At the Intersection of Art, Architecture & Design » Master Suite – From Ordinary to Extraordinary – At the Intersection of Art, Architecture & Design

Master Suite – From Ordinary to Extraordinary

Jackie Braitman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:41:19 +0000

Master Bedroom with Soffit & Cove Lighting

My client’s wish list for a remodeled master suite in the upper Northwest Washington, DC neighborhood of the Palisades included an enlarged bath and dressing area and bumping up the ceiling to create a tray ceiling. Unlike many clients, they were not particularly looking for increased daylighting, however the wife definitely wanted to lighten up the heavy feel of the Spanish carved furniture and heavy drapes. Another problem she wanted fixed was the tight and awkward entryway to the bedroom.

As is my practice, unless required, I prefer to work within the existing footprint — which was quite do-able in this home. The 1950’s split-level had plain vanilla rooms with small baths. In order to acquire the space for the enlarged master bath and dressing area, we appropriated closets near the existing small master bath and a 1970’s addition that had been used as a sewing room and closet for the husband. With three daughters now grown and out of the house, a bedroom was re-purposed for the sewing room.

View Toward Hallway & Master Bath

Even though the husband was concerned that the room was small, we actually moved the bath wall 9” into the bedroom. We also enlarged the doorway and moved it toward the right. A niche right as you enter, see picture above, will eventually house a small floating valet cabinet and mirror. We reduced the width of the doorway into the new dressing area and the windows in the dressing area and aligned both with the new entryway. Rather than bump-up the ceiling into the attic – which would have cost $30,000 to $40,000 because of the extensive structural changes to the joist and rafters – we added a 6” high soffit around the entire room and opened up a tray ceiling in the soffit. We left the soffit lowered to distinguish the passageway to the bath and dressing area from the bedroom proper. In the “After” Floor Plan, the dotted lines represent the edges of soffit and the hatched walls indicate the walls that were added or changed.

These combination of changes – that actually reduced the size and volume of the room — created a feeling of greater size and openness. We also used color to make the bedroom feel larger – the hallway is a dark color which gives a sense of compression in the hallway and expansion as you walk into the room. The soffit is painted a darker color than either the bedroom walls or ceiling. Again – a sense of compression and shadow leading to areas of expansion and light. With the structural changes, the coordinated and deliberate palette helps the space feel larger.

The dressing area provides a quite generous 4 feet clear area between the cabinets. We provided a mix of hanging and folding space – open cabinets and closed cabinets; shelves and drawers. While not going overboard, we also provided some customized accessories. The one that seems to be the biggest hit are the 2 pullout luggage shelves. When pushed in the overnight bags are stored out of the way. When pulled out, they are just the right height for packing with clothes conveniently nearby. We also included valet rods and pull-out tie and belt racks that take up otherwise unused room within the cabinets.

Dressing Room

Custom Pull-Out Luggage Shelf

Custom Pull-out Luggage Shelf - In Use

We paid a lot of attention to lighting throughout the master suite. We used LED cove lighting in the tray ceiling and low voltage recessed lighting in the soffit – first to highlight further the path to the bath and dressing areas, second for individual reading lights over the bed, and third to highlight artwork and as wall washers.

Row of Low-Voltage Recessed Lights Mark Way to Dressing Room

In the bath was used a combination of ceiling washers and task lighting (see “Enlarging a Master Bath”)

In the dressing area, we used “warm colored” fluorescent lighting at the top of the cabinets and, in a different finish, as sconces on either side of the mirror (see image of dressing room)

Finally, as part of the master suite remodel and additional work at the home, all the windows in the home were switched from double-hung windows to casements. Casements are much easier to open and given better ventilation. To get a better proportion but to limit costs, we used replacement windows but with a custom vertical divider so that they look like double casements. These lines increase the modern feel that the homeowners desired.

Floor Plan "AFTER"

Floor Plan "BEFORE"

Bedroom BEFORE Remodeling

Dressing Room BEFORE Remodeling

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

Updating Another Fireplace

Jackie Braitman — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:59:02 +0000

Modern, Updated Fireplace

I’m always surprised at how easy and yet dramatic it is to update a fireplace. Life, for this firebox, started out in the 1950′s as a country-look brick fireplace – see below. We removed the wood mantle, chipped away the brick shelf-brackets, and removed the brick hearth. A slightly narrower hearth was allowed by code since we were putting in a gas insert. A new mud base was laid to bring the hearth back up to floor level. Large format porcelain tile was laid directly on the brick. The same tile was used for the mantle as for the fireplace. The tile is 26″ x 13″ laid horizontally. Brushed metal edging was used in place of bullsnose tile. The fireplace was plumbed for natural gas. The country-look plank cabinet was replaced with a European-style full overlay cabinet in natural alder. Finally, the gas insert and new glass doors were installed.

The monolithic look — without mantle or other embellishment — is a very sleek, modern look. The horizontal picture emphasizes the vertical monolithic form of the fireplace.

