Baths of the Year 2015
LARGE, LUXURIOUS home bathrooms with resort-hotel style can be glorious. But that's not what a Del Mar Mesa couple wanted - even though their master bathroom was large enough to accommodate such a spectacle.
I didn't want anything too fancy," Shelley Aberle says. "We're a very casual family, and we wanted it to feel natural.”
That's why designer Paul Schatz of Interior Design Imports infused their big space with intimate style. Stealing the scene is the laid-back charm of a new bath alcove that is elegantly framed with plaster arch details; has a cory, coved ceiling and features a freestanding hydrotherapy tub.
“Shelley loves her garden, so we put in an iron-paned window, reminiscent of another era, to highlight the exotic hanging garden just outside the tub area," Paul says. "Theresa Clark designed the garden, which is an L-shaped trellis system with a variety of plants.”
On the other side of the bath, a steam shower features slabs of honed Halila limestone, trimmed in custom stone moldings and decorative base tile.
"Prior to the remodel, our shower was larger and, without an enclosure, had a cold feeling. "Shelley says, "Paul made it smaller and put the glass door on it.”
He spiced up the shower's spirit with a dramatic limestone, built-in bench that has arched details and a backsplash of hand-painted tiles. fast outside the shower, in between the bathing and shower spaces, is a vestibule for drying off.
An art-glass picture window featuring mouth-blown glass roundels, ensures privacy while allowing for plenty of natural light. Between the vestibule and tub area, a soapstone screen, designed and hand-carved in India, visually joins the spaces.
"I like to incorporate found objects into architecture, like the soapstone screen." Paul says. “It's incredible that you can take a piece made in India, ship it out here, not have it be broken, and install it. This is not a local resource that you can just order. The screen is carved on both sides and is a work of art within itself.”
Paul also transformed the Booring into a work of art. The bathroom bas an elongated shape: bat by creating a carpet effect with the limestone and mosaic tile floor, the space appears more balanced.
"Enhanced Jerusalem honed stone and coralina drop-set mosaic tiles with Botticino dots create distinct rug motifs across the floor." Paul says. "By using not unusually expensive material in a creative way. we had the necessary funds for other areas, like the moldings we did."
Seamless moldings, a signature of Interior Design Imports' style, were incorporated in the wall, sinks, countertops and mirror backsplash areas.
“The moldings are made as extensions and are put together very tightly." Paul says. "The glass part of the mirror opens independently of the frame, and there are glass shelves inside for lots of storage. It takes artistry and great contracting skills working together to be able to do this."
The new master bathroom triggers visions of mysterious, distant lands.
“The lighting and the pattern and color of the tiles give the bathroom a Moroccan feel," Shelley says. "I wasn't intentionally looking for that, but that's what comes to mind. It spoke to me. I really liked it."
San Diego Home & Garden
Refined Revival in Mission Hills - March 2015
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