The kitchen may be the heart of the home and the family room might be the everyday gathering spot, but for Marje Winhoven, the primary bathroom is the primo spot in her Columbus abode.
“Honestly, it’s my favorite room in our house,” she says with a laugh. “It’s so light and airy, and it’s probably where I am most calm.”
It wasn’t always so. Marje, her husband Jason and their two young children moved in several years ago, recognizing that the home had good bones but also, given it was built in 1983, that it would require renovating. They reconnected with KP Designs Group, who had done renovations on other parts of their home previously, to give the “ugly but mostly functional” master bathroom a facelift.
Smooth relay
Erica Kadlec from KP Designs started as the Winhovens’ designer, and when she went on maternity leave, Celeste Bardash took over. Both deserve credit for the result. “They have both been a joy to work with and they have unique strengths,” says Marje.
The first challenge was how to address the layout and miniscule size of the existing shower (Jason’s elbows brushed the shower walls when he was showering.) The toilet was positioned near the shower, with no room to expand, so Celeste reclaimed hallway space that housed a laundry chute and used that to create a new water closet. The new shower has plenty of elbow room and is aesthetically pleasing in both textured white and glossy black tile.
Once the layout and shower were addressed, Celeste turned to the color palette. She knew Marje wanted a clean, spa-like feel, but otherwise says she started with a blank slate. A luxury spa is typically bathed in soothing hues—serene colors such as Sherwin-Williams’ Alabaster—which graces the walls here. Soft and tranquil, the walls pair nicely with the room’s warm woods as well as the shower’s black penny tile. But it’s the soaking tub that steals the show and solidifies the bathroom’s spa vibes.
“I take a lot of baths,” explains Marje. “I used to have a jacuzzi tub with jets but switched over to the soaking tub. For me, it was not just about the aesthetic but also the practicality.”
While practical doesn’t seem to be a word that should apply to this elegant soaker, practicality (it’s a breeze to clean) and comfort reign supreme. Marje didn’t trust that she could gauge a tub’s comfort level based on looking at tub photographs, so she and Celeste went and sat in tubs in a local showroom. Marje ended up shopping and sourcing the tub on her own and declares it incredibly comfortable. Celeste definitely recommends tub sitting before buying. “I like to have a client sit in a tub. It’s not just about the length but also the incline and width,” she says.
A bit of glitz
The floor-mounted tub filler, complete with hand shower, has a champagne bronze finish, adding a hint of edginess to the space. The room’s towel bars and towel rings have a luxe gold finish and do the same. In fact, all of the plumbing fixtures exude a modern vibe without being too contemporary. The knurled cabinetry hardware creates additional visual interest, while the simple, clean lines of the faucet handles balance it out.
The cabinetry itself was custom designed and built by an Amish cabinetmaker. Marje and Jason love it, as well as the quartz countertops. “I love them because they are so unique,” confirms Marje. “We actually found the quartz as a remnant. It’s called Cloudy White.”
Let in the light
Without the right mirrors and the right lighting, a bathroom can feel dark and gloomy; that’s not an issue here. The room is full of sunlight streaming in through the skylight and the large picture windows. The grassy cloth shades on the windows are minimal to allow for even more natural light, and the distinctive gold chandelier adds light as well as panache. The mirrors are significantly taller than other bathroom mirrors, making the room feel even more spacious and ensuring morning routines are a breeze. Indeed, simplistic mirrors such as these, without a lot of profile around the edges, are on trend this spring.
Finally, the flooring is a crisp white hex tile with black border, and the tile adds to the spa-like ambience. Gray was initially a potential choice for the floor, but as Marje explains, “We have a lot of gray in our house already and my husband likes black and white.”
Celeste explains that a gray palette used to be all the rage and, while it’s still popular, people are leaning more toward warmer hues, such as the warm wood cabinetry in this bath.
“The trends overall are more tans and browns within décor,” Celeste says. “People still want that fresh, clean feel with warmer colors, and then they add interest with an interesting accent tile or a touch of metallic, like we did here.” Black accents and geometrics are also in style.
Trendy or not, the Winhoven primary bathroom was once the room where the kids gravitated regularly and took their baths, despite multiple other bathrooms in the house. Now, with the new soaker tub and all of the other upgrades, Marje says, “They’re in this room even more! We all love it so much.”
RESOURCES
Design Erica Kadlec and Celeste Bardash, KP Designs Group Cabinetry Custom designed, Amish built Countertop and undermount sink Konkus Marble and Granite Faucets Delta Trinsic Floor tile White hex tile with black border, Florida Tile Shower tile White artisan textured 4” square and black gloss penny, Florida tile Window shades Levolor Cabinet hardware Top Knobs Towel bars, rings, and accessories Brizo Odin collection Lighting Six-light gold chandelier, HomeAngel LLC Linear lights above mirrors Access Lighting from the Aqua collection Mirrors, wall décor and accessories KP Designs Group showroom
Article by Lee Rhodes | Photos by Tammy Dean
Article originally appeared in March 2024