Fireplace "Before" Changes

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

A Modern Kitchen For A 1950′s Split-Level

Jackie Braitman — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:17:45 +0000

Kitchen with View to Dining Room

View As Enter From Foyer

The kitchen in this 1950′s split level in Washington, DC had been updated once in the 1980′s. It was overdue for another update — this time, a more modern style central to the house and with better connection to the outdoors. Among other items, the wish list included:

-	A Powder Room on the Main Floor
-	A Second Sink
-	Moving non-cooks out of the workflow
-	Better placement for the dishwasher — so you didn’t need to close it to put away dishes
-	Better natural light while preserving privacy and security
-	A Pantry
-	A Dining Room that could be either formal or informal
-	4 burners and a grill with a 36″ cooktop
-	A whole-house multi-media system
-	Exposed trash & recycling containers — since several members of the family seemed to only use them if they could see them.
-	To better use the seemingly wasted space taken up by 2 doors off the kitchen — one into the old dining room and one that led to the foyer.

We were able to satisfy the full list — all within the existing footprint.

The Kitchen cabinets are a combination of Zebra wood on the island and a natural alder elsewhere. We used a deep walnut on the toekick to blend in with the darkly stained oak floors and to make the cabinets appear as if they float. The pulls are all stainless steel bar pulls that are easy on aging hands and won’t catch on clothing. The counters are honed absolute granite.

Sliding Wall Allows The Dining Room To be Isolated From the Kitchen

A sliding wall between the dining room and kitchen allows the homeowners to close-off the dining room when they’re entertaining non-family. The three panels are most often pushed all the way to the outside wall (1st and 2nd images). The panels are sized to be the same width as the island to give more visual separation without cutting off all light (image above). Another sliding door — this time a pocket door — can separate the kitchen from the foyer (picture below; next to the ovens). The door usually fits in a pocket next to the pantry.

Pocket Door Separates Kitchen From Foyer

The second sink is on the non-cook’s side of the island. The husband and children can make sandwiches and snacks without getting in the way of the cook. It’s also useful for chopping vegetables during holiday meals.

Miele Modular Cooktop Components Allow 4 burners and grill in 36" Cabinet

The cooktop, above, is a modular Miele unit that allowed us to combine 4 burners and a grill within a 36″ cabinet — providing more useful storage space in the island. Two open areas in the island — a center area on the non-cook’s side and a smaller area next to the cooktop allow exposed trash and recycling that’s still largely tucked away out of view.

We took the area formerly used by wide picture windows and replaced them with patio doors — a triple in the dining room and a double in the breakfast area. A solid “back” door was replaced with a single glass door. We doubled the width and increased the height of the windows over the sink area. We actually reduced the amount of wall space devoted to glazing while dramatically increasing the natural light. All windows and doors are triple-pane, low-e, argon filled for comfort. Security bars on some of the old windows could be eliminated by using laminated glass for safety and security.

One end of the old dining room is divided into a new powder room, a pantry and an alcove in-between with a small desk for re-charging cell phones or notebook computers. The powder room, below, has a honed granite sink that coordinates with the countertops and porcelain mosaic tile in a band around the room that coordinates with the new facing on the fireplace.

New Powder Room

Floor Plan "After"

Floor Plan "Before"

Kitchen "Before"

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

Enlarging a Master Bath

Jackie Braitman — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:19:11 +0000

Red Counter Extends Over Foot of Tub

Like many baths from the 1950′s and before, the original bath was quite small — with pink and maroon tile. This is the story of creating a roomy, modern bath in a 1950′s split level in Washington, DC. The remodeled bath is dressed almost completely in grey — grey porcelain floor tile; grey large-format wall tile – floor to ceiling; grey custom cabinets, grey towels, stainless and brushed metal hardware and fixtures, cararra marble tile on the floor of the shower. The spark of energy comes from a bright red Ceasarstone countertop. In addition to topping the vanity, it extends on one side over the foot of the tub and on the other side into a niche in a custom tower cabinet. An additional sparkle comes from the vertical lines of glass random length mosaic tile on either side of the medicine cabinet and under the sconces.

The room enjoys radiant in-floor heat, a shower head and handheld shower both controlled by the same thermostatic valve but with separate volume controls, a Toto toilet, a soaking tub with it’s own hand-spray, a shower with a deep bench and two niches for shampoos and soaps, and lot’s of storage. Ambient light comes from “ceiling washing” sconces placed about a foot from the ceiling; task lighting is provided by sconces flanking the medicine cabinet. All lighting is compact fluorescent.

The cabinets were fabricated by a local cabinet shop using a local mill — saving shipping fuel. We customized the cabinets in color and form for this bath. The vanity is shallow at 18″. The medicine cabinet has an inside mirror. The combination saves the owner’s back when he shaves. The tower cabinet has a lower cabinet that opens for the convenience of the toilet containing extra toilet tissue. A niche facing the vanity with 2 hidden outlets keeps clutter off the counter. A wall-mounted hotel-style hair dryer further keeps clutter off the countertop. The front of the niche
has a false panel to maintain a uniform look along with a cabinet pull that does duty as a towel rod. The cabinets over the toilet provide lots of additional storage as well as a shelf for extra towels. All but the top middle drawer in the vanity are functional — including drawers that are cut around the plumbing.

