porcelain slab, and she learned how expensive it was to fabricate. She suggested choosing a different material, but her clients really wanted the porcelain and were not thrown by the additional cost.
“Moving forward, I would only recommend using porcelain in this capacity if my clients have the budget to cover the fabrication,” explained Lovato, “which in this case, they did.”
SOURCES:
Designer: Ariana Lovato, AKBD, Allied ASID, Clipp, Honeycomb Home Design; Photographer: Lisa Maksoudian Photography; Drain: Infinity Drain; Faucets: Riobel; Flooring: Classic Tile; Lighting: Circa Lighting; Medicine Cabinets: Robern; Porcelain Slabs: Pacific Shore Stones; Shower Fixtures: California Faucets; Sinks: Kohler; Vanity: Honeycomb Home Design; Vanity Hardware: Atlas Homewares