Tasked with upgrading a duplex in Northwest DC, partners Robert Cole and Sophie Prévost tackled the builder-grade master bath with the idea of creating openness and interest while maximizing storage. “The client, an empty-nester, made it clear she was adventuresome,” Cole recalls. “This was a great message to get.”

The original bathroom was gutted and reorganized. It now opens into a double-sink vanity area equipped with a washer and dryer and lots of storage. Beyond this space, a roomy shower enclosure awaits beside a five-foot-long tub; a WC is tucked into an adjacent niche.

A wall of textured-ceramic tile anchors the tub and shower; it faces the doorway, creating a focal point when seen from the bedroom. In a two-inch-wide slit cut between the wall and ceiling, the designers installed adjustable LED lights that illuminate the textured wall. “You get these shadows that are quite beautiful,” Cole explains. “The lighting creates a sense of repose.”

Prévost clad the remaining walls and floor in luminous quartzite; in lieu of drywall or doors, frosted-glass partitions define the shower, tub, WC and vanity areas while providing privacy. “The way the layout is designed, there are no doors,” she observes. “The door to the bathroom can remain open and all you see is the textured wall with the light on it.”

Renovation Architecture & Bath Design: Robert Cole, RIBA, and Sophie Prévost, ASID, ColePrévost, Inc., Washington, DC. Renovation Contractor: ThinkMakeBuild, Annapolis, Maryland. 

RESOURCES
Floor & Wall Tile: Quartzite through stonesource.com. Accent Wall Tile: Ceramic through porcelanosa-usa.com. Tub: duravit.com. Tub & Shower Fixtures: hansgrohe-usa.com. Toilet: toto.com. Frosted Glass: hutchisonglassandmirror.com. Lighting: hinsondesign.com.