The large bath was created out of the original small master bath plus 2 closets — one serving the master bedroom and one serving the hallway. We pushed the bath 9 inches into the master bedroom to allow sufficient space for a separate shower and soaking tub.

View From Bedroom

Shower has Frosted Glass And Forms Nook for Privacy on the Toilet

Niche Facing Vanity Removes Clutter From Countertop

Single Thermostatic Valve Controls Separate Volume Controls for Shower Head and Handheld

Floor Plan - After - Enlarged Bath Took Over 2 Existing Closets

Floor Plan Remodel

Pink and Black 1950's Bath "Before"

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

A Modern Remodeled Hall Bath

Jackie Braitman — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:54:57 +0000

A Modern Hall Bath Remodel

Before we remodeled, this bath was a classic hall bath dating from the 1950′s. White and black tile, gray-patterned Formica countertops, a standard white enameled cast iron tub and black, white and red geometric wall paper (probably from the 1970′s). The client wanted a comfortably sized shower with the ability to independently operate a hand-held shower and overhead shower; she wanted lots of storage and a modern style that would blend with the newly modernized split level in upper Northwest, Washington, DC. But she wanted ”water” shades of blue, aqua and green instead of the muted palette of grays, charcoals, and mauves used in the rest of the house. She did not, however, want the bath to feel like it belonged at the beach. And, of course, since you could see the bath as you walked up the stairs to the bedroom level, the colors still had to blend with the more muted palette of the house. Finally, as with the rest of the remodel, she wanted to be conscientious of environmental concerns.

The old bath (see picture below) was dismantled so that all the useable materials could be re-used. Most of the materials were donated to Community Forklift, a local non-profit that collects and sells surplus and salvaged building materials. Additional items that Community Forklift wasn’t interest in were given away using Craig’s List and Freecycle.

We used a local cabinetmaker to craft the cabinets. He uses a local mill. Thus we supported the local economy as well as limiting transportation. We also used countertop and tile material that employs over 80% recycled source material — Bioglass countertops and Eco-Terr terrazzo tiles from Coverings, Etc.. While these materials are manufactured overseas, we selected in-stock material that had already been shipped. It was a compromise. The lighting is a mixture of energy-saving fluorescent and LED.

To control costs, the plumbing fixtures all remained in their original locations. The only structural change was to widen the doorway from 24″ to 32″.

To reduce the “beach” look, the water colors are deep and intense tones. Plus we introduced warm, honey-toned alder cabinets. To blend the palette with the rest of the house, the terrazzo has the muted grays found in the rest of the house. The hallway leading to the bath employs a deep grayed brownish/mauve on the walls and a deep reddish-rust in the carpet. These tones are near complements of the “water” tones of the glass and paint making for a pleasing transition. [See discussion on using color complements.]

Notice the design of the glass tile. We used a 1″x4″ mosaic on the floor under the floating vanity and up the wall a variable amount. This resulted in a variable horizontal grout line separating the gradations of color moving up the vanity wall and in the shower — creating a gentle wave effect.

The shower uses separate mixing valves for the ceiling mounted rainhead-style shower head and a bar-mounted hand-held shower. The hand-held bar is installed low enough to allow it to be used as a body spray directed to the shoulders or low-back. The hand-held has a variable spray to allow a gentle or pulsing spray. The separate shower mixing valves allow the hand-held and shower heads to be set at different temperature and to be used simultaneously.

Detail of Vanity and Floor Tile

View of Bath From Hallway

View of Shower

: Bath Before RemodelingShower Before Remodeling

Sources:
	Donation of Salvaged Materials	Community Forklift
	Cabinetry	Design: Braitman Design/Build
	Countertop – BioGlass	Coverings, Etc
	Terrazzo Tile – Eco-Terr	Coverings, Etc
	Glass Tile – Artic Line	Medici Mosaics
	Faucets, Towel Rods, Sink	Lacava
	Toilet (dual flush, ADA Compliant	Kohler
	Shower Pan (solid surface material)	Royal Stone
	Medicine Cabinet	Wave

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

Modernizing a Split Level – Part 1

Jackie Braitman — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 05:01:18 +0000

Split levels were the suburban rage in the mid-1950′s and 60′s. Modernizing them can be a bit tricky. In this entryway there are several changes – all non-structural that spell modern:
- Stainless Steel Cable Railings replace old-fashioned wood newel posts and ballisters.
- The blue and white wall-to-wall carpet gave way to a modern rust runner
- The wall up the stairs was clad in large scale charcoal porcelain tile.
- The doorway was filled with a modern pocket door that tucks away when not needed.
- a single ceiling fixture was replaced with monorail lighting with custom diffusers.
- the front closet doors were also switched out to doors that match the pocket door (without the lattice) — not shown here.

"Before"

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build