Bathroom with Sloped Ceiling Breaks Free of the Box
This story was originally published on July 24, 2023; it was updated on August 22, 2023.
When Claire Jefford of Burlington, Canada-based Claire Jefford Inc. first saw the gutted space for the primary bathroom, she was delighted to see that it wasn’t the usual box-like volume. With angled walls and a high, sloping ceiling, the bathroom posed plenty of exciting design possibilities.
“Our clients had been using a smaller full bathroom on the same floor for many years and were eager to have their ensuite beautifully renovated,” said the designer.
Ample counter and storage space was high on the homeowners’ list of priorities, so Jefford located a large floating vanity on the full length of the longest uninterrupted wall in the 12-foot by 10-foot space. The unit was designed in collaboration with her custom cabinet maker to include deep drawers and tall closed cabinets on either side, giving a completely symmetrical look to the piece.
Responding to the clients’ wish for a modern and sophisticated black and white bathroom, Jefford knew she had to mediate the intricate floor tile and the tile pattern that she spec’ed as a backdrop for the freestanding tub. “This area is the feature of the room and is the first thing you see when you walk in,” she said. “The challenge was to design it in a way so that the black and white elements were balanced and that the finer details could stand out to show the beauty of the design as a whole.”
The bathroom is on the second floor of the home, which is accessed by a stairway that has a sharp 180-degree turn. “Large tiles like the 24-inch by 48-inch ones we used on the walls are always a challenge to transport to higher level floors,” said the designer. “It’s especially difficult if there is nowhere on the same floor to cut the tiles; it means the installer has to lift heavy tiles up and down the stairs every time a cut has to be made.”
“If I had to choose one design element that is my favorite, I would say the feature wall with the bathtub,” said Jefford. “The way we designed around the inset niche wall with the contrasting pattern, the angled walls with high ceilings that draw the eye upwards, the simple roman blind window treatment in all black and the freestanding bold and beautiful tub – and if you add in the homeowners’ gorgeous black cat – it’s perfection!”
—By Leslie Clagett, KBB managing editor
