Many people consider a lot of different factors when purchasing a home. One can be a community. My client lives in the city of Poughkeepsie. She decided that a condominium with all the perks of a clubhouse and pool was the right solution. This choice aligned with her long-term goals. The caveat to this was her master bathroom. She did not love the giant jetted tub or the odd glass corner shower that came with the home. She is a stylish person. She confessed that the drab decor frustrated her. She desired something that felt more like her – fun (IMO)!

My initial design removed the tub and the corner shower unit. To assist in storage needs we placed a freestanding linen cabinet where the shower unit once stood. My client loved the idea of black finishes. She fell in love with a black and white hex tile for the shower floor. She also wanted to have a folding wall bench seat for the new shower area.

Besides being just a fantastic human being, my client has a very solid design style she wants to incorporate. Big dreams can quickly lead to a larger budget than a Homeowner is willing to invest. A lean towards higher end taste and a larger footprint can also contribute to this – especially in a bathroom. We did have to scale back to meet her budget. The glass was one of the larger investments for the project. One compromise was to wait on the glass panel, but to prepare the space for the future addition of one. This means that we put in blocking behind the tile. This allows a panel to be easily installed any time after construction. In the meantime, we will install a curtain and rod for her.

I always encourage my clients to make selections ahead of time. This way they can get a sense of what they like and what the costs are linked to those selections. My client realized that black finishes are a larger investment and felt this was an easy way to scale back. She also decided that the vanity was another compromise worth making. We changed the size of the cabinet and removed a sink.

Sometimes seeing the changes we are suggesting opens up new thoughts. We took out the folding bench in favor of getting a bench that is movable. She also wanted to see the sage green vanity in the space. She wanted to remove the accent tile from the wall niche. This helped her make some decisions. We also realized the downsizing of the vanity would allow for her to place robe/towel hooks on the wall.

This project continued to evolve as we got it to production. We stuck to the budget she hoped for in the end. The result was pretty fabulous.

Stay tuned for some better photos because this bathroom really does shine with all the little touches by my client. The classic black, white, and gray gives her a blank canvas to play with. The robe hooks became a custom cubby in the partition wall that gives her extra storage. And when I asked her, she said her favorite part is the hook in the shower. She uses the pool and now has the perfect spot to hang her wet suit to dry.

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If you live in the Hudson Valley and are considering a project, click here to learn more about DBS Remodel.