A worn-out, old bath is transformed into an Asian-inspired oasis
Before Anna Jacoby worked her magic on this Freemont, Calif., bathroom, it was typical 1980s, with a glaring ? uorescent light above the sink, outdated ? xtures and plumbing, a tiny shower and a cramped layout. Her client wanted to turn the ordinary and aged room into a relaxing space where she could unwind in style. Jacoby obliged, creating a Zen retreat with an oversized spa tub, natural materials and mood lighting throughout.
The biggest challenge was ? nding a way to expand the bath without disrupting the adjacent rooms. Jacoby decided to borrow a foot of space from one of two master bedroom closets, which gave her the breathing room she needed to enlarge the tub and improve the space’s ? ow. “The closet was more than three feet deep,” said Jacoby, “so we were able to take the space and still leave a standard 2-ft.-deep closet in the master bedroom.”
Once the client’s spa tub was in place, the next step was giving her a lighting system that she could manipulate to create the perfect mood for any occasion. “We played with lighting a lot,” said Jacoby. Underneath the wall-mounted foating vanity lives strip LED lighting on a dimmer. “The vanity lights allow the homeowner to go very low with the lighting when she’s in the tub,” she added. The hanging pendant over the toilet is also on a dimmer, so the client can go as bright as she wants with the lighting or fall anywhere in between.
Jacoby then added minimalist fxtures and contemporary design elements — including a sleek, oversized showerhead — and tempered them with soothing, neutral colors. She used a large-format porcelain tile on the tub surround and accented it with earth-toned glass mosaic. “The tile has a texture to it, which gives it the look of bamboo,” said Jacoby. And the glass mosaic in the tub area functions like a soothing waterfall. The lighting in the shower area washes the glass with light, and when water hits it, it shimmers. The piece functions as a soothing rain wall.
The glass mosaic is picked up again on the vanity, creating continuity throughout the space. The wall-mounted vanity has a bamboo veneer fnish and real bamboo accents to add a touch of the natural world to this oasis. A piece of granite was custom cut for the vanity’s top, and Jacoby chose a color with enough depth to allow it to contrast with the soothing neutral tones of the wall color and tile without overpowering the subtle sparkle of the glass mosaic.
Finally, Jacoby chose a porcelain foor tile designed to look like wood planks to add the style and earthiness of wood, while maintaining the practical durability of tile. “It’s amazing how closely this tile resembles hardwood,” she said. “Yet you get all the benefts of porcelain.”
Every element within the bath works in harmony to create an exciting and modern space that still manages to soothe the soul.
