Called in to give a cramped and aging primary bath in Washington, D.C. a new look and feel, Chevy Chase, Md.-based Jennifer Gilmer, CKD and Meghan Browne of Jennifer Gilmer Kitchens & Bath found they had to think out of the 72-square-foot box of a bathroom for a design solution. Learning that the owners of the 1930s home were enthusiasts of Japanese design, they pursued that track.
The original floor plan of the 6 x 9 room featured a corner shower, flanked by a toilet. A porcelain tub and two sinks were squeezed into the room. Storage was inadequate.
With space at a premium, the designers relocated both the shower and tub to a single wall, creating a kind of demi wet room, albeit one without a divider. One of the sinks was eliminated, and the toilet was moved to the far end of the room, where there was now enough space for a commodious storage cabinet that reached well up the wall.
As the swing of a hinged door would consume too much valuable area, Gilmer designed a custom door reminiscent of a Japanese shoji screen for the project. Panels of translucent glass allow natural light to filter into the space, even when it is closed. Barn door hardware lets the door slide out of sight behind a shallow dresser in the bedroom, while preserving the limited floor space in the bathroom.
Japanese Design Details
To set the Asian ambiance in the bathroom, the Gilmer team thought of the elements that are used in feng shui design: wood, water, metal and stone, and kept this in mind while selecting the materials.
Looking for a show-stopping piece, a Google search for “teak ofuro tub” led to a supplier of the Japanese soaking vessels. “This tub is designed to be raised up from the floor, so we needed to construct a step to hide the feet of the tub,” said Gilmer. “We wanted to have a recess in the tread of the step for loose river stones, but this was impractical. So we set the river stones in grout as a compromise.” The step also helps to protect the tub from water when the shower is in use.
Sources
Designer: Jennifer Gilmer & Meghan Browne, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath, Ltd.; Photography: Bob Narod; Barn Door & Hardware: Mizell Custom Millwork Shop; Countertops: Grothouse; Faucets, Shower Fittings, Tub Filler: Sonoma Forge; Mirrors: Hutchison Glass; Sinks: Stone Forest; Tile: Island Stone; Toilet: TOTO; Tub: Zen Bathworks
