SHREVEPORT, LA — She’s a girly girl – glamorous and old Hollywood with a Beverly Hills hotel vibe. He’s a country boy – an avid outdoorsman, hunter and farmer.
When it came time to designing their new-construction, modern Mediterranean-style home, designers at The Cottage in Shreveport, LA, accommodated both personalities by giving each their own master bathroom and closet/dressing area.
“There were two different worlds going on, so it was important that we created interiors that reflected the desires and needs of two different personalities, while blending them together for a cohesive look,” says Jamey Briggs, designer, noting a collaboration with Ben Patterson, AIA (architect) and Terry M. Elston (custom residential builder).
“We met consistently to ensure we were all on the same page during the entire project,” adds Barbara Mitchell, interior designer, ASID, NCIDQ, LEED AP. “Communication was key to designing a successful project.”
‘Her’ Social Sanctuary
For her, that meant creating a personal sanctuary for her own use, as well as a place where she could gather with friends.
“Her bathroom and closet are social spaces, too,” says Briggs. “She loves hanging out with her girlfriends and spending time with them, dressing and preparing for social events, or just visiting.”
Custom designed, each cabinet within her master bathroom was created with a particular purpose in mind. For example, her sink vanity is taller than standard height and includes a recessed toe kick to ‘lighten’ its visual and provide a space for additional lighting.
To accommodate, the designers kept the bathroom footprint open to allow for adequate movement. To maintain a clean aesthetic, they eliminated wall cabinets and replaced them with large mirrors inset into wainscoting and highlighted with surface-mounted sconces.
“She wanted a very open space with a clean look,” explains Mitchell. “One big request from her was for lots of mirrors. She wanted it to be expansive and look visually large.”
To further enhance the light, bright aesthetic, marble-look 24″x48″ porcelain tile from Artistic Tile clads the floor and alcove that sets off the focal-point tub, which is sited to take advantage of the view of the pool and golf course. A privacy screen, which can be remotely operated from inside, provides discretion when needed. A nearby WarmlyYours towel warmer adds to the niche’s lavishness, as does the radiant floor heat that runs throughout the room.
The designers extended the porcelain tile into the steam shower and accented it with a natural stone mosaic. A bench, body sprays and multiple showerheads further the spa-like atmosphere.
While marble-esque tile fulfills a maintenance-free need in certain areas, the real deal, specifically Bianco Rhino marble, adorns the Wood-Mode vanities, which are sheathed in a custom color with gold painted details and Hardware Resources pulls. Custom designed, each cabinet was created with a particular purpose in mind. Faucets from California Faucets’ Montara Collection are also featured.
“We were very specific about what we included, where,” says Mitchell, “especially since she is left-handed, which changed where we would intuitively place certain pullouts. We also included plenty of storage for tall cans of hair spray as well as outlets inside drawers.”
Her sink vanity is also taller than standard height and includes a recessed toe kick to ‘lighten’ its visual and provide a space for lighting.
Wood-Mode cabinetry is carried into her closet, which features a secondary make-up/hair station, coffee bar and refrigerator, island with luggage drawers, jewelry storage and glass-front cabinets for displaying special handbags and shoes. A portion of the wall cabinetry also includes a three-way dressing mirror.
A metal mesh, Gold Leaf Pulse chandelier from Corbett Lighting – discovered on one of the many shopping trips with the homeowners – finishes the room.
Marble-look porcelain tile combines with complementary yet contrasting floor mosaics and a geometric accent wall to create a shower that is more interesting than a plain white box. A bench and multiple showerheads add to the spa-like appeal.
‘His’ Masculine Retreat
Although smaller in scale, his master bathroom retreat includes several well-planned amenities, too. Specifically, since his space is an interior room, special consideration was given to lighting.
“There are no exterior walls in his bathroom, so there are no windows,” explains Briggs. “That’s why we incorporated motion-activated toe-kick lighting. When he walks into the space at night, it also acts as a night light.”
“Lighting was also important because we used darker colors in his bathroom,” adds Mitchell, noting a reference to the custom Wood-Mode cabinetry in maple finished in Matte Twilight and accented with Top Knobs hardware, a quartzite countertop and Brizo Levoir faucetry.
Like her bathroom, the designers paid special attention to the cabinetry layout, making sure to create adequate storage to meet his needs. As such, pullouts are positioned to each side of his sink and outlets for charging razors, toothbrushes, etc. are included in a bank of drawers. A hamper is located near the entrance to his closet.
“His wife made sure to include storage that functioned for his needs, and that would help him stay organized and tidy,” says Mitchell.
Custom cabinetry extends into his closet, which features special capacities such as belt and hat storage and an island with an electronic charging station, a watch winding device and a bench. Clear glass fronts on closet drawers give him quick and easy visual access to clothing selections.
“He likes to keep his polo shirts in the drawers, organized by color,” she continues. “If he is looking for his purple or orange shirts, he can easily find them!”
Tile played an important role in his bathroom, too. For example, his floor features graphic, large-format 24″x48″ Kauri porcelain tile from Artistic Tile.
“It looks like stylized wood,” says Briggs. “It’s a beautiful dark colorway with a masculine vibe that maintains a modern design style.”
In his shower they repeated the marble-look porcelain tile from her bathroom, combining it with complementary yet contrasting floor mosaics and an accent wall with tile from Walker Zanger.
“Using different patterns creates interest so the shower isn’t just a plain, white box,” Briggs indicates, adding that a bench and several showerheads adds to the spa-like appeal. ▪