A Mt Tabor primary bathroom is updated with aging in place in mind.

PROJECT NAME: Mt Tabor Modern Primary Bath

PROJECT LOCATION: Mt Tabor Portland, Oregon

A client living in an architect-designed modern Mt Tabor home built in 1977 contacted AHID for design of their original primary en-suite bathroom. They shared that they adore their home and want to plan for the future so they can stay as long as possible.

“There’s nowhere I’d rather live and I’d like to plan for future needs that allow me to stay here..”

AHID had previously worked with this client on several other parts of their home but the primary bathroom had been left as the client “didn’t have a vision” for what they wanted. Truth be told, the primary bathroom provided a good indication of what the whole home had previously looked like before we worked together.

This bathroom had an exorbitantly long vanity, an awkwardly placed window, flow that didn’t make sense, and felt dark and dingy. When talking with the client about their aspirations for the updated space they had a few criteria they wanted to keep central: a curbless shower with a bench, the space to feel aligned to the the rest of the rooms in the house that we had already completed, and flooded with natural light.

This client unapologetically states that aesthetics matter most to them. While we appreciate the spirit here at AHID, we are firm believers in balancing both the function and aesthetics of a space. Our process first and foremost focused on the functional ways in which the bathroom had not worked for the client — a small shower with a curb, a large jacuzzi tub taking up valuable real estate when they aren’t a bath-taker, a swing door that gets in the way, and light (or lack there of) that feels depressing.

We focused on making sure there were ample clearances to provide space to move around if one were using a walker or wheelchair. We discussed that although the client is not a bath-taker, it made sense to include a freestanding tub in the space given that it’s the en suite primary bathroom and future homeowners likely would expect a bathtub. And while it made sense to remove the awkward window that had been in the wall above the vanity, we specified as many skylights as possible to be placed between the existing rafters to flood the space with natural light while still allowing for privacy.

In discussing the aesthetic design and thinking about the contemporary feel of the rest of the home, we decided on the use of a dark grey or black tile. We shared that choosing a tile that wasn’t large format allowed for more grout, meaning better traction on wet floors. In addition, we specified radiant floor heat for comfort, first and foremost, but also as it aids in helping wet locations dry more quickly.

When it came time to design the custom vanity, the client shared how much they still love their custom kitchen island (we agree!). We went back to the plans and specifications of that piece and designed a vanity in keeping with the design intent — a custom fabricated metal base frame and legs in stainless steel, slab front drawers and doors, pull tabs and a special finish approach to the wood.

We decided to move the shower stall so it took up the whole depth of the room on one side of the bathroom, allowing for ample space to get in and out of the water, a bench, and a space to hang towels within the shower but out of the range of water spray.

As is the case with all tile jobs at AHID, our request is always to minimize the cuts to the tile - we designed the bench and shower niche so that the full lengths of the tiles could be on display. We also opted to accentuate the size of the shower by running the niche nearly the full length of the shower.

We opted for a custom vanity mirror to get the exact dimensions we had envisioned while also matching the vanity material and finish. And we felt that the overall clean lines and contemporary feel of the room needed some softening, which we achieved with stacked round globe pendant lights, original abstract artwork, and painting the ceiling and walls in a soft and soothing blue.

This dramatic transformation provides the client a soothing, comfortable, and streamlined space to utilize now with the confidence that it is set-up for them to use well into the future.