Ta-Da! An En Suite Transformation

Long before Lee moved in, she knew the master en suite in the ranch-style home was too small and the décor needed to be updated. Lee knew all this because she and her husband purchased Lee’s Ohio childhood home, after a short stint in Arizona. Before long, Lee’s master bath which was still stuck in the 70’s got a brand-new look and more space.

Lee and Matt tackled renovations for the home one room at a time. The master en suite’s turn had finally arrived. This was the room Lee was ready to give a complete facelift. It wasn’t just the outdated colors; the room was also far too small. Lee sought my help after I’d previously overseen the kitchen and guest bath renovations.

There was an existing ill-fitted closet adjacent to the en suite. I suggested we enlarge the 8 x 8-foot en suite by removing this closet wall in order to make the new en suite bigger. Lee and Matt already had planned to create a walk-in closet at the other side of the bedroom.

Lee commented, “I want the bathroom to be soothing, elegant, and organized.” She also wanted a sitting area between the bedroom and en suite. So, I incorporated a lounge area open to the bathroom entry where the existing closet had been. This would allow enough room for a comfy chair and ottoman.

I suggested we connect the en suite to the bedroom by pulling the green and beige color scheme from the earth-tone floral bedspread.

The Zelinas had a soaking tub when they lived in Arizona, but it got very little-use and it was a chore to clean. So, in this bathroom, they opted for a roomy walk-in shower. With the borrowed closet space we nearly doubled the size of the walk-in shower. I designed the shower to have dual shower heads, one at each end. Lee selected beautiful neutral color travertine shower tiles to create a stunning focal point. Easy-to-clean stunning neutral accent tiles make a spa-like feel. The textured-glass sliding glass shower doors provided visual interest.

There was only one sink in the previous vanity and storage space was desperately needed. Lee wanted a seated makeup area in her new en suite. While in Blue Creek Cabinet Company’s showroom, the Zelinas selected red oak custom cabinetry from Showplace Cabinetry. Lee wanted something interesting but also something that was neutral color so that she could still easily accessorize. She didn’t want it to be humdrum, but also didn’t want it to be too flashy. Distressing offered the perfect solution. I recommended using distressed vintage cabinets with gently worn, small dents, nicks, wormholes, and tracks to the wood. This would allow the cabinets to age well. Any nicks and scrapes that come with time will just add more character, making it a worry-free solution. The cabinets would provide an immense amount of storage for use by both the husband and wife.