Urban Renewal
A Seattle couple trusts their interior designer to create a master bath they'll love – and wind up with more than they'd imagined.
Some people hire an interior designer, and then work side by side to create the look of a room. Valerie and Ian Smith are not those people. When the young couple, busy professionals who travel a lot, bought a spacious condo in Seattle's up- and- coming Belltown neighborhood, neither had the time or the inclination to tackle the needed remodeling project. They wanted the condo so they could enjoy an urban lifestyle and get to work without a car, not so they could spend time updating it.
After interviewing several interior designers, Valerie and Ian decided the Seattle-based MusaDesign was the right company to trust with their condo's renovation.
“We like her use of nontraditional materials,” Valerie says. “ their work is very innovative and modern”
MusaDesign first project was to combine a cramped walk-in closet and a small bath to create a master bath. Valerie and Ian specified a few things they wanted: ample storage space: green hues; a clean, simple look; and a good-size shower that didn't include a tub. They left the rest up to Musadesign.
This Photo: Custom-built cabinetry in Valerie and Ian Smith's remodeled bathroom is veneered with Japanese Sen. The light-colored wood has a very subtle grain figure that tends itself to contemporary designs.
Opposite: Musadesign stuck to a strict budget for the bathroom renovation so they could splurge on jade green vanity bowls and teal-green glass accents.
Eco-Friendly Materials
Based in Salt lake City, 3form, Inc, offers environmentally friendly resin products for interior , exterior, and architectural use; Musadesign chose products from 3form's Varia collection for Valerie and Ian's Smith's home. Made by sandwiching an inner core layer between two sheets of resin, Varia panels are available in an array of colors, textures, and patters. Musadesign used an opaque partition to shield the toilet from view and a translucent shower wall and door to allow light into the space.
“We new Valerie really like the color of jade, so we used that as our jumping-off point,” says Julia Sandetskaya, who describes the room as a modern composition that combines cool shades of green, light-color wood cabinetry, and well-placed lighting.
The additional space from the former walk-in closet allowed Musadesign to include a double vanity, oversize shower, and a large built-in closet. Two more closets in the bedroom more than make up for the lost walk-in closet space.
Musadesign's love of nontraditional materials showed up in heir use of environmentally friendly, resin-base panels from 3from. Available in varying degrees of opacity, the panels were used for the shower wall and door, the toilet partition, and the storage closet doors.
Because Smiths were out of town during much of the project, Musadesign wasn't sure what they would think of the finished look. They needn't have worried.
“Valerie walked right in and looked around and smiled and said, “I feel like I'm in France in a beautiful spa,” Sandetskaya says, “She was really happy, and that was a great compliment for us.”