A house renovation could solely contain a smaller challenge, however that doesn’t preclude incorporating an even bigger design idea past mere performance and updating supplies. For a loo transformation in an older New Westminster property, the home-owner had a singular and extremely particular request that outlined the transform plan: She envisioned reclining within the bathtub, a glass of wine in hand, whereas staring up on the stars.

Fulfilling that transient meant not simply remodeling the ground plan however making the tub the focus of the house. Although an averaged sized lavatory at 80 sq. toes, the room felt smaller as a result of it was lengthy and slender. For Rebecca Foster, principal and lead designer at Align Inside Design , the answer was to reposition the bathtub on the finish of the room towards the surface wall.

“It had only a tiny window there,” Foster explains. “We made that window greater and centred it on the wall. There was no skylight there. We completely opened up the ceiling to make this lovely skylight.”

To emphasise it as point of interest, Foster’s idea concerned including an arch to border the bathtub — an concept that got here from the home-owner discovering an inspiration picture of a built-in tub with an arch element. Foster’s interpretation of the arch was finessed to combine with the house’s mid-century trendy type.

“It was a very conventional lavatory design within the inspirational picture, and it didn’t go well with the remainder of her home,” Foster recollects. “So, we took the arched tub inspiration and modernized it in a option to make it really feel a bit extra transitional. The type labored with the present mid-century trendy home.

“We needed to make it possible for all of your consideration was drawn by way of that arch to the window on the again and the skylight as a result of, finally whenever you walked into the house, we needed it to really feel like pure gentle was flooding into the house and that bathtub simply felt so inviting.”

For the color and texture of the supplies, the overreaching theme was a chilled, seashore vibe. Once more, contemplating the mid-century type of the house, Foster eschewed any apparent coastal motifs or nod to seaside residing. Fairly she blended textures and hues which are evocative of water and sand — a characteristic wall of aqua zellige tile over the natural-wood self-importance and at both finish of the bathtub, white shiplap on the wall reverse the self-importance and creamy tiles on the ground accented with polished nickel {hardware} and plumbing fixtures.

“The again wall is simply white zellige as a result of we beloved the feel of it and the way it felt, very very similar to the flooring, like a sandy seashore,” Foster notes. “We’ve bought layers of texture. We’ve bought the shiplap which is vertical texture. We’ve bought flooring tile positioned in a diagonal to provide that texture.”

Foster continued the white zellige on the apron of the bathtub for each esthetic and sensible causes: there isn’t a visible break between the bathtub and the again wall, and the tile is impervious to water. Although as the bathtub is undermounted below the quartz ledge, which is slanted inward on the perimeters, the water flows again into the bathtub relatively than the ground however stays the proper resting spot for a wine glass.

The repositioning of the bathtub, whereas visually dramatic, additionally created better performance within the house introducing extra inventive storage — a built-in spot for a Kitty Litter tray — and a devoted make-up station for the home-owner.

From the superbly positioned window with the meticulous tile placement — no odd offcuts to interrupt the visible movement — to the refined mixture of textures, the result’s a recent, serene house. A lot of which Foster credit contractor Fifth Factor Building ’s consideration to element.

Foster says she’s happy with the impact of all of the textures play collectively with out it being overwhelming with texture. “It simply sort of layered the sort of heat that you simply really feel whenever you’re on a seashore,” she